South Asia

It is estimated that there are 20 to 65 million bonded laborers in India alone, despite substantive and clear laws prohibiting this form of forced labor.  The forced labor system is present in many industries, but whether it is in a brick kiln, rice mill, salt mine or another industry, perpetrators who violate Indian laws to compel the labor of others infringe upon citizens' most fundamental rights. 

Sex trafficking also victimizes massive numbers of vulnerable people in South Asia: In 2009, the head of India’s Central Bureau of Investigation estimated that there are more than 1 million children in the commercial sexual exploitation industry in the country. 

IJM's four India field offices partner with government authorities to combat forced labor slavery and sex trafficking, bringing freedom and restoration to victims and ensuring that perpetrators are prosecuted for their crimes.