2023-05-04 06:00:00
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
- Some people in Pakistan are forced to make more than 1,500 bricks a day to pay off debts from brick kiln operators.
- But these people haven’t been told how much debt they have, how long they have to work, or how much interest they’re accruing.
- This form of “debt bondage” can be seen all over the world, with NGOs and others working to free “modern slavery.”
In Pakistan’s Thar Desert, people are “debt-bonded” and forced to work in brick kilns for years to pay off their debts.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
About 150 households make more than 1,500 bricks every day under harsh working conditions, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 48 degrees Celsius.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Many of these people are in “debt bondage” and are working to repay. They are told they make $1.50 a day and put another $1.50 toward repayment. However, there are no contracts or agreements, and there are people who don’t know how much debt they have, how much interest they have, and how long they have to keep working until the debt is paid off. many.
Source: Insider
Due to low wages, the only way to survive is to continue borrowing money from wealthy business owners.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Brick kiln worker Poonjo Meghwar believes he still owes regarding $560 a year to pay for medical bills.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
His wife, 70-year-old mother, and 12-year-old son all work in the same brick kiln to pay off this debt.
The kiln owner can make that same amount in a week just by selling the bricks made by the Meghwar family.
Source: Insider
Brick-making is a laborious business—you must first collect enough soil and mix it with water.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Then knead the mud until it becomes clay
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Using donkeys to carry nearly 5,000 bricks to the kiln every day
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Workers stack the bricks in an underground kiln and bake them for days (usually a month or more) — the kiln is said to reach over 1,000 degrees Celsius.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Al Jazeera, Insider
The kiln is covered with sand, and the cracks are filled with wood—there is a risk of collapse, and the work is life-threatening.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
In July 2022, three workersDied following falling into a burning kiln。
Source: Insider
Finished bricks are used to build houses, support bridges and irrigation canals, and at various construction sites
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
There are nearly 20,000 such brick kilns in Pakistan and more than 100,000 throughout South Asia.world bankThese brick kilns account for 91% of the pollution in some cities, according to the report. As of November 2022, Pakistan’s Environmental Protection AgencyClosed regarding 70 kilns。
Source: Insider
In addition to extreme heat, inhalation of dust and exposure to carbon monoxide and sulfur can lead to death — especially for children.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Child labor is illegal in Pakistan, but rampant in brick kilns
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
It is said that one in three brick kiln workers is underage.It has been seen. Depending on the kiln, more than half are said to be under 10 years old.
Source: Insider
What happens at the brick kiln falls under the definition of “debt bondage,” which was outlawed in Pakistan’s constitution in 1992.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Unfortunately, such modern slavery is not unique.Global Slavery IndexIt is estimated that nearly 25 million people in the Asia-Pacific region alone are in “debt bondage,” according to the report. Farming and brick production are the industries with the most “debt bondage”.
Source: Insider
Despite media reports and other reports, the Sindh Department of Labor maintains that “debt bondage” cannot be proven as there are no official records of families and children working there.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Experts say the brick kiln operators can escape any punishment because of their ties to the government.
Source: Insider
Zahid Thebo, who works for the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), oversees child labor in brick kilns — an NGO brought to justice for families stuck in ‘debt bondage’ and has helped liberate more than 17,000 workers so far.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
“When people are liberated and we see the smiles and joy on their faces, when we see the bright faces of young children, we get a unique mental and emotional satisfaction. We can do that,” said Zahid Thebo.
Source: Insider
After liberation, you can also move to a facility called “Azad Nagar”, which means “free city” — where you can earn wages by working in kilns without having to borrow money from anyone.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Many residents of Azad Nagar say they’re glad they’re out of a “debt bondage” cycle — though the camp doesn’t have running water or schools for the children, so SPARC is asking the government for funding. there is
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Pannu Faqeer, a resident of Azad Nagar who has been in “debt bondage” for more than two decades, said: “They were oppressed the whole time. They wouldn’t even pay their wages. I was even beaten,” he recalled.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
Pannu Faqeer now works with SPARC and accompanies other workers on court dates — in 2013 he was attacked while attending a labor rights demonstration was done
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
“Because we are here, we are free. If we were in the kiln, we would be restricted,” said Pannu Faqeer.
Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed
Source: Insider
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