Building Dignity and Well-being for Sanitation Workers

Who are sanitation workers

Sanitation workers are involved in various tasks across the sanitation value chain, including cleaning toilets and spaces; cleaning and emptying sewers, septic tanks and drains; operating sewage treatment plants, etc. Despite being one of the most important areas of work in society, these are usually looked down upon, and sanitation workers continue to face social discrimination and stigma. Most sanitation workers - especially those among the informal workforce - lack access to decent and regular wages and employment opportunities. Usually coming from specific caste groups and marginalized communities, they also face systemic exclusion from basic health and education services, government schemes, social security measures, and alternative livelihood opportunities. 

One of the most inhuman and undignified forms of sanitation work prevalent in India is that of manual scavenging, wherein persons who clean insanitary dry latrines, clean or repair sewer lines and empty septic tanks, clean railway tracks, etc., come in direct contact with human faeces, without any protective gear or support measures. In addition to the social stigma and isolation, they are also exposed to unimaginable health hazards. A large number of them die, especially those who are engaged in sewer line repair and cleaning, in the absence of critical safety measures and technologies. 

Why you should care: A gender perspective

A 2018 study undertaken by Association by Rural and Urban Needy in partnership with Centre for Equity Studies and WaterAid India, and supported by the European Union, suggests that 1,139 women were engaged in manual cleaning of dry latrines and open drains in just 36 settlements across 4 states. Women engaged in manual scavenging often face added challenges such as discrimination by employers, by government officials and administrators, by the public in general, by their own community and families; and the resulting denial of rights, violence, abuse and sexual harassment.
 

• GARIMA- Odisha state government’s Scheme for Safety and Dignity of Core Sanitation Workers
• Ensuring Safety of Sanitation Workers – A Ready Reckoner for Urban Local bodies by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• Handbook for Training of Sanitation Workers on use of Personal Protective Equipment by the Urban Management Centre
• Repository of Various Acts and Judgements on the issue of manual scavenging
• Standard Operating Procedure for Cleaning of Sewers and Septic Tanks by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• Advisory by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on Emergency Response Sanitation Unit for ensuring safety during sewer and septic tank cleaning
• Repository of Government guidelines and advisories for sanitation workers in the COVID-19 context
• Case Study: Initiatives for Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers in Warangal during COVID-19
• Rapid study by the Centre for Policy Research on the issues of Sanitation workers during the COVID-19 lockdown
• Media articles and stories on the issues of Manual Scavenging
• Study on Budget allocation and release under the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers by Accountability Initiative
• Resources on Sanitation workers and Manual Scavenging by Dalberg
• Joint campaign by Youth ki Awaaz and WaterAid India on the harsh realities of women engaged in manual scavenging
• Report on webinar on Sanitation workers as Corona warriors by PRIA, WaterAid India, and India Sanitation Coalition

This webpage has been designed as a knowledge repository of resources developed by WaterAid India and other organizations on the issues of sanitation workers and manual scavenging - in order to provide insights and references for organisations or individuals who would like to work on or learn about this very important issue. It has been developed as part of the project 'Strengthening rule of law to advance rights and freedoms of Manual Scavengers in India' jointly undertaken by WaterAid India, Centre for Equity Studies, and Association for Rural and Urban Needy, and supported by the European Commission- European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EC-EIDHR).