“Arunthathiyars' kids destined to do conservancy work”

http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/10/stories/2010101061230300.htm

The Hindu news

“Arunthathiyars' kids destined to do conservancy work”

Special Correspondent

Discrimination begins at school



YATRA:Members of the Safai Karmachari Andolan voicing their demands in the city on Friday.

MADURAI: Discrimination of Arunthathiyars began at school with children being asked to clean utensils and toilets, said members of Safai Karmachari Andolan, a movement for elimination of manual scavenging, on Friday.

Addressing a press conference here, members of the andolan, who are on a yatra from Kanyakumari to New Delhi, alleged that the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993 remained only on paper and even officials were unaware of its existence. A. Renuga of Porayar, child of conservancy workers, said that she was asked to clean the toilets and vessels used in noon meal scheme while at school. Though she had managed to study an undergraduate course in the distance education mode, she was not able to make a choice either in studies or career. Karuppasamy of Sathiyamangalam said that children of Arunthathiyars were destined to undertake conservancy work and they were not given a choice even at the Plus One level. Sakthivel of Sivakasi pointed out that children who wanted to study to escape from scavenging work had to do it at school. The plates used to serve noon meal for Arunthathiyar children were marked in black paint, he said.

D. Velanganni, State Convenor, who is leading the yatra, said that their objective was to wean the members of Arunthathiyar community away from scavenging and provide appropriate rehabilitation for them. Though the State Government, in 2003, had denied the existence of manual scavenging in Tamil Nadu, a 2008 survey identified 28 manual scavengers in Nagapattinam district. A 2009 survey found that 174 persons were involved in manual scavenging in 13 districts across the State, he added.

People who had given up manual scavenging had joined the yatra with the intention of motivating others to come out of the inhuman practice. Rajamanickam of Ramanathapuram said that many of the social problems could be solved by putting an end to manual scavenging. Arunthathiyar children were treated as untouchables in classrooms and hence there was a high drop out rate among them.

The yatra, called ‘Periyar Pathai,' is one among the five yatras taken out from different parts of the country to New Delhi. It will culminate in a rally on October 28. The demands of the participants include demolition of dry latrines, implementation of the 1993 Act, award of punishment under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for those who forced people into manual scavenging and a comprehensive rehabilitation package.

Launching of Samajik Parivartan Yatra

Launching of Samajik Parivartan Yatra
(For Eradication of Manual Scavenging in India)

Press Release

The Samajik Parivartan Yatra has been flagged off on Wednesday 29th Septmber, 2010 in New Delhi. The liberated safai karmacharis Saroj, Maya Goutam, Anita,Neetu and Mamata from various states released the route maps and demands to symbolise the beginning of Yatra.

Speaking on the occasion, Saroj and others shared their own experiences of pain and suffering associated with manual scavenging. They narrated how they were inducted into the degrading jobs by their mothers or mother-in-laws, who were doing the same jobs from generation to generation. They explained how the dry latrine owners and users and the general public practised untouchability on them. Now that they have stopped doing the manual scavenging work, they feel liberated and are determined to carry the message to all other safai karamcharis in their respective districts and states. Saroja vowed not to rest until the last person is liberated from manual scavenging in this country. They are proud of their participation in rallies, dharnas and burning the baskets, the symbols of the shame of manual scavenging.

Mr. Harsh Mander, renowned intellectual, Social Activist and member of the National Advisory Council commended SKA for mobilising the safai karmacharis and inspiring them to accomplish their liberation and simultaneously enabling the country as a whole to envision a manual scavenging free India. He appreciated SKA for taking the path of persuasion and adopting the legal route to achieve their noble goal, in a non-violent way.

Ms. Usha Ramanathan, an accomplished legal expert and Legal Reform Activist felt that the struggle of Safai Karmacharis under the leadership of SKA will go down in history as phenomenal. A hitherto voiceless people have rallied together from the nooks and corners of India and have made tremendous progress within a short span of time to achieve near total eradication of manual scavenging.

Samajik Parivartan Yatra_routes released by liberated Safai Karmacharis in New Delhi Press club.jpg Saroj,Mamata,Maya,Netu,Anita release Posters.JPG

Saroj,Anita,Maya,Neetu and Mamata launching Samajik Parivartan Yatra & releasing posters

Chennai -Dharna for Annauniversity Arunthathiyar gril sucide by ragging

AHRF -Arunthathiyar human rights forum done a dharna at chennai on 21st sept for Anna University Arunthathiyar girl suicide by ragging .

