Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture: Speakers stress on struggles of tribal, migrant communities https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/stan-swamy-memorial-lecture-speakers-stress-on-struggles-of-tribal-migrant-communities-10248387/
Father Prem Xalxo “Migration is migration. It is what makes us, and it is the story of hope amidst misery for countless tribal families pushed to cities for survival,” He highlighted the difficult realities faced by tribal migrants, saying, “They are uprooted from close-knit communities and placed alone in unfamiliar lands, compelled to adjust to new, often harsh realities. Many work in homes where respect for their rights and dignity is fragile or absent.” Father Prem underscored the need for collective empowerment and community solidarity. He stressed that migration should not be viewed solely as distress but also as a survival strategy rooted in hope.
Full video at https://youtube.com/live/VtDH9p-IWr8
YT Transcript: ( under edit)
all the 58 organizations that have come together to organize Stan Swami memorial lecture as an act of resistance.
Resistance to suppression of freedom of expression. resistance to bulldozing of democracy and our constitution.
It is an act of resistance to attempt to intimidate those marginalized sections of the society. It is an act of resistance to intimidate educational institutions as to what can be taught, what lectures can be arranged by educational institutions and what cannot be.
And it's being dictated by Hindu nationalist organizations which have nothing to do with knowledge, wisdom, truth, facts or education. They
have an political agenda and with that political agenda with muscle power they want to control education system and our gathering here
The same lecture on the same topic by the same speaker which St Xavier's College was forced to cancel earlier and We were all disturbed that this country cannot be run by an ideology, a political ideology, by dictatorship, by authoritarian, by muscle power. We were all disturbed
Those who were objecting to the lecture said Father Stan Swam had links with Maoists. .and was anti-national.
We believe that until somebody is proven guilty person is innocent. Stan Swami was one who fought for the marginalized sections of the society. Stan Swami was one who fought nonviolently within constitutional framework and he was succeeding in doing so by protecting Adiasis and their forests -- fighting for their right to their forest and forest land and brought in many legislations to protect their rights.
Draconian acts were used to put baseless charges on Stan swami and other accused of Bhima Koregaon case and all of them were being defamed.
We stand here together. We have gathered in this hall on Zoom, on YouTube, on Facebook live to say that we do not support these charges. Wwe believe those allegations are baseless and false.
relevant that jharkhand is richest in mineral resources but poorest as far as people and adiwasis are concerned. It is relevant because father Stan Swami fought for indigenous people from Jharkand and
advocate Indira Jai Singh.chairing this lecture.
senior advocate Mihir Desai is national vice president of PUCL and fought several Bhima koregaon
there is a film a short film which will be shown which will introduce you to his work. So I'll I will confine myself uh to just one or two things because uh
he was born on 26th April 1937 in Tamil Nadu in a village. Uh thereafter he did his uh uh he became
a uh a Jesuit. Um
he was uh the director of uh Indian social institute at Bangalore from 75 to
86 shifted to Jarand. uh both Rachi, Chaiibbasa I mean that
time of course it was Jarkan was part of uh Bihar uh Jasi Chiba
Raji Chibaiasa etc himself completely in work
for protecting the rights of tribals. He was somebody
who was not really concerned with uh you
know obviously he had sympathy, empathy etc etc but
his work was rights based work. His his work was not charity based work. His b
his work was essentially okay focused on how to ensure the tribals get the just
just rights and it is that see if it was a pure charity based work nobody would
have opposed do some little education here little this thing nobody would have opposed because he was trying to enforce
rights because he was telling tribals that it's I mean you're not at the mercy of the government you have certain
rights you have c those have to be enforced post. Okay. That is why he came
under the scanner of the government. Okay. I I knew him uh since 30 years. I
used to go once in a while to Ranchi as well as Chaibasa for some legal training, some legal help etc etc. 2018
I got a phone call from him. 2018 is when this Bimma Coro FIR was launched
and it was in around August I got a phone call from him and uh in a very
very uh uh I have said that earlier but just for people who who don't know in a
very uh his uh soft voice he says he
told me Mahir what is sorry Mahir who is Bima okay now
I had to tell him that Bimma Puram is not a who but a what. Okay, it's a place. Okay, this was his connection to
the incident which happened. I mean the man didn't even know that uh that there
is a place where some violence has taken place some remote part of Maharashtra where some violence has taken place
because of which people have been arrested etc etc. He was immersed in his own work. He was fighting his public
interest litigation for tribals for people who were in jail etc etc. But so
it was at that time that then I went and met him in Jarkand and explained what the situation was. Okay. Because he was
actively also pursuing the issue of uh human rights defenders across the country uh in various ways you know uh
finally at that time he was not arrested but after two years they arrested him.
uh they took his computer in 2018
couldn't find anything from his computer then in 2020 again after NIA took over
that is national investigating agency again there was a raid and suddenly they discovered from his computer a new
computer okay uh central committee milit
of uh uh what do you call it of the Mao party etc etc
and he told me that this I have never seen this I don't know what these what these things are and by that time we had
realized that there is major planting of documents going on by the prosecution by the establishment on computers of people
who they want to nab. So anyway he was arrested.
