Brick Kiln Worker Study

Kiln Worker Study: Profit Motives, Working Conditions, and Labor Trafficking: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Bangladesh's Brick Kiln Industry

Objectives

1. Reducing human trafficking (in broad definition) in informal industries in developing (LMIC) countries.

2. Improving worker conditions in brick kilns.

3. Reducing child labor.

4. Reducing bonded labor contracts.

Rationale

1. Globally, forced labor is more prevalent in brick production than in any other economic sector (Department of Labor 2022)
2. Work at brick kilns often includes debt bondage, excessive work requirements, and hazardous or inhumane working conditions (ILO 2017).
3. Seasonal migrants also bring their families to work at kilns, resulting in child labor (Ahad et al 2021; van de Glind 2010).

Project Dates

2021-2023

Stage of Work

Completed survey of 1600 workers from brick kilns in Bangladesh. Focusing on analyzing results.

People

Primary Contact: Moogdho Mahzab

Stanford University