Unique Programs of HEAL Movement

Sea Shell Workers

Introduction:

HEAL Movement has a partnership with American Jewish World Service, AJWS, New York, USA, to improve the living conditions of Sea Shell Collectors in Kanyakumari District. The project was titled as Sea Shell Collectors Federation in Tsunami Affected Communities. It was commenced during 2006 to 2013 and is still continuing as a self-sustainable unique project.

The woes of the voiceless and faceless community:

As the destruction and devastation caused by the killer waves of tsunami attracted global attention through the media, the woes and sufferings of a voiceless and faceless sea dependent community, i.e. sea shell collectors/workers community, had been buried deep unnoticed in the sands. The Govt. Statistics conveniently overlooked the loss of nine lives, injury sustained by 18 seashell collector/workers and the loss of livelihood materials to the tune of Rs.2.5 lakhs.

It is widely believed that fishermen community is the only community depending on the sea for their very survival. But the seashell collectors/workers community is also a totally sea-dependent community.

The dead mollusk white shells washed ashore by the invading waves are the primary raw materials for manufacturing lime powder used mainly for white washing houses.

A section of the community particularly adult males, are involved in the collection of such shells during the four months season period in a year.

The community:

The seashell collectors/workers community is scheduled under scheduled caste category in the caste calendar of the Govt. The entire community, numbering 2996 are scattered in 14 villages adjacent to the coastal belt of Kanyakumari district. Though they live with other communities, their social interaction with other communities is very limited in view of their caste identify and occupation. Like fishermen, they are called 'Chunnambukaran' meaning 'people dealing with lime'.

Occupation:

The community has a group of adult males who collect dead shells in the seashore and transport them to the villages. The surplus shells are stored in the seashore for future use.

In the village, the women do cleaning the shells of dirt and bake them in the traditional ovens locally called chullas. The adult males/females are involved in baking activities. The end product, ie lime powder is marketed through merchants.

This simple description of the economy of the seashell cottage industry does not reflect the exploitation and sufferings faced by this faceless community.

Like fishing, seashell baking is also a seasonal activity. The community does not have adequate storage facility to store the shells during the season and continue lime production for longer periods. Once the shells are baked into lime, their immediate concern is to market them. In the absence of a regulated market, they rely only on local merchants who exploit the dependency factor of the community to the maximum advantage.

The community depends on the merchants for all sorts of financial contingencies. The merchants in turn extend family loans at exorbitant rate of interest and keep them as de facto bonded labourers ie, the community shall sell the end products only to the merchants at a price fixed by them which is usually much lower than the open market price.

The economic woe does not stop with the merchants alone. There is a prohibited Marine Wild Animals under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 in existence which prohibits the collection of endangered marine species from the sea/seashore. Though the dead white mollusks are not covered by the Act, the Govt. officials used to harass the seashell collectors under the pretext of the Act.

The Govt. has also not recognized seashell occupation as a cottage industry. So the community does not stand qualified to avail benefits extended to Govt. approved cottage industries.

In this context, whatever income the community earns during the period of seashell collection is hardly adequate enough to meet both household ends throughout the year. In economic terms, they live below the poverty line.

The literacy status of the community is also not rosy. This is reflected in the lack of interest in the education of the children. Moreover, traditional value systems and superstitions are very strong among this socially closed community. Therefore, the women not only suffer gender discrimination but, do not get opportunity to develop adequate skills for alternative employment.

Thus alternate livelihood options of the community is also very break.

The technology and mode of production is traditional and hence it is obsolete and irrelevant in the context of modernization. Not only the cost of production is high but the shell based products are not competitive in the consumer market flooded by similar high quality products dumped by corporate business houses.

The economic hardships being faced by the community in the wake of Tsunami shall be understood better in the above context.

The tsunami waves simply washed into the sea huge deposits of shells stored in the seashore by the community.

The 59 traditional ovens ground to a halt immediately after tsunami in view of the non-availability of seashells. The tale of misery continued for another one year as the marine eco system underwent drastic change for the worst resulting in non-availability of sea shells.

The community already reeling under poverty was reduced to near starvation. It was unfortunate that the tale of tragedies of the fishermen community occupied the headlines of the media. As a result, the Govt. also failed to include community as affected by tsunami. The NGOs and INGOs preoccupied in the relief and rehabilitation of the fishermen community also ignored the sufferings of the seashell collectors/workers.

THE Status of Children, Women, Livelihood, Community and the Challenges they face in the Seashell Collections/Workers Committees

Children

• Deprivation of physical, mental and emotional well being.
• Denial of basic education, child rights and protection / Inaccessibility to higher education
• Violence of child right, Child labour, School dropouts,
• Discrimination in issuing caste certificate, social and Gender Discrimination in education.

Women:

• Deprivation of physical, mental and emotional well-being / denial of social recognition.
• Non availability of alternative employment / vocational skill education /Gender discrimination
• Unorganized status of women affecting their Livelihood resources.

