Published Paper Details:

The problem of manual scavenging is one of the harsh realities that still are running in practice as an occupation in India. It is basically a practice of, cleaning, carrying, and removing fecal waste or human excreta manually from dry latrines or insanitary latrines, cleaning of septic tanks and manholes. Despite of numerous Government initiatives and upliftment measures that are brought in action and legislations enacted to curb this socio- legal menace. It is the most dehumanizing practice and devalues the aspect of human dignity and social acceptance. Untouchability and social exclusion are inherently related to manual scavenging. We by ourselves teach and have been taught by our family members not to touch the sanitation worker coming to clean our domestic toilets and to serve them with anything by keeping some distance. Manual scavenging communities face and endure by reason of discrimination, ineffective implementation of laws and rehabilitation including alternate employment. Manual scavengers are often exposed to health hazards and serious diseases like bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, and nausea, which may even cause them to death. This paper aims to highlight the socio-legal problem of Manual Scavenging in India. There are a lot of discrepancies around the data on manual scavengers in the country. The numbers provided by independent organizations like the Safai Karmachari Andolan point towards the under estimation of the figures by the government.