Research flags harsh reality of post-rescue life

People freed from modern slavery are often cast into years of bureaucratic wrangling and legal limbo or forced back into exploitative work, highlighting the need for anti-trafficking organizations to give greater focus to post-rescue support, new research from the University of Bath shows.

The study of rescued bonded laborers in India showed many were marooned in the legal process for up to 37 years after their rescue as they slowly progressed through courts, district welfare offices, NGOs, and other bodies to determine their status and entitlement to state support.

“There is a stark gap between visions of freedom, and the harsh, unfulfilled realities of post-rescue life, which for many is chiefly one of waiting while the law, welfare agencies and government offices process their cases. This waiting means rescued workers are often forced to return to exploitative work,” says Dr. Pankhuri Agarwal of the University’s School of Management.

The study “What happens after ‘modern slavery’ rescues? A case of rescued bonded labourers in ‘waiting’ in India” examined the experiences of 31 laborers in domestic work, and the brickmaking, construction and stone cutting industries. The work is published in The Sociological Review journal.

It also interviewed 10 law enforcement workers, revealing a post-rescue world characterized by complex, hard-to-understand legal process, arbitrary bureaucratic rules and delay, needless duplication, and, above all, endless waits for decisions on welfare and legal status that could stretch on for years.

“Rescue should not be equated with freedom. I found that, following rescue, the hard and ironic truth is, many are forced back to the very job from which they were freed to avoid starving to death. This is something for the global anti-trafficking and rescue industry to pay attention to if it really wants to break the cycle of exploitation,” Dr. Agarwal says.

“Far from being a fresh start, the post-rescue experience often feels like a painful repetition of the indignities they faced as bonded laborers—reaffirming their status as marginalized caste individuals. Their social positioning as subordinate not only affects their treatment by employers but also extends to their interactions with NGOs, state officials, and the legal system.”

She said the study highlighted how well-intentioned states, organizations and NGOs, focused on the point of rescue from crime, often inadvertently inflicted new forms of violence, effectively perpetuating cycles of exploitation by not putting enough aid and resources into the post-rescue experience, and failing to understand the consequences of their actions.

“No one willingly chooses to work in conditions of exploitation, yet for many, the painful reality is that such work—however brutal—is the only option. Is it truly better to be rescued than to endure exploitation? This question is especially urgent given the widespread faith in, and the millions of dollars invested in, the global anti-trafficking industry,” Dr. Agarwal says.

She urged NGOs to re-evaluate their standard operating procedures, currently focused on the point of rescue, to account better for the post-rescue journeys of the freed workers, including considering making provision for alternative work or welfare support during the rehabilitation process which may last years.

“Rescue alone cannot be the answer. The promise of liberation must be paired with sustainable support that empowers workers to thrive, not just survive. Without this, the so-called ‘rescue’ is merely a temporary escape from an otherwise unbreakable system of exploitation,” Dr. Agarwal says.