NHRC to Formulate Proposal for Immediate Financial Aid to Rescued Bonded Labourers

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has assured the Supreme Court that it will engage stakeholders to develop a proposal addressing immediate financial assistance for rescued bonded labourers. This decision came after a petition highlighted that only a small fraction of affected individuals had received aid.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday informed the Supreme Court of its intention to consult stakeholders and produce a concrete proposal aimed at resolving the issue of immediate financial assistance for rescued bonded labourers.

The announcement was made during a hearing by a bench consisting of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan, who are currently deliberating on a petition aimed at enforcing the fundamental rights of trafficked individuals forced into bonded labour.

The need for prompt financial assistance emerged as a critical concern during arguments. Senior advocate H S Phoolka argued that less than 10 percent of rescued labourers received any form of compensation. Highlighting the severity of the issue, Phoolka mentioned that only 719 out of 11,000 rescued children had received financial aid.

The NHRC's counsel expressed willingness to discuss the issue with all stakeholders, including the petitioners, and to devise a solid proposal to address it. The Supreme Court bench has directed NHRC to finalize the modalities in discussion with all concerned parties and scheduled the matter for a follow-up hearing in four weeks.

The urgency of the issue was underscored by incidents like one from February 2019, where 11 individuals, including the petitioner, were rescued from a brick kiln in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. These workers had been trafficked from Bihar's Gaya district by an unregistered contractor and were forced to work without statutory minimum wages, severely impacting their fundamental rights.

(With inputs from agencies.)