Months after being rescued from bonded labour and trafficking rings in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar, survivors are still recovering from the trauma of being beaten, drugged, and forced into working for long hours with little food or water.
Even as they struggle to rebuild their lives, some are yet to receive any assistance from the government and gain acceptance from their families.
According to December 2018 data from the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, of the 3.13 lakh bonded labourers rehabilitated in the country, 1,404 were from Maharashtra.
However, NGOs, the police, and activists say not many cases of bonded labour are reported in Maharashtra owing to lack of awareness of this form of modern slavery, which has been illegal in India since 1976, when the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act came into force.
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Reporting and Videos: Purnima Sah
Production and Voiceover: Yuvasree S
