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Safai Karamchari Andolan:

Former manual scavengers to storm Delhi

demand total eradication of manual scavenging and rehabilitation package

New Delhi, 1 November 2010

Around 1,000 safai karamcharis from 20 states, who were until recently engaged in the outlawed practice of manual scavenging, assembled in Delhi today and resolved to return to Delhi on 1 January 2011 if their demands were not met. "We are giving the government time to announce a special package for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers," said Bezwada Wilson, national convenor of the Safai Karamchari Andolan, at the meeting held in Mavalankar Hall at the Constitution Club.
As part of the rehabilitation package, he demanded that the government should apologise to the safai karamcharis for the violation of their dignity; demolish all dry latrines in the country; punish those violating the 1993 Act that outlawed manual scavenging; punish dry latrine owners and those forcibly making safai karamcharis do manual scavenging; release Rs 5 lakh per manual scavenger for rehabilitation, excluding Rs 10,000 as immediate relief; 5 acres of land; Antyodaya cards and houses.
He also demanded special pension for women safai karamchari who are either single, widowed or aged. "If the government does not accept our demands within 60 days, we will all come to Delhi and stay put here until our demands are met," Wilson said.

At the programme, liberated manual scavengers from various parts of the country shared their experiences. Narayanamma from Karnataka, who was the first to quit the practice, reported how the large dry latrine she used to collect 16 buckets of night soil from, every day, was now a school. Anita from Uttar Pradesh spoke how she is trying to make sure her children do not have the same fate as hers. "They would give us rotis as though we were dogs," she said, "We could get water only from the river." Saroj from Ambala in Haryana recalled how she fell from a ladder when and the collected excreta fell over her. The house owners refused to help her get up, only pushing her with a stick, due to untouchability. Each speaker demanded an apology from the government. Supporting their demands were Harsh Mander and Aruna Roy, members of the National Advisory Council, the Communist Party of India´s D Raja, former secretary to the government of India PS Krishnan and Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar, amongst others.

The event was a culmination of a month-long bus yatra from five different places in the country. They came from Srinagar in Kashmir (Jai Bheem Marg), Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu (Periyar Marg), Dibrugarh in Assam (Birsa Munda Marg), Khurda in Orissa (Jhalkari Bai Marg) and Dehradun in Uttaranchal (Savitri Bai Marg). Along the way, the bus went to Dalit bastis in 172 districts in 20 states to persuade those still engaged in the practice of manual scavenging to quit.

Manual Scavengers in Erode district (YouTube, March 27, 2012) Recent research exposed 146 manual scavengers found in Erode district, Tamil Nadu. Most of them belong to the Arunthathiyer community. (Research study done by Rights education Development Centre (READ), Sathyamangalam)

Articles on manual scavenging:

Apr 27, 2012: Manual Scavenging highlighted by ILO and others in conferences, reports and a hearing (IDSN.org)
These past months have seen a flurry of activity to support the struggle to end the abhorrent practice of Dalits being employed to remove human waste from dry latrines manually which persists despite having been officially abolished by law in India since 1993. In India, the ILO has organised a conference to address this problem.

Apr 3, 2012: Census 2011 belies Gujarat's claims, 2,500 households still use manual scavenging (The Indian Express)

Mar 30, 2012: A blot upon the nation (The Hindu)
A national public hearing on rehabilitation of manual scavengers throws up several issues that need immediate redress to restore dignity to the community.

Mar 28, 2012: Uncompleted and unsuccessful rehabilitation of manual scavengers and their children in India (Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan)
Brief Report on National Public Hearing on "Rehabilitation of manual Scavengers and their Children in India", 28th March 2012, Indian Social Institute, New Delhi

Mar 24, 2012: A law for atonement (The Hindu)
The new Bill on eliminating manual scavenging with stronger accountability mechanisms can be a major milestone in our journey for equality.

Oct 20, 2011: Liberated Manual Scavenger women met 64 Parliamentarians for new Legislation (Garima Abhiyabn/Jan Sashas)

Apr 18, 2011: Two safai karamcharis die while cleaning manhole (The Times of India)

Apr 15, 2011: Lives Wasted In Gutters (India Unheard)

Mar 26, 2011: Scavenging Profession: Between Class and Caste? (Economical & Political Weekly)

Feb 19, 2011: NAC [National Advisort Council] forces govt to act on manual scavenging (Indian Express)

Jan 18, 2011: A historical battle for dignity for India's balmikis (Mari Marcel Thekaekara)

Jan 12, 2011: SC asks states to ban manual scavenging (Deccan Herald)

Jan 9, 2011: Imprisoned for life (The Hindu)

Dec 31, 2010: Resisting indignity (Frontline)

Dec 21, 2010: Documenting the truth of scavenging (The Hindu)
Declaring liberation from the inhuman practice of manual scavenging, the Safai Karamchari Andolan released a nation-wide survey titled “Truth in numbers” and screened a documentary film on manual scavenging here on Monday.

Dec 16, 2010: Enslaved by tradition: the manual scavengers of Vidisha (The Hindu)

Dec 2010: S.R. Sankaran: Champion of the safai karmacharis (Infochange News & Features)

Nov 2, 2010: A revolutionary journey, a revolutionary mission (The Hindu)

Nov 2, 2010: Former manual scavengers demand apology from government (The Hindu)

Oct 31, 2010: Birsa Munda Marg
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 31, 2010: Culmination of Samajik Parivartan Yatra
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 30, 2010: Ending manual scavenging: Badaun cleans up its act (India Together)

Oct 27, 2010: Throwing off the yoke of manual scavenging (The Hindu)

Oct 22, 2010: Yatra for a new life of dignity (The Hindu)
A journey across the country against manual scavenging.

Oct 22, 2010: Savitri Bai Marg
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 18, 2010: Periyar Marg
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 16, 2010: Jai Bhim Marg
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 15, 2010: The 'untouchable' Indians with an unenviable job
(Andrew Buncombe, The Independent)
Bezwada Wilson began a crusade against manual scavenging. "... Everything is messed up. People say we are unclean, but who has made us unclean? We are cleaners; the person shitting in a dry latrine is the dirty person," he said. "For thousands of years we have been told we are dirty. Now people are shouting back, 'No, we are not dirty'".

Oct 7, 2010: From Ludhiana: Bassi Pathana Town - Fathegar Sagar dt
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 7, 2010: Birsa Munda Marg
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 7, 2010: Launching of Periyar Marg
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra.

Oct 4, 2010: In Punjab - Ecstasy in solidarity
Report of the Samajik Parivartan Yatra in Punjab.

Sep 2010: Launching of Samajik Parivartan Yatra For Eradication of Manual Scavenging in India

For more information on the Safai Karmachari Andolan (a movement to eradicate manual scavenging in India), see: http://safaikarmachariandolan.org/.