Dharna Invitation on Anna University Arunthathiyar Jothi suicide at Chennai on 21st Sept -Evening 3 Pm to 5Pm

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Arunthathiyar Gril student suside - Fact finding press release

Vanakkam!!!

Our AHRF team went to fact finding to Ms.Jothi suside.She is studying first year at Annaunivercity .She is belongs to Arunthathiyar community .She is a first student entering college .She suside because of ragging .

Our team did fact finding ,The report release to press .

The new indian express published our report .

http://expressbuzz.com/topic/au-student-suicide-row-snowballs/205167.html

AU student suicide row snowballs

G Saravanan

First Published : 09 Sep 2010 03:50:36 AM IST

Last Updated : 09 Sep 2010 08:48:09 AM IST

CHENNAI: A fact-finding team of the Arunthathiyar Human Rights Forum (AHRF) on Wednesday claimed that M Jothi, a first-year engineering student from the community who committed suicide at her village a few days ago, was forced to take the extreme step due to ill-treatment meted out to her on the college campus.Taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, the four-member AHRF team, including a woman, visited Jothi’s village Mullukurichi near Namagiripettai in Namakkal on Monday and conducted an inquiry into the events that led to the suicide.Speaking to Express, K Kumar, a team member, said, “After speaking to about 200 families in the village, including the victim’s, it became evident that she was ill-treated at Anna University because of her community and her classmates ragged her.”Elaborating the findings, Kumar said, “For two weeks before she committed suicide, Jothi had been calling her father Mathavan, a driver, and brother Deepak and informing them about the ill-treatment.”Out of desperation, Jothi also contacted her neighbour (at the village), who helped her to continue education, and informed her about her plight, Kumar said.The fact-finding team also found that Jothi hadn’t initially intended to visit her village. But the humiliation forced her to come home to meet her family.According to Jothi’s brother Deepak, ever since she returned home, she was in a state of trauma and continued weeping the whole day.A two-page report with recommendations seeking immediate action against those students who drove her to take the extreme step would be handed over to the Namakkal district collector on Thursday, Kumar said.

Karuppusamy

State consulataion on status of Arunthathiyar children

This is the first state level consultation on Arunthathiyar children in Arunthathiyar history .30th August we did Tamilnadu state level consultation on status of Arunthathiyar children conducted at Chennai ,ICSA centre ,It was very good response from different region participants ,We invited NGOs ,State level networks,Campaign organizations ,College professors , Media and Arunthathiyar community leaders .

This is a historical consultation in Tamilnadu ,as special for Arunthathiyar children .We released four study books and we had four study presentation ,based on that interaction with participants .

Last panel was recommendation and plan of action .This panel facilitated by Fr.Manu Director social watch .We got recommendation and plan of action through this consultation ,Therefore we are going to advocacy on children issues ,Sumangalithittam,Bonded children issue,School discrimination ,and manual scavenging children issue .

Call to abolish bonded labour among children

http://expressbuzz.com/topic/call-to-abolish-bonded-labour-among-children/202646.html
Call to abolish bonded labour among children


Express News Service

First Published : 31 Aug 2010 03:18:32 AM IST
Last Updated : 31 Aug 2010 09:02:09 AM IST
CHENNAI: The State-level consultation on the status of Arunthathiyar children in Tamil Nadu-India has unanimously recommended the immediate abolition of children forced into bonded labour, to protect their future.
In a meet organised by Arunthathiyar Human Rights Forum (AHRF)-TN here on Monday, more than 100 representatives including 50 intellectuals from different parts of the state unanimously resolved to send 21 recommendations to the state government to protect the human rights of children from the community.
Coordinator of AHRF R Karuppusamy told Express, “A special plan has to be evolved by the state government for abolition of child bonded labour among the Arunthathiyar community across the state.”
Besides suggesting a claim policy for release of bonded labourers from the community, Karuppusamy demanded that a special education package be worked out for the children to prevent them from bonded labour due to family compulsions or caste.
In its 21 recommendations, the consultation meet strongly pitched for the abolition of scavenging by Arunthathiyar children. “The children should not be made to do any scavenging activity in any school or institution. Necessary order has to be passed by the government and any school or institution in which any person is found violating this norm should be punished and penal action taken against them,” Karuppusamy said.
We will be meeting Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin in mid-September to hand over these recommendations, he added.