Slave Labor In India - Essay Example

Slave Labor in India Slave Labor in India India is one of the highest populated nations in the globe regardless of its fast economic growth. The Walk Free Foundation (2013) has ranked it as the country with the highest number of slaves in this modern time, with the number standing at 14 million. According to the foundation, there is a range of modern forms of slavery, which include sexual exploitation, child labor and forced marriages (The Walk Free Foundation, 2013). Various forms of slavery have existed in India since the pre-historical time, although it may be difficult to ascertain it correctly due to a lack of clear definition of the term during the time.

The political and social systems during the prehistoric times did not see slavery as forced labor, but as beneficial relationships between the nobles and the peasants. In addition, in most of the Indian society, the caste system was practiced and could not be termed as slavery per se as the working class was pooled and specialized without much consideration of the system (Mander, 2012). The caste system is said to be one of the root causes of the modern day slavery, human trafficking and bondage.

The system denies equal rights, privileges and dignified treatment to some individuals, with people being differentiated based on their social status and gender. The practice has survived due to feudalism, which is a concept whereby, the nobles held land for the crown in exchange for military services, and the laborers worked to acquire protection and a share of the produce from them. The concept of feudalism has existed in the Indian society even before they were colonized by the British. After the country gained independence, it sought to be a more democratic state, but in the very nature of democracy, the practice still exists.

One of the reasons for its existence is that most regions in the country were introduced during the times the country was fully feudalistic and as religion has not evolved much, the people still have the notion and concept integrated in their society (Katju, 2013). In 1975, India introduced a law banning debt bondage including a fine of 37 dollars to those found guilty of the crime. In the years that have followed, very few people have been jailed for the crime with the fine being a laughable amount.

People are forced to work in farms to pay debts, with their employers imposing arbitrary interests and fines to make it impossible for them to be able to pay. In addition, girls are being forced to work for people in farms and textile mills as payment for dowry. The influence of the elite on the judicial system has also made it hard to prosecute cases of bonded labor (Domínguez, 2013). Another most prevalent type of slavery is child labor. Due to the abject poverty in many parts of India, rich farmers and businessmen give loans to poor families to help them meet their subsistent needs or funeral costs.

The families in turn give their children to work to pay the debt. Absurd interest and fines imposed keeps the children bonded for long years with meager wages. To conclude, modern slavery in India is still very prevalent in the country with poverty, religion and the caste system being the major root causes. The government has come up with measures to curb the vice, but lack of their proper implementation is hindering the process. To date, the country remains the largest home of modern day slavery.

ReferencesDomínguez, G. (2013). Slavery in India – an uncomfortable truth. Retrieved from http://www.dw.de/slavery-in-india-an-uncomfortable-truth/a-17182856Katju, M. (2013). Indian Times. Retrieved from http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/satyam-bruyat/india-s-feudal-democracy/Mander, H. (2012). Forced labour in India: Toil and trouble. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21565685-where-slavery-persists-all-name-toil-and-troubleWalk Free Foundation. (2013). Global Slavery Index.

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