manual scavenging

[man-yoo-uhl ska-vinj-ing]

noun

1. (especially in India) the work, imposed on members of the lowest caste or other marginalized communities, of removing raw sewage from latrines, septic tanks, etc., by hand.

Example Sentences

He discovered manual scavenging was not a local issue but an all-India problem.

From New York Times

In 2003, the organization filed a petition in India’s top court asking for strict enforcement of a law passed in the early 1990s that was meant to eradicate manual scavenging in India but was widely ignored.

From New York Times

It wasn’t until 2014 that the court finally acted: It ordered state governments to pay compensation to families of those who had died cleaning sewers and septic tanks; to take stringent measures to stop manual cleaning of dry latrines; and to retrain people engaged in manual scavenging with skills that would give them the means for a more dignified livelihood.

From New York Times

There is little agreement on how many people are engaged in manual scavenging - in 2021, a federal minister told parliament that the government had identified 58,098 manual scavengers in the country through surveys, but also added that there was "no report of practice of manual scavenging currently in the country".

From BBC

Manual scavenging is banned in India but the practice is still commonplace, with people forced into it because of rigid caste rules and the lack of other livelihood options.

From BBC