The Workhouse Legacy – Child rag pickers during COVID 19

The Workhouse Legacy – Child rag pickers during COVID 19

-          -Vaishnavi K N

COVID – 19 has plunged the world into a crisis of unprecedented magnitude and scope. Health crisis occupies the forefront, but we cannot ignore the massive impact on the economy and society on the whole. These impacts will not be spread uniformly across the world. Vulnerable communities across the world will be the worst affected by the immediate and secondary repercussions of the pandemic. Now more than ever we need to ensure our children are safe

On June 12^th every year, we observe Anti Child Labor Day. The theme of World Against Child Labor 2020 is "Protect children from child labour, now more than ever". This year saw ILO, UNICEF and many other organizations move their campaigns online. The virtual campaign drew attention to the need to generate an environment for children to grow and live a dignified life and also to fight against child labor throughout the world.According to ILO, 152 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 were in child labour, almost half of them, 73 million, in hazardous child labour.

The statistics are staggering. Our reaction and response are inadequate.

This brings us to the question of ‘what is child labor?’ According to the International Labour Organisation, child labour is "work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity and that is harmful to physical and mental health". ILO also says that child labour is any type of work that has physical, mental and social consequences on the children and damages them in any way. It can be:

·         Work that deprives the children of the opportunity to attend school

·         Work that forced a child to leave school at an early age

·         Work that requires children to attend school but with the heavy workload.

Let us get to know this better by looking into the informal waste management sector in India, you may know them better as ‘rag pickers’.Waste picking is a labour-intensive informal sector, severely lacking in health facilities, safety and legal cover. Waste pickers collect garbage in search of recyclable items that can be sold to scrap dealers. And this often “employs” the most vulnerable sections of society. Women and children from marginalized communities make up large sections of the informal sector. An ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry) of India study in 2014 estimated that over 4.5 Lakh child labourers are involved in ragpicking. These numbers have steadily risen over the years.

Household and municipal waste has evolved to contain highly toxic and hazardous materials. In India, waste segregation at source in non-existent, and all of the waste finds its way into landfills, which are not scientifically engineered (there are material recovery facilities and refuse driven fuel plants but not enough to cater to the needs of all Indian metropolises). These dismal mountains of waste cause infectious diseases attract flies and other vectors apart from being prone to fire hazard. An added risk is the exposure to and incorrect handling of electronic waste. Waste pickers provide services that benefit the environment yet face harrowing occupational hazards and are exposed to toxins in the absence of protective gear. This risk becomes more pronounced during the pandemic. This is where these 4.5 lakh children are employed. Child waste pickers face added threat from abusers, traffickers and lower wages than their adult counterparts.

Child labour (prohibition and regulation) act 1986, and the amendment of 2016 is the legal framework that exists in India to check child labour. The law has faced criticism on grounds of allowing children above 14 years to be employed (not 18), and the 2016 amendment allows children to be employed in family business, which can prove to be counterproductive. The law becomes futile here as there are no ‘visible employers’ in the informal sector who can be held accountable and penalized for violation of the 1986 act.  An effective and efficient solid waste management system is required to deal with the problems faced by child waste pickers. This is why community at large has an important role in mobilising public opinion against waste picking. Also perhaps it is time to redefine the existing framework.

A two pronged approach is required to tackle child labour effectively – on the demand side and the supply side. Corporate initiatives can deal with the demand side, but social policy intervention is required to deal with the supply side. Consequently, corporations need to move beyond legal obligations and adopt social responsibility measures to successfully prevent children from entering the workforce.

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United we fall, Divided we stand !

United we fall, Divided we stand !

A little distance can unite us all.
Keep social distance.
Social distancing and self quarantine are necessary to break the chain of corona virus .It is one of the most effective way to fight against COVID -19.

