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Photos: Bricked in by poverty, debt bondage traps Cambodia’s farmers

Brick factories on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital feed a surging construction sector, with high-rises cropping up around Phnom Penh and beyond. But for the farmers who shape and bake the clay bricks, Cambodia's newfound urban prosperity has passed them by. Saddled with debt from failed harvests, tens of thousands of farmers are turning to brick factories, where owners pay off their bills in exchange for labour. Compensation isn’t enough to pay off debts quickly, and many workers become virtual prisoners of owners, with some living there indefinitely.

Updated on: Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM IST

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Cambodian women working at a brick factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Bopha should be in school but instead toils seven days a week in a searing brick kiln on the outskirts of Phnom Penh -- a 14-year-old trapped in debt bondage in a boom industry preying on the poverty of Cambodia’s farmers. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

Cambodian women working at a brick factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Bopha should be in school but instead toils seven days a week in a searing brick kiln on the outskirts of Phnom Penh -- a 14-year-old trapped in debt bondage in a boom industry preying on the poverty of Cambodia’s farmers. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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Unpredictable weather linked to climate change is laying waste to Cambodian fields. Saddled with debt from failed harvests, tens of thousands of farmers are turning to brick factories, where owners pay off their bills in exchange for labour. The factories feed a surging construction sector, with high-rises cropping up around the capital Phnom Penh and beyond as money -- much of it from China -- pours in. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

Unpredictable weather linked to climate change is laying waste to Cambodian fields. Saddled with debt from failed harvests, tens of thousands of farmers are turning to brick factories, where owners pay off their bills in exchange for labour. The factories feed a surging construction sector, with high-rises cropping up around the capital Phnom Penh and beyond as money -- much of it from China -- pours in. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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“I’m not going to school, I’m trying to help pay back the $4,000 that we owe, even if it will take years,” Bopha told AFP, as she loaded clay blocks on to a cart. “For 10,000 bricks transported, we receive $7.50.” Cambodian labour law prohibits those aged 12-15 from working if the job is hazardous or interferes with their education. Yet Bopha works all week with her family. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

“I’m not going to school, I’m trying to help pay back the $4,000 that we owe, even if it will take years,” Bopha told AFP, as she loaded clay blocks on to a cart. “For 10,000 bricks transported, we receive $7.50.” Cambodian labour law prohibits those aged 12-15 from working if the job is hazardous or interferes with their education. Yet Bopha works all week with her family. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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Bopha and her family are likely to be trapped for years as they try to clear their debts, in what campaigners warn amounts to modern-day slavery. They were driven here two years ago after drought ruined their rice harvest. Like most workers interviewed for this article they asked that their full names not be used for fear of losing their jobs. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

Bopha and her family are likely to be trapped for years as they try to clear their debts, in what campaigners warn amounts to modern-day slavery. They were driven here two years ago after drought ruined their rice harvest. Like most workers interviewed for this article they asked that their full names not be used for fear of losing their jobs. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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The University of London said in an October study that brick factories in Cambodia were creating a “multi-generational workforce of adults and children trapped in debt bondage -- one of the most prevalent forms of modern slavery in the world.” Compensation is not enough to pay off debts quickly, and the workers become virtual prisoners -- with some living there indefinitely. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

The University of London said in an October study that brick factories in Cambodia were creating a “multi-generational workforce of adults and children trapped in debt bondage -- one of the most prevalent forms of modern slavery in the world.” Compensation is not enough to pay off debts quickly, and the workers become virtual prisoners -- with some living there indefinitely. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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Many workers have persistent health problems because of the smokey kilns, where men and women graft without gloves and masks. Complaints about respiratory or skin diseases, headaches and nosebleeds are common. Kiln workers have little recourse if abuses occur. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

Many workers have persistent health problems because of the smokey kilns, where men and women graft without gloves and masks. Complaints about respiratory or skin diseases, headaches and nosebleeds are common. Kiln workers have little recourse if abuses occur. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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Sok Kin, president of the Building and Wood Workers Trade Union of Cambodia, said bosses can be violent, but couldn’t recall a case where any were prosecuted. As for the workers, “they don’t understand their rights and are afraid of losing their jobs”. He called for a minimum wage to be established and a nationwide campaign to raise awareness among the workers of their rights. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

Sok Kin, president of the Building and Wood Workers Trade Union of Cambodia, said bosses can be violent, but couldn’t recall a case where any were prosecuted. As for the workers, “they don’t understand their rights and are afraid of losing their jobs”. He called for a minimum wage to be established and a nationwide campaign to raise awareness among the workers of their rights. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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The government has repeatedly said it will investigate the situation. The Ministry of Labour did not respond to a request for comment. Many workers do not see things changing soon. “If we can repay the debt, we leave,” said Phan Heng, 33, while taking a break. “And if we cannot repay it, we stay and work until our kids grow up and can help us.” (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

Published on Jan 03, 2019 11:52 AM

The government has repeatedly said it will investigate the situation. The Ministry of Labour did not respond to a request for comment. Many workers do not see things changing soon. “If we can repay the debt, we leave,” said Phan Heng, 33, while taking a break. “And if we cannot repay it, we stay and work until our kids grow up and can help us.” (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)

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