CURTAIN RAISER - NHRC’s day long regional workshop on Elimination of Bonded Labour System begins on 5th July, 2019 at Chandigarh (03.07.2019)

New Delhi, 03rd July, 2019

The National Human Rights Commission is organizing a day long Workshop on Elimination of Bonded Labour System including Child Labour, Inter-State Migrant Workers and Human Trafficking in collaboration with Union Territory of Chandigarh at Chandigarh Judicial Academy, Sector-43, Chandigarh on 05/07/2019. The Workshop, being chaired by Mr. Justice P.C. Pant, Hon’ble Member, NHRC, will start at 09:30 a.m. and conclude by 04:00 p.m.

The participants of the Workshop will be Senior Officers of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Senior Officers from Government of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, UT of Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir, Chairpersons/Members from State Human Rights Commissions of Haryana, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, NGOs, representatives of brick kilns, stone crushing and other related industries, Academicians and Students/Research Scholars from Punjab University, Chandigarh University, Indian School of Business and Post Graduate Government College for Girls, Chandigarh.

The objective of the Workshop is to familiarize and sensitize the District Magistrates, Sub Divisional Magistrates, State Labour Officers and Members of Vigilance Committees, brick kilns, stone crushing and other related industries etc. in the process of identification, release and rehabilitation of bonded labourers and with the provisions of Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and other related legislations.

The National Human Rights Commission was asked by the Supreme Court of India in 1997 to get involved in the monitoring of the implementation of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. The Court's directions came while hearing a Writ Petition (No. 3922/1985) - People's Union for Civil Liberties Vs State of Tamil Nadu & Others. Since then, the NHRC has been overseeing the implementation of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976 in different parts of the country.

Therefore, the Commission, in its endeavor to raise concerns on the continuance of bonded labour has been organizing workshops to sensitize official machinery to work for its abolition in different parts of the country. It has organized 48 workshops on elimination of bonded labour so far.

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