This book is about the illicit trade of bonded labour. At the origin of bonded labour lies a loan that a family takes from an employer often to repay another loan or to pay for food, health care, wedding, funeral and many more. Having no other asset, the family may pledge the labour of some of its members, adults or children, to the employer-cum-lender in exchange for the loan. These members are then forced to work for the employer until the debt is paid off with their wages. Most often, if not repaid, the debt is transferred to their descendants, continuing the cycle. Employers generally charge very high interest rates, pay low wages, deduct payment for equipment or charges fines for faulty work, and sometime take advantage of the illiteracy and lack basic math skills of the debtor; so that in many cases, the debt actually goes up instead of down. Working conditions are typically very difficult. Children employed as bonded laborers work long hours over many years in an attempt to pay off the debts, and in some cases work in dangerous occupations.