You see normally what happens is that uh when people are arrested okay they are they seek police custody
that c custodial interrogation etc etc here as far as father is concerned they
did not ask for a milit police custody they said they said straight away put him in jail why because they knew he was
frail suffering from Parkinson's anyway more than 80 years old quite weak they
they knew he would die if he's put in jail. It's a it was clearly an institutional murder of the of of
father's reign. That that is what has happened. But they knew he would die in jail. So they but they had the mandate
of arresting him. So they arrested him, put him straight in jail. Not a single day's police custody even requested by
them. Forget granted or not granted. That was not even request anyway sent to
jail. People all know sipper was not provided. Uh you know the cup was not provided etc. There was a huge uh huge
protest across the world about his arrest. Bail was denied. Medical bail was
denied. Meta went to high court. He was very clear that look I I mean
forget all this medical bail and hospital and all that. Either you allow me to go back to my people in Ranchi or
I I just don't want to or you let me be with my friends in jail. Finally we
managed to convince him his health was very bad. He was the court allowed him to go to the private hospital holy
family hospital where uh which took very good care of him but by that time it was
too late because of the jail conditions because of the complete failure pos and and I I
feel deliberate lack of providing him medical care and retention in the
prison. He
Nobody can fabricate this evidence except the state. Okay, let's be very clear about it. Okay, so it was done by
done by the state prosecuting agencies etc. They planned it. They wanted him dead. They had him dead but they didn't
realize that his in his death he'll become a martyr. He he'll inspire a lot
more people he'll ensure he'll inspire a lot more people
to speak out to struggle against what is happening that is what they had not
anticipated and that is uh father strenwami as we uh what he has been able
to achieve even after his death and I think we need to respect him a lot for
that we need to respect him for his life the way he struggled
something AC or anything simple one fan small room etc etc that that was his
life his life was with the tribals and that is the that is that is how uh
father strenw was I don't want to speak any more uh because we have uh some
important lectures and also the film so I'll stop here thank you very
[Applause]
There are actually in Maduray people have gathered like we have gathered here
in Mumbai on and they are seeing this lecture on YouTube. I understand that
there is some sound problem and uh it's not going through uh but we'll play
father stan swami's film on father's stand swami
[Music]
More jingle.
84 years old suffering from Parkinson's disease. Father Stan Swami dies in custody in a private hospital in Mumbai.
He dies on the day of his bail hearings. Father Swami walked with tribals in
Sharkan charged under the anti-terror act. He was facing charges of being a terrorist. Despite his worsening health,
multiple appeals for bail had been turned down. In his words, Swami had told the Bombay High Court, "I would
rather die in jail if things go on as it is." He had Parkinson's disease and his lawyers had to reach the courts to even
give him access to a sipper. In a cruel irony, his death was announced in court
during yet another bail hearing. Stand.
Rajasthan
bhat
ka kales sona
jungle.
Okay. Fore!
Foreign! Foreign!
stand.
mining. Mining.
Mining.
Amen. [Music]
[Music]
Yeah.
Police.
Maybe police
Soal prize.
Postgraduation.
Father stand.
Students
Eye level relation.
for [Music]
seek. Okay. [Music]
Interview.
Doubt.
Less life.
At that time her chicken would be worth 20 25 rupees. She was given five rupee a
dirty note thrown at her. Then I said by God what is happening? H here are a
people who cherish their values and sharing things with nature
and here is another value system which just exploits them and deprivives
them of our human dignity, human respect. So once I saw this then I used to ask my
boys who were with me I said you see what is happening they say h father
but don't we do something about it
is at that juncture I said I want to make something of my life for these people
what exactly that something would be I did not know I was very young afterwards I had to go
through many other years of Jesuit formation and so on. But finally I stuck on to that dream
and the dream is still there with me with all that has happened with all that
has gone true.
[Applause] Happy Being happy
Listen,
sigana lickna. Banana
[Music]
philosopher [Music] expert.
jungle.
Father Stan Swami. [Music]
Society
of Jesus.
exploitation.
I mean
document Yeah,
okay.
Right now NIA is interrogating me. They
have done 15 hours of interrogation and still they want me to go to Bombay.
What is happening to me is not something unique happening to me alone. this a
broader uh process that is taking place all over the country. We are all aware how
prominent intellectuals, lawyers, writers, poets, activists, student
leaders they are all put into jail just because they have expressed their
dissent or raised questions about the ruling powers of the India. So we are
part of the process. I am I'm in a way I am happy to be part part of this process
because I'm I'm not a silent spectator but I'm part of it part of the game and
ready to pay the price whatever be itch
[Music]
[Music]
He has learned from this society and he was giving us that.
[Music]
[Music]
Space
[Music] develop.
[Music]
fabricated cases stand
activist 20
Police.
Next slide.
Foreign
[Music] speech. Foreign speech.
[Music] stand
system [Music]
policy uh logo uh unlawful activities. teach
you [Music] importance. for
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause] stand.
Who are you?
Jesus Christ
of the cross.
stand.
He really lived the life of a Christ.
Example,
medical bail reactor.
