Force Conversion Against Loan, Kiln Workers Rescued from Bonded Labor

The kiln workers usually live in or around that vicinity, but there were no latrines in brick kilns’ houses. The women workers are usually trapped and sexually harassed, she added.

Courtesy: mysinchew.com

(ISLAMABAD) - Bonded labor is the latest form of slavery in Pakistan. More than 4.5 million kiln workers and their generations are experiencing overburdened and bonded labor problems at around 18,000 brick kilns spread across the country, according to a study by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC).

Kiln workers are paid Rs. 450 per 1,000 bricks, in some areas of Punjab, rate is even lower to Rs. 230 per 1,000 bricks, regardless of how long and how many members of the family it take to complete the task. These include fetching mud, soaking it in water, molding it into bricks, transporting the finished product to the kiln and finally baking and grading each brick. This is not much but there is another issue, “credit line acts as a noose”. In case of severe weather or illness, workers earn nothing and are forced deeper into debt begging for loans from their employers who are happy to extend the line of credit, which tie the laborer more tightly.

Babar Amanat, and Sabir Masih work for 18 hours a day with their families at a kiln in the outskirts of Rawalpindi. It takes a family a whole day to achieve the target, which they hardly meet in a day.

Due to illness of his father, he got some loan of Rs. 75, 000, which he couldn’t payoff and went deeper into debt. The owners demanded his money back or convert to Islam otherwise ready to face the consequences, but both families denied.

Ms. Sonia is the director of “World Vision in Progress” (WVIP). The local organization fortunately came to know about their problem; she took the initiative and went to untie them from this modern slavery and force conversion. According to Sonia, the kiln owner used to extend loans for occasions such as marriage, births and deaths, in an effort to tie the laborers more tightly into servitude. This action is totally illegal and under the law, a kiln owner can only release an advance equal to or less than two weeks’ wages, she told on telephone.

The kiln workers usually live in or around that vicinity, but there were no latrines in brick kilns’ houses. The women workers are often trapped and sexually harassed, she added.

Sonia negotiated with the owner with the help of the local administration and finally succeeded to untie both families from this slavery and relocated them.

WVIP helping the people in trouble, relocating them and struggling to eliminate the persecution in the society, said Farrukh H Saif, Chief of WVIP

About Shamim Masih

"I am Christian rights activist and freelancer Pakistani journalist specializing in writing about Christians rights for the different papers in the world. My aim is to create a peaceful environment in the society and to help eliminate Christian persecution through my writing as I bring the plight of these brave people under the spotlight of the whole world."

Shamim Masih was born in Sheikhopura's village and raised in Gujranwala, a city in Pakistan's Punjab province. He earned his Bachelors Degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore majoring in English, Economics and Statistics; he also received a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

As a freelance writer and author, Shamim has written for different papers in the world; his expertise is in writing articles highlighting different social issues. He has served as freelance chief reporter and column writer in “Minority Times” in Islamabad, and a number of Shamim's articles have been published in local papers as well.

You can write to Shamim at this address: shamimpakistan@gmail.com