Brick kilns along the Vennaru river, traversing through Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts, continue to thrive by engaging child labour on a large scale. Barely 10 days ago, eight children - four boys and four girls - were rescued from brick kilns at Vishnampettai village, located on a riverbank in Thanjavur district.
All the children except a boy from the neighbouring village, were working along with their family. The rescue operation, which followed a petition to the chief minister’s cell, also saw the closure of more than 20 brick kilns operating on public land. Three brick kiln owners were arrested during the raid, under the Child Labour (Prohibition and regulation) Act.
Though section 374 of IPC (Unlawful compulsory labour) was invoked in the case, revenue authorities deny prevalence of bonded labour in the units that have been closed. However, a supervisor employed in one of the brick kilns confided that the families from far away villages were recruited by paying an advance ranging from `20,000 to `40,000. Rather than wages, these families are paid a meager `700 per week to meet their domestic expenses.
“The families live under temporary shelters near the kiln, for over five months, from the Tamil month of Maasi and leave on the 18th of Aadi (mid-February to August first week),” he disclosed.
Since wages are deducted from the advance they got while they were hired, in the end they are offered the balance amount, assuming the value of their work is over and above the advance sum.According to Thanjavur based advocate V Jeevakumar, brick klin owners monitor every movement of families of employees - even if it is a visit to a hospital.