Fri May 02 03:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Magsaysay Awardee Bezwada Wilson Calls for End to Caste-Based Discrimination in India

**Bengaluru, May 2, 2025** – Bezwada Wilson, co-founder and National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), a movement fighting against manual scavenging, has urged India to overcome its caste system by rejecting the mindset of superiority. Speaking at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Wilson, a Magsaysay Award winner, argued that even Dalits who consider other sub-castes inferior perpetuate a 3,000-year-old system. He drew parallels with patriarchy, where men often view women as inferior.

Wilson highlighted the self-perceived inferiority of manual scavengers, contrasting their experience with those doing similar work in other countries where dignity of labor is recognized. He emphasized, however, that true dignity of labor can only exist in an egalitarian society, a goal he believes India is far from achieving.

Despite the 1993 Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, the practice continues in many parts of India. Wilson, who co-founded SKA in 1994 to combat this, noted the continued existence of dry latrines and the employment of women to clean them, particularly in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Jammu & Kashmir. He criticized the situation, questioning how such practices can persist in an independent, democratic nation.

The SKA, along with other organizations, filed a Public Interest Litigation in 2003, holding various government departments accountable for violating the Manual Scavenging (Prohibition) Act. While this raised awareness and held officials accountable, Wilson stressed the need for continued action. He announced that SKA will launch a campaign to address the ongoing issue in the aforementioned states. Wilson’s remarks underscore the continuing struggle against caste-based discrimination and the need for systemic change in India.

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