‘Mortgaging’ kids to repay loans: NHRC notice to Odisha, Telangana again

BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has once again sought action taken reports (ATRs) from the chief secretaries of Odisha and Telangana within four weeks following allegations of women being forced to mortgage their children for failure to repay money taken to conduct the final rites of their husbands.
Noting that the issue is a serious matter, the NHRC directed both states to ensure that immediate appropriate action is taken in the matter without any delay. The commission issued the direction on Tuesday after taking cognizance of a petition filed by human rights activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy in March this year. In the complaint, he had mentioned two incidents of bonded labour from Balangir and Keonjhar.
Shukadev Parabhue from Balangir district’s Belpada block had gone to work at a brick kiln near Hyderabad in Telangana. He was accompanied by his wife, daughter and son. Shukadev fell ill and died on March 8.
As Shukadev had taken advance money from the owner, the owner kept his 12-year-old daughter as a bonded labourer. His wife returned to her village with her six-year-old son. Following the intervention of the Balangir district administration, the girl was rescued from the brick kiln.
In another incident, one Sabitri Nayak from Champua in Keonjhar district was forced to mortgage two of her sons, aged 13 and 11, as she was unable to repay the loan of Rs 5,000 taken from a neighbour to perform her husband’s last rites on January 26, 2016.
The woman, who has three more children, handed over her two sons to the neighbour. The children were asked to look after the neighbour’s cattle. They worked for more than a month before they were allowed to go.
On March 31, the commission asked for ATRs from these two states within four weeks. But the reports have not been received by the NHRC within the deadline. It asked for the ATRs again.
“With the above direction, the case is closed. However, if appropriate action is not taken within four weeks, the complainant/victims are at liberty to approach the commission again for further action,” read the order.