Slave Labour

A Sikh worker died in a farm accident but Indians are risking it all for life of abuse in Italy

Little will deter unemployed men in Punjab dreaming of a better future nor the illegal gangmaster system that controls migrant labour.

Sandeep Singh, Thomson Reuters Foundation
&
Elena Cavallone, Thomson Reuters Foundation
· Nov 06, 2024 · 07:30 pm
India is likely to miss its target of ending bonded labour by a wide margin

In 2016, the government set a goal to release 18.4 million bonded labourers but has so far has managed to free only over 32,000.

Shreehari Paliath, IndiaSpend.com
· Oct 04, 2023 · 07:30 pm
In Tamil Nadu, 14 bonded labourers abandoned amid lockdown get a ‘very rare’ payout

The employers left the workers with no money near a petrol station in Madurai.

Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation
· May 26, 2020 · 09:30 pm

India is home to the world’s largest slave population (Yes, slavery still exists)

In the past, the desire for sugar drove the growth in slavery. Today, the global consumption of electronic goods is the primary culprit.

Catherine Armstrong, The Conversation
· Oct 21, 2018 · 01:30 pm
Calcutta’s dark past: The city was a thriving market for slaves in mid-18th century

The Bay of Bengal was once a hotbed for pirates plundering ships for slaves.

Tathagata Neogi
· Jul 16, 2018 · 03:30 pm
Sold for Rs 500 and raised as a maid, 17-year-old Baidak is back home in Assam – and on a mission

Across the tea plantations of the North Eastern state, where poverty is deeply entrenched, hundreds of thousands of children have gone missing.

Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation
· Nov 02, 2017 · 07:30 pm

Video

See all

Interview: ‘Sceptical that strikes will deter Pak terror’

3 hours ago
Video: Why activists unable to blink an eye went to court against E-KYC

May 04, 2025 · 10:30 am
Video: How will the amended Waqf Act impact India’s constitutional values?

Apr 28, 2025 · 03:30 pm
Want more video stories from Scroll? Help us build a studio

Apr 24, 2025 · 05:15 pm
Eco India: Are Water ATMs a solution to Delhi's water problems?

Apr 20, 2025 · 08:55 am

Watch: Half of India is susceptible to modern slavery and it’s time we did something about it

More than 18 million people are living in slavery in the country.

Scroll Staff
· May 16, 2017 · 10:00 pm
Indian workers, treated like slaves in the US, just won a $14 million lawsuit

Promised jobs and green cards, 500 workers paid $10,000 each to a recruitment agency. Their nightmare began when they reached Mississippi.

Devjyot Ghoshal, qz.com
· Feb 20, 2015 · 05:30 pm

Slave Labour

A Sikh worker died in a farm accident but Indians are risking it all for life of abuse in Italy

Little will deter unemployed men in Punjab dreaming of a better future nor the illegal gangmaster system that controls migrant labour.

Sandeep Singh, Thomson Reuters Foundation & Elena Cavallone, Thomson Reuters Foundation · Nov 06, 2024 · 07:30 pm

India is likely to miss its target of ending bonded labour by a wide margin

In 2016, the government set a goal to release 18.4 million bonded labourers but has so far has managed to free only over 32,000.

Shreehari Paliath, IndiaSpend.com · Oct 04, 2023 · 07:30 pm

In Tamil Nadu, 14 bonded labourers abandoned amid lockdown get a ‘very rare’ payout

The employers left the workers with no money near a petrol station in Madurai.

Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation · May 26, 2020 · 09:30 pm

Trending

Why Ola and Uber are copying India’s new ride-hailing app

Yesterday · 09:00 am

Pakistan attacks military stations in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur

Yesterday · 09:43 pm

Pakistan launched attacks along ‘entire western border’, was effectively repulsed: Indian Army

2 hours ago

Punjab schools, colleges closed for three days amid border tensions

An hour ago

‘Gram Chikitsalay’ review: A bitter pill to swallow

2 hours ago

India is home to the world’s largest slave population (Yes, slavery still exists)

In the past, the desire for sugar drove the growth in slavery. Today, the global consumption of electronic goods is the primary culprit.

Catherine Armstrong, The Conversation · Oct 21, 2018 · 01:30 pm

Calcutta’s dark past: The city was a thriving market for slaves in mid-18th century

The Bay of Bengal was once a hotbed for pirates plundering ships for slaves.

Tathagata Neogi · Jul 16, 2018 · 03:30 pm

Sold for Rs 500 and raised as a maid, 17-year-old Baidak is back home in Assam – and on a mission

Across the tea plantations of the North Eastern state, where poverty is deeply entrenched, hundreds of thousands of children have gone missing.

Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation · Nov 02, 2017 · 07:30 pm

Video

Interview: ‘Sceptical that strikes will deter Pak terror’

3 hours ago

Video: Why activists unable to blink an eye went to court against E-KYC

May 04, 2025 · 10:30 am

Video: How will the amended Waqf Act impact India’s constitutional values?

Apr 28, 2025 · 03:30 pm

Want more video stories from Scroll? Help us build a studio

Apr 24, 2025 · 05:15 pm

Eco India: Are Water ATMs a solution to Delhi's water problems?

Apr 20, 2025 · 08:55 am

Watch: Half of India is susceptible to modern slavery and it’s time we did something about it

More than 18 million people are living in slavery in the country.

Scroll Staff · May 16, 2017 · 10:00 pm

Indian workers, treated like slaves in the US, just won a $14 million lawsuit

Promised jobs and green cards, 500 workers paid $10,000 each to a recruitment agency. Their nightmare began when they reached Mississippi.

Devjyot Ghoshal, qz.com · Feb 20, 2015 · 05:30 pm

Take Scroll With You

Sandeep Singh, Thomson Reuters Foundation
&
Elena Cavallone, Thomson Reuters Foundation
· Nov 06, 2024 · 07:30 pm

Shreehari Paliath, IndiaSpend.com
· Oct 04, 2023 · 07:30 pm

Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation
· May 26, 2020 · 09:30 pm

Catherine Armstrong, The Conversation
· Oct 21, 2018 · 01:30 pm

Tathagata Neogi
· Jul 16, 2018 · 03:30 pm

Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation
· Nov 02, 2017 · 07:30 pm

Scroll Staff
· May 16, 2017 · 10:00 pm

Devjyot Ghoshal, qz.com
· Feb 20, 2015 · 05:30 pm