INDIA
Odisha: Tribal Lives Burn in Brick Kiln Business
Koraput is a tribal-dominated district in South Odisha. It is close to Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Ancient Scheduled Tribes like Kondh, Paraja, Gadaba, and Paika reside here. While passing through the roads of Koraput, it is very common to see the dome-shaped structure of brick kilns in the nearby fields.
How Bricks Are Made at Home
About 70 families live in Kendar village of Koraput, located at the foothills of a high mountain. Here, five families work in the brick kilns. Brickmaking work is done here at the household level, in which all members of the family participate.
In February, 46-year-old Sada Jani has been kneading soil for bricks in the scorching sun for the past four hours. This is a very delicate work. There is a terraced field on the mountain; the soil of the field is completely red. Sada and the six children of his family first cut the soil, then pour water on it and jump on the wet soil. This process continues for about two hours. After that, the kneaded soil is taken out and collected.
Sada's wife Gayatri puts the kneaded soil in a mold, takes it some distance away, and turns the mould upside down. Now the soil has turned into a raw brick. But this raw brick will have to go through many complex processes to be fully ready.
The raw brick is arranged in a dome-shaped mound. Sufficient space is kept between two bricks in which paddy husk and charcoal are kept. After a few days, it is set on fire. This is the entire process of preparing the brick.
The lives of these tribal labourers are more complex than the process of making bricks. They are virtually putting their bodies into the brick kiln.
How the Business Started?
According to the Slavery in India's Brick Kilns report published in 2017, "About 2.3 crore workers across India work in the brick kiln business."
In these tribal areas, the work of making bricks at home is linked to migration. In the 1960s, problems like famine and starvation arose in some districts of Odisha. The situation in these districts, such as Kalahandi, Rayagada, and Koraput, was very bad. These districts were also adjacent to Andhra Pradesh. The migration of tribal workers started from here. Migration increased further in the 1980s and 1990s when there was a drought in this area and a huge decrease in crop production.
Tribal workers kept going to the big brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh through contractors, and the kiln owners there kept exploiting these workers by forming a nexus with the contractor. Even today, many workers are forced to migrate.
This writer met Bishu, who worked in brick kilns in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with his entire family until 2015. He said, “The brick-making work goes on from January to June only. At this time, there is less chance of rain. In Andhra, we used to get a salary according to the family. Earlier, the contractor used to take us by giving us Rs 50,000 in advance. Then there we used to get Rs 80 for food every day. The whole family had to eat one day in this amount, which was difficult. The owner of the kiln used to pay Rs 370 for making 1,000 bricks. Together, our entire family was able to make around Rs 10,000 bricks in a month. There were five people in our family. After so much hard work, one person was able to earn around Rs 6,000 a month.”
Bishu now runs a brick kiln business in Koraput. He said, “When we started the business here, we made a lot of profit in the beginning. The contractors also helped us. They used to provide us with coal and advance money. And they used to take bricks from time to time. But now it has become a loss-making deal. Many of our fields have turned into pits; farming cannot be done in them now”.
For the past 10 years, the workers here have started making bricks in their homes. There are fewer challenges here. Tribal workers have gotten rid of the problem of migration; they can run a business along with farming. One or two families together choose a hilly field. While choosing the field, it is kept in mind that there should be a water facility there. Soil is harvested from the same field. And then it is given the shape of bricks. Paddy husk and charcoal are provided by the contractor for baking bricks. Later, the money for this is deducted at the time of selling the bricks.
How Business Turned Into Exploitation
The workers said this business had now become a means of exploitation. Anil, the head of the brick-making group, said, “My whole family is able to make 20,000 bricks in a month. When the bricks are ready, the contractor comes with a trolley, loads the bricks, and takes them away. We are paid Rs 3 per brick. Whereas the contractor sells it for Rs 6 to 7. We do not have any means, nor do we have access to customers. We suffer the consequences of this.”.
To do this work, the contractor also provides money to the workers on interest so that they can buy other resources, such as paddy husk and coal for baking bricks.
The workers here are also deeply troubled by the problem of debt. Anil said, “This business runs only for six months in a year. We are able to make bricks only from January to June; after that, the rainy season starts and the work stops. At that time, we are dependent on the contractor; he gives us loans. Later, we pay it back with interest.
Children Are Forced Into Child Labour
The biggest tragedy of this business is that children are being forced to do child labour. Sada Jani has five children in the house. Two are his and three are his brother's. The children range in age from 8 to 15 years. When Sada was asked about this, he said, "Children go to school for six months. At this time, if the workload increases, they help us. We take small jobs from them." When told that child labour is illegal, Sada said, "Then the government should give us money; we will not let the children work."
When asked, one child said that he goes to school two to three days a week because on that day the food is good in the school. He works the rest of the days.
A 15-year-old girl said, "We do not go to work anywhere else; this is household work. We work with our family members. But we do not get time to go to school."
An official from the education department, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The Odisha government is working on the issue of drop-out of children. Scholarships and hostel facilities are also being provided to children from the ST and SC communities. Most dropouts are due to parents migrating and children joining other jobs. No concrete solution is visible yet.
Various reports have found India among countries with the highest number of child labourers. According to the 2001 Census, 79.7 million children are doing child labour. The number of child labourers in Odisha is around four lakh.
The Human Rights Commission has identified some businesses which have the highest number of child labourers. Brick kilns are in this list.
The country’s Constitution has made laws to end child laboor. Under the Fundamental Rights, Article 21(a) provides the right to education, Article 23(a) prohibits human trafficking and forced labor, and Article 24 prohibits the employment of children in factories, etc.
According to the Child Labour Act 1986, any kind of work by children below 14 years of age is strictly prohibited.
The writer studied at Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh. He is currently working as a fellow in Koraput, Odisha. The views are personal.
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