Our work in production countries - 01 June 2017 League for Social Justice calls on Tamil Nadu government to end India's modern slavery in spinning mills Ministry visit. Photo: © READIn the spinning mills of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, young girls have to do the hardest work in the shift system for a starvation wage. Intermediaries lure the girls between the ages of 14 and 18 into the spinning mills so that they work there for three years at the lowest wage, in order to ultimately receive a sum that is supposed to represent their dowry. They are kept in overcrowded and poorly equipped sleeping barracks as if in captivity. They are recruited from poor families of the lower castes. FEMNET already has a lot to offer on this subject. Information and campaign work and in 2016 together with the Indian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) READ A project has been launched to combat this modern form of slavery. Meeting of the new NGO League for Social Justice. Photo: © READThe project has now been successfully completed and has led to the establishment of the League for Social Justice initiative, which brings together six local NGOs working together against labour camps and slavery-like working conditions. The members carry out active campaigning and educational work among those affected, political actors and the population. In the course of this, a list of demands for the improvement of working conditions in spinning mills was also drawn up. This petition was officially submitted to the local authorities in November 2016. Official feedback on how and when the government's demand should be implemented is still pending.
