Briefly describe how Maya and her relatives were deceived into slavery. What are two preventative measures that others in Maya’s situation could utilize to avoid deception?
Maya’s relatives first took a visit to the brick kiln. The deceitfulness of that first visit was what staged the way for the trust that they place in working for Mr. Vasu in the future. Narayan and his uncle, Amar, first took a visit and Mr. Vasu served an outstanding meal because he knew the two men were going to report back to their families and bring back workers if they knew money was involved and that he would get workers.
Mr. Vasu agreed verbally to pay the family up front which is the main reason they ended up working at the brick kiln. They were also told that by working for Mr. Vasu they could repay their debt. Mr. Vasu also made the family sign a contract knowing that the individuals who signed would be illiterate.
Protective measures that I would take in precaution would be know how to read so that when a contract was thrust in front of them they would have at least a vague idea of what they are getting themselves into. They would be able to understand the terms and conditions better this way.
I think another precaution that they could take so that they would have to be forced into this situation would be a) don’t take any money up front so then you not bound to repay that money and/or b) work someplace that you are not obligate to live at. I know this is a very hard situation to think about which is why I would have struggled to avoid forced labor if I was in that same situation.