Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Indian Ex-Slaves Unite to Inform Unaware Survivors About Coronavirus

Reuters

   CHENNAI, INDIA - Slavery survivors in India are using WhatsApp groups
   to raise awareness about coronavirus among their peers in villages
   where many former bonded laborers are unaware of the pandemic.
   Survivor networks across several states are messaging their members
   with voice notes and videos about handwashing, social distancing, and
   the implications of India's three-week lockdown.
   India has reported 649 cases and 13 deaths - small numbers compared
   with those in China, Italy and Spain - but health experts say that the
   world's second most populous country faces a tidal wave of infections
   if tough steps are not soon taken.
   "Many of our members are illiterate and have no clue about the epidemic
   that the entire world is talking about," Durai Raj, coordinator for a
   rescued bonded laborers association in southern Tamil Nadu state, told
   the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
   "Before the lockdown we met them individually, giving them two bottles
   of soap and showing them how to wash hands properly," Raj added. "Now
   we are in touch with them on the phone, allaying fears and answering
   questions."
   India outlawed bonded labor four decades ago but the practice
   continues, with India identifying more than 135,000 bonded workers in
   its last census in 2011 and vowing to rescue and rehabilitate more than
   10 million of these workers by 2030.

.