The SC directed the Center to hold meetings with all States and UTs and formulate proposals to address the issue of inter-state trade in bonded labour. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Supreme Court on Thursday (November 21, 2024) directed the Center to hold a meeting with all States and Union Territories and formulate a proposal to address the issue of inter-state trade in bonded labour, including minors.
A Bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan called it “alarming” after the figures presented earlier showed that in Uttar Pradesh out of 5,264 workers who were released, only 1,101 received direct financial assistance.
Also Read: Over 2,000 people rescued from bonded labor since 2016, struggle without rehabilitation package
The apex court observed that the issue was to pay immediate financial assistance to rescued children because in some cases minors were brought from their home countries and forced to become bonded labor in neighboring countries.
“We find that to deal with the problem of inter-state child trafficking, the problem needs to be addressed by the unions as well as all the states in a unified manner,” the Bench said.
The apex court heard a plea to enforce the basic rights of people trafficked as bonded labourers.
Therefore, the Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment to hold a meeting with his counterparts in all the States and Union Territories and formulate a proposal to tackle social crimes.
The Bench wanted the proposal to contain simplified procedures to help the scheme provide quick financial assistance to assisted child labourers.
“Considering the importance of the matter, we found that it would be appropriate to seek the assistance of the Attorney General. Therefore, we are asking the Attorney General to assist us in this matter,” he said.
The Center was further directed by the apex court to take up the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) while completing the procedure. The matter will be heard after six weeks.
During the hearing, the counsel appearing for the petitioners flagged the issue of direct payment of financial assistance to the assisted workers.
The bench cited Uttar Pradesh figures and said that more than 4,100 released workers have not received financial assistance.
The State Counselor said that they have compiled the data about the districts along with the number of workers released and disbursements made to them and will be recorded.
When asked how the state is preventing bonded labour, the adviser said he would also take note of the procedure followed in Uttar Pradesh.
Counsel for the petitioners argued that this was an inter-state issue as there were cases where Bihar people were brought to Uttar Pradesh for bonded labour.
“Why do you as a union not have coordination with all state governments?” The Bench asked the counsel for the Centre.
He said that the secretary of the Ministry should hold a meeting with his counterparts in all the States and Union Territories and come out with a unified formula applicable to all.
Bench further observed that in the digital age, there should be a portal similar to those related to missing children.
“We need to find a unified procedure,” the Bench said.
During the hearing in August, senior advocate HS Phoolka, who appeared in the matter, said that not 10% of the workers were paid financial assistance or compensation.
In July 2022, the apex court agreed to hear the petition and sought responses from the Centre, NHRC and several States and Union Territories on the plea.
One of the petitioners said that he and several other bonded laborers were rescued and released on February 28, 2019, from a brick kiln in Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh before being trafficked by an unregistered contractor originally from Gaya district of Bihar.
The petitioner alleged that he and his co-workers were forced to work without payment of the statutory minimum wage and that their basic rights to movement and work were curtailed.
Published – November 21, 2024 16:06 IST
