Written by Priyanka Dass Saharia
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| Image from Wikimedia Commons |
Last
month there was a post from Walkfree.org going viral on social network sites
which exposed a case of “modern slavery” of young girls from the tea estates of
Assam. The article blamed the twin causes of acute poverty and poor working
conditions for the helplessness of parents which compels them to send off their
young daughters to the cities in search of work, or in gain of some well needed
money as domestic helps. It also explains their lack of outreach and resources
at being unable to track them when they go missing or file complaints at
possible slavery contracts that they are duped into. That’s the present day
reality to the modern face that slavery has taken. Young vulnerable girls,
forced in domestic servitude are the by-products of trafficking form the hills.
The article ends with a call for help and action by the largest shareholder
company of the business “Tata Global Beverages (owner of
Tetley Tea)” to end the precipitating crisis of the “Tea maid trade”.
Many of my
acquaintances asked me to comment on the situation, as a local from the state
whose mother has worked as a community medical practitioner in the area, with
the tea estate women workers.
“There is a
shortage of regular employees, meaning there is a contractual basis that is
going on. There is a lack of permanent posts which deprives them of many
facilities, like health reimbursements. The health centres o the tea estates,
are very deplorable. It is very poor infrastructure and the investigation and
facilities are bad. Hence they are sent to the government sectors” says Niru
Prabha Saharia, a resident doctor of Silchar Medical College who worked closely
with the community in the area.
She further adds
on her personal experience, “Male and female work at the same rate, but they
have no special provisions for the female. Many ladies bundle up their children
on their backs and work. They have no source of entertainment and they live in
horrible conditions. They live in kutcha houses, with no proper facilities of
clean drinking water and living conditions.”
She elaborates
the medical makeup of these workers, “Many workers are from the tribes hence
they carry genetic mutated genes which have haemoglobinopathy, which is a congenital
disorder of the haemoglobins. They suffer from anaemia and similar blood
deficiency diseases.”
The workers are
paid extremely minimal wages which reek of the gross violation of the ILO
norms. “The wages are below 100 a day and it is pathetic. There is a price that
many have to pay for such low wages. They look for alternative ways to earn.
This slavery condition probably explains that condition. It’s a blessing that
the government medical colleges don’t charge high rates for medical checkups.
They can even avail of free medicine in many conditions” says Mrs Saharia.
Election times
are the only events when these communities see the light of the day, “These
politicians often come to the areas and promise huge benefits for the large
number of votes that they gain from the large tea workers’ community. It is a
grim picture of deprivation yet the ladies at the plantations are ready with a
warm smile. These communities often make it to the fore front of international
magazine, glossily packaged in the name of ecological tourism and exotic
consumer products, but what lies underneath the floss is a reality of pathetic
living conditions, psychological alienation from the same globalisation that
they cater to.
The Plantation
Labour Act of 1951 is a namesake mechanism here, remaining simply within the
confinements of the official documents. “The wages are extremely low. We get
not more a 100 which is the maximum”, states Rajni (name changed), a worker at
the estate in Konapather. A social
activist Malini Sharma (name changed) working in the region adds on, “The money
usually goes to the men in the family for alcohol. Women have been found to be
more sensitive towards their kids’ education, but what can one do. There is so
much of poverty that often children drop out of schools and help their parents.
Child marriage is prevalent as well. The women are at a very vulnerable
position, exploited of their labour and abused at home too. They rarely have a
say in what happens at home. Income doesn’t give them the requisite bargaining
power. The companies are in the search to cut production costs and sell
products at the highest margin.”
“Vector borne
diseases are very common. The lack of awareness, illiteracy and poverty are the
multiple causes to the poor conditions that they live in. I think it’s a
colonial hangover that people are suffering in the region. The top managers
don’t want to invest much in the development of these places. I have no idea
how the colonial rulers did treated them, but the managers of the companies in
present day really don’t do their bit. Even during pregnancy they are rarely
given any respite. There are very poor prenatal and post natal health care
services too. Malnutrition is the biggest problem in the area. Maternal
mortality is another blotch in the whole picture.” comments Mrs Saharia.
Studies have
shown that the school enrolment ratio of the male children is far more than the
female kids of the tea workers’ community. Workers are kept on a contractual
basis which aids in the whole exploitative cycle followed by the company owners
and employers rather than keeping workers on a permanent basis which would
entitle them to health reimbursements, high wages and infrastructural
facilities. Apart from physical injuries and abrasions, occupational hazards of
pesticide sprays and working in the dens of mosquitoes make them susceptible to
contracting many diseases. Housing remains another issue where temporary
workers live in thatched houses in abysmal living conditions.
One has to take
account of the psychological stress encountered by the community who have no
sources of fulfilling their aspirations, “I want my son to go out and study,
but I don’t have any money. I can’t take a loan as the interest rates are so
very high” says Ramlal (name changed), a worker in Hajua tea estates. “Education
facilities, training programmes, rehabilitation actions and protective
mechanisms could help” adds an estate manager who wishes to be anonymous.
Assam happens to
provide 1/6th of the world’s share of tea and contributes to 60% of
India’s market. Packages from Assam are found to be in the international
markets, in glossy covers and alluring advertising eulogies and Assam knows
well that the tea business is the driving force behind the state’s economy.
Adding to that, the labour community with their contribution and involvement
plays a crucial role in our society. Hence it is imperative that one takes into
account, on an in-depth study of the socio-economic conditions of the community
of the tea workers. Labour is the heart and soul of a tea plantation without
which no bush can survive, and it’s rather ironic that the driving forces
behind the entire enterprise are neglected.