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both must redouble their efforts to eliminate the evil. This was the consensus
at a two-day wide-ranging consultation among organisations working for the
elimination of bonded labour that concluded in Lahore yesterday. HRCP had
organised the consultation. It said in a statement that the participants agreed
that since bonded labour was universally recognised as a slavery-like practice
the state had an obligation to attach top priority to its eradication. The way the
Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992 had been left unimplemented
did not suggest that the gravity of the problem, which affected the rights of
several million people, had been adequately realised. The meeting noted that
following the devolution of the subject of labour to the provinces only Punjab
had adopted a slightly amended version of the 1992 Act. The other provincial
governments were asked to expedite issuance of their own laws on the subject.
However, it was necessary to ensure that no provincial enactment on abolition
of bonded labour offered the bonded workers less than what the 1992 Act did.
The participants appreciated the decision of the Punjab government to allocate
for the second time funds out of its development budget for its bonded labour
elimination programme and extend it to four new districts. The meeting hoped
that it would be possible soon to bring the whole of the province under the
project. The other provincial governments were requested to draw up similar
or improved programmes for the uplift of bonded workers. The meeting
scrutinised the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1992 and made a number
of recommendations, including the following:
♦ The law relied heavily on district officials and lacked an effective
mechanism to oversee their performance. It was proposed that each provincial
government should have a duly empowered implementation cell, including
senior department heads (home, labour, police et al) to regularly monitor
implementation of the law and take action against any functionaries that failed
to discharge their responsibilities.
♦ The rules under a new provincial law must be issued as soon as a law
was made.
♦ Quite a few functionaries did not take up their assignments for want
of a notification. The system of notifying implementation authorities should be
scrapped and the relevant officials clearly designated in the law/rules.
♦ All district administrations must be told to create Vigilance Committees
by a fixed date. The committees must meet every month, as required under
the law, the quorum should be on the low side and the committee members
who do not take their duties seriously should be replaced.
♦ The penalties for keeping the workers in bondage should be enhanced
and enforcement ensured.
♦ The law had not been invoked to punish its violators mainly because
the victims – the bonded labour – lacked the strength and resources to prosecute
the offenders. The state should assume the responsibility for prosecuting the
HRCP stands