The unethical exploitation and abuse in the brick kilns of Punjab is a major issue. A recent report has highlighted systemic exploitation, gender-based violence, debt bondage and widespread denial of basic labour rights to brick kiln workers. Over 9,339 families from brick kilns across the country have been rescued and rehabilitated. The extreme abuses range from verbal and physical harassment to cases of abduction and even murder.
Women workers remain especially vulnerable, subjected to rampant sexual harassment, service coercion and forced marriages. However, the workers continue to labour in unsafe, unhygienic and exploitative conditions under extreme weather, often receiving wages well below the legal minimum and having no access to social security. According to a study, 97 per cent of workers entered kilns because of urgent loans.
Ninety per cent had no written contracts, leaving them invisible to labour protection efforts, and over 70 per cent of families lived in a single cramped room. The study says that 60 per cent of workers reported verbal abuse; while many claimed being beaten, tortured and even abducted.
The government must take serious steps to ensure that brick kiln workers live a life of dignity. Further, legislative reforms and collaborative action are needed to end this extreme form of exploitation.
Noorsaba Jahan
Kech
