Assam's modern slaves: the real price of a cup of Tetley tea | Guardian Investigations

Summary

The video script narrates a harrowing tale of modern slavery, focusing on the plight of young girls in Assam, India, who are lured into servitude under the guise of better opportunities. It delves into the conditions of the naharani Tea Plantation, where workers, including children, are underpaid, facilitating human trafficking. The script follows a rescue mission by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, India's leading child rescue organization, as they navigate the challenges of locating and freeing enslaved girls in Delhi. The narrative underscores the link between poverty wages and the exploitation of vulnerable children, highlighting the urgent need for change.

Takeaways

• 🌆 Delhi, a mega city, is the setting for a story of modern slavery where a young woman is in danger.
• 📞 A girl from Assam is trying to alert her neighbors via telephone about being threatened with prostitution in Mumbai.
• 🍃 The naharani Tea Plantation in Assam is linked to global tea brands and is under investigation for poor working conditions.
• 💼 The plantation workers, including children, are paid less than the minimum wage, which is conducive to human trafficking.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kalash Sati, the head of Bachpan Bacha andolan, is a leading figure in child rescue in India, focusing on slavery.
• 🏡 The demand for cheap domestic help in India's growing middle class contributes to the trafficking of young girls.
• 🔎 The BBA (Bachpan Bacha andolan) conducts rescue missions to find and free girls trafficked from Assam.
• 🚔 A rescue operation is underway to save a girl named Samila, who was promised an office job but ended up as a slave.
• 🚔🏠 The rescue team, with the help of local police, successfully frees Samila from her captors in Delhi.
• 🌟 Despite the rescue of some girls, there are still over 100,000 missing, highlighting the scale of the issue.

Q & A

What is the population of Delhi mentioned in the script?

Delhi is described as a mega city with a population of 16 million people.

What is the main issue faced by the young woman in the script?

The young woman is in danger of being sold into prostitution in Mumbai by her owners.

What is the significance of the tea plantation in Assam?

The tea plantation in Assam grows tea for world-renowned brands, but the workers are paid significantly below the minimum wage, which contributes to the exploitation and trafficking of workers.

Who is Kalash Sati and what is his role in the story?

Kalash Sati is the head of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, India's leading child rescue organization, and has been working to rescue children from slavery in India for 33 years.

What is the connection between low wages and human trafficking as depicted in the script?

The script suggests that low wages in tea plantations create a breeding ground for the slave trade, as poor families are more likely to be targeted by traffickers promising better opportunities.

How many girls are reported missing from the Naharani plantation?

At least 14 girls are reported missing from the Naharani plantation.

What is the role of the middle class in the trafficking issue as presented in the script?

The script indicates that the booming middle class in Delhi demands domestic servants, which creates a demand for girls who are often trafficked to meet this demand.

What is the strategy used by traffickers to avoid legal repercussions?

Traffickers keep the girls as domestic servants for about 11 months to avoid legal issues and then move them elsewhere.

What is the role of the rescue team in the script?

The rescue team, along with the police, conducts operations to find and free girls who have been trafficked and held as slaves.

What is the outcome of the rescue operation for Samila in the script?

Samila is successfully rescued from her captors after being held as a slave for three years, and the agent responsible for placing her is arrested.

What is the broader impact of the rescue efforts as mentioned in the script?

In the last two years, the BBA has rescued 2,600 children, and many traffickers have been prosecuted and jailed, but there are still over 100,000 missing girls estimated to be working as maids in Delhi.