Poverty, Malnutrition, Disease Stalk Weavers Of
Benaras
It is
estimated that over 50 percent of weavers' children are malnourished. Many
weavers cannot even afford basic medical care for their children, much less
themselves. They fall sick easily, and suffer from several diseases, including
tuberculosis.
LENIN RAGHUVANSHI01 JUNE 2019
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Working for 7-8 hours a day in
dimly-lit, poorly ventilated rooms and with no nasal masks to filter away the
lint dust, weavers of Benaras, who create the most beautiful silk and brocade
sarees, suffer from poverty, malnutrition and disease.
With the weaving industry experiencing
significant decline and demand for the sari stagnating in the face of increased
competition from cheaper alternatives, and shifting consumer taste among other
issues, the situation of most weavers has deteriorated into a pitiful state.
Most weavers face increased poverty due to reduction of wages, hunger, health
issues and inability to provide for their families, says the People's Vigilance
Committee on Human Rights, an Indian non-governmental organisation.
It is estimated that over 50 percent of
weavers' children are malnourished. Many weavers cannot even afford basic
medical care for their children, much less themselves. They fall sick easily,
and suffer from diseases like tuberculosis, Pneumoconiosis, swelling of limbs,
stomach ailments, backache, anaemia, weakness and debility, etc. Some weavers
have become so despondent as to take their own lives. Since 2002, 175
weavers have committed suicide.
One of the main problems is that
weavers are generally classified as males, while women are not given that
status even though they participate in sari-making in many important ways,
including in the finishing, and work as many hours. This is a major
disadvantage, since the women are deprived of several health scheme benefits
for weavers.
Women often spin and cut thread and
perform other important tasks that are labelled as secondary or menial.
Performing these repetitive tasks is taxing, and involves sitting and working
in uncomfortable positions seven hours at a go. The women suffer from
backache and poor eyesight and are anaemic. When they fall ill they have to
provide money for their own treatment.
Women and children are frequently exploited
in the Varanasi weaving industry. They are an important part of household
production units, but their informal role largely remains invisible and unpaid,
says PVCHR.
Children also often help family members
make saris, having to work for long hours in very tiring conditions while
suffering from malnourishment. Children are usually employed for pattern making
and other small jobs, helping to speed up the whole production process.
Children sometimes work at different jobs to pay for their own meals or to help
repay family loans.
Children of the weavers’ community are
affected the most. With parents busy working at the looms throughout the day,
the children are left unattended. They are also deprived of any proper learning
environment.
PVCHR, that fights for the rights of
marginalised people in several north-Indian states, especially Varanasi, has
suggested several measures to better the lot of the weavers, including setting
up of crèches and educational/nutritional facilities for the children to ensure
their participation and proper care.
It has also suggested that Mobile
Crèches which have experience of working with the children of the unorganised
sector could be contacted for training/ or running of these creches.
PVCHR suggested adoption of a multi-layered
and multi-dimensional programme against hunger and malnutrition among weavers.
These include identification of families of weavers suffering from hunger and
malnutrition; providing emergency support to such families and to analyse the
effectiveness of the social welfare and food security schemes. It has suggested
launching of people-centric advocacy on the basis of “hunger alert” at the
administration, state and central Government and the UN level.
It has also advocated further
understanding the needs of women weavers and creation of special enabling
mechanisms to help facilitate their role in the weaving industry. These could
include designing special looms built with their needs in mind, and a special
fund for women weavers to help them become economically independent.
It has stressed that concentrated
efforts are needed from multi-stakeholders, including civil society
organisations, government, trade unions, media, corporate sector and others in
order to strengthen the weavers community and improve the lot of unorganized
sector workers, especially women.
Following persistent efforts, the
government approved a health insurance plan for weavers in 2005-2006.
Under this scheme, the health expenses of weavers and their families, including
the husband, wife and up to two children, are covered in public hospitals as
well as designated private hospitals.
Among other measures, PVCHR has
suggested waiving the electricity debt and bill of handloom weavers, and a
comprehensive and integrated welfare and food security scheme for weavers.
It has recommended the setting up of
one dedicated hospital in Lucknow and Varanasi, to cure the ailments afflicting
the weavers. Occupational diseases such as byssinosis, numbness in the limbs,
deterioration of eyesight etc. need special attention, which is not available
in general hospitals. It suggested specialised hospitals, on the lines of the
Sambhavana Trust Hospital in Bhopal, established to give specialised medical
care to gas victims in the aftermath of the Bhopal Gas Disaster.
Other measures to improve their
livelihood include setting up middleman-free cooperatives, direct selling
shops, haats, local museums etc.
(The author Lenin Raghuvanshi is
Founder,PVCHR www.pvchr.asia)