-Pooja Sarkar

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Bank: ICICI 

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COVID-19 - SYMPTOMS AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

One of the major symptoms of covid-19 is sore throat. Other signs of symptoms include fever, cough, respiratory symptoms, difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath. if you feel you are  dealing with any of the combinations of the symptoms mentioned here:

then 

- isolate yourself as quickly as possible

-go for medical checkup as soon as possible  or call the public health authority.

"PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE"

To prevent the spread of COVID-19:

Wash your hands for 20 seconds regularly. Use soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand rub.

Maintain a safe distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

Cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Stay home if you feel unwell and self isolate from others.

If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention. Call in advance

- Pooja Sarkar

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.

1.33 billion People, a Pandemic, and Biomedical Waste

1.33 billion People, a Pandemic, and Biomedical Waste

Vaishnavi K N

When the world is faced with a pandemic, it is only natural that there is a spike in the demand and hence the production of medical equipment, medicines, and related services. And more the production and consumption, more is the waste generated. The management and disposal of

biomedical waste are to be done according to Bio-Medical Waste Management (BMWM) Rules 2016, under the provision of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1986. The waste is to be segregated at source, color-coded, and transported to common bio-medical waste treatment facilities (CBWTFs) where they undergo treatment such as incineration, autoclaving, microwaving (to disinfect), etc. Now the question is, is India equipped to deal with the surge of biomedical and plastic waste in this COVID era? To put things into perspective, as of 2018, India has 200 CBWTF in operation across 28 states, the remaining 7 do not have CBTWFs. This has not led to any significant problems as of now as the states with no CBTWF have low occurrence of cases. These facilities are not evenly distributed across all states and union territories and are struggling to handle the waste generated from 733 districts across India. It is to be noted that, the flattening of the cases curve, does not imply a flattening of the BMW curve. That is, the BMW generated does not cease to exist, the moment new cases stop occurring. This is clear from the fact that in Wuhan, China, long after the incident cases curve flat lined, CBWTFs are running at maximum capacity to dispose the waste that was generated but stored during the peak of the pandemic.

Typical to the Indian scenario, there is no shortage of policy framework to tackle this surge in BMW, all issues arise from lack of proper implementation. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has released detailed guidelines to be followed while handling, treatment, and disposal of waste generated during treatment/ diagnosis/ quarantine of COVID – 19 patients, which includes measures to be taken in, isolation wards, sample collection centers, and testing laboratories, and in quarantine camps and homecare for suspected patients. WHO, International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), and many other bodies have also released guidelines for the same. There is also the case of conflicting guidelines being issued by CPCB and State PCBs, as seen in Maharashtra. There should be effective communication between the concerned authorities and the people at the implementation end.

From used tissue paper, to facemasks, to sanitizer bottles, most homes have seen an increase in waste generated. This is especially true for houses with quarantined persons. The CPCB guidelines specifically ask such homes to store their biomedical waste in yellow bags which would be collected by CBWTF personnel. But then, lack of source segregation of waste has always been a major concern in the solid waste management scenario in our country. Maharashtra PCB data shows large fluctuation of total BMW generated, and the officials feel that it could be due to improper segregation at source. Such cases mean that, contaminated BMW could be steadily finding its way into regular municipal solid waste, and eventually our landfills, putting the sanitation workers, the large informal sector involved in waste collection and communities living near landfills in the path of direct risk of contracting the virus. We have seen first-hand what improper disposal of medical waste can do in the incidence of Hepatitis B outbreak in Gujarat in 2009, where 240 were infected. The use of recycled and unsterilized syringes and injection needles were cited as the means of transmission of the infection by health department officials.

ISWA guidelines highlight the need to train the municipal workers who collect waste from residences on regular disinfection, and following social distancing in the workplace. It also emphasizes that the vehicle needs to be disinfected often. But in reality, the sanitation workers face a dearth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and inadequate training. The general public understood the gravity of the situation when the son of a sanitation worker tested positive in Coimbatore.

