Cleaning deadly excrement for a living

KARAULI (RAJASTHAN): Every day at 6am, Reena stealthily heads out from her house with the veil of her sari pulled down to her nose to avoid being seen going to do the job she hates – removing human excrement with her bare hands.

Living just 325km from the national capital in Rajasthan’s Karauli district, Reena (name changed) is among 116 manual scavengers the central government had identified for rehabilitation two years ago.

She was employed as a sweeper in the local civic body but was thrown out of her job, which forced her to resume manual scavenging.

“My own children run away from me when I reach home. They say I stink and make them throw up,” Reena said.

Reena is among the many women in impoverished Karauli who are forced to make ends meet this way.

Despite strict laws prohibiting manual scavenging in the country, the centuries-old practice is still rife in many areas.

Belonging to the lowest rung of the Hindu caste hierarchy, these women clean dry latrines and carry the faeces in bamboo baskets on their heads for dumping in a faraway place.

“Three days after my marriage, my mother-in-law took me along with her and forced me to remove excreta from a house, ”says Reena

Scavengers clean the toilets of many homes each day for appallingly low pay.

They frequently complain of headaches, stomach aches and nausea from the noxious fumes.

“Even if we want to take a day off, the families forcibly drag us from our homes,” says Namrata (name changed).

“I could not escape even during pregnancy. My child is stunted and sickly.”