WUNRN
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON
CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF SLAVERY
REPORT TO THE UN 2009: FORCED LABOUR
- BONDED LABOUR +
Gender Excerpt Examples:
D. The Gender Component of Forced
Labour and Bonded Labour
72. In some
societies, women and children can traditionally be bonded through a male
head
of household to work to pay off debts he has contracted........Increases
in domestic violence and rising alcoholism, mostly among men, have been linked
to problems repaying debts.......Women and girls engaged in domestic work are
often exposed to sexual violence.
73. Women also
form the majority of domestic migrant workers who find themselves in
situations of forced labour with restrictions on their freedom of movement,
often
working long hours and having their identity documents taken away from them by
their employers.
74. In situations
where women are directly bonded, they are often charged higher
interest
rates, making it more difficult for them to repay the debts. Their wages are
also generally lower than those of men.
75. Gender
inequalities and discrimination play an important role in contributing to
women's vulnerability to bonded labour. The combined effects of low education,
workplace discrimination, exclusion from family decision-making processes and
lack of familial property rights increase women's vulnerability to labour
exploitation
and dependency and thus make them susceptible to bondage.
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