anti-caste

HEREDITARY OCCUPATION OF UNTOUCHABLE SEWAGE WORKERS IS NOT JUST DIRTY, IT’S DANGEROUS

No exits from these tunnels of death (The Hindu)

“Sewerage workers, traditionally Valmiki Dalits, employed by civic bodies such as the Water Board, Public Works Department (PWD), and Municipal Corporations, have, for generations, relentlessly toiled, continually risking their health and life to ensure upkeep of the sewerage system. But save for hurt, exploitation and untouchability, they have received little in return. Despite proactive orders of the Gujarat High Court (2006) and Madras High Court (2008), the implementation of the directives remains unrealised, in the wake of frequent deaths.

“The task of inspecting, repairing, unblocking and maintaining sewers exposes workers to the sordid, sewage gunk that is generated in our homes, factories, hotels, hospitals and workplaces each day — an odorous mix of human excrement, food waste, plastic, used sanitary materials, and industrial effluents. This rotting refuse ferments to produce noxious gases, commonly methane, hydrogen sulphide and nitrogen oxide, which routinely threaten the workers’ lives besides causing respiratory, gastric, spinal and skin diseases.

“To guard themselves against exposure to these gases, most workers express a strong preference for protective gear such as full body suits. However, maintaining that the ‘unlettered’ workers fail to appreciate such technology, most Water Board officials approach the issue of workers’ safety with unabashed negligence. Some alcohol, the workers say, is the first buffer against this gaseous attack, for without it, it is unthinkable to survive the nauseating odour. Often what passes off as safety equipment is an oxygen cylinder, the weight of which, not cushioned by a body suit, is too burdensome and inconvenient for workers to work with.

“‘It is not our death that we fear but the fate of our families after our death.’ This is what Delhi’s Jal Board branch workers say — every one of them. This is the workers’ deepest insecurity, compounded by the complete absence or wretched provisioning of social security support.”

NEW LEGISLATION BANNING DEHUMANIZING CASTE-BASED PRACTICE OF MANUAL SCAVENGING WILL REMAIN A DEAD LETTER IN CAPITALIST INDIA

India’s great shame by Harsh Mander (The Hindu)

“One of modern India’s great shames is the official failure to eradicate ‘manual scavenging,’ the most degrading surviving practice of untouchability in the country. Merely because of their birth in particular castes, the practice condemns mostly women and girls, but also men and boys, to clean human excreta in dry latrines with their hands, and carry it to disposal dumps or lakes or rivers. Many men also clean sewers, septic tanks, open drains into which excreta flows, and railway lines. [...]

“The 2012 Bill explicitly prohibits construction of dry latrines, and employment of manual scavengers, as also the hazardous cleaning of a sewer or a septic tank. But cleaning railway tracks has not been included, and ‘hazardous cleaning’ is defined not by employers requiring workers to manually clean sewers or septic tanks, but requiring them to do so without protective gear. Our objection to manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks is not just of compromising worker safety – which is no doubt important – but of human indignity, which would continue even if such manual cleaning is done with protective gear. And it is unconscionable to let the railways off the hook.

“For sewer workers and railway workers, liberation will come by introducing technological changes which will render the occupation humane, dignified and safe, and also ensure that human beings do not have to make any direct contact with excreta. Technologies are available globally which both the Indian Railways and municipalities could invest in, which would obliterate the requirement for human beings to manually handle excreta. The fact is that central, state and local governments do not make these public investments, because human beings are available to perform this work cheaply, propelled by their birth in most disadvantaged castes and lack of other livelihood options.

“The 2012 bill places a duty of survey on all local authorities, but the past experience is that State Governments are mostly in denial. They usually reject community findings, even when backed by strong evidence. This can be prevented only if there is a continuous system of joint surveillance, beginning with a joint survey by designated teams of government officials and community members.”

See also:

New law to ban India's 'untouchable' toilet cleaners (AFP, November 20, 2012):

“The new law would prohibit the building of non-flushing toilets that must be emptied by hand, and prescribes a one-year jail term and/or a fine of up to 50,000 rupees (S$1,000) for anyone who employs a manual scavenger.

“It also requires local authorities to monitor the implementation of the law and sets out tough sanctions if municipalities employ sewer cleaners without protective gear and equipment. [...]

“Bindeshwar Pathak, of the sanitation charity Sulabh International, says the legislation could prove helpful, but that the final test will be on the ground.

“‘In India there are many laws that have not helped so far, like (the one to prevent) dowry. Dowry cases are still going on, there is child labour,’ he said. [...]

“He says there has not been a single successful prosecution under the 1993 Act. [...]

“Vidya Rawat, director of the Delhi-based Social Development Foundation, which works with scavengers, [...] says the only solution is for the government to find jobs for the scavengers, requiring an extension of a vast affirmative action programme which reserves positions for the low-castes and marginalised tribes.

