“If men and women are equal, why are my documents not accepted for my children’s scholarship and only their father’s transfer certificate (TC) is sought,” questioned Saraswati M., a sanitation worker and single mother from Bhangi Colony in Bengaluru.
Her husband passed away eight years ago. “How am I supposed to get a document from someone who is no longer alive and never received formal education?”
She has a daughter in class 7 and a son in class 5. Neither she nor her late husband had formal education, but she is determined that her children should not suffer the way she has.
Saraswati’s struggles are shared by families across 38 slums in seven wards in Bengaluru, home to nearly 18,000 families, most belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, according to a survey conducted by the Slum Mahila Sanghatane.
Many households are headed by widows, separated or abandoned women, many of whom work as sanitation workers, domestic workers, or on seasonal contracts.
