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Exploitation!

13 February 2005, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Khandaker R Zaman Dhaka
13 February 2005, 18:00 PM
Article 34.1 of the Constitution of The People's Republic of Bangladesh prohibits all forms of forced labour and contravention of the provision is an offence punishable in accordance with the law. In reality, there is a growing trend of forced labour in spite of the constitutional provision. The most common of all is the employment of housemaids. Most households offer them a meagre wage and even those wages are not paid in full to retain the employment of maids. Most of them have no option but to return to their employment from their leave with a false dream that one day they can return to their villages with just enough fund to perhaps buy a rickshaw or something for their near ones who can support them in their old age. The maids are basically illiterate and so poor that they can hardly contest for their rights and we have preferred to keep our eyes shut because this is a luxury that we cannot part with, so much for our civility!

The trouble with hypocrisy is that at some point of time it returns the favour to the same people who embrace it and it is now happening in our society. The other day I saw delight drain out of my nephew's face, a holder of Masters in Management Studies, when he got a conditional offer letter from a leading conglomerate of the country. They offered him a job but demanded his original educational transcripts for three years. In other words, the suitable candidates are not allowed to leave their employment until they complete their three years' bondage.

He has turned down the offer to say in short as it takes away his freedom for three long years during which he is likely to miss many other important and interesting challenges of life.

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Overlooking the plight of the underprivileged and putting them in bondage has given the opportunity to corporations, large and small, to hold the new generation of educated youth at ransom. It is about time someone took up the issue for a constitutional challenge.

I wish I were a constitutional lawyer.