Live video chat: Dalits in India
In this video chat we establish a live connection with Dalit activist Bezwada Wilson in India. He will be able to answer questions about his work, his experiences as a human rights defender and he can give an insider's view on human rights in India.
The inhuman practice of manual scavenging by the Dalits, who occupy the lowest level of the caste hierarchy, was officially banned in India 16 years ago. But this job of picking up human excreta from dry latrines still exists, and by the government's own admission, attempts to completely eradicate it have failed. In reaction to a petition by Wilsons organisation Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA, aimed at eradicating manual scavenging in India by 2010), the Supreme Court in 2003 forced the Indian state governments to start some action. Most states were in denial mode, the law has hardly been implemented and there has not been a single prosecution for violating this law in India. Only in the state of Andhra Pradesh, dry latrines are now abolished after SKA proved with video and photographic evidence that they still existed.
Speaker: Bezwada Wilson
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