A SAHAJ INITIATIVE FOR THE RIGHTS OF HOMELESS IN MUMBAI
The urban homeless represent the poorest of the poor in urban society who have to survive with only two of their basic human needs being met – Roti(food) and kapda (clothing), but no makan(shelter). Homeless people also called “Rough sleepers” in western countries. They are noticeable all through the later part of night in the city,
sleeping on the roadside pavements, on dividers, above hand carts, at
staircases of religious places, under the bastion of closed shops, beneath over
bridges, at railway platforms, on sea beaches and so on. However, this is an
image which leads people to conjure up images of substance abusers,
pick-pockets, thieves and unclean rowdies - an image which is not quite the
truth;
Simple things like finding a job, taking a shower are things we take for granted, but are problems for homeless people. How a homeless person goes about getting a job? What address and phone number would they use as a contact? A lot of these things we take for granted, but they are real concerns for the homeless. There are some homeless people
who face mental illness issues, but they often fall through the cracks of the
system and have a harder time accessing health care. They can be seen as scary
and crazy, but a rich artist or movie star with mental health problems is often
described as eccentric. Addictions are sometimes a problem as well with similar
dynamics in attitudes between the rich and the poor. This group due to its generally unclean outward appearance has difficulty in accessing basic facilities of health, shelter and protection. Most importantly they are an easy and vulnerable target even for law enforcement agencies; their very existence being under threat with rampant violations of their constitutional, legal and human rights. Article 21 of our Indian Constitution grants its citizens right to life with dignity, but the conditions in which homeless are forced to live de-dignify a person and violate all his/ her rights.
Interventions:
§ Emergency interventions: this is especially to support homeless during times of medical emergencies and harassment by police and administration.
§ Mobilisation and collectivization to form city level collectives of homeless
§ Psycho-social support and Capacity building through various trainings designed to strengthen team and leadership capacities.
§ Mobilisation and collectivization to form city level collectives of homeless
§ Psycho-social support and Capacity building through various trainings designed to strengthen team and leadership capacities.
Areas: Grant road, Opera house, Mahim retibunder