The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has acted on a media report regarding six Indian workers from Odisha’s Kendrapara district being held captive in Thailand for six months without pay or proper food. The workers, in a video message, revealed their confinement in a factory, along with physical and mental abuse, and lack of wages and sufficient food. The NHRC, concerned about potential human rights violations, has requested the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to comment on assisting the workers’ families.
The workers had traveled to Thailand in August last year through a labor contractor’s promise of good-paying jobs but were allegedly coerced into working long hours without compensation or adequate meals in a plywood factory. They also claimed their passports were seized by the employer and appealed for help from Indian authorities to facilitate their safe return home. The NHRC, established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, is mandated to safeguard and advocate for human rights, encompassing life, liberty, equality, privacy, and dignity as per Indian laws and international agreements.
The NHRC, an independent statutory body, can initiate action on its own accord based on media reports or public knowledge without a formal complaint. The commission seeks to uphold human rights principles and ensure their enforcement through legal mechanisms in India.
