Addressing Manual Scavenging

Why in news?

The Madras High Court has directed the Central and the State governments to ensure the implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

What was the case?

• A petition was submitted claiming that around 30 persons engaged for manual scavenging in Tamil Nadu lost their lives.
• The petitioner wanted the court to pass directions to the Union and the State government to identify families involved in manual scavenging and rehabilitate them.
• Following this, the court noted that manual scavenging is a contravention of human rights and the right to live with dignity enshrined by the Constitution.
• It also directed the Central and the State governments to ensure the implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

What are the challenges in implementing?

• Continuous presence of insanitary latrines.
• Absence of a full census of both the latrines and the people engaged in clearing such waste.
• Reduction of funds for the self-employment scheme by Centre, discouraging people to move away from scavenging.
• Prevalence of social prejudice like regarding the inclusion of a sanitary toilet as physical pollution of the house and entrenched belief in the caste system

What should be done?

• The judiciary should fix responsibility on State governments.
• It should order an accurate survey of the practice especially in those States that claim to have no insanitary latrines or manual scavenging.
• Raising the confidence level among those engaged in manual cleaning is vital.
• Empowerment and breaking caste barriers through education and economic uplift is the key.
• Compensation sanctioned for the families of those who died should be paid immediately.

What are the highlights of the Manual Scavenging Act, 2013?

• The Bill prohibits the employment of manual scavengers, the manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks without protective equipment, and the construction of insanitary latrines.
• It seeks to rehabilitate manual scavengers and provide for their alternative employment.
• Each local authority, cantonment board and railway authority is responsible for surveying insanitary latrines within its jurisdiction.
• They shall also construct a number of sanitary community latrines.
• Each occupier of insanitary latrines shall be responsible for converting or demolishing the latrine at his own cost.
• If he fails to do so, the local authority shall convert the latrine and recover the cost from him.
• The District Magistrate and the local authority shall be the implementing authorities.
• Offences under the Bill shall be cognizable and non-bailable.

Source: The Hindu