“‘Rehabilitation programmes don't work,’ he added. ‘If a community woman leaves her work and opts to open a tea shop, no one will go to drink at her place.’”

anti-caste posts on manual scavenging

IN VILLAGE WHERE PILGRIMS GATHER YEARLY AND TOILETS ARE SCARCE, UNTOUCHABLE MEN EMPLOYED BY THE STATE AS MANUAL SCAVENGERS REFUSE THIS DEGRADING DUTY AND SEEK REHABILITATION

Maharashtra: Revolt against manual scavenging (IBN Live)

“There has been a revolt against the illegal and inhuman system of manual scavenging in Pandharpur in Maharashtra. Young men of the Mehtar caste, who have traditionally been manual scavengers for over 100 years, have refused to continue with the degrading system, ending decades of humiliation.

“Every year close to 1 crore ‘Waris’ or pilgrims, gather in Pandharpur. In the absence of any sanitation infrastructure, the administration coerces member of the Mehtar caste to work as manual scavengers.

“Despite a ban on manual scavenging, this practice has been on in Pandhrapur for more than 100 years.”

“IF YOU DON’T CLEAN OUR SHIT, WHO WILL?”: CRUELLY INADEQUATE GOVERNMENT SCHEME A SOURCE OF MASSIVE FRAUD BUT NO RELIEF FROM INHUMAN PRACTICE

A Blot upon the Nation (The Hindu)

“Fourteen-year-old Ravi used to be a beneficiary under the Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) 2007 as his mother cleaned toilets in the village. One day, when she gathered enough courage to quit the job, Ravi's scholarship funds were stopped and she faced hostility from the villagers who said, ‘If you don't clean our shit, then who will?’ Belonging to a family of six siblings, daily life has become difficult for Ravi. His mother is not getting any other job due to the stigma attached to her past one.

“This scholarship, which requires families to be engaged in manual scavenging for at least 100 days in a year, provides a perverse incentive to Dalit households to continue in the occupation. Once the families stop practicing it, the scholarships are also stopped. [...]

“In the absence of a proper mechanism in the implementation of the scheme, the survey found the presence of scheming middle men working in connivance with fraudulent bank officials.

“Middle men or commission agents would visit Dalit bastis telling households to sign on so and so papers as the government had chosen them as beneficiaries of a new scheme. The beneficiaries would never get to know the loan amount, sanctioning officer or other details of the transactions. After a while, the middle men would revisit them and hand over Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500. Many of these people did not even know why they were being given the money or how much money had been borrowed in their names. In Madhya Pradesh, around 68 per cent of the beneficiaries were taken for a ride by the brokers, in Uttar Pradesh, 63 per cent and in Rajasthan 62 per cent. [...]

“It came to light that Muslim communities such as Hela and Halalkhor have been completely ignored by Government programmes. These caste groups inhabit several states and have been as much a slave of this exploitative tradition as the Dalit Hindu communities.”

DESPERATE PROTEST BY CASTE OF “MANUAL SCAVENGERS”

The Stink of Savanur by Anand Teltumbde (Countercurrents)

“On 20 July 2010, some manual scavengers of Savanur, a small town in Haveri district of north Karnataka performed a novel act in protest against their helplessness. They smeared themselves with human excreta in public before the municipal council office. [...]

“The issue was simple, so at least the people in Municipal Council of Savanur thought and ignored it. But it spelt virtual death to Dalits. They were suddenly asked by the Municipal Council to evict the land they lived on for generations just to construct a commercial complex there. The orders in terms of law were illegal but who would contest the authorities. The Dalits kept on pleading but their plea fell on deaf years.On the contrary, to pressure them the Municipal authorities cut off their water connection. Poor Dalits who belonged to the Bhangi sub-caste, would be forbidden to take water from any other source because of their untouchability. Buying it was out of question as they barely subsided on a pittance thrown to them for cleaning dry latrines. What may appear simple to others was thus a death knell for them, which drove them to the desperate act of daubing themselves with human excreta.The sensational act attracted media and thereby swarms of politicians. The ministers came, held meetings, issued orders and at least temporarily saved the Bhangis from devastation. As it happens, the action taken may prove to be mere wash up as suspected by the PUCL (Karnataka) fact finding (preliminary) report on the incident.”

See also:

Savanur and Manual Scavengers: Another loud cry for social justice (PUCL report, August 3, 2010 )

And see:

anti-caste posts on manual scavenging

UNTOUCHABLE SCHOOLCHILDREN MADE TO DO DEGRADING CASTE-BASED WORK

Dalit students protest against manual scavenging (Times of India)

"Bharatkumar Chandubhai, 13, who lives in Aslali village said, 'I study in a government school in my village. Even I faced the wroth of being a Dalit. I am told to clean up urinals in my school once a week.'"

See also:

Dalit children treated as manual scavengers in Gujarat (CNN-IBN, August 18, 2009):

"'We have to drag away dead animals like cats and dogs. We are paid Rs 20 or Rs 25,' said another Dalit boy Jagdish Harijan."

