Manual scavenging persists in India due to caste hierarchies, legal gaps, and marginalization, demanding complete eradication of this indignity.
Authors
Praveen Jha, Centre for Economic Studies & Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Nivedita Sharma, Associate Professor, Jindal Global Business School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India
Gurpreet Singh, Associate Professor, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India
Summary
The practice of manual scavenging continues to persist in contemporary India, highlighting the societal failure to address caste-based occupational hierarchies, associated discrimination and human rights violations. Despite legislative interventions and the active efforts of NGOs to eliminate this practice, significant progress remains elusive. In many cases, the work persists under the guise of sanitation, often carried out without adequate protective gear. Systemic denial by authorities and definitional ambiguities have further entrenched this inhumane practice. The lives of manual scavengers exemplify a multi-dimensional form of deprivation, extending beyond economic vulnerability to profound social marginalization. We call for the complete eradication of this practice, as no human should be subjected to such indignity.
Published in: Millennial Asia
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