United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2018, May 31. Trafficking in Persons. Retrieved from United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime : http://www.unodc.org/unodc/data-andanalysis/glotip.html United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labour Affairs. 2014. 2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor : Sri Lanka. Weeraratne, B. 2018. Sub agents and migrants: Dissecting their relationship to guide regulation. Retrieved from http://www.ft.lk/opinion/ Sub-agents-and-migrants--Dissecting-theirrelationship-to-guide-regulation/14-655676 Weitzer, R. 2007. “The Social Construction of Sex Trafficking: Ideology and Institutionalization of a Moral Crusade” in Politics & Society, pp. 447-475. Wilson, J. M.; Dalton, E. 2008. “Human Trafficking in the Heartland : Variation in Law Enforcement Awarenss and Response” in Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, pp. 296-313. World Bank (2018). Personal remittances received (as percentage of GDP). Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS Zeldin, W. 2016. International Labour Organization: Forced Labor Protocol Enters into Effect. Retrieved from http://www.loc. gov/law/foreign-news/article/internationallabour-organization-forced-labor-protocolenters-into-effect/
Annexe 1: Cases of experiences of forced labour Attempts to Seek more Freedom Results in Debt Bondage Ranjan is a 38-year-old resident of a Colombo urban settlement which is increasingly under threat
56 Presence Of Human Trafficking And Forced Labour In Labour Migration Sri Lanka
of being razed to give way for new developments. A father of one, Ranjan worked as a security guard before deciding to search for better wages abroad as a house driver. In 2013 and for a cost of SLR150,000, Ranjan was promised a job by an agency which pointed out that he would have to re-certify himself in Saudi Arabia before working as a driver. Until such time, Ranjan would have to carry out whatever tasks assigned to him by his sponsor for a monthly salary of 1000 riyals. Upon reaching the sponsor’s house, Ranjan discovered he had to work for two houses – that of the sponsor and his brother - in order to earn 600-700 riyals of the promised wage. However, after much negotiation, the wages were increased to 1000 riyals with one brother paying 750 and the other paying 250 riyals. “I had to suffer and endure a lot. Nobody spoke on behalf of me when I started to face problems. Only the person who was working in the neighbouring house advised me to go find some other work. The agency convinced me that it was a good place but I realised once I went there. My work starts at 6.30 a.m. and ends around 10.30 p.m. On the first day, they treat you like their son; from the next day onwards you are treated like an animal” Determined to overcome these difficult conditions, Ranjan manages to re-learn driving in an old vehicle in the household and borrows money in order to secure the license. Next, in order to free himself from working for both brothers, Ranjan negotiates with the brother of the sponsor who agrees to switch the sponsorship to his name but on the condition that Ranjan works for him to pay off the cost of transferring the sponsorship, according to him about 5500 riyals. At present, Ranjan is working as a driver and also as a houseboy. “I sometimes can’t sleep because I have to work till late. I have to drive 260 km to drop the children at school. When I drive madam to school she doesn’t give me food or anything. The first wife buys sometimes but the second does not buy anything”.
