International human rights award recognizes Dalit struggle for dignity

The 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights has been jointly awarded to two Indians - the first time that Indians have received the prestigious Korean prize which recognises outstanding effort in promoting human rights, democracy and peace.

Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi of the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), in Varanasi, receives this year's award for his spirited resistance against the caste system to secure dignity for thousands of Dalits.

The award - which carries prize money of US$ 50,000, a gold medal and a certificate - is shared by Irom Sharmila of Manipur state who has fought against the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act for six years.

The ceremony in Gwangju City, Korea marks the 27th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju uprising in 1980. Over 200 people were massacred when people in Gwagju, the South Korean city rose up against military rule and demanded democracy. Past recipients include Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar and Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor.

Dignity for Dalits

Thirty seven year old Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi who has a bachelor’s degree in Ayurveda, modern medicine and surgery has struggled for much of his lifetime to bring the problems of marginalized communities in India to national and international attention. He draws inspiration from his grandfather who was a freedom fighter in India’s struggle for independence from British rule.

“My grandfather used to say: If you want to eliminate the root cause of disease, you would have to empower people. Medicine alone is not enough,” says Dr Lenin.

With the support of ActionAid and others he has fought hard against the practice of untouchability, child labour and dehumanizing work such as manual scavenging.

"Over the years, I have been very involved in and worried about the situation of marginalized children. In 1996 I founded PVCHR to reeducate children who were forced to work," says Dr Raghuvanshi.

Fighting hunger

The fight to end hunger among disadvantaged groups including Muslim weavers in Varanasi and Dalits groups - Musahars, Nut, Khanjar, Ghasia, Kol, Kharwar, and Chamar - in Eastern Uttar Pradesh has been a major focus of ActionAid's partnership with PVCHR.

"We have managed to put hunger on the agenda of government and make it a priority," says Dr Raghuvanshi.

Thanks to PVCHR, pro-poor programmes of the government - anganawadis that provide nutritious mix to children under six, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act that promises villagers 100 days of work, midday meals for children in government schools and the public distribution system - have been under constant scrutiny. This has helped to ensure that the benefits reach India's poorest.

Education for all

In 2004, Lenin founded a community-based organisation Jan Mitra Nyas or 'people-friendly association'. This ActionAid-backed initiative adopted three villages and an urban slum.

Their ambitious agenda includes reopening an elementary school, abolishing bonded labour, encouraging education for girls and spreading non-traditional education.

In other rural areas with no elementary education PVCHR has opened education centres for children in 45 villages.

By Dalits for Dalits

In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, ActionAid and partners are working with Dalits to fight caste-based discrimination and atrocities. Dalit Samakhya, a people’s collective backed by ActionAid is going from strength to strength and now covers 347 villages and has equal number of men and women members.