Political Connections and Labor Abuses in Indian Sugar Industry

When investigating labor abuses among sugar cane cutters in Maharashtra, India, significant exploitation practices like debt bondage and coerced surgeries were discovered, with little government action despite existing laws.

In Maharashtra, India, investigations into the sugar cane industry have uncovered severe labor abuses, exposing how debt bondage, child labor, and coerced hysterectomies continue among workers in this poverty-stricken region. Despite these well-documented issues, little has been done by either the Indian government or major Western corporations that purchase sugar, such as Coca-Cola. The distressing conditions are prevalent in Beed, where workers are not only burdened by financial enslavement but also suffer physical consequences, especially women who have undergone hysterectomies to avoid work absences. Legal protections, like minimum wage and prohibition of child labor, are repeatedly overlooked, raising critical questions about government oversight and corporate accountability. Western businesses continue to source sugar from these regions, with industry groups even endorsing mills implicated in the abuses. This ongoing neglect by both governmental bodies and international companies leaves the workers defenseless, struggling under a system designed to overlook their plight.