Bonded to brick making

AP Published March 7, 2014
60 year old Pakistani Brick factory worker, Amna Bhatti, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Amna is in debt to her employer for the amount of 150,000 rupees (approximately $1,500).
60 year old Pakistani Brick factory worker, Amna Bhatti, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Amna is in debt to her employer for the amount of 150,000 rupees (approximately $1,500).
35 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Maqbool Ghulam, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Maqbool and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500).
35 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Maqbool Ghulam, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Maqbool and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500).
29 year old Pakistani brick factory workers, Nusrat Azhar, 29, seen holding her one year old daughter, Noor, and her elder sister Shaziyya, pose for a picture at the site of their work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Nusrat and Shaziyya inherited their father's debt to their employer, the amount of 400,000 rupees (approximately $4000).
29 year old Pakistani brick factory workers, Nusrat Azhar, 29, seen holding her one year old daughter, Noor, and her elder sister Shaziyya, pose for a picture at the site of their work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Nusrat and Shaziyya inherited their father's debt to their employer, the amount of 400,000 rupees (approximately $4000).
22 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Rubina Rafaqat, poses for a picture with her child at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Rubina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 200,000 rupees (approximately $2000).
22 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Rubina Rafaqat, poses for a picture with her child at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Rubina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 200,000 rupees (approximately $2000).
16 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Naila Liyaqat, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Naila's father is in debt to his employer the amount of 300,000 rupees (approximately $3000).
16 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Naila Liyaqat, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Naila's father is in debt to his employer the amount of 300,000 rupees (approximately $3000).
25 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Sofia Zahour, poses for a picture while standing with her two year old daughter Alina, at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Sofia and her husband are in debt for their employer the amount of 400,000 rupees (approximately $4000).
25 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Sofia Zahour, poses for a picture while standing with her two year old daughter Alina, at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Sofia and her husband are in debt for their employer the amount of 400,000 rupees (approximately $4000).
27 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Samina Manzoor, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Samina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 300,000 rupees (approximately $3000).
27 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Samina Manzoor, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Samina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 300,000 rupees (approximately $3000).
25 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Khurshid Mumtaz, comforts her crying four year old daughter, Haima, while posing for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Khurshid and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 194,000 rupees (approximately $1940).
25 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Khurshid Mumtaz, comforts her crying four year old daughter, Haima, while posing for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Khurshid and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 194,000 rupees (approximately $1940).
35 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Ghaziya Iqbal, cradles her child Farman, 9 months old, at the site of her work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Ghaziya and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500).
35 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Ghaziya Iqbal, cradles her child Farman, 9 months old, at the site of her work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Ghaziya and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500).
17 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Navila Shirali, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Navila's father is in debt to his employer the amount of 500,000 rupees (approximately $5000).
17 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Navila Shirali, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Navila's father is in debt to his employer the amount of 500,000 rupees (approximately $5000).
24 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Raina Anwar, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Raina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 190,000 rupees (approximately $1900).
24 year old Pakistani brick factory worker, Raina Anwar, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Raina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 190,000 rupees (approximately $1900).
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Comments (4) Closed
iffi
Mar 07, 2014 10:57pm
nonsense photography with huge subject!!!
Recommend 0
aqib
Mar 08, 2014 01:28am
@iffi: the idea here by the author was to bring to light the actual faces of those bonded by slavery... it's quite moving, though you may have a point that photography atleast should've followed the rule of 3rds
Recommend 0
Yakoob
Mar 08, 2014 03:04am
Bonded for how long? Are they Bonded forever for these Paltry sums of Money? They probably are. Where are the Authorities? These poor, desperate people must be emancipated by the good decent people of Pakistan. Maybe Mr. Sattar Edhi can help. These Tyrants must be punished. Religion means "NOTHING", when it comes to Greed.
Recommend 0
Shahid Khan
Mar 09, 2014 09:31am
This despicable practice called loan sharking. First, you find really poor people who are looking for work (easy to do in rural Pakistan). Second, you offer them an advance loan to get them hooked and begin working for you. Third, you pay them so little that they are forced to borrow even more for food and shelter. Next, you apply a usurious interest rate to the loan, compounded daily. Eventually, you have a bunch of people working for you for next to nothing. Finally, you threaten them by saying that they will go to jail if they ever try to leave without paying the amount that's due. Of course, make sure that they never learn to read or write or talk to anyone who might know how to read or write so that no one can check the accounts. Indentured servitude and predatory lending is outlawed in most advanced countries, but in Pakistan it seems that law enforcement and judiciary have neither the will nor the resources to tackle this problem.
Recommend 0

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