NHRC to host workshop on elimination of bonded labour

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission will organise a day long workshop on ‘Elimination of Bonded Labour’ in collaboration with the Government of Odisha here tomorrow (Tuesday).The workshop will be held at the MGNREGS Conference Hall (New Building), SIRD Campus.It will be chaired by Justice D.Murugesan, Member, NHRC.The participants of the workshop will be senior officers of the Government of Odisha, representatives of State Human Rights Commission of Odisha, NGOs, and representatives of brick kilns, stone crushing and other related industries. Academic and research scholars will take attend the workshopThe objective of the workshop is to familiarise and sensitiee the District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, State Labour Officers and Members of Vigilance Committees, brick kilns, stone crushing and other related industries in the process of identification, release and rehabilitation of bonded labourers and with the provisions of Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and other related legislations.The National Human Rights Commission was asked by the Supreme Court of India in 1997 to get involved in the monitoring of the implementation of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. The Court’s directions came while hearing a Writ Petition (No.3922/1985) – People’s Union for Civil Liberties Vs State of Tamil Nadu & Others. Since then, the NHRC has been overseeing the implementation of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976 in different parts of the country.Therefore, the Commission, in its endeavour to raise concerns on the continuance of bonded labour has been organising workshops to sensitize official machinery to work for its abolition in different parts of the country. It has organised 32 workshops on elimination of bonded labour so far.