Children and pregnant women free from trafficking in South Asia
Trafficking
March 2025
Government officials, who were trained by IJM, recently brought 13 people to safety including two pregnant women and three children from an abusive sugarcane farm in South Asia.
In 2022, the farm owner lured them to work on his sugarcane farm by providing advance payments. He suggested that they could work off their debt over time but instead trapped them in endless, underpaid work.
The owner forced them to work from 4am for 14 hours every day and paid them only 30 rupees (£0.27 GBP) per day. He also used degrading language to abuse them and insult their ethnic background.
Among the sugarcane workers were two young pregnant women who were denied access to routine medical check-ups. Another worker was not allowed to attend his father’s funeral.
Tired of being ill-treated, the victims reached out to a local social worker in the community about their situation, who prompted the government to help bring these workers to safety.
Having been trained by IJM in 2023 to address this crime, officials immediately observed signs that the workers were trapped under false and inflated debt. They contacted IJM and requested support during the operation.
Officials visited the worksite to investigate the case and issued Release Certificates, formally freeing the survivors from all false debts. They also provided warm meals and a safe place for the children, women, and men to stay until they could return to their homes.
The next day, officials arranged a bus to take the labourers on the six-hour drive back to their hometown 250 miles away. Police accompanied them through the whole journey to ensure their safety.
IJM’s State Programme Director for the district says, “In this case it is very evident to witness the impact of capacity building on the government officials for their proactiveness, delegation of responsibilities and swift actions which resulted in bringing freedom for the labourers.”.
Officials have kickstarted legal action against the offender by registering a complaint with the police, and IJM will continue to extend legal and aftercare support alongside the government.