High Court
Father Stan Swami [Music]
My
foreign. [Music]
And I need
what did it conclude in where did it begin and where is it today so uh as an
mentioned this morning I was at a uh memorial meeting for Charlotte Patel uh
whose 100th anniversary falls today and he was
understand it is
that I myself
would like to let you know that at the time when this began
there there were no rights didn't have rights I look at very I said this is a
fight for rights is not a drug right ware benefits so what exactly are those
rights that is the issue that I'd like to just say a few words about before I
move over to the very illustrious speaker of the day it is during colonial rules that the
1939 forest act was passed which basically said that all forest land
belongs to the British government. Now think of what this means for adivasis.
Think of what this means for people who do not have any documentation to show that they have ownership of the land. So
the key issue was ownership of land. Who owns the land?
This is the same question that was asked to the people in Shahin when the CAA act
was passed and it is the same question which has been asked today in SIR in Bihar for
registering people as voters. So to come back to the adivas where
there are the papers no there are no papers there is no satara
why is there no satara because they own the land for them
the tiller owns the land the person who cultivates owns the land and where is
the need for any sata utara if if you can simply show that I have been
cultivating this land for centuries. So that was the fight which began way back
in the early8s and I'm happy to let you know
that uh by an interim order sometime in 8 1985
Justice Babati accepted this argument that those who cultivate the land cannot
be called encroach. That was the fight. The fight was we do
not wish to be called encroachers. We do not wish to be asked to prove our very existence. And that is a fight which
ultimately led to the passing of what we today call I hope you can all see this.
It's called the schedule tribes and other traditional forest dwellers
recognition of forest rights act of 2006. Stanwi's fight was to get this law
implemented. So although the adversities got their rights uh in 2006 implementation was a
very very far cry and this has been the point of the I just like to read one
opening sentence from this to this act the
introduction to this act in fact simply says forest and forest crabby people are
inseparable. Mark those words forest and forest wellers are inseparable and it
was that attempt to separate forest from forest wellers
that that stands what we fought against. Uh you saw in the movie that today the
threat is coming from the mining industry. You heard the speaker say that
uh gold minerals are beneath the land which the Adivasi's own and tail and
that is what the nadanis are asked after that is where the mining uses are being
given and that is where the resistance comes from. So having said this, I would
like to say that uh uh I I would like to just say a few
words about our speaker today. So as uh Ian has already pointed out to you, a
very eminent speaker is father
I am sorry if I have pronounced that name wrong. an Indian Jesuit who is an
associate professor of moral theology. Pause a minute. Please try to understand
the role of morality in today's politics, today's world. It is absent.
And therefore, I'm thrilled that we have someone who is a professor in moral theology theology who's going to deliver
this lecture. He he is at the political
Gregorian University in Rome. He studied philosophy and theology in Pune, Delhi
and Rome and he has previously trained in sciences and statistics in Chennai in
India. He has of course obtained his license in
moral theology from that university and he specializes in what is called
environmental ethics. I'm sure that environmental ethics includes the rights of adasis
and uh uh in a dialogue between modern theology and communications.
Now uh I'm going to hand over to the professor uh but before that I will tell
you that he will be speaking to you today about migration
and he makes a very very interesting point when he says that all of us really
are migrants from somewhere to somewhere. Which one of us is not a migrant? I would like to know.
Migration is the rule of law. Migration is the way of the world. Migration is
what makes us human. And so it would be a pleasure to hear
him speak about migration. I cannot resist one last uh sentence and that is
that uh you know as far as our present political
dispensation is concerned our home minister would call us all kuspetas. We
need deliberas from for that purpose we need professor
your help in helping us to understand the phenomenon of migration. Let us not
call it illegal migration. Let us just call it migration. Thank you very much professor and we look forward to hearing
from you. Thank you very much senior advocate Jim
G. And right I'm going to start uh with a tribute to our uh beloved Stan Swami.
I'd like to begin the annual stand swami memorial lecture by paying my living
tribute to him with the words of the old testament. Yahweh says to Moses,
I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have I have heard
them crying out because of the slave drivers and I am concerned about their
suffering. The caller though was directed to the
Israelites which is repeated again and again in human history to the exploited suffering
and distrust people. The same words definitely resounded in
the ears of father Stan Swami when he witnessed the plight of the tribal
people in Chotanakapur being born and brought up in the down
south of India. He heard the voice of the Lord again saying
whom shall I send and who will go to for us? That is the words for to the words
of Isaiah. He says here am I send me.
In 2000 in 2006 when he opted Baga in Ranchi as his
center of activities, he was firm in repeating again and again, I will not be a silent spectator.
And of course he never was. I knew him personally in and through two
Ranchi Jesuits late father Ranjit Pascal Topo the then Ranchi Jesuit provincial
and father Alex Ekka director of Jabber Institute of Social Service
to begin with I quote Zadrai he says Swami's commitment to the rights
and well-being of Adiasis was rooted in his lived experience among them.
He was deeply influenced by Adiasi's Adiasi values and the Adiasi way of life
including the respect for nature, love of freedom and corporate spirit.
