‘Shramavahini’, a collective to rescue Odisha’s bonded labourers in distress using smartphones

The practice of bonded labour in the migration-prone regions of Odisha is not something new or unheard of. Reports of forced labour, physical torture, and denial of due wages have come out on several occasions. This may soon become a thing of the past as a newly-formed collective in the state named ‘Shramavahini’ is aiming to ensure government response to distressed migrant labourers who are victims of violence.

According to a report in The Hindu, a group of young bonded labourers from Odisha have come together for this initiative and are using smartphones to alert government agencies of such instances through social media.

“Too often, the voices of migrant labourers who suffer under the cruel yoke of bondage and torture in other States go unheard by the local administration. By the time help reaches, it is too late -- at times with someone losing his life or losing a limb,” the secretary of ‘Shramavahin’, Satyaban Gahir, told the publication.

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‘Shramavahini’, which reportedly has over 4,000 members, aims to combat issues like these by ensuring timely reporting of such cases to the district administration and concerned officials to help the labourers in distress.

The move to form ‘Shramavahini’ was thought of when several labourers rescued under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 failed to receive the assistance of Rs 20,000 that they were entitled to.

The migrant labourers are also familiarising themselves with the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. At times, mainstream media organisations are approached to be informed of the plight of the migrant labourers.

It was just last week that a Telangana-based social worker’s tweet led to the rescue of 10 Odia labourers in less than 24 hours. In another instance, 7 Odia migrant labourers were rescued from Chittoor based on information posted on Twitter by an NGO based out of Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.

As of now, 1,000 migrant labourers are formally registered with ‘Sharmavahini’ and more are expected to join in the coming days.