New Delhi: The National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour released a sharp report on Friday accusing the government of failing to enforce the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976. The report, titled Migrant Bonded Labour in India, was launched at the Press Club of India in the presence of rescued workers, academics, legal experts and activists. NCCEBL Convener Nirmal Gorana said the findings reveal an absolute failure in protecting workers’ rights. He alleged that many people spend their entire lives working like slaves in free India and that authorities often side with factory owners instead of victims.
The report says several core provisions of the law remain non operational. These include summary trials, active vigilance committees and the proper identification of bonded labourers. Many workers are forced to sign papers they cannot read. Those rescued struggle to access basic support. The report says the difficulty in defining bonded labour is often intentional, which allows employers and officials to avoid accountability.
Senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Parikh said the absence of FIRs in bonded labour cases reflects a complete breakdown of enforcement. He said filing an FIR is essential for implementation and that the law becomes meaningless without it. This failure blocks workers from receiving release certificates and rehabilitation.
The report highlights wide gaps in victim support. The initial compensation of ₹10,000 is called insufficient. Many workers are unable to secure MNREGA work despite being eligible, which pushes them back into debt. Jindal University professor Preeti Krishnan said 85 percent of surveyed workers cannot access basic support and that FIRs were not filed in most documented cases.
Aditi, President of JNU Students’ Union, pointed to the absence of mandatory complaint committees in brick kilns. She said this omission enables unchecked exploitation. Sandeep Chachra of ActionAid India said a profit centred development model harms labourers and urged a rights based approach.
Gorana said India’s commitment to end forced labour by 2030 will remain an empty promise without urgent action. NCCEBL called on the government to acknowledge the ongoing prevalence of bonded labour and fix gaps in vigilance committees, identification and summary trials. The group said rescue and rehabilitation systems need stronger safeguards to ensure long term economic independence for freed workers.
By Abdul Bari Masoud
