Caste-based migration and exposure to abuse and exploitation: Dadan labour migration in India

ABSTRACT

This article examines the relationship between an exploitative labour migration system and the social stratification system in India. Every year, thousands of people migrate from rural areas to work in brick kilns, construction sites and textile industries in Indian cities. This article analyses interview and questionnaire data from a sample of Scheduled Caste Dadan migrants. High levels of abuse, injury and disability are reported. The researchers conclude that efforts to regulate employment conditions and implement caste reforms have failed to protect many workers. The findings underscore the need for much more attention from public authorities, employers, job brokers, NGOs, and international organisations.

KEYWORDS:

• Internal migration
• caste
• social stratification
• Dadan labour migrants
• physical abuse
• occupational injuries

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank to Odisha Higher Education Program for Excellence and Equity (OHEPEE), Government of Odisha, India for financial support through World Bank.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Scheduled Caste (SC) in traditional Indian society is known as Dalit, Harijan, or Untouchable. Traditional Indian society is divided into five main categories of castes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Sudras, and Dalit. Dalits are members of the lowest social group in the Hindu caste system; the word ‘Dalit’ means ‘oppressed’ or ‘broken.’ A Dalit is considered to be born below the caste system, which means below the four primary castes. In 1950, the Constitution of India (including 12 Scheduled Castes) integrated the Dalits into the Schedule of the Constitution for their social, economic, and political development.

2 Neobondage is a mechanism in which a labourer is bound to work for a season or fixed period, not indefinitely as in the past.

3 http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2018/dec/19/acid-attack-on-odia-worker-in-ap-kiln-1913620.html.

4 http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2018/dec/27/migrant-couple-killed-in-andhra-brick-kiln-1917057.html.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the OHEPEE, Government of Odisha through World Bank.

Notes on contributors

Arun Kumar Acharya

Arun Kumar Acharya, Ph.D. Professor in Anthropology, Sambalpur University, India. He conducts research on perspectives and implications of internal and international migration with regard to human trafficking. Dr. Acharya has published eight books and several journal articles on migration and human trafficking.