He also had witnessed the ruthless exploitation of adiasis by greedy
traders, money lenders and land grabbers.
These experiences must have shaped his belief that we should be gent gentle
with a powerfulness that impliable with their exploiters.
context of today's lecture migration a vital livelihood strategy
I'm not saying it is illegal migration is an age old complex and multifaceted
phenomenon integral to human existence and survival
roti tapa or matan food clothes and shelter are the most basic necessities
of life for which humans have migrated from one place to another since time
immemorial. Over the decades, forced by poverty,
lack of job opportunities and a bleak future, a significant number of tribal
boys and girls from tribal areas of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jarken,
Madhya Pradesh, Odisa, West Bengal and the other seven northeastern states of
India had migrated to metropolitan cities in search of a better life
air condition the cities varies from person to person.
However, the life stories of a of a women women folk in the workplaces raes
serious socioeological questions
for any tribal girl. The mere fact of being uprooted from a closely linked
tribal community and being placed in a strange land amidst strange people
forces us to face a massive challenge to search for an identity and human dignity
amidst innumerable untold miseries in the form of physical, sexual,
psychological exploitations aggravated by lowages. unstable in uh
employment and precarious working conditions. Her struggle to sustain socioultural,
moral and religious values offers an immense possibility of some deep
socioethical and anthropological reflections on the situations of the
world worldwide domestic workers and I'm going to focus on the tribal girls
migrated to metropolitan cities from Jarken and surrounding states.
choice of the theme. I'm grateful to engineering uh irran engineering
engineer for proposing it is this close to my heart.
I'm proud to say that I am in Ram and my go and my grandfather Ram Ram Ram was
the village pah or priest whose legacy was later continued by his ages son.
I was born and brought up brought up in a joint family with great tribal roots.
As in now I gratefully remember the dedication of father Stan Swami to fight
for the cause of my people. I read from his eyes the plight of the
tribal domestic working girls in various metropolitan cities of India.
Being with them and working for them during my formation as a Jesuit scholastic compelled me to study their
present situation and their future prospects amidst challenges, miseries
and despair. In 1999
I used to go on Sundays to greater Kalash a relatively posh locality of New
Delhi. as a theology student of Bidi daily as Jesuit's theology center for
the social apostolic amidst the tribal domestic working girls.
I had heard and read about them but that was my first personal encounter with
them. They had migrated to New Delhi to earn a living by working mostly in non-trival
families as ayas or maid servants.
Despite their precarious working conditions and constant, physical, verbal, mental, sexual, emotional and
psychological harassment, violence and exploitation,
they seemed to be very happy and lively on Sundays.
That was the only day when they had the chance to meet and share their sukan
dukam experiences of joys and sorrows as it is known popularly.
The church bishops offered a perfect setup for their gathering.
In the same year we organized a common I interacted with them to know and
understand them more closely. In the same year that is in 1998 we
organized a common festival for all the tribals living in New Delhi.
The occasion was the Karam festival, a feast celebrated the conclusion of the
Patty transplantation by almost all tribal communities of
North India. Seeing the huge crown, I realized for
the first time the magnitude of migration of the tribal girls to the
metropolitan cities. As the master of ceremony to conduct the
cultural activity,
I could visualize the euphoria in their faces and in their ways of singing and
dancing. But I wondered how long such joy and excitement would last.
After 15 years, I participated in one of the weekly meetings of a group of tribal
domestic working girls held in the premises of the Indian Social Institute
near Delhi on 29th December 2013
under the umbrella of Adiasi Jan Vikas sa tribal life development society run
by JSA that is Jesuits in South Action.
Around 200 girls, Christians as well known Christians gathered every week in
the institute for the holy mass. They shared the living conditions and
received legal and other logistic assistance
to keep in touch with with their tribal roots. Some cultural activities were
also organized occasionally for and by them.
I interviewed some 25 girls from different social and religious backgrounds. Their stories and
experiences represented the general feeling among those attending the
regular Sunday meetings, instilling them in them the sense of
human dignity, helping them to see themselves as the images of God,
inculcating the tribal roots and identity and strengthen their in innate
communicative communitarian spirit. seem to be the major challenges.
Over the years, many initiatives have been taken to improve the situation.
Profiles of the tribal domestic workers. A few words.
The majority of the domestic working girls hail from the tribal areas of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jarkand,
Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and other seven northeastern states of
India. Right from the independence of India in 1947,
all the successive federal and state governments have been interested only in
exploiting the natural resources and pumping them away from the region,
neglecting completely the development of the local populace.
Developmentoriented displacements have constantly forced the tribals away from
the traditional land without any proper compensation or resettlement.
The government and the multinationals set experience and skill as the terms
and conditions for employment in factories or mine establishments
which most of the tribals do not have. Unfortunately, corruption and nepotism
play a major role in bringing the uns even the unskilled laborers from outside
leaving aside the tribals excluded and marginalized without work without
possibilities without any means to skip to fend for themselves.
These tribals depend primarily on the produce of the field and for the forest
for their subsistence. In the lack of proper irrigation facilities, their agriculture depends on
the monsoon. Over the recent years because of the climate change, the erratic monsoon,
gradual deterioration and degradation of cultivable land, shrinking water resources and
insufficient agricultural produce have caused havoc in their life.
