Regional Workshop on Elimination of Bonded Labour System

Chandigarh, 5^th July 2019:  The Chandigarh Administration today organized a Regional Workshop on Elimination of Bonded Labour System, including Child Labour, Inter-State Migrant Workers and Human trafficking at Chandigarh Judicial Academy, Sector 43, Chandigarh under the aegis of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), New Delhi.

The workshop was presided over by Justice Sh. P.C Pant, Hon’ble Member, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and former Judge of the Supreme Court of India. In his Inaugural address, he urged upon the rehabilitation of rescued bonded laborers and showed his concern upon effective implementation of various acts formulated for elimination of bonded labour and prosecution of the offenders.

All the participating speakers were of the view that the bonded labour pre-dominantly in the unorganized sector which employs majority of the labour force in India.  The present form is more common in the field of agricultural, mining, silk production, carpet manufacturing, beedi factories, brick-klins etc all over the country. There are many different reasons for bonded labour in the country. There is lack of basic amenities such as food shelter, medical facilities and sanitation and further more the inequality, gender and caste discrimination and the inadequate education. The problem of bonded labour also gives rise to allied problems such as ill health, sexual assault, abductions, human trafficking and other crimes specially against women and children, which are most vulnerable classes.

The workshop brought forward the practical difficulties being faced by many of the Government agencies and expanded the vision to look after the potentiality of re-assessing and reanalyzing the situations for making procedural and workable improvements for effective implementations by remaining within the jurisdiction of law. It was discussed, that necessary amendment in the Act may be got done for effective implementation of the Act.

The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks ­­­­­­­given by expressing heartiest gratitude to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), New Delhi for providing this opportunity to organize this workshop in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The workshop was attended by Justice Sh. Iqbal Ahmad Ansari, Chairperson, Punjab State Human Rights Commission, Justice Sh. S. K. Mittal, Chairperson, Haryana State Human Rights Commission, Sh. Jaideep Govind, IAS, Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Sh. Manoj Parida, IAS, Adviser to the Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, Sh. Ajoy Kumar Sinha, Finance Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, Sh. Jitender Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, UT, Chandigarh and Dr. Ranjit Singh, Joint Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC),  the senior representatives of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) New Delhi, Senior Officers from the States of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir & Union Territory of Chandigarh along with other representatives of workers unions, NGO’s and other stakeholders.