Bonded shepherds
The death of an Indian shepherd about a week ago prompted a backlash by the Indian Embassy here. A press statement called on all Indian citizens not to work as shepherds because it’s a violation of labor contracts for the employment of Indians. The embassy demanded its nationals who are forced to work in such jobs to inform the embassy to intervene, pointing out that the initial information about the death of the worker indicated that he died due to excessive thirst as a result of working in the arid desert. The statement added that there are cases where Indian citizens are forced to work as shepherds in the desert areas of Kuwait or are taken to Saudi Arabia. Those who are in a similar condition must contact the embassy in order to get assistance to settle their grievances.
According to investigations, the sponsor of the victim has been questioned. He stated that the deceased had been working for him as a shepherd for a long time, but he didn’t know anything about the cause of his death. The labor law no. 6 of 2010 for the private sector grants a worker’s family compensation either from the insurance company or the employer. Even if it is paid, it will not change the fact that a man died due to thirst and severe job conditions, and not only the Indian embassy but every human rights activist must demand such incidents are not repeated.
In many cases, the problems occur due to the ignorance of the worker of his rights, including the right to refuse work and use the embassy’s power to get help, as a lot of them are taken from the aircraft straight to the farm to graze camels. I recall the time after the Iraqi invasion, when many Bangladeshi shepherds were exposed to leftover mines. Bangladeshis make the majority of nationals employed in this job. Moreover, between 2012 and 2014, there have been calls by livestock owners for more shepherds, and Bangladeshis seem agreeable for this work.
The problem is an administrative issue and needs to be addressed again. The 2010/6 law allowed the minister of social affairs to decrease the working hours of cumbersome jobs or those harmful to health or with harsh conditions. Also, administrative decision no. 535 for the year 2015 prohibits work under the sun from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm from June 1 till Aug 31. So employment from dawn till 11 am is considered allowed. But how can these regulations be applied to shepherds?
Shepherding is not slavery and we should not allow such incidents to occur. Shepherds have no fived working hours and work under the sun all day, especially in the summer. I don’t know if they are insured by a certified company here or not. But it is essential to have such insurance in order to get a work permit to work, as victims have to be paid in case of death or crippling injuries from work. They must also have the right to refuse to be taken against their will outside the country.
We must consider a halt on bringing in more people regardless of their nationality for such jobs, in order to preserve the human rights of workers.