Occupation:

• Traditional method of occupation/ solely Dependent on the sea / No social recognition
• Raw material available only during seasons (June, July, December, January, February and March), unable to address the Competition in the market without basic skills and technical knowledge to survive, No fixed price of the product, Inadequate income to meet family expenses, Occupational health hazards, Unskilled in assessing the grading of the shells, for the occupation,
• No Govt. support, Appropriation of their labour against the market rate as they avail of advance loan

Community:

• Lack of community organization.
• Unorganized, unrecognized group discriminated by caste, denied social and political recognition.
• Lack of alternative employment during the other period of the year.
• Lack of awareness of the health hazards involved in the occupation / no land ownership title or land

Challenges:

• Prohibited Marine wild animals under wildlife (Protection) Act 1972,
• The sea shell occupation was not included in the Govt. statistics,
• Community without political recognition,
• Religious fundamentalism in thinking,
• Inability to get caste certificate (caste identification is an important aspect to avail/claim the corresponding benefits from the government schemes and opportunities),
• Community without caste consciousness,
• Govt. policy on tourism development

Need

Children

• Adequate nutrition supply and Preschool education
• Permanent recreation centre, Scholarship for higher education.
• Creative learning environment to stop dropouts.
• Ensuring a child labour free community.

Women:

• Awareness on education, Education and financial support for alternative employment.
• Strengthening the federation of women, Socio legal training on women.
• Education on health and family welfare, Social and political recognition to the participation of women, Ensuring freedom to worship

Occupation:

• New technology in production methods.
• Permanent market outlet for seashell products.
• Easy finance to upgrade the seashell products.
• Recognition from the Govt. departments particularly Dept. of cottage industry.
• Construction of pollution free ovens

Community:

• Permanent habitation and land ownership title / housing facility for the members in the community.
• Protection of livelihood resources,
• Community center, library, drinking water facility in each village to ensure focus on community health development activities, Insurance and relief fund.
• Strengthening the federation at community level

Advocacy:

• Lobbying with the local traditional village level administration structures like parish council and diocesan leaders to support coexistence of the fishermen with the sea shell workers so as to enable their livelihood peacefully.
• Amendment in the 1972 marine animals protection Act,
• Inclusion of seashell activity in the Govt. schedule of cottage industries.
• Providing political recognition of the community.
• Lobbying with the Govt. to issue caste certificates.
• Establishing and strengthening of grass root level advocacy group,
• Govt. tourism development policy changes

Interventions

Children:

• Identification of children affected physically, mentally and emotionally.
• Problem and need identification in the community.
• Supply of nutrition, medicines, play and educational materials to the children and distribution of provision to the family.
• Psycho-social counseling to the women and children.
• Formation of new children circle to ensure child right, Special attention on primary school enrolment for school going children particularly girls, Early childhood care , Inter village children's Mela, Inter community get together and participation of children
• Training on cultural activities, Construction of Psycho-Socio care centre, Exhibition on the creativity of the children

Among Women:

• Formation of SHGs, Association for women and Leadership and Alternative skill training
• Linkage with Govt. departments and banks, Information on Govt. welfare and development schemes given to women, Revolving fund for women
• Awareness education on community and occupation, child education and rights, income generation activities.

In Occupation:

• Awareness on new technology in the occupation, Floating an idea to extend the market and procure raw materials through co-operatives.
• Alternative employment for women and youth, imparting knowledge on grading various types of shells,
• Efforts taken to avail of Govt. and Bank supports for the seashell industry,
• Eliminating child labour while starting alternative employment, 16 types of alternative employment have been identified, 16 types of alternative employment have been identified,
• Providing Equipments for sea shell production,
• Linkages with Govt. departments and people's organisations, Issue of occupation identity card, Recognition of the community by the local body, Linkages with other villages, Information of Govt. welfare programme to the community

In Community:

• Assessment of the community problems /Community based organisation of the people, Sensitizing the community that they have been affected.
• Availing of family ration to the community, Medical support to the community.
• Formation of separate SHGs for men and women, Formation of federation.
• Providing seed money, Training on alternative employment, Leadership training to the community, Providing occupation equipments.
• Linkages with Govt. departments , peoples representatives and other institutions, Interaction with local bodies, Interaction with other villages / Inter religious villages, Information about the Govt. schemes

Advocacy:

Significant Impact through this intervention:

• The Kanyakumari district is a communal sensitive area since 1982 (Mandaikadu riots). In the Tsunami context, the entire coastal belt belongs to Roman Catholic Community. The adjourned 14 sea shell collectors / workers villages belong to the orthodox Hindu community. The occupation wise seashell collector's community depends on the sea like the sea going fishermen community. But the Govt. declared only the coastal fishermen affected for relief and rehabilitation. The sea shell collectors / workers community is not included in the rehabilitation process. HEAL understood the pressing need of sea shell collectors/workers community and also those directly affected fisher men community. Out of the 14 villages, HEAL interacted with two villages for the last 17 years and pointed out the negligence of the Government to categorize the sea shell workers under the affected community in its schedule. It created an atmosphere for manipulation by vested interests. But the timely intervention of HEAL to avoid th e manipulation of this reality by the vested interests prevented the communal clash.
• The Sea shell workers community was recognized by the neighboring communities and the government
• The got an identity card from the concerned departments
• Improve the girl child education
• They have a Federation called Sea Shell Workers Federation (SSWF) Kanyakumari District-2005 with the membership 2234 which leads to empower the community stand there own legs.