Indentured servitude is a form of labour in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an “indenture”, may be entered “voluntarily” for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, or it may be imposed “involuntarily” as a judicial punishment.

Indentured labour was, therefore, labour “removed” from the Indian sub continent to meet labour contingencies in other parts of the Empire. It was for many who became indentured, a refurbished, upgraded form of slavery. The first group of indentured Indians arrived in Durban in November 1860.

Many Indians agreed to become indentured labourers to escape the widespread poverty and famine in the 19th century. Some travelled alone; others brought their families to settle in the colonies they worked in. The demand for Indian indentured labourers increased dramatically after the abolition of slavery in 1834.

Indentured servitude differed from slavery in that it was a form of debt bondage, meaning it was an agreed upon term of unpaid labour that usually paid off the costs of the servant’s immigration to America. Indentured servants were not paid wages but they were generally housed, clothed, and fed.

Servants typically worked four to seven years in exchange for passage, room, board, lodging and freedom dues. While the life of an indentured servant was harsh and restrictive, it wasn’t slavery. There were laws that protected some of their rights.

Indentured labour, also called ‘indentured servitude’ is a form of labour in which a person or an indenture agrees to work for someone without any salary. This is done for a specific amount of time, by signing a contract for eventual compensation or repayment of a debt.