Many states are ramping up their BMW disposal capacity by adding new small scale plants, incinerators etc., but will this be enough to cater to the rapidly rising needs especially considering the unsettling reports that state that India has not yet approached the peak. Like China, we could also consider opting for compact, on site treatment machines, which grinds down and sterilizes waste, making it less risky to transport to treatment facilities. The National Green Tribunal and CPCB have been reiterating the need for source segregation of waste over the past many years, perhaps it is time the general population starts paying heed to their words.

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Time for Nature !!!

Time for Nature !!!

“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.”
—John Ruskin

The quote holds true especially in the times when on one hand the world is fighting with this pandemic together and on the other hand nature is healing slowly and gradually.

Air traffic is down, fewer cars are on the road, and factories are closed; thus air pollution has drastically decreased in many parts of the world.

There is a large improvement in air quality, especially in urban areas — from alarming or poor to satisfactory or good.

Due to the lockdown, the drainage of industrial waste into the river water has stopped and this has brought a significant change in the water quality. The dissolved oxygen has increased in water thus aquatic life has flourished.

At HEEALS we believe in doing our bit. On the occasion of World Environment Day, we would like to educate our readersand also pledge to bring some changes in our lifestyle , so as to put less burden on the environment.

Simple activities that all of us can do :

·         Use Cloth Bag for our daily purchase and Say no to Plastic.

·         Never forget the 3R’s ('Reduce', 'Reuse' and 'Recycle')

·         Reduce Water Consumption (during brushing ,bathing ,washing etc.).Frequently check for leaked taps.

·         Start gardening(Begin by planting saplings) – *Great hobby* to purse during lockdown

·         Save electricity (Minimise usage of Air Conditioners, Use energy-efficient bulbs)

The Earth is what we all have in common.Lets pledge to protect it !!!!

-Priyanka Dalmia

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World Environment Day ! TOGETHER WE CAN ACT, TOGETHER WE CAN PROTECT

TOGETHER WE CAN ACT, TOGETHER WE CAN PROTECT

FOR NATURE: JUNE 5, WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY

“I CAN FIND GOD IN NATURE, IN ANIMALS, IN BIRDS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT” – PAT BUCKLEY

Celebrated every year on June 5^th to stress on the importance of the active participation in conserving the environment, WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY is celebrated to emphasis on sustain living in the age of indiscriminate waste production. Since 1974, it has been 45 years and celebrated every year on 5^th June for raising awareness on emerging issues such as global warming, wildlife crime, human overpopulation and action towards protection of our environment. .It is hosted every year by a different city and commemorated with an international exposition through the week of June 5.

World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations (UN) stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action towards improving the environment. This observance also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions. The main colors featured in many promotions for this event are natural colors depicting nature, the Earth and its natural resources. Images of natural Earth’s features, such as mountains, beaches, rivers, and pictures of flora and fauna, including fern and leaves, are used to promote campaigns supporting the day.

Each year the celebrations focus on a particular problem. Over the last ten years key features have included wildlife, forests and plastic waste, air pollution and other things. Each issue have a slogan like “raise your voice, not sea level”, “Think, eat, save”. Hashtags have also become important for the campaigns too.

According to the United Nations, “With 1 million species facing extinction, there has never been a more important time to focus on biodiversity.”For 2020, the theme for World Environment Day is ‘Celebrate Biodiversity’, which, as per the United Nations, a concern that is both urgent and existential. Citing the recent events taking place in Brazil, the US, Australia, Africa and the global COVID-19 pandemic, it said it all demonstrates the interdependence of humans and the webs of life, in which they exist.As has been happening every year, Colombia has this year been chosen as the country to host the World Environment Day 2020 event in collaboration with Germany. Last year it had been hosted by China, and the theme had been ‘Beat Air pollution’.

Biodiversity is the foundation that supports life on land and water below.Our planet comprises of living and non-living things, and each has a role to play in keeping the environment safe. When the environment is clean, people, animals and plants thrive, and we as humans have to ensure that we keep it that way.

