Saturday, September 22, 2012

13 bonded labourers rescued


Chennai:
The revenue divisional officer in Kancheepuram district rescued 13 bonded labourers from a rice mill after being tipped off by International Justice Mission.

The workers were released on Thursday night following a rescue operation conducted by the RDO Dr M Veerappan along with IJM activists.

These labourers were brought out of of Mohan Chetty Rice Mill after five to six years of bondage, an IJM spokeswoman said.

The operators of the Mohan Chetty Rice Mill paid the victims approximately Rs 50 to Rs 60 per person, per day, which is below the Tamil Nadu Minimum Wage of Rs 136.02 per day. The labourers were made to work for more than 12 hours each day. The mill owner also denied the labourers freedom of movement and the freedom to work outside of the facility.

The RDO issued release certificates to the 13 bonded labourers, officially identifying them as victims of bonded labour and entitling them to government rehabilitation funds.

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