Article
Manual Scavenging and Human Rights Violations in India: A Legal Analysis
- 1 VIT School of Law, VIT, Chennai, India
- 2 Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chengalpattu, India
- 3 University of Madras, Chennai, India
Abstract
India is a unique country with a diverse population. The people of India are divided by language, culture, religion, food habits, etc. However, they still live in harmony as citizens of one united country. The Constitution of India (1950) ensures that all are equal before the law and are treated equally, but manual scavenging remains a tragic issue. Instead of eradicating manual scavenging, there is a growing problem of manual scavenging in our society. Manual scavengers are involved in the removal of human waste from dry latrines built in households. These latrines have been converted into many places to be attached to septic tanks or pits, which require manual scavengers to clean them by entering the tanks or pits. In India, numerous legislations and policies have been created to eliminate the inhumane practice of manual scavenging. These were the result of national-level committees established to eradicate the social evil of manual scavenging. However, it remains a challenge for governments to implement legislation that would eradicate and monitor this practice and empower manual scavengers. This analytical study focuses on the current practice of manual scavenging and ways to eradicate it. The paper also discusses manual scavenging practices, legislation for prevention, violations of human rights due to manual scavenging, and judicial decisions related to manual scavenging in India.
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How to cite (APA 7)
Rajavenkatesan, P. R. L., Sundar, V. S., Prema, E., & Parthiban, S. (2025). Manual Scavenging and Human Rights Violations in India: A Legal Analysis. International Journal of Justice and Police Sciences, 1(1), 88–108. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15609638