. As we approach the World Environment Day on June 5, it is a time to reflect on our relationship with Nature and surroundings, wake up to the urgency of the climate crisis and focus on the planet’s long-term survival instead of plundering it for short-term profits. 

These days when the world is either freezing or melting or there is environmental exceptional times like COVID-19, the situation does look bleak, but there is hope and together we can act. In our country where industrialization is rapid and cost of development is often harming the environment, states like Kerala has planted more than one crore plant saplings. It is important that we do our part too by implementing things that we are taught since childhood. It is important that we conserve energy and educate ourselves and others too. The little things like following the three R’s to conserve natural resources , volunteering for cleanups in your locality, closing the running tap whenever you see one, switching of the lights in your classrooms, in your homes, shopping wisely and using cloth bags , also planting a tree and use of bicycles for a short distance.

So, this environment day, let us pledge to make a cleaner and greener environment and let us be more responsible. Let us pledge to make our environment so lively, so vibrant and so beautiful. Let us join hands to save our planet. We are planting sapling,are you?

THE NATURE IS SENDING A MESSAGE

To care for ourselves we must care for nature.

-Pooja Sarkar

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DONATORS LOCATED IN INDIA

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THE RED STAIN – menstruation matters

THE RED STAIN – menstruation matters

May 28^th – THE MENSTRUAL HYGEINE DAY

Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day to highlight the importance of menstrual hygiene management. Menstruation is a natural process in every girl’s and woman’s life and thus access to safe and hygienic menstruation is a fundamental need for women and girls. Menstrual Hygiene Day was initiated by the German based NGO-WASH United in 2014. The main objective of this day is to normalize the activity of menstruation and highlight the importance of access to clean and hygienic periods. The 28^th date symbolizes the 28 days average length of menstrual cycle.

The global theme of this year is IT’S TIME FOR ACTION. The theme highlights the need and urgency for the collective work towards breaking the taboos and changing the negative social norms surrounding menstruation and work towards empowering women and girls to unlock every opportunities.

HEEALS has been doing menstrual hygiene workshops in different states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh,Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh ,leh & Ladakh,Rajasthan and Delhi and hopefully in coming years they will be doing many workshops in other states as well.These workshops have had a focus on healthy and safe menstrual hygiene practices. For many years HEEALS has been stepping out and distributing sanitary pads to girls and women in different areas of the states. Despite of distributing every facilities and products, there are still many places where women don’t talk freely about menstruation health problems.Given that menstruation is still overwhelming considered secret women's business, young girls are taught from a young age they have to manage it privately and discreetly. Many women don’t speak about this natural human process, it only amplifies the feelings of uncertainty, fear, and embarrassment among them.

Since there is a lack of discussion about menstruation in India, this year too, HEEALS is focusing on creating a cultural environment that welcomes discussion and improve girls’ and women’s menstrual health and hygiene by supporting them with facilities and access to feminine hygienic products which includes pads, soaps, tampons, etc.

Here at HEEALS, we are working hard to promote discussion around menstruation through workshops with school girls and women and their families. There are many factors that are preventing them to buy and use the product, one of them being the unavailability of financial support to buy sanitary pads from the stores. The other reason being girls are ashamed to have purchased the products in public and even these reasons. By distributing sanitary pads and discussing with them about the importance of hygiene, we are hoping that soon girls and women would be motivated to talk and begin to use the sanitary napkins regularly ensuring safety.

HEEALS relies on our generous sponsors and donors in order to be able to run our workshops and provide sanitary pads. If you are interested in providing financial support for our menstrual hygiene management workshops or our ‘Pads for Girls’ project, please connect with communications@heeals.org. You can also support girls in menstruation by talking and creating awareness among them. Also, create awareness among your families, friends and neighbours. Ensure that girls and women around you are educated about the safety measures.

If you haven’t already, be sure to ‘like’ HEEALS’ page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter!

Happy Menstrual Hygiene Day!

-Pooja Sarkar