Sumangali is a form of child labour which, although forbidden, is practised in India, particularly the textile industry in Tamil Nadu. It is likened to soft trafficking,[1] a less explicit form of human trafficking. In the scheme, a girl is hired on contract for three to five years, during which she earns a wage, and after which she is paid a lump sum to pay for a dowry.[2] It is said to have originated in Coimbatore in the late 1990s.[3]
The scheme is also known as Sumungali scheme, Sumungali Thittam, Suba Mangala scheme, Subha Mangala scheme, Mangalya Thittam, Thirumangalam thiruman thittam, the marriage scheme, and the camp coolie system.[4] The term Sumangali means "married woman"[1] or "happily married woman" in Tamil.[3] It refers to a "single girl becoming a respectable woman through marriage".[5]
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