http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/untouchable-no-longer"Untouchable" no longer
13 Apr 2011 02:19
Source: trustlaw // Purple S. Romero
Dalit for today sub
A Dalit woman is seen on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of
Lucknow January 16, 2008.Picture taken January 16, 2008. Pawan Kumar/
REUTERS
By Purple S. Romero
AHMEDABAD, India (TrustLaw) – "Untouchable" is the identity that has
been attached to Ushaben since she was born but the 34-year-old
doesn't feel like one anymore.
Dalits are considered "impure" in India's caste system and their
status has often been associated with jobs considered as dirty labour,
such as removing carcasses and cleaning sewers and latrines.
The country's 164 million Dalits also encounter other forms of
discrimination--from not being allowed to touch produce in a shop to
not being able to own land – even though India outlawed the caste
system in its 1950 constitution.
Being a Dalit woman is even harder – many are treated like outcasts
even by their husbands and communities, barred from having their own
opinions and making their own decisions.
But Ushaben has become a woman who decides what she wants to do and
earns her own money since becoming a home manager with the help of
Saath Livelihood Services, an organisation that strives to empower the
poor in urban areas through public-private partnerships.
Saath's system provides workers with job security and protection. The
hours and rates of pay are fixed, and there is security against
abusive clients as well as legal advice. Home managers pay 4,000
rupees ($80) for their training. The money is deducted from their
salary once they start working
Ushaben earns 8,000 rupees ($160) per month providing house-cleaning
and care services in this western Indian city.
If she wants to buy anything for herself, she spends her own money.
She does not have to ask her husband, a tea shop manager, who earns
less than she does.
"The best part is: I have financial independence," the mother of
three boys, aged 15, 9 and 8 years, told TrustLaw with a warm smile.
Every month, she saves 2,500 rupees. "This will be my life
insurance," she said.
Ushaben said she is also able to give some money to her in-laws,
which is important for her because her father-in-law initially refused
to let her work.
ONLY SKILLS COUNT
Ushaben has not suffered the fate of many Dalits, who are often
turned away by employers because of their status. As a home manager
working under Saath for the past eight years, she is valued for her
skills just like anyone else.
Saath does not include caste in the profile of any of their 200 home
managers. "We don't believe in the caste system," said Bella Joshi,
consultant at Saath Livelihood Services.
Saath provides the same set of data for its home managers to potential
employers - name, age, address, plus police clearance and medical
certificate. This levels the playing field for everyone.
Their names, however, could give away the caste of a home manager. But
when a client refuses to hire one of Saath's employees because she is
a Dalit, the organisation blacklists the employer.
HELPING OTHER DALIT WOMEN
Being part of Saath has meant a lot more to Ushaben than just getting a job.
She realised how important it is to join forces and reach out to
other women, including some of her fellow home managers, who are
either victims of domestic violence or whose husbands do not allow
them to work or even leave their houses.
Some have been beaten up by drunken husbands. As the sale of alcohol
is prohibited in Ahmedabad, some men make their own liquor, and this
can result in domestic violence when they drink too much.
"They threaten to prohibit their wives from working if they don't give
them money," Joshi said. Ushaben said she and other home managers try
to intervene.
"When the husband has not got a hangover any more, we talk to him,"
she said, noting not all of them are willing to change their ways.
Ushaben said she also helps convince the family members of some of the
women in her community in Chimmanbhai Market to allow them to work.
This is difficult as some families won't even let the women out of
their sight, an attitude that has caused problems for Saath, said
Joshi.
She cited a case where one of the home managers was stopped from
working after her husband thought she was having an affair when he saw
her hitching a ride at a bus stop to go to work.
"She has not worked in six months," said Joshi.
(Additional reporting by Gauarav Nigam)
- Purple S. Romero is a Manila-based journalist.
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