An Indian state has set aside hundreds of college places for survivors of trafficking and sexual assault, a move welcomed by anti-slavery charities on Friday (12) for helping improve the lives of rescued slaves.
The southern Indian state of Karnataka said this week that one per cent of all places in government-run colleges would be reserved, opening up higher education for trafficking survivors, acid attack and sexual assault victims and their children.
"Education is the gateway to a better life," said Stanly Varghese, an official at charity Odanadi Seva Trust that led the campaign to secure the college places for survivors.
"This move will help women who have survived the utmost forms of cruelty to lead a life of dignity."
More than 23,100 human trafficking victims were rescued in 2016 in India, of which 60 per cent were children, government data showed.
Most were from the eastern state of West Bengal and forced into domestic work, prostitution and debt bondage across the country.
Rescued survivors have traditionally been put up in government and charity-run hostels and given vocational training in skills like embroidery and basket weaving and more recently computer training.
"Vocational training is not enough," Varghese told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"It does not guarantee a sustained livelihood, something these young women and girls need. A good education goes a long way in rebuilding lives."
India already has job and education quotas for its lowest social classes, but this is the first time trafficking survivors will benefit from affirmative action.
"We realised that survivors were being forced into smaller jobs and caught in a cycle of poverty," said Nagambika Devi, a senior official at the Karnataka higher education department.
"Education, we feel will empower them and better equip them for the future."
Most trafficking victims have not completed their education and often find it difficult to return to school after being rescued due to the time that has elapsed, and this problem would first have to be tackled, human rights campaigners said.
"The move is welcome but the challenge is immense," Varghese said. "We will have to invest a lot in bridging the learning gap for survivors and help them avail this rare opportunity to pursue a career."
English questioning rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent, and racist jokes from 36 per cent to 41 per cent
Workplace violence against Black and ethnic minority employees rises to 26 per cent
Highlights
The Trades Union Congress surveyed 1,044 Black, Asian and ethnic minority employees. The results show clear increases in racist behaviour between 2020 and 2026.
Workers having their English questioned rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent. Those hearing racist jokes went up from 36 per cent to 41 per cent.
Racist comments made to workers or around them increased from 31 per cent to 36 per cent.
Violence and threats
The most worrying finding involves physical threats and violence, which jumped from 19 per cent to 26 per cent.
Racist posts shared on workplace social media grew from 22 per cent to 28 per cent. Racist materials being passed around increased from 19 per cent to 25 per cent.
Beyond direct racism, many workers face unfair treatment. Nearly half (45 per cent) said they get harder or less popular jobs.
Over two in five (43 per cent) receive unfair criticism. The same number (41 per cent) stay stuck on temporary contracts.
Work conditions got worse too. Those not getting enough hours rose from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
Workers denied overtime went from 30 per cent to 37 per cent. Being kept on short-term contracts increased from 33 per cent to 41 per cent.
Direct managers cause most unfair treatment (35 per cent), followed by other managers (19 per cent).
Bullying mainly comes from direct managers (30 per cent) and colleagues (28 per cent). Racist behaviour mostly comes from colleagues (33 per cent) and customers or clients (22 per cent).
Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said: "Black and ethnic minority workers are facing appalling and growing levels of racism and unfair treatment in Britain. This racism is plaguing the labour market – and it's getting worse."
The TUC is calling for urgent government action to tackle the problem. The union wants ring-fenced funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to enforce workplace protections.
It is pushing for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for companies with over 50 employees.
The TUC says the Employment Rights Act, which makes employers responsible for protecting workers from harassment by customers and clients, will be an important step forward.
The union also wants employers to treat racial harassment as a health and safety issue and monitor ethnicity data across recruitment, pay and promotions.