Along with the produce of the land, they also depend on the forests for their livelihood.
In the name of saving the forests, the forest officials have outlined various
restrictions to prevent them from using the forest produce.
With the two major sources of livelihood gradually being dried up, they are
forced to migrate to other states as unskilled laborers to work in the
agricultural fields, factories or construction sites.
In the field of education, the Christian missionaries have done extraordinary work in the entire tribal area.
However, most of the tribal girls discontinue their studies after certain
stage because of the lack of resources.
Rampid poverty and unemployment in the rural areas force them to migrate to the
cities either willingly or unwillingly. Father Jun Lakra, a Jesuit from Ranchi
who has done extensive research on the tribal, socioultural and religious traditions and customs, maintains that
the tribals are basically simple, sincere and holist
and having a wonderful sense of cooperation and community.
True to his observation, the tribal girls by nature are simple, honest, s
sociable, softspoken, enduring and extremely hardworking and possess an
inherent capacity to adjust to any situation or place.
A large number of them despite working in the field, running after the
household animals and doing the daily course, study hard and complete their
graduate and postgraduate studies. However, one can imagine the life of a
lone migrant young girl in a strange non-tribal family in a totally unknown
place. For her, the mere fact of being uprooted
from a closely knit tribal community and being placed alone in a strange land
forces us to face a massive challenge to search for an identity and human dignity
amidst innumerable untold miseries in the form of physical, sexual and
psychological exploitations. Probably we can remain remember the
famous song of Abba who says how can I sing the Lord's song in a strange land
full push factors and human trafficking the age old formula of demand and supply
in the market economy can explain the pull push push factors of migration
despite India being projected as one of the growing economic giants
and extremely uneven development is all evident in semi-urban and rural areas.
Rich have become richer. Some have climbed the ladder of development to reach a totally new economic status.
But a vast majority of the Indian population has remained untouched by the
economic growth. The process of industrialization,
urbanization and modernization has opened up new possibilities and opportunities for employment
creating a new growth of rich middle class. The growth of the urban middle class,
especially the increase in the number of women working outside their homes and
the availability of cheap domestic labor function as a major pulling factor to
attract the less privileged tribal communities for such labor.
The rural setup offers almost negligible possibilities of any creative work or
job opportunities to the tribal girls. Some of them observe the pathetic
situation of their family members and peers who journey every day to the
nearby cities in search of a daily wage.
The construction companies or subri families come to hire them for a day and
pay according to their work. And this is a common scene in the streets of Ranchi
today. Such scene represents the parable told
by Jesus for the kingdom of heaven is like a land land owner who went out early in the
morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a dinarius for the
day and sent them into the vineyard. Not all are hired for work. Some remain
there till the end of the day and return home empty-handed.
Living amidst such a desperate situation, it suddenly offers the possibility of a
better life in the cities. The tribal girls do not hesitate to jump into the
abyss of uncertainties and challenges. The prospect of earning money on their
own and being able to help their families pull them to the cities and the
misery, poverty, helplessness and hopelessness work as the pushing
factors. Amidst the pull and push factors of
immigration, human trafficking raises some serious ethical questions.
For several decades, human trafficking has become a burning issue confronting
the northern states of India. Almost every day, the newspapers are
filled with the stories of tribal girls missing from that particular village.
There are multiple groups at work behind the human trafficking.
We'll deal with three. The first group is the mafia type placement agencies
which charge a huge sum of money as a registration fee from those looking for
a residential domestic worker. Their agents guarantee a regular supply
by recruiting young girls from the impoverished semi- urban and rural areas.
The agents receive thousand of rupees as commission and pay substantial kickbacks
to the police to ensure the continuity of human trafficking.
They roam around discreetly in the in the remote villages and take time
patiently to identify poss possible victims.
Befriend them through their peers and relatives. Once they gain their confidence, they
lay a tribe and cleverly and deceitfully convince them of good jobs and a better
life in the city. If a group of girls is ready and
willing, a meticulous plan is drafted to traffic them out of village via bus and
railroads. The second group, second group of human
traffickers comprises of the relatives and friends.
Their method is the same as the first group.
The major difference is that the persons in this case are known to the victims
and their families and so laying the trap becomes easy and
result is fast. While living with the possible victims, they almost brainwash them by selling
the dream of a better life in the cities. On the pretext of taking the victims to
the house of another relative or friend or to a public function, they traffic
them to the cities. The third group of human traffickers are
the domestic working girls themselves who return to their native village for
their holidays. Quite often they already make a commitment before leaving the for home
to bring one or two girls along with them at the conclusion of their holidays.
Some girls choose willingly to go to the cities and even encouraged by their
parents to go because the options are limited at home.
Once trafficked into the trafficked into the cities, the girls are handed over
either to placement agencies for a hefty commission or directly employed in some
families. Some are even sold to the brothel.
