CWS appeal: Post-tsunami rehabilitation for Dalit communities (India)

The December 2004 tsunami that struck the southern Indian coastal belt heavily affected the state of Tamil Nadu, with the majority of those affected being fisher-folk who lived close to the sea.

Among those also affected were members of Dalit communities, who have long faced discrimination in India. While their homes were not completely washed away, as was the case with other fishing laborers -- Dalit communities tend to be located further from the sea itself -- the Dalits have been seriously affected because they both lost livelihoods and do not own any cultivable land but work for daily wages in agriculture or fishing.

The tsunami inundated the agricultural lands the Dalits work on and as a result, significantly reduced productivity. This has consequently severely affected their earnings. Despite the drop in productivity the Dalits still have to provide the same payment to the landlords that they did previously. Exacerbating the situation is the fact that the Dalits live in thatched houses. During the annual monsoon season, the Dalit villages are flooded and their houses damaged.

A “caste bias” has enabled property owners, boat owners and land owners to receive more compensation than the Dalits. The entrenched social discrimination on the basis of gender, caste and class has caused further marginalized the Dalits and other excluded groups. In addition, many people have also been left out of the rehabilitation process due to contested/denied legal entitlements -- many Dalits do not hold any land documents.

While there were some efforts to consider solutions that might address these issues through a government response plan, in the end those have failed and what ultimately resulted has been the physical eviction of many Dalits from their homes.

State bodies now refuse to recognize the Dalits’ legal title to land which they have occupied for generations. Exclusion has also occurred based on livelihood: fishing, which is the most dominant occupation, tends to overshadow other direct or indirect means of livelihood such as agriculture and non-farm activities even though studies indicate that for every person going out to sea there may be four employed in related and land based activities.

Providing Dalit communities stable, disaster- resistant, permanent houses will address some of the many problems they face.

RESPONSE: Church World Service is supporting the efforts of long-time CWS partner and fellow Action by Churches Together (ACT) International member Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), India.

In a statement about the situation of the Dalits, CASA has noted that often the mindset of those working in the field of disaster response is “to unknowingly work towards retaining the existing power structure and bring back the de facto status quo, post-disaster. In every society, there are rich and poor, powerful and powerless, oppressor and oppressed, haves and have-nots. However, disaster gives an opportunity to break this barrier. For only a short time though, it brings both these groups on the same platform. It is important to address the power structure and bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots, during the rehabilitation process, otherwise the de facto status quo will remain.”

“There is a role for a faith-based NGO like CASA to also take the side of the poor and excluded sections of society in a scenario where the needs, hopes and aspirations of the majority community (fisher folk) have been held paramount by most NGOs and the (government).This has to be done with extreme sensitivity and with a balanced approach so as not to damage the social fabric.

“CASA is committed to bringing about transformation in the lives of the marginalized and excluded through its Tsunami interventions. CASA sees this disaster - the Tsunami, as a window of opportunity to uplift the poor, marginalised and excluded communities and provide them with a quality life. CASA wants to break down the de facto status quo and help build lives based on dignity and equity. It is a challenge for us to ensure that the rights and entitlements of these socially and economically vulnerable sections of society are not neglected, (but) rather are given a priority in our programs.”

CWS-supported program response objectives are: to provide 1,380 Dalit families disaster resistant housing in the districts of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin; to build three multipurpose community centers in these communities that can be used as shelters during any future emergencies; constructing three recreational parks; repairing/reconstructing community infrastructure, including roads and village gates.

Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be made online, sent to your denomination, or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Please designate: Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation For Dalit Communities (#6996).