34 kiln workers recovered
The District and Sessions Judge Lahore freed a group
of 34 kiln workers including children and women, who were recovered
through bailiff from a brick kiln at a village near Lahore.
Daily
Nawa-e-Waqt April 29, 2006
25 kiln workers freed
Lahore High Court bailiff recovered 25 kiln workers
including women and children from Sialkot and Kasur on the petition
of Imran Masih and Azher Farooq. They stated that two kiln owners
Muhammad Butt and Chaudhry Mazher had detained them. The labourers
also complained of torture in detention. Daily
Nawa-e-Waqt May 14, 2006
14 kiln workers freed
On March 8, 2006 the Lahore High Court released
14 Brick kiln workers including four children. They were recovered
from the illegal detention of a kiln owner at Chunian. They
told the court that they were forced to work against their will.
The
News March 10, 2006
38 kiln workers recovered
On May 9, 2006 a bailiff of the Additional
Sessions Court, recovered 38 kiln workers, including women and
children, from the illegal detention of a kiln owner Hajji Rashid.
The bailiff produced them in the court. The judge set them at
liberty. Daily
Dawn May 10, 2006
Kiln worker detained
On April10, 2006 Michael Masih a brick kiln
worker of Toba Tek Singh registered a case under Section 11,
Bonded Labour Act 1992 against three kiln owners Mehdi Khan,
Ashiq Hussain, Khalil Ahmad and their employees Ghulam Abbas
and Abbas Masih.
He alleged that the accused had forcibly detained him at their
kiln for one-year. When he escaped they caught him again and
tortured him. The accused were arrested.
Daily
Dawn April 11, 2006
28 labourers freed
Lahore High Court released 28 kiln labourers including
women and children. These workers were allegedly detained for
two years and were used as bonded labourers. Daily Jang April
28, 2006
The migrant workers
Thousands of families, mostly Afghan, were being forced
to work for long hours on meager wages by owners of brick kilns
in violation of the Bonded Labour (abolition) ACT of 1992.
About 18,000 people were working in 275 brick kilns on the
outskirts of Peshawar. Most of them were forced to work as bonded
labour. Daily
Dawn May 26, 2006
The labour and human resource department of the Punjab government
stated that 4,424 brick kiln workers in the province were vulnerable
to exploitation because of the nexus of police and employers.
The report maintained that despite the enactment of Bonded Labour
(abolition) Act 1992 and bonded labour system (abolition) Rules
1995, Peshgis (advance payment) were still being received and
demanded by workers due to rampant poverty and lack of financial
abilities to meet their urgent needs. These advances being illegal
were also not documented and could be exploited by either the
employers or the agents. Illiterate labourers continue to suffer
because they have no idea how much advance had been entered
into their accounts, as no receipts are issued.
The other side of picture is that brick kiln workers accept
advances and then disappear from work. Such a situation leads
to coercive tactics by kiln owner. Daily
Times July 5, 2006
Demonstration
On June 2, 2006 kiln workers staged a demonstration
out side the Lahore Press Club to condemn the accesses of kiln
owners and demanded the implementation of the Abolition of Bounded
Labour Act. Daily
Dawn June 3, 2006
Sanitary Workers
Sewer deaths
Three Sanitary workers of the Water and Sanitation
Agency (WASA) died while two fainted on the night of May
18, 2006 at Lakshmi Chawk-Lahore.The five sweepers were
called by their supervisors Salahuddin and Darogah Niamat to
clean the drain. They smelled gas in the manhole and refused
to enter it but their supervisors pressed them to do so.
When they did not return after half an hour, the rescue 1122
was called while Salahuddin and Niamat escaped from the scene.
Rescue team also refused to enter in the main hole. WASA officials
brought lifesaving masks and entered the sewer.
