The Relentless Fight to End Manual Scavengin
In this stirring and unflinching closing keynote, human rights activist Bezwada Wilson, founder of Safai Karmachari Andolan, delivers a deeply personal and political account of India’s failure to eliminate manual scavenging which is a dehumanizing practice outlawed in law but persisting in practice. He shares decades of struggle, from grassroots organizing to legal battles in the Supreme Court, and the emotional cost of confronting a caste-driven system that strips dignity from millions.
Wilson recounts the mass mobilization during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the symbolic countdown to eradicate manual scavenging, and the brutal reality of false declarations, bureaucratic apathy, and performative justice. The address moves between memory and momentum, reflecting on intergenerational trauma, the burden of proving the obvious, and the fight for recognition and reparations.
Yet, amidst the heartbreak, there is fierce resolve. “Are we willing to fail 5000 times for justice?” he asks. The answer: a resounding yes.
