Manual scavenging must end!
It is a shame that such practices continue
During International Women’s Day this year, the theme pledged for parity and it called for a gender balanced leadership.
However, it was disheartening to read that about the fact that the inhuman practice of manual scavenging still prevails in some states of India. It was reported that 90 per cent of India’s 1.3 million manual scavengers are women. Initially and traditionally this was done by Dalits who were considered the lowest rank under the Indian caste system. It is highly degrading despite all advances that humanity has witnessed, manual scavengers are not getting the benefits of improved technology to keep toilets clean. With that in mind, the ‘Clean India’ project has not reached its goals.
While there are a lot of female rights groups in India, I have not heard of any group taking up this issue, which is nothing other than discrimination and slavery. Although the caste system was banned in 1955, in addition to the introduction of laws to end manual scavenging, sadly the practice seems to continue in various states.
It is about time that human rights organisations take this issue seriously and push the government to stop such inhumane practices from our society. However, in order to succeed — the mind-set of the people should change. Rehabilitation and proper education is to be given for this vulnerable section of society.
Irrespective of it being a long process, organisations and the government must work together for the betterment of society, and especially the deprived section. It is the responsibility of any government to provide proper sanitation to their people, so let us not ignore this issue.
— The reader is an Indian logistics manager based in Dubai.
