11 people free from trafficking in South Asia

July 2023

Last month, 11 people were brought to safety from a well-digging site, thanks to a tip-off from a survivor and the efforts of local police.

Traffickers had lured the 11 men with false promises of good wages. One of the men was a post-graduate degree holder. The traffickers forced them into a car and transported them to two well-digging sites.

Each morning, the men had been lowered into a well and forced to dig for 12 hours without a break, surviving on only one small meal.

We were shocked to discover that overnight the men were bound with iron chains and locked in a room to ensure they couldn’t escape.

One of the survivors was trapped in bonded labour after taking a loan for his daughter’s wedding. His chains meant he couldn’t see his daughter get married.   

He described, “I was locked in a room with legs tied with an iron chain. I did not get any money since the well-digging work started two months ago.”

One official told us, “The labourers had been pressurised to eat medicine to sedate them for a number of hours."

Last month, local authorities brought the men to safety in an operation covered by the BBC. As soon as IJM heard about the case, we reached out to the police to offer our assistance.

Thanks to the support of people like you, IJM will continue providing ongoing rehabilitation and legal support to the survivors.