A Study of Work Environment & Social Problems of Female SafaiKaramcharis Registered in Nagar Nigam Aligarh
Abstract
Background:SafaiKaramchari refers to all sorts of workers engaged in cleaning jobs, including those who handle dry and wet waste, and those who sweep. Among all sort of works, this profession is considered the lowest and being a Female SafaiKaramchari is bound to be associated with various problem. We did this study to explore Work environment & Social problems among them.
Methods: A cross sectional study was done selecting female safaikaramchari across wards of Nagar Nigam Aligarh city. A closed-ended, semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess work environment & Social problems among them.
Results: A total of 35 female safaikaramchari were found during the study. Majority were middle aged, Married, group, hindu, living in the nuclear family, and were illiterate. All were street sweepers, about half (45.7%) were working on a contractual basis, Nearly half of them study faced ill-treatment from the employer and abused at their workplace. None were given any safety equipment for their jobs. Prevalence of alcoholism was 5.7% and 22.9% said they used tobacco for chewing although none reported to be smoker. Almost one-third (34.3) of the female safaikaramchari had Pscychiatric problem.
Conclusion: The female SafaiKaramcharis were regulary suppressed and abused at work. They are cleaning the city without the safety equipment makig them at risk for infectious disease and injuries. All these are contributing towards Pscychiatric problem in them. Authority should take note and should work towards uplifting the condition of Female SafaiKaramchari.
Downloads
References
2. Shah G. (2004) Social movements in India: a review of literature. New Delhi: Sage Publications India
3. Shahid M.(2015). Manual scavenging: Issues of caste, culture and violence. Social Change. 45(2):242-55.
4. Human Rights Watch. (2014) Cleaning human waste:“Manual scavenging,” caste, and discrimination in India. New York: Human Rights Watch, Inc.; 2014. Available from: https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/08/25/cleaning-human-waste/manual-scavenging-caste-and-discrimination-india Cited on 17, Aug 2019.
5. ManderH.(2014) Resource Handbook for ending manual scavenging. New Delhi: International Labour Organisation
6. Sarfaraz K. (2017) Manual scavenging in Meerut: Why are women made to carry excreta on their head for two stale rotis a day? The Indian Express.[Internet] 2017, June 13 [Accessed 20 Aug 2019]; Available from https://indianexpress.com/article/india/why-are-women-made-to-carry-excreta-on-their-head-for-two-stale-rotis-a-day/
7. Khurana, I., & Ojha, T. (2009) Burden of Inheritance: Can We Stop Manual Scavenging? Yes But First We Need to Accept It Exists. New Delhi: WaterAid India.
8. Chellamma P, Sudhiraj VA, Vijayakumar A. (2005) Morbidity profile of sanitary workers in Thrissur Corporation, Kerala. J Evol Med Dental Sci., 4(89):15468-9.
9. Palve NN, Shidhaye PR, Chaturvedi RM, Pandit DD, Giri PA. (2014). Study of morbidity pattern and occupational hazards in sweepers working at a municipal teaching hospital in Mumbai. Int J Community Med Public Health, 1:24-30.
10. Sabde YD, Zodpey SP. (2008). A study of morbidity pattern in street sweepers: a cross-sectional study. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 33(4):224.
11. Kadlak, H., Salve, P. S., &Karwade, P. (2019). Intersectionality of Caste, Gender and Occupation: A Study of SafaiKaramchari Women in Maharashtra. Contemporary Voice of Dalit, 11(2), 130-138.
12. Noronha, KM, Singh T, Malik M. (2018). Manual Scavenging in India: A Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography. New Delhi: CPR Research Report; Available from http://cprindia.org/research/reports/manual-scavenging-india-literature-review-annotated-bibliography
13. Singh, S. (2017). Just another stat: 2 more die in sewage plant but 'manual scavengers' are expendable. The Citizen. [Internet] June 6 [Accessed on 14 Aug 2019]; Available from https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/8/10882/Just-Another-Stat-2-More-Die-in-Sewage-Plant-But-Manual-Scavengers-Are-Expendable
14. Singh, B. (2012). Unseen: The truth about India’s manual scavengers. New Delhi: Penguin Books
15. Veromaa V, Kautiainen H, Saxen U, Malmberg-Ceder K, Bergman E, Korhonen PE. (2017). Ideal cardiovascular health and psychosocial risk factors among Finnish female municipal workers. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 45(1):50-6.

Copyright (c) 2021 Saleem Mohammad Khan, Anees Ahmad, Najam Khalique, Yasir Alvi, Nafis Faizi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.