NHRC terms manual scavenging as one of the worst violators of human rights

New Delhi Aug.29 : The National Human Rights Commission has termed manual scavenging as one of the worst violation of human rights.

At a National Workshop on "Manual Scavenging and Sanitation", organized in New Delhi on Thursday, the Commission called for all out efforts to do away with this degrading practice.

It said the extended deadline to eradicate manual scavenging which had been shifted from December 2007 to March 2009, at no cost should be further extended and the country should become manual scavenging free.

The commission, however, expressed its happiness that most of the States had come out of the defensive mode and have agreed for resurvey of manual scavengers by independent agencies.

While asking the States to stick to the definition of manual scavengers as per the Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, the Commission asked the states to do resurvey and identify manual scavengers on priority basis.

The commission emphatically said that under no circumstances the scholarship given to the children of rehabilitated manual scavengers should be stopped. The Commission also said that those who are still employed as manual scavengers in any part of the country should approach the Commission or the State Human Rights Commission with their grievances.

Representatives attended the Workshop from 20 States and Union Territories, nine NGOs working in the field of manual scavenging and five Union Ministries including Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.

ANI