The New Nation - Internet Edition

Afsana Rashid in Srinagar

Manual scavenging still continues in the rural areas and peripheries in the Indian controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir. The practice of cleaning human excreta in these dry latrines is mostly assigned to the women folk. Women of every household are condemned to perform this job regularly.

Despite the availability of Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in these areas with the aim to provide sanitary facilities to the people (living below and above poverty line), people stick to the age old practice. Younger generation clearly refuses to do the job but the older ones have no choice and they have to oblige. "Cleaning for the family is the duty of my mother. I do pity her but then that is her job and she has to do it," said a young girl in Budgam who hates this job. When asked what the family does in case her mother is not at home, she aptly replied, "They wait for her, but the job will be done by her mother only."

Field Officer Rural Sanitation Programme (RSP) Kashmir, Ezabir Ali, considers it the worst form of violence against women. "But then she is helpless. The people in general consider it the duty and responsibility of the women folk to keep these latrines clean," she said.

"They continue with this practice despite the alternatives being available. Lack of awareness, this being used as a manure in the fields, they have never given a serious thought towards the health implications associated with it," the Field Officer says are the reasons why people are sticking to this practice.

Younger generation consider it a "dirty job" even the older generation think so but they have no choice. "I do not like this but there is no other alternative. Men in the family insist women to do it. My grand mother and my mother have been doing this; now it is my turn, how can I revolt. I have to follow the tradition," said Zoona, a middle aged woman in Pulwama. "It gives me a dirty feeling but I have no other choice," she added. The women, after cleaning these latrines, have to carry it in the baskets over their heads to the open fields where it is used as manure. Rural people consider it as the best form of manure for their fields and it appears as if they are not ready to give up this practice mostly because of this reason.

"It is used as manure in their fields and this is one of the reasons why they continue on with this practice. They even consider constructing sanitary latrine as a waste of their land.

Even the dry latrines are constructed in a corner in their compounds or towards the street or water point (nallah), thus polluting water bodies. The water from these water bodies is later used for bathing, drinking, washing and various other purposes. This gives birth to various diseases like diarrhea, skin and fungal infections, worm infestations and others," said Ezabir.

Abdul Rahim, a villager said that they do not over-burden their women; it is only on alternate days that they are asked to clean these latrines. "This is not her regular job. It is just on alternate days that she has to do this," he said. Significantly, this job is in addition to her other household chores. He was of the opinion that since it forms good manure, so the practice should go on.

When the Field Officer was asked whether this signifies the complete failure of the TSC campaign, she said, "It can not be stated as a complete failure. There are many cases where people are accepting it with open arms but the problem lies in lack of awareness.

Moreover, people because of their own reasons, do not want to leave this practice at all. New generation however, is ready to accept the change. This is for their own benefit. Adopting sanitary ways of life would ensure dignity and privacy for women, in particular, apart from other health benefits," Ezabir pointed out.

(Source: Muslim News)