Ending the Inhumane Practice of Manual scavenging

Manual scavenging is a deplorable and inhumane practice where individuals, often from marginalized communities, clean human waste and sewage manually. This practice is not only a violation of basic human rights but also perpetuates discrimination and social injustice. 

Understanding Menace of Manual Scavenging: Battling the Menace

• Meaning: Manual scavenging refers to the practice of removing human and animal waste/excreta using brooms, tin plates, and baskets from dry latrines and carrying it on the head to disposal grounds some distance away.
• Manual Scavenger: A manual scavenger is the person who does the job of carrying this filth. This job is mainly done by Dalit women and young girls.

Status Of Manual Scavenging: The Lingering Struggle

• Data: According to the Andhra Pradesh-based Safai Karamchari Andolan, there are one lakh persons from Dalit communities who continue to be employed in this job in this country.
  • They work in 26 lakh private and community dry latrines managed by municipalities.
• Official Figures: As per official figures, 58,098 “eligible manual scavengers” across the country, who manually clean sewers and septic tanks and handle human excreta.

Deteriorating Condition: Struggling in Silence

• Sub-Human Conditions: Manual scavengers are exposed to sub-human conditions of work and face serious health hazards.
• Health Issues: They are constantly exposed to infections that affect their eyes, skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.
• Low Wages: They get very low wages for the work they perform.

Conclusion: 

• It can be seen that the existence of a right or a law or even a policy on paper does not mean that it exists in reality. 
  • People have to constantly work on or make efforts to translate these into principles that guide the actions of their fellow citizens or even their leaders.
  • Thus to combat the scourge of manual scavenging, it is imperative to enforce strict legal measures, provide alternative livelihoods for affected individuals, and invest in sanitation infrastructure to eliminate manual scavenging.

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