Once trapped in bonded labour, now stitching a livelihood of her own

Valli, once trapped in bonded labour, now thrives as a tailor, earning independence and empowering her family's future.

While stitching a blouse that now earns her ₹200, Valli recalls a time not long ago when her days looked very different. Back then, she spent nearly 12 hours in sugarcane fields, bundling stalks under the sun and rain, without wages and little control over her life.

It was in 2018 that the turn began. Valli and her husband, both daily wage labourers then, wanted to build a small house for their family. To arrange the money, they approached a person they knew in their village. In return, the couple agreed to work in sugarcane fields linked to him, assuming they would earn wages while gradually repaying the amount.

Instead, the work tightened into bondage.

For the next two years, the family moved between sugarcane fields across parts of Karnataka, particularly around Davanagere, and some districts in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. 

While the work would start at 6 a.m., Valli said she would wake up around 3 a.m., cook food for the family, and then leave for the fields. From around 6 a.m. until evening, her husband cut the sugarcane while she bundled the stalks that would later be loaded onto trucks.

Despite the long hours, wages never came. “They only gave money for provisions,” Valli recalled. Even after working through the week, the family had little to show for it. “Having one meal a day itself felt like a big thing.”