Forced labour: why debt bondage persists despite laws
Why bonded labour persists despite legal bans and what policy response is still missing
- Forced labour and debt bondage persist because poverty, weak enforcement, and employer dependence continue to trap vulnerable workers.
- Government response must include stricter monitoring, rescue mechanisms, rehabilitation, and alternative livelihoods.
The Indian Express column argues that forced labour and debt bondage continue because poverty, weak enforcement, and dependence on employers still trap vulnerable workers in exploitative labour relations. The issue matters for UPSC because it combines social justice, labour rights, and governance failure.
Background and earlier position
Bonded labour is legally prohibited, but exploitative labour relations continue because structural conditions remain in place.
UPSC can use bonded labour to test the gap between constitutional and statutory prohibition on forced labour and the persistence of informality, poverty, and weak enforcement. The issue also fits questions on rehabilitation, labour inspection, and the role of state machinery in protecting vulnerable workers.
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