Brick kiln workers

THE REAL HARD WORKERS:BRICK KILN WORKERS

In this modern world, the brick kiln worker or commonly known as Bhatta Mazdoors live a very tough life. They are compelled to make brick by using laborous old technique. They never allowed to leave the area by own will. During a visit to a brick kiln, a worker told me that they are forced to indulge in modern day slavery. If a person wishes to leave the kiln and work elsewhere, he has to pay back all his debts to the owner before he leaves. In this situation sometimes he takes advance from his new master and pays it back to the old one. This comes down to virtually selling himself.
The Brick Kiln Owners Federation puts forward an estimated figure of 6,000 brick kilns in Pakistan, with an average of 25 families at each site. The families who live on the sites are locked into a dependency relationship with the owner, which is akin to bonded labour. Indebtedness occurs with the paishgi system, under which the labourer borrows money from the owner to fulfill his family's consumption requirements. The loan which the owner readily gives, functions as a trap, because it persists across generations due to high interest charges, manipulation of books, and low wages. 




During the period of paishgi repayment (which in many cases is inter-generational) the family is the virtual prisoner of the kiln owner and need special permission (not often granted) to leave the premises, even for a short period of time.  Many times children witness the cruel treatment of their parents by the owners, and grow up in an atmosphere of fear, insecurity and subjugation, which has a profound effect on their personality development. Skin diseases, due to contact with clay and dust, and exposure to intensive heat, as well as respiratory infections have also been noted among them.  
A worker, which can be seen in related video, told me that his wife had died due to overwork and drinking of toxic water that had resulted her kidney failure. Now, he has to work day and night with his daughter, which can also be seen in the background.