Abstract

Manual scavenging has been undoubtedly, one of the greatest evils plaguing our country. Even after 75 years of independence, caste discrimination, poverty, and government indifference continue to hinder manual laborers' efforts to achieve freedom. The manual scavengers risk their lives by manually cleaning the drainage with or without safety equipment and putting their health at great risk. The degrading practice does threaten not only human dignity but also the health of our sanitation workers. Manual scavenging activity affects “the right to live with human dignity”. Due to manual scavenging, many people lost their lives in dungeons like manholes and dark pits covered in sewage, the ultimate point being the violation of the dignity of humans. Over the years several laws have come in place regarding the employment of manual scavengers but the problems lie with their implementation. Many manual scavengers lose their lives while cleaning the sewage tank. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 remains silent regarding compensation to the dead person. In this paper, an attempt is made to explain the difficulties in getting compensation from the dependents of the deceased manual scavengers.

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