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Family Freed From Rice Mill Slavery
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Tuesday, 08 December 2009

CHENNAI, INDIA - "What are you doing here?" The accountant’s hand gripped Kushan’s* shirt firmly.

Shocked, Kushan did not respond. After working as a slave at Mukunthan Rice Mill for almost three years, Kushan knew better than to try and defend himself. Two days ago, the rice mill accountant gave him permission to visit his ailing mother. Today, the accountant and men from the mill showed up in the village questioning Kushan’s absence and demanding his return.

This fall, when IJM partnered with the local government to rescue the victims from Mukunthan Rice Mill, Kushan found the courage to answer his oppressors.
"Why did you leave? ... We have so many people with us to support us – we have judges, we have attorneys on our side. You cannot do anything."

Shivering in fear, Kushan was helpless. He had nowhere to turn. Kushan and his wife, Varshi*, begged the men to forgive them. Appeased, the accountant let go of Kushan, put the couple in a waiting vehicle, and drove them back to the facility. "If you run anywhere, we have people on our side who will tell us what you are doing. So be careful," the accountant reminded the slave.

As soon as they arrived at the mill, the owner came towards Kushan as if to hit him. One of the owner’s men did the job instead, slapping the slave on the face while shouting at him. Realizing that it did not matter that he had received permission to leave, Kushan weakly replied that he left the mill because he was not feeling well. The owner turned to Kushan coldly. "If you do this again, we will chop your hands and legs. Be careful.

The owner and the accountants snidely asked the terrified man if he thought he were some kind of government official or village leader. "We know all the Collectors and Village Administrative Officers. You can’t do anything to us. It cost us 1,500 rupees to track you down and bring you back here. You owe us that money and the amount will be added to your debt."

Kushan was silent. What could he say? Kushan had been working in the mill for the past three years to pay back a small debt. The owner kept Kushan and his family trapped inside the facility’s high cement walls, and ensured they would never have enough to repay the small loan – guaranteeing him continued slave labor. They were not allowed to leave without permission, and working outside the mill in order to repay the debt was forbidden. Kushan – and the other laborers trapped in the mill – were desperate to leave, but they knew the powerful owner could and would make good on his threats if they tried to escape.

Broken, Kushan left the office room and returned to work. He was too terrified to try leaving again. The days stretched on; Kushan and the other victims continued to labor in the rice mill. Each night at midnight, they rose from their beds to boil rice. As the sun came up, they stopped to cook the day’s food before returning to work through the heat of the day. Left alone, the children played in the bits of shade that lined the mill. Kushan had watched his daughter grow up inside the high-walled facility. He could not give her a better future. He could not promise her education or freedom. There was no reason for hope.

But one day, an IJM informant learned about the victims and shared their information with the investigations team. Within a matter of weeks, IJM had documented Kushan and several other victims and prepared a case for government intervention.

When he was first documented by IJM investigators, Kushan explained his helpless situation: "I do not have the courage to answer them back." This fall, when IJM partnered with the local government to rescue the victims from Mukunthan Rice Mill, Kushan found the courage to answer his oppressors.

During the ensuing government enquiry, Kushan testified boldly that he was forced to work at the mill. The other victims were similarly courageous. Late in evening, the government official called two of the women into his office and read out the owner’s statement - a string of lies insisting that the women were free to leave his facility. The government official then challenged the women to refute the owner’s words. Though the owner was wealthy and educated, and the impoverished women could only spell their names, they stood strong. The women stated confidently that they were slaves, and the testimony they gave against the owner during the enquiry was true.

Coupled with hours of advocacy by IJM staff, the courageous truth spoken by Kushan and the other victims prevailed. At 9:30 that night, Kushan and nine other victims, including his young wife, Varshi, received release certificates and an initial installment of government rehabilitation funds.

A few minutes later, the freed slaves gathered with IJM staff outside the government office. On the realization that he and his family were now free, a wide smile broke out across Kushan’s face, the weight of the past three years falling away. Touching his daughter’s leg gently, he turned to his wife and smiled.
 
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