The newly trafficked girls are kept with other girls in a small room just enough
to sleep and cook with little space for privacy until they are employed for by
someone. Once once employed, their daily routine
includes cleaning, sweeping, swiping and dusting,
washing clothes and dishes or even putting machine washed clothes on the
clothes lines or and folding them. Cooking
or cooking a part of meal, ironing, housekeeping and extensions of those
these outside the home such as shopping. Despite all these works, the living and
working conditions are pathetic with no limits on working hours, no respect for
their work, no protection or social security from physical, mental and
sexual exploitations. Their employer forces them to bring a
substitute when they are sick or want to take leave in case of an emergency
without any formal contract. They live under constant fear that their services
can be terminated at any point of time. The fear of being replaced by their
substitutes keeps them from reporting the sickness to their employer.
Sometimes they are thrown out of the house on the pretext of theft or no work. In most cases, the FIR is never
registered. The lack of knowledge or the legal procedure or little confidence in
complaint mechanisms or stigma due to breach in confidentiality
can also be responsible for the silence. Unfortunately, there is neither a
community nor a structural support system to pursue such cases, which in
turn encourages the encourages human trafficking.
A few case studies. In April 2012, daily police arrested a
doctor couple who had locked up their 13-year-old domestic working girl in
their apartment and gone for holiday is in Thailand. You can see the picture.
Second case, in October 20 2013, a teenage girl from Jarkand was rescued
from her employer who tortured her so badly that at the time of her rescue,
she had severe head injuries and wounds on almost every part of her body.
She was illreated, abused verbally and physically, beaten almost every day. So
much so that she was forced to drink urine and made to sleep in the bathroom.
After the public appro both husband and wife were arrested by the police. The girl was treated by a
charitable agency and later be sent back to her native village in Jarken.
Three is in May 2018, a 16-year-old girl from Eastern Jarken
state was strangled and her body chopped up and dumped in a drain earlier earlier
the month after she demanded a year's unpaid salary from the employment a
employment agency that hired her.
Fourth case. In February 2023, Indian police and social workers rescued
a battered and bruised 14-year-old from the home in Delhi suburb where she
worked as a domestic helper.
Unfortunately, such stories create momentous public uproar or raise merely
a flicker of curiosity, but rarely become an issue to be pursued.
My interviews with the 25 young domestic working girls on 29th December 2013
in Indian Social Institute New Delhi made some startling revelations.
Although some girls seem to enjoy good treatment, respect and freedom in their workplace, they are reminded time and
again by different people and circumstances that ultimately they are
the maid servants or ayas. Not having any other option, they face
all challenges and instances of abuses and humiliations with tremendous courage
and patience. Not all the case studies present a gloomy state of tribal domestic girls.
My own younger brother had four maid servants from Zarkand over a period of
15 years. The first one remained for two years and the second one went back to her village
only to get married. The other two remained for one each year, one year each.
My brother and sister-in-law desperately needed someone to take care of their two children and the house while both of
them were away at work for the whole day. My sister-in-law did scold and abuse
them sometimes. Nonetheless, they were taken good care of their overall
well-being. They participate in almost all family activities such as meals, prayers and
social festivals. They are there are many such cases where
the domestic working girls are adopted like one of the family members in an
atmosphere of respect, confidence and mutual trust.
Some fundamental ethical questions. Most of the tribal girls whom I
interviewed and interacted with me during my formation period seemed to be
happy and content with their work and their working conditions.
But their feeling but their feeling of being alone, abandoned and away from
home often tortured and traumatized them. Even if they received good treatment by
their employers, the maid servants mentally and variably strength forth and
again to segregate them from the rest of the family. During my recent interaction with them,
it surfaced again that the biggest pain for them was not being treated as equal
human beings. Unfortunately, the derivatory terms used and the
negative attitudes shown towards them by their own tribal community members seemed to even be more painful and
agonizing. Often they are called as the lal pal
sardi or reded si to distinguish from the other tribal communities.
Their life experience raised some serious ethical questions regarding the
concept of a human being, respect, dignity and role of faith in instilling
their those values in their life. Is migration the only answer?
Migration definitely an age or phenomena. From time immorial, people have moved
from one place to the another to escape poverty, misery, misery, threat and
danger with the hope for peace, prosperity and security. Today the socioultural and economic
situation of both the domestic working girls and their home states raise some
serious questions regarding their migration to metropolitan cities.
Can the tribe plight of the tribal girls and the outsourcing of their talents,
creativity and tremendous energy be justified in the name of survival and
sub subsistence? Can their workforce not be used to
transform their own homeland? These questions have been tormenting the
tribal communities for a long time and they seem to be perplexed in searching
for an adequate answer. The efforts to outflow of the girls by
the local people and the civic bodies have not yielded satisfactory results.
The government of Jarkand for example has offered compulsory free education to
the girls, medals to the students, job opportunities rural areas through the
construction of roads, bridges, wells and pawns. But the rampant corruption,
malfeasions and nepotism eat up more than half of the resources meant for the
projects and thus perpetuate the poverty and misery of the local population.
Second question is maintaining tri traditional values and tribal identity in a foreign land.
Simplicity, honesty, hard work and the spirit of sharing and communion,
interdependence and community life are some of the fundamental tribal values
along with language, social cultural traditions, customs and practices. The
tribal identity is encapsulated in five Js of the world view. Jan, jan, jal, jam
and jungle that is humans, animals, water, land and forest.