DIRTY WORK FOR "UNCLEAN" WORKERS IN DELHI

Most sanitation workers unaware of their rights: survey (Press Trust of India)

"The study, conducted by a team of city-based think tank Indian Social Institute, found that 97 per cent of the 'safai karamcharies' in Delhi do not know about the 1993 Act that prohibits employment of manual scavengers.

"It also revealed that though nearly all of the over 50,000 sanitation workers belong to the Dalit community, 88 per cent of them were unaware of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which was enacted way back in 1989."

MUSLIM WOMEN DEFY DEGRADING CASTE-BASED DUTY

A change in an inhuman tradition (India Together)

"A prisoner of societal and familial pressure, Taslim was forced to continue being a manual scavenger. Her family threatened to throw her out of the house if she dared desist. 'If you do any other work you will have to work in the company of men. Women of our community carry night soil and stay at home. We shall leave you if you refuse. Don't play with our honour,' threatened her family members."

RAILWAY, ARMY, CITIES, AND MANY BUSINESSES BREAK THE LAW BY HIRING PEOPLE TO HANDLE SHIT

Scavenging dignity by Harsh Mander (The Hindu)

"The Ministry of Railways told the court that until they install washable aprons at stations and totally sealed toilet systems, 'manual scavenging cannot be totally eradicated', but offered no time frame. Many defence establishments flatly denied any dry latrines. Municipalities possibly threatened municipal employees to retract from their earlier affidavits and claim that were employed for other tasks.

"These official falsehoods have been nailed by moving, detailed affidavits, often with stomach-churning photographs, by countrywide activists of the Andolan. Many of these should be compulsory reading. From Ahra, Bihar, unlettered Dinesh Ram, now 15 years old, has been doing this work since he was nine. He tells the Court, 'I hate this work. I do not feel like doing it. But my problem is that I do not know any other work'. Ramrakhi, who has worked since she was 10, says, 'The gas emitted by the shit has spoilt my eyes, and my hands and feet also swell. It sticks to my hands and makes me nauseous'. Chinta Devi, like many others, says she hates this work, but has to pursue it to raise her children.

"Kokilaben, a sanitation worker in Kadi municipality in Mehsana, Gujarat, testifies in an affidavit to the Court, 'The human excreta discharged by people on the road is collected by me in a large bowl with the help of a broom and tin plate and stored in a trolley. When the trolley is full, I drag (this with the help of) my daughter and my husband… I carry the human excreta stored in plastic bucket on my head and while doing so the dirt falls on my body…I fall sick frequently… If I refuse to remove waste, I get suspended from duty by the Nagarpalika'."

UNTOUCHABLE SCAVENGERS IN DEHLI MOSTLY WOMEN

Manual scavenging still rampant in North East Delhi, says report (The Hindu)

"Dr. Singla said the profession can be completely abolished only when the authorities convert 'dry' latrines to 'wet' latrines with simultaneous programmes for their rehabilitation.

“'As long as there is a demand for their services, scavengers will continue to exist,' she concluded."

ESTIMATED 1.3 MILLION MANUAL SCAVENGERS IN INDIA

Manual waste disposal occupies millions in India, despite ban (Agence France-Presse)

"Chandravati, who is over 70 and like many Indians uses a single name, takes home about 300 rupees (6.60 dollars) a month. When she is lucky, she also gets a slice of chapati bread from her employers. 'They throw the chapati at us from a distance. If this is not untouchability, then what is? We are not allowed into the house,' she says, flashing a toothless smile."

MANUAL SCAVENGING PERSISTS DESPITE GOVERNMENT DENIAL

India's Shame (Frontline)

"On a visit to Nand Nagri near Shahdara in the National Capital Region in order to verify, Frontline met Meena, who is a volunteer with the SKA and has been working as a manual scavenger since she was nine. "Says Meena, who is in her mid-twenties: 'I remember the first time I had to carry a basketful on my head. I slipped and fell into the gutter. No one would come to pick me up because the basket was so dirty and I was covered with filth. I sat there, howling, until another woman scavenger arrived. She hosed me down and took me home. But that day I felt like the most unfortunate child in the whole world.'"

See also:

Out in the open (on scavenging in Tamil Nadu) and Part of the system (Andhra Pradesh) in the same issue

But see:

this critique of the Frontline coverage by activist Vidya Bhushan Rawat: India’s Shame: Some Unanswered Questions from the Frontline Reports

BOOK ON MANUAL SCAVENGING

Exposing an abhorrent practice (Frontline)

review by S. Vishwanathan of India Stinking by Gita Ramaswamy:

"'In an age when mechanisation with harvesters and tractors has rendered thousands of manual labourers jobless," Gita notes, "it is a standing testimony to the lasting virulence of the caste system that public facility cleaning and sewage disposal are still handled by human beings.'"

See also:

Soiled tracks by Kancha Ilaiah (Outlook India, January 16, 2005)