Authorities in Maharashtra, western India, are beginning to reform labor conditions for sugar cane workers in response to an important court ruling and recent investigative journalism revealing significant human rights abuses. Reports last year outlined alarming practices in the sugar industry, including women being coerced into unnecessary hysterectomies to enable prolonged work in harsh conditions and the exploitation of young girls pushed into child marriage.
The sugar cane industry in Maharashtra operates under the control of powerful local political groups, which has historically resulted in inadequate action against these abuses. Companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsico have profited from this flawed system, which also involves child labor and pervasive debt bondage. Government and industrial regulators have long failed to initiate change, citing fears that reform could negatively impact profits and competitiveness.
However, a pivotal ruling from the Bombay High Court in March mandated that the government must tackle these systemic issues. Though the court itself lacks enforcement power, labor advocacy groups view this as a critical step forward. The ruling marks the first official acknowledgment of the need for change, stipulating that migrant workers alongside their middleman employers should be registered under formal employee-employer relationships. This decision could vitalize efforts to hold sugar companies accountable for the welfare of their workers, effectively closing a loophole that previously allowed evasion of responsibility.
