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# Forced to Clean Human Waste in India

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0cBqSvPc.m3u8" -->
## Video: Forced to Clean Human Waste in India

[Watch (HLS stream): Forced to Clean Human Waste in India](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0cBqSvPc.m3u8) (4:43)

![Forced to Clean Human Waste in India](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0cBqSvPc/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2015-10-26. Forced to Clean Human Waste in India_


---

Jul 27, 2023 7:01 PM UTC

---

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### How to Live Zero Waste

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### Know Right Now: Human Waste on Everest Creates Environmental Issue

---


## Transcript

[ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually collecting and removing excrement. This is not a matter of choice. People enter this line of work based upon their caste. Women, more typically, clean open defecation and dry toilets Whereas men tend to do the more demanding physical labor of entering sewers, entering septic tanks, and cleaning excrement that way. [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] They're treated as second class citizens, branded with untouchability and they often face severe health consequences. [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] Even though India has laws in place, both prohibiting manual scavenging and supporting these individuals to leave this practice, What's happening in India today is that the very government officials who are charged with implementing laws to end manual scavenging are actually hiring people as sanitation workers exclusively from this caste but then requiring them to manually clean human excrement.

[ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] These roles are so deeply ingrained and entrenched that when they try to leave they face threats of violence. Threats of eviction and displacement from the community and social and economic boycotts, so they're not necessarily able to get any other jobs. [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] India has laws in places prohibiting manual scavenging and outlawing untouchability. In order for India to end manual scavenging, India has to implement these laws and policies. That means intervening when communities face threats of violence when they try to leave this work, and making sure that people who work or have worked as manual scavengers have the support to access housing and alternate livelihoods.

[ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ]

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