CURTAIN RAISER: NHRC Workshop on Elimination of Bonded Labour at Kolkata, West Bengal tomorrow on 20th July, 2018 (19.07.2018)

New Delhi, 19th July, 2018
The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC is organizing a day long Workshop on 'Elimination of Bonded Labour System' in collaboration with the Government of West Bengal at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Newtown, Kolkata tomorrow on the 20th July, 2018. The Workshop, being chaired by Justice Shri D. Murugesan, Hon'ble Member, NHRC, will start at 09:30 a.m. and conclude by 04:10 p.m.

The participants of the Workshop will include Senior Officers of the Government of West Bengal, West Bengal State Human Rights Commission, NGOs and representatives of brick kilns, stone crushing and other related industries, academician, research scholars from IIM and various Universities in Kolkata are invited to attend the Workshop.

The objective of the Workshop is to familiarize and sensitize the District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, State Labour Officers and Members of Vigilance Committees, representatives of brick kilns, stone crushing and other related industries about the process of identification, release and rehabilitation of bonded labourers and with the provisions of Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and 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 46 workshops on elimination of bonded labour so far.

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