manual scavenger

American  

[man-yoo-uhl skav-inj-er] / ˈmæn yu əl ˈskæv ɪndʒ ər /

noun

plural

manual scavengers

1. (especially in India, where it is now outlawed) a person whose work is to clear untreated human waste from outhouses, septic tanks, etc., by hand.

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Example Sentences

In an effort to raise awareness beyond the gold mine, Mr. Bezwada started visiting other cities and towns, traveling by bus at night, trying to mobilize the manual scavenger communities he encountered and talking to them about “how to come out of it,” he said.

From New York Times

In 1993, he and his volunteers started documenting the existence of dry latrines across India and recording each manual scavenger’s death on the job.

From New York Times

She started working as a manual scavenger 25 years ago with her mother-in-law.

From BBC

This apartheid persists, even in Indian cities, severely limiting the work available to women such as Ladja, another manual scavenger.

From The Guardian

Senajbi, a former manual scavenger, was able to get out in 2008 with help from Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan.

From BBC