Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA)
Safai Karmachari Andolan is a movement of and for the safai karamcharis, or manual scavengers. SKA is a platform for the safai karamcharis to unite and struggle for their human rights and to obtain dignified livelihoods, equality and self respect. The mission of SKA is liberation and rehabilitation of manual scavengers from their caste-based hereditary and inhuman work across India. The major focus is to organize and mobilize the wider community around the issues of dignity and rights. SKA aims to complete eradication of manual scavenging throughout India by 2010.
Manual scavenging involves collecting human excreta from dry-latrines with bare hands into a bamboo-basket or a metal bucket and carrying the load to a distant place for dumping. The people engaged in manual scavenging and other unclean occupations are the most discriminated and alienated even among the dalits. The safai karamcharis are considered as the lowest of the low and are abused, exploited, over-worked and under-paid.
SKA recruits active safai karamcharis to volunteer to work to end this practice and work with trained organizers to bring the problems of safai karamcharis to the forefront of Indian society and to enforce Indian law against caste discrimination.
Last updated on Friday, November 14, 2008.
