Brick Kiln (Saving Lives from Slavery)

 We  took this initiative to look out for the burdened people, for this we visited people who work at brickkiln, and asked them about their problems and what challenges do they face in their daily life.

We were saddened to know about their hardships they are facing, they do not have any basic facilities and are living a very miserable life. Talking about their homes, they do not own any homes. Their employers have provided them small living spaces which are not properly built houses, no proper washrooms, with weather has worse effect on these rooms, when it rains their roofs leaks and sometimes their walls fell down because of heavy rain. Furthermore, they are deprived from utilities such as gas, and electricity.

Due to poverty, they’re bound to work at brickkiln and they are not working there as free people, majority of them are working their as slaves. The reason is these people took loan from their employers whenever they will be needing money, as their wages are so low, so in order to meet their household expenses, medical needs, clothing, kids’ food, etc. they ask for loan desperately.

Their employers offer them loan but they offer loan with interest, so in order to get the money they’ve to pay interest to them because they don’t have any other choice. But in reality, their loan amount stays the same because employer deduct their money as interest and they pay the rest of the amount as their wages which is already very low, so in order to survive they take loan again and again, resulting in increased interest.

They’re forced to work because of the loan money, because they can’t leave either or find another work until the loan is paid, even in sickness they were asked to do work, some people have to work extra to meet the workload and some people do extra work willingly to meet their household expense. Due to low wages and loan burden on their heads they can’t educate their children and they also work with their parents in the very young age, so their generations work for them and still they won’t be able to pay their loans and cycle of slavery goes on.

In 2014, a Christian couple working as workers at a brick kiln in Kot Radha Kishan town of Kasur area were beaten and afterward burnt alive on top of a lit furnace by a crowd of around 1,000 individuals, they put allegations that they had commited blasphemy.