Debt Bondage
When a person provides a loan to another and the debt is supposed to be repaid in terms of labor or services is a classical definition of debt bondage. In this situation the value of work is reasonably assessed and is not applied towards the liquidation of the debt. Peonage is old historical terms of dent bondage system where laborers are bound in servitude until their debt is paid in full. It is a form of unfree labor and workers are exploited for working against an amount of goods or/and services.
There are many historical evidences throughout the world. After the American Civil War where farmers either poor white or African-American were often extend the credit to purchase seed and supplies for their crop and in return the pay back in form of a share of the crop.
Another cruel example of debt bondage was seen in Peru before the land reforms in the 1950s. Where workers were paid only 2 cents per year and were expected to work for three days a week for their landlords and it could be more as depends on the assigned work. These workers are not permitted to travel outside of their assigned lands and also not allowed to organize any independent community activities. Thousands were used to be sold into slavery during the West African slave trade and in 1843 the British Parliament introduces the Slave Trade Act which declares that “persons holding in servitude as pledges for debt are salves or persons intended to be dealt with as slaves”.
With the introduction of the democratic system and the modernization of the world it is getting constitutionally prohibited to pledge the fundamental rights of any person. In Niger, slavery was outlawed in 2003 but study found that almost 8% of the Niger population is still salves. The salve masters are mostly from the nomadic tribes and traditionally practiced by at least four of the Niger’s eight ethnic groups where generations of the same family are born into the debt bondage it is called as descent based slavery.
The developed countries has constitutional fundamental rights of every human being and self freedom is supported where as in many under developed countries they do have the definitions in their constitutions but still many of them don’t practice laws. There are many debt bonded child laborers in third world countries.
Many Non Government Organizations are committed to create awareness by the improvement of education, communication and living standards of the people in such underdeveloped countries. Many Multinational Companies and corporations are restricting their suppliers from these countries to replace child labor or any other debt bonded labor. They also force their vendors and suppliers to facilitate the children of their employees with medical and educational funds and packages.
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