Burdened by debt, bonded to life of toil
Four bonded laborers were rescued from an illegal stone-cutting quarry in India's Anantapur district after being forced to work under hazardous conditions to pay off a debt. The workers reported physical abuse, lack of safety equipment, and extreme exploitation by their employer.
Why it matters
This report sheds light on the persistent issue of modern-day slavery and labor exploitation in unregulated industrial sectors.
Dawn broke not with promise, but with a burden of arduous and long working conditions, accompanied by minimal safety protections, for four persons trapped by a ₹1-lakh debt at an illegal stone-cutting quarry on rough, hilly terrain in Anantapur district for over a year. Through the day, braving extreme weather, Santhala Anji, his 18-year-old son and two others were put to cut 100 stones with just an iron hammer and a chisel.
This was the plight of the bonded labourers who were rescued last month from an illegal stone-cutting unit near Chennampalle village.
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