The Endless Supply of Forced Brick Kiln Labor

Sometimes I wonder if brick kiln owners ever actually employ people. Perhaps the practice finds roots in the Egyptians’ enslavement of the Israelites to make their bricks. Or maybe the job is so onerous, no one volunteers for it.

Whatever the reason, International Justice Missions (IJM) has pulled off yet another rescue operation at a brick kiln. This time they rescued 36 families encompassing 149 people, out of slavery. The youngest slave was a three-year-old.

A three-year-old brick-making slave. That defies a sense of reality, let alone a sense of decency. Yet in this brick kiln, the owners forced a small, bumbling three-year-old to work day in and day out.

An NGO in south India, Jana Jagriti Kendra (JJK), asked IJM for help after an escaped slave told them about the kiln. Together they worked with the district government and local police to free those enslaved inside the factory. They entered after nightfall and found people still working. A pregnant woman had been kicked when she begged for rest. A man had been beaten so severely, his bones showed through still bleeding wounds. Sunken cheeks and bellies attested to the lack of food supplied to the slaves. The kiln owners would not even allow them a full night’s sleep.

To read IJM's article, please go here

Comments

[Sam Horowitz]

A friend of mine just did a year stint with IJM in Chennai, India. It's difficult to hear of the stories she has told of what they have seen.

[[Pat Kashtock]]

Hey Sam -- I am sure it must be difficult to hear. Was she involved in after care? Investigation? Which aspect? Our friend that I think helped start IJM was an investigator. The video showing Bob pulling a child out of a Cambodian brothel is no longer up, but a picture of that is at the end of the article here
http://patkashtock.squarespace.com/thoughts-on/2008/10/10/international-justice-missions-newsreel.html