Bonded labour traps millions of women and men, and their daughters and sons, in deep poverty in south Asia and in other regions of the world. It is a violation of human rights and an affront to human dignity. Impoverished families, most often members of the most socially-excluded groups in the population, find themselves unable to escape from labour exploitation to which they are bound by debts, threats and sometimes outright violence. For many, this seems to be their only option.
This does not have to be the case. Strong legislation exists across south Asia to outlaw bonded labour practices and to punish the perpetrators. The means to enforce the law are in place. Governments and civil society groups have taken major steps to put an end to bonded labour and to offer new hope to its victims for a better life in freedom but more must be done. Bonded labour can and must be abolished.
This web-site provides a resource for all the many partners, stakeholders and activists, in south Asia and elsewhere, who are committed to ending bonded and forced labour as part of a new Global Alliance. It allows ready access to a range of materials on bonded labour, and on means to combat it. We hope that all its users will find this resource useful, and will wish to contribute their own materials and experiences so as to expand and improve the site as an effective tool in the urgent fight against bonded labour.
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