On May 29th 2019, JVI and one of its local partners coordinated with police to rescue 59 victims from forced labor slavery from a brick kiln in Sonipat, Haryana (located on the outskirts of Delhi). The victims were trafficked from Jehanabad, Gaya and Murshidabad in Bihar. Those rescued represented 15 families.
The families working at the brick kiln were subject to verbal and physical abuse. They were deprived of clean drinking water, adequate housing, medical attention and schooling for the children. The children were also forced to labor as their tiny hands were useful in turning over bricks during the drying process. The families were forced to live and work on the premises, toiling in temperatures as high as 113 degrees for 12-15 hours per day and paid well below the legal minimum wage. They would use cloths to filter dirty water for drinking. Many often fell ill because of the contamination.
On the day of the rescue, police officials recorded the victims’ statements and then coordinated transportation back to their hometown in the state of Bihar. JVI partner staff in Bihar were waiting to receive the survivors.
JVI’s legal team is working closely with the police and prosecutors to ensure the traffickers are held accountable and that the survivors secure government rehabilitation assistance. Our aftercare team has already begun assessing the needs of each family to help them find housing, dignified jobs and schooling for the children.