Being born and brought up in a closely linked community, the tribal domestic
workers encountered the first cultural shock cultural shock. When they are
employed in a non-tribal family alone and isolated from the others,
they face stiff challenge to maintain their traditional values and their identity.
Open they succeed in adopting themselves to the new situation and integrate their
traditional values with a new category of values of the non-tribal society.
Sunday meetings and other social activities help them to strengthen the bond tribal roots and avoid socioultural
unhelation. Third question is respect human dignity
and justice. The article one of the universal declaration of human rights states
all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
According to Iranius of Leon, the glory of God is human is a human being fully
alive and the life of the humanity is the vision of God.
These words immediately capture the imagination of the victims of injustice,
ill treatment, abuse, disrespect and exploitation.
The general ill treatment ill treatment meated out to the tribal domestic workers is rooted basically in the slave
or servant owning Indian psyche. Their own tribal people who are well
educ educated, trained and skilled and are working in private or public sectors
show little or no respect for them and for their work.
Even in their own native villages, there are many prejudices against them.
The villages suspect them of being infected by sexually transmitted
diseases or even HIV positive and hence marriage remains a distant
dream for them. Nevertheless, it is significant to note
that a majority of workers with a history of domestic work did not
perceive it as a disgraceful or undignified. Women who had no other support systems
also did not view it as a humiliating or shameful.
Most of them do not bother about others perception. We have to note the role of the church
has been distinctive and extremely commendable in seeking justice for the
tribal domestic workers by offering them legal assistance instilling in them
self-esteem respect and dignity by organizing social cultural and religious
activities along with the run agencies. The sincere
and sincere efforts of the other non-governmental agencies are yielding
desirable results in instilling in them dignity and self-esteem by making them
realize that they possess fundamental inalienable rights that must be
respected by everyone and in every circumstances.
What are the future prospects that are built on hopes? The preamble of the international labor
organization on domestic workers held in Geneva on 1st June 2011 recognized the
significant contribution of domestic workers to the global economy which
includes increasing paid job opportunities for women and men with
family responsibilities. greater scope for caring for aging populations, children and persons with a
disability and substantial income transfers within and between countries.
The convention outlined clear guidelines in terms of on terms and conditions of
employment, wages, working hours, effective protection against all forms
of abuse, harassment and violence, social security and the avoidance of
child labor. Unfortunately, domestic work is not
recognized as work by the Indian government. The state does not value or recognize
this work as a contribution to society and the economy. If the government of India implemented
the IO recommendations, the domestic workers would have enjoyed the rights
and provisions like any other worker of the organized sector and acquired
confidence, self-esteem and dignity for what they are and for what they do.
Paradoxically, without the domestic workers work, even though not recognized
by the government as work, the thriving middle class of Indian metropolitan
cities would definitely crumble. Therefore, the globalization of
indifference toward them must end and the rights and privileges must be
assertained and recognized legally. For the moment, improving their working
conditions, guaranting respect and dignity for their work and their person
and adequate ways, access to healthc care, right to rest and to have regular
contact with their parents and peers have to urgently and adequately
addressed. Various charitable institutions and non-governmental organizations are
working to improve the situations and to force the government to ratify
recommendations of the ILO ILO conventions on domestic workers.
The formation of an autonomous statutory body with compulsory registration of
employer, employee and agency would be a great step forward.
In recent years, many government schemes have been launched by incentives for the
girls and women to ensure economic security, self-employment and
independence. Anya launched by Sri Hammed Surin, Chief
Minister of Jaratan is a loudable initiative. Now I have put up a song what is
popularly sung in in in um in in Sautanur and Jakan area in
other other places that shows how the people themselves are trying to
encourage the girls not to migrate just for the sake of money but to try to
build their own homeline to develop their own homeline. And it says very
well
Why did you forget? Why did you leave it? Why did you go to
Asam Budang India leaving your own green country?
Indeed, there is a hope for the future. But that hope can take a concrete form
if and only if their work get recognized. The rights are guaranteed by
the same by some specific laws and are given due respect for what they do and
where they are as human beings. Finally,
I will repeat the words that I've already be given here. As long as the
fight for justice continues, Father Stan Swami lives. Thank you.
Thank you father Prem Kalco for that very inspiring
apt lecture in memory of
father Stan Swami. I
as the program is coming to an end I now invite Astrid
to Astrid is there. Yeah. To deliver a vote of thanks. And after vote of
thanks. If you have
appetite to hear a poem composed
on fire on fatherstein swami by Arun
Chandra Gowi in Marathi with your permission I'll read that poem
uh if you all have that appetite. But after the vote of thanks that poet is
going to be Marati and it won't be translated.
It is my privilege and honor to raise the vote of thanks for this event that
has brought so many from across India to stand for father Stan Swami. a true
citizen of India whose life has been a testimony to the democratic principles enshrined in our
constitution that is equality for all. In fact, in a very powerful film that we
saw, uh we heard him say, "I want to make something of my life for these
people, the Adivasis of Jharkand." This was his dream.
