About Us

The Volunteers For Social Justice Is A Registered Charity Under The Societies Registration Act, 1860 And Has Income Tax Exemption Under The Foreign Contribution Regulatory Act, 1961 And Was Founded In 1985 By Its Current General Secretary Jai Singh. Since Its Formation The Organisation Has Been Striving To Combat The Injustices Facing Punjab’s Most Vulnerable Sections Of Society. We Work Closely With Trade Unions And Workers’ Groups Fighting To End Inequality In The Workplace, As Well As With Scheduled Caste Communities And Organisations Across The Country Seeking To End Caste Based Discrimination. We Have Partners Across The State, Country And Even Across The World Who Share Our Values And Are Equally Committed To Ending Injustices In Our Society.

Our Primary Focus Has Been On Ending Slavery And Caste Discrimination Through Recourse To Established National Laws And International Human Rights Declarations And Covenants. By Extensively Surveying Workplaces We Are Able To Identify Those In Debt Bondage And We Are Then To Provide Legal Advice Or Assistance To Those In Need. Though Our Legal Team Work Directly With Bonded Labourers They Also Do Considerable Work In Raising The Issues Of Bonded Debt At State And National Levels. This Involves Filing Writs To The State High Court And Notices To The Supreme Court Of India.

Since Our Inception, We Have Identified And Released Over 30,000 Bonded Labourers (Including Child Bonded Labourers) In Punjab And Other Northern India States, And Have Monitored And Worked To Protect The Basic Human Rights/Child Rights Of People From Marginalised Communities Vulnerable To Debt Bondage.

Our Vision

We have a VISION of a society without exploitation based on the principles of freedom, justice and equality.

Our MISSION is to create a society without a system of bonded labour or slavery, without gender and caste based discrimination, where every individual has an opportunity to engage in their own and societies economic, social, cultural and political development.

Our Mission

The movement created by VSJ will continue to struggle for and address the bonded labour system across all sectors. We wish:

 

  • To continue rescuing and rehabilitating bonded labourers (Men, Women and Children) across India
  • To increase social and legal awareness among the rural poor and migrant workers in order to broaden the base and strengthen the movement against the bonded labour system.
  • To provide momentum behind building organisational structures from the grass roots level, to protect the basic rights of workers in the unorganised sector and especially bonded labourers, marginalised women and children who are working in servitude, in spite of their constitutional guarantees.
  • To build the capacity of the poor and downtrodden to realise their own social and economic empowerment.
  • To create a national level movement and network with international organisations to create similar movements across the whole of South Asia. home | about us | our work | programmes | get involved | news | gallery | contact Designed by : Om Internet Services Copyright © 2013 Volunteers for Social Justice. All Right Reseved Photos Courtesy of Pete Pattisson and VSJ

Our Goals

  • To end the scourge of child and bonded labour and engaging in the creation of new lives for them.
  • To engage women in employment, and end the untouchability and discrimination which marginalises Dalit and minority groups.
  • To strive for equality in the workplace, free of exploitation and where their primary needs (food, health, security, education, shelter) are fulfilled and their entitled wages are secured.
  • To spread awareness about, and create access to all legal provisions, schemes and constitutional rights made available to disadvantaged groups.
  • We denounce all cultural activities which degrade, pity or mock disadvantaged groups. Likewise, we promote all cultural activities, like festivals and events which promote equality, harmony and unity.