Efforts Towards A Humane Society

1. Efforts Towards AHumane Society By: Bastu Rege Santulan Executive Director Constructive Struggle towards Empowerment of the Marginalised

2. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Quarry Sector • Working as a Social Worker in Pune, Maharashtra, India • Witnessed an accident - Child run over by Truck from the Quarry.

3. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN People in Quarries ? • Saw the conditions that the workers were living in. Can there be worst life conditions than this ?

4. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Migrants within India ? • Quarry workers had migrated with their families from their home village to earn money for their survival. • The reason for their migration could be due to: • Indebtedness • Drought • Displaced from their land • Lack of opportunity

5. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Living conditions: • Most Quarry families live next to quarry sites with no access to: • Clean water • Healthcare • Schools • Fresh food

6. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Working Conditions • They are employed through a contractor: • Paid on piece rate • Easily exploited • No insurance • No social security • No pensions • No Benefits • No union.

7. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Health Issues • Hazardous occupation. • Workers and their families exposed to dust: • Causes silicosis and lung disease • Skin allergies • Children’s lungs found to be badly effected in medical study • Dysentery is common due to poor water supply. • High rate of Accidents and insures. • Workers vulnerable to HIV-AIDS.

8. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Women workers’ condition • Women and young girls are the easy victims. • Women play abroad earners role in most families. • Most women are married early, early motherhood, … • Most women suffer from gynecological problems. • Over 80% women suffer from anemia. • On an average after the age of 40-45 women are unable to in quarry

9. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Children in Quarry Generally stone quarry children are allotted to: - Taking care of their siblings, fetching water, washing clothes, guarding doorless homes and preparing food and taking it to their parents. - Join parents at work in quarries at the age of 10 to 12 years. - Girls are forced to get married at an early age. - All members are expected to work for family survival.

10. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Social Issues • They have no birth record and aren’t registered with the government. • They are not included in any of the Government census including population. • They are migrant population, - No residential proof. • No Ration cards • No access to public food distribution systems • Not listed in Voting • Government welfare schemes and programs

11. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Legal Issues • Mines Act 1957 has classified Quarry sector under Minor Mineral. • Quarry is categorized as Labor Intensive & Small Scale Industry. • State Governments frame rules for lease and licensing of Quarries. • No specific Laws to protect Quarry workers. • No labor records with quarry companies . • No labor records with labor departments. • Hardly any monitoring visits to quarries.

12. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Stone Quarries in Maharashtra • Maharashtra with over 33 cities is growing in population and construction activities. • Over 5 million people living amid stone quarries. • 1.5 million workers, engaged in the stone quarry and crushing sector. • Over 1 million children (0 – 18 years) living amid stone quarries. • Stone quarry workers are from poor sections of the community such as dalits, tribals and landless labourers.

13. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Santulan- Interventions • Vision SANTULAN established in 1997 to work towards the rights and empowerment of socio-economically marginalized communities in India. • Mission Overall goal is to fight poverty and marginalization through development and rights through means of Education, Organization and Development.

14. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Focused Areas: Areas Covered By Santulan

15. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 1. Alternative Innovative Education • Child centered educational program, named "Pashan Shala”(Quarry School), amongst quarry worker’s colonies. • Helps reduce child labour. • Education amongst children.

16. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Pashan Shala- Adapted to the needs of quarry community • No documents required for entry. • Timing of schools to suit family so that they can assist parents. • Children can bring younger siblings. • Informal multi-class setup where children are taught as per their ability and timings. • Allows illiterate older children to study multiple grades each year until they reach the grade appropriate for their age.

17. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Pashan Shalas • Annually educate over 3,500 students across Maharashtra state. • Reduce child labour • Reduce child marriages. • Changing a generation…

18. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Sunita Nimbalkar – yr 12. • Migrated to Kolhapur from Karnataka with parents who work in quarry • Took care of her 2 brothers and sister • Took food to parents at mine where she was struck by stone chip and injured • Started education at 10 in Pashan Shala Passed 10th std. aged 15

19. Prepared by Students f T.A.Pai Management Institute, Manipal

20. Prepared by Students f T.A.Pai Management Institute, Manipal

21. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 2. Residential Schools SANTULAN initiates pilot Residential schools for migrant quarry & street begging children in two places i.e. Pune & Kolhapur in temporary shelters

22. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Residential Schools - success • Reduced migration of children . • Provided continuity and consistency in education. • Protected orphans and children with special needs • Reduced child labourers & girls Child marriages • Create a safe, positive environment for children to live, learn and personally develop • Improve children’s health by having them live in a safe, dust free place with clean water and good food. • Provided children with the opportunity to break free of the poverty cycle by receiving an education. • Provide access to a wider range of disciplines, including mechanical, technical trades, agriculture and self-employment

23. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 3. Supplementary Nutrition • Many children found to be undernourished. Reasons: Insufficient food and an unbalanced diet. • Santulan launched a mid-day meal program in 2001. • Food provided at all quarry schools from Monday to Saturday.

24. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 4. Health and Safety • First-aid boxes provided at each quarry school for the community. • Monthly health check-up for children. • Health check-up camps for workers. • Health and Safety awareness meetings with workers. • Organise access to public health services.

25. Prepared by Students of T.A.Pai Management Institute, Manipal

26. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 5. Youth Development • Youth are mostly illiterate and unskilled. • Youth Skill training programs. • Youth leadership and awareness training camps. • Youth Quarry Workers cooperative for self employment.

27. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 6. Women’s Empowerment • Women’s literacy programs • Self Help Groups • Micro Credit for self employments. • leadership & skill straining. • Access to welfare programmers. • Protection at work place • Awareness on no to girl child marriages • Equal opportunities • Gender equality.

28. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 7. Community Co-operatives • Quarry Cooperative • Access to mining leases • Housing Cooperative • Right to housing • Micro Credit Cooperative • Women’s Self-Help Groups • Women's Industrial Cooperative - Alternate self employment

29. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 8. Quarry Workers Union • Workplace union • Worker’s insurance and compensation

30. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 9. Legal Aid and Counseling • Free and fast family dispute resolution • Legal support for women and workers in distress • Amicable settlements with no costs • Supporting families harassed by police • Releasing victims from Jails. • Legal awareness. • Reconciliation in caste-cultural conflicts. • Promote Confidence and dignity of life

31. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN 10. Advocacy for Policy Change • Achieving worker’s basic rights through • People’s mobilisation • Media mobilisation • Judicial mobilisation • Legislator’s mobilisation

32. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Quarry workers to get Ration Cards • Every migrant Quarry family has Ration card • Every family has access to subsidized Public Food Distribution system. • Independent PFD shop for Quarry workers women’s collective in Pune

33. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Quarry workers in Voting list • Quarry Workers enrolled in voting list.

34. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Quarry Workers get electricity • Quarry Workers encroached on Government owned land get legal electricity connections

35. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Quarry workers Water Tank • On Behalf of quarry workers a Public Interest Litigation field in High Court Mumbai by Santulan in 2005 • Final Judgment came in favor in quarry workers to providing drinking water scheme for over 5000 quarry workers families.

36. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Suresh Pawar – Santulan Staff • From original stone breaking family – Solapur • Came to Pune aged 3 • Father died of Silicosis when he was 6 • Mother couldn’t feed all 5 children so 4 were put in a hostel, including Suresh • Finished 10th Std. • Applied to Defence Force • Went to work in quarry where he had a serious accident. • Since then has dedicated his life to Santulan’s work.

37. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Some of the Achievements So Far • 19 stone quarry families received 8,15,000/- rupees as claims on insurance. • 171 children received an educational scholarship of Rs. 1,92, 600/- • 650 quarry families received electricity. • 267 child labourers and street children rehabilitated. • 660 youth formed youth cooperatives. • 472 family and labour disputes have been amicably settled. • 2,690 stone quarry families received Ration cards and access to Public Food Supply. • 3000 women are in self help activities • 25,000 stone quarry workers protected under Janashri Bima Yojana insurance scheme. • 29,036 stone quarry children provided Education, Nutrition and Healthcare. Over 500,000 people have directly or indirectly benefited from Santulan’s various programs. Much more is to be achieved…

38. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Issues of Development – pending projects • 1. Residential School • Santulan puts forward the residential school model that fits within the RTI category of specified category of children. • Covered migrant children • Reduces child labourers • Protects the orphans & children with special needs • Whose parents can’t support them.

39. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Residential School Sites for construction • Santulan has land in 3 Pune, Satara and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra. • We are planning to build the first residential schools for Quarry community children in these places with all amenities.

40. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Issues of Development – pending projects • 2. Women’s Training Centre • Illiterate, low educated and unskilled stone quarry, rural and urban slums women and young girls training in various skills. • Higher educational courses for low educated women and school drop our. • Short stay home for women and girls in distress. • Hostels for working women & studying girls

41. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Issues of Development – pending projects • 3. Quarry Safety Training Centre • To help overcome these challenges Santulan is planning to establish an Vocational Skills Training Centre. • Intended especially for: • Unemployed youth • Exploited youth • Unskilled youth

42. SANTULAN Social AnimatioN Towards United Liberative ActioN Issues of Development – pending projects 4. People’s Initiatives & Entitlement • Quarry Business Cooperatives • Housing Rights Cooperatives • Women Self Employment coop

43. Thank you Your support is much valuable to us Contact us on info@santulan.org For more information: www.santulan.org