I'd like to begin by thanking our speaker of this evening, Professor Prem Kalao, a Jesuit professor in Rome
himself, a tribal from the Chotanagpur region for bringing alive Stan Swami's
mission by making us see the struggles and powerlessness of the tribals of
Jarand and continuing the legacy of advocacy
for the marginalized. Thank you, Father Prem, for the very
inspiring talk, sharing with us the stories of tribal girls migrating to large cities and the challenge that it
is to instill in them a sense of their human dignity and to inculcate pride in
their tribal roots and identity. Thank you for making us aware of the
dangers that these young women face when they come to the cities and for emphasizing the need for safeguards for
these young women. Um you also raised a number of ethical questions for us to reflect on and I
think one of the most critical ones was is migration the answer.
Uh I'd like to give a very uh extend a very special thanks to uh our renowned
advocate Indira Jai Singh for taking the valuable time to be with us today.
uh she focused a lot on uh you know what she called the struggle for the fight uh
the the struggle that is the the sorry the nature of the struggle that is the fight for land rights and uh she summed
it up very aptly in the line taken from the law which said that forests and
forest dwellers are inseparable. Thank you ma'am.
I'd also like to thank advocate Mihir Desai a very prominent human rights
lawyer who has stood by father Stan Swami right throughout representing him in the high court and even after that
continuing the cause at every opportunity that he has got. Thank you for giving us the inside story of the um
arrest of Stan Swami and giving us insights into his life. Um I think you
made a very you you know you rightly pointed out that um after his death Stan
Swami has become a martyr and probably his impact is much stronger and has got
a wider reach than when he was alive.
Today we are witnessing a rare occasion in which 57 civil society organizations,
human rights groups and academic forums from India and abroad have come together
to show their solidarity with Stan Swami and the plight of migrants as well as to
express their belief in the freedom of academic institutions.
It would take too long for me to name all these organizations, but we are truly grateful for their support which
came like a lifegiving flowing river. Holding this together and taking the
lead in planning the event has been advocate AAN engineer, director of the
center for study of society and secularism. He took our suggestions and made them
reality. He was ablely assisted by his team Diia Samir uh program coordinator
and Neha Babar executive director of CSS.
They did all the grunt work um collaborate coordinating with the organizing team contacting people
implementing suggestions um chasing online portals and doing the million things that need to be done for
an event of this magnitude. A big thank you to you.
The organizing team that has met on Zoom and communicated constantly on WhatsApp
must be specially commended for being there offering assistance at every turn.
the interactions on our meetings and and and the WhatsApp groups have always been very positive and focused and everybody
has always been ready to uh offer help. We came from all walks of life and
different organizations united only for the cause. Uh there was Jesuits Fraser Mascarinus,
Anthony Dy, Cedric Bkash, activist Mahir Desai,
Chani Kasha, Sanda Goklay, Shua Tambbe, Doli Duza, Abijit, John Dal, Lara
Jasani, Sanjay Makwan, Vinod Narona and there were others. If I forgotten
anybody, please forgive me. There is also a very very long list of
people whose names I do not have. People who have mobilized crowds across the country and to them we owe our deep
gratitude. Um well getting a venue that to such such
short notice is not an easy task and we were able to get this majestic YB Chawan
Center all thanks to Viplau Vag and Aditi Nalaware.
Many many thanks to you.
Uh we have the live streaming here. Thanks to uh fellow Malik
uh also I'd like to take uh you know I'd like to make a special thanks to all our
media people uh because uh they are the ones who've given us good coverage uh
already before the event and we're looking forward to uh them continuing to
be the voice and uh of father uh Stan Swami in their words and in whatever um
you know whatever media um presentations that they have.
And finally, a very big thank you to each and every one of you. Those of you who have here in Mumbai have made it to
uh this venue at YB Chawan as well as those who are on YouTube, on Facebook
and um on Zoom and who are with us today because you stand for the principles
that Stan Swami upheld and are in solidarity with the people of Jarand
with whom he journeyied. Thank you for creating a ground swell of support.
uh sorry thank you for uh for creating a ground cell of support for the freedom of academic institutions
and finally I'd like to end with the words that we just heard from Prem Kalo
which is as long as the fight for justice continues father Stan Swami
lives thank
I must thank the person who elaborately thanked everyone
astray. She was part of this organizing team and uh the CSS team that worked day
and night uh also include Kishor, Bhagat, Sep Gupta, Dawud Khan and Rajat
Punai. If I have your permission, I'll read the
poem. It was written by Arun Chandra Gowi. And
when I mentioned this uh somebody shared this poem with us and desired that the
poem be read.
Mischiev. supply
mitiga
sharai.
Shaky toddla
vini. to
loca
and na.
yoga to male
servos. Tala karmata
kashati laka jangli kaida
sudha
pava nishi naslea
samur siddha karavit laktat
Hey fuashna
Buddha Ardha
Hey satya
om shanti shanti shanti
Thank you all for being here. We had a great evening.
We proved that we stand for principles for democracy for freedom
of expression. Thank you all of you once again. Thanks all.
Horizon.