Seminar condemns slavery of Pakistani brick kiln workers

(February 22, 2010) The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and several Christian organizations in the country are demanding that the government increase the daily wage of brick kiln workers and enforce the law banning bonded labour. Their concerns were highlighted at a seminar on Friday in Lahore, on the theme, “Brick Kiln Workers Movement Rebuilding to Action”. The Minority Rights Commission of Pakistan (MRCP), Minorities Movement for Democracy and the Pakistan Brick Kiln Labour Union (PBKLU), jointly staged the event at the Lahore Press Club. Several speakers said the situation of brick kiln workers in Pakistan, most of them poor Christians, was a “modern form of slavery.” According to Irfan Barkat, a legal adviser to the Catholic Bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace, “These workers usually move from place to place and have no identity cards; social security cards, medical benefits or any other benefits enjoyed by permanent government employees.” He alleged that many politicians were running non-registered brick kilns. Mehboob Ahmed Khan of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded more rights for brick kiln workers saying, “They are also Pakistani citizens and must be registered as labourers.” The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act outlaws bonded labour, cancels all existing bonded debts and forbids lawsuits for the recovery of debts. However there is growing anger as the law has not been enforced since it was passed in 1992.