READ (Rights Education and Development Centre)
Rights Education and Development Centre (READ) is a community based organization formed in 2001 to ensure quality education to Arundhatiyar children and to protect the rights of Arundhatiyars. The Arundhatiyar community (also known as chakiliar) is popularly known as ‘dalits’ and ‘untouchables’ in India. It is one of the most marginalized communities even amongst the dalits and is the most exploited by the dominant communities in India. The organisation has been focusing on abolition of the bonded labour system prevalent in Tamil Nadu. The Arundhaitiyar community living in abject poverty and discriminative and exploitative environment is forced into bondage and generations of exploitative labour. At present, READ works in Sathyamangalam block, Erode district of Tamil Nadu. The organization believes that every Arundhatiyar person has the right to education, economic development, dignity of life and personal liberty. READ is headed by a renowned Dalit Rights activist - Mr. R. Karuppusamy who has had years’ long experience of fighting for the rights of the Arundhatiyar community. He has been actively working towards ensuring quality education-primary and higher, to children from Arundhatiyar community and focussing on federating women at taluk and district level and encouraging them to form women’s banks. He has also been instrumental in organising community based activists and groups working on Arundhatiyars rights to form a collective which has been named the Arundhatiyar Human Rights Forum. Through the collective, various advocacy initiatives have been introduced specifically focussing on trafficking of Arundhatiyar children for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour; violence against Arundhatiyar children and abolishing the practice of forceful-and exploitative manual scavenging done by the Arundhatiyar community.
Vision:
Every Arundhatiyar person’s basic fundamental rights are protected, more specifically the rights to education, economic development, dignity of life and personal liberty
Objectives:
- Ensure quality education to all Arundhatiyar children
- Providing Arundhatiyars with opportunities to participate in local decision-making process through their children’s parliament activities
- Enhance the overall capacity of Arundhatiyar women in Sathyamangalam area
- Enhance education and occupational opportunities for Arundhatiyar youth in the Sathyamangalam area
- Research and documentation of field practices
- Ensure protection of human rights for Arundhatiyars at district and state level
EveryChild India and READ: Working together
EveryChild entered into partnership with READ in October 2006 to implement the Engal Kural (Our Voice) Project in 71 villages in Sathyamangalam block, Erode district of Tamil Nadu. Through the project, READ has been doing admirable work by reaching out to child labourers and bonded labourers through their National Child Labour Projects schools since April 2005 and running activity child activity centres focussing Arundhatiyar children. READ has also intervened in rescuing child bonded labourers and families in bondage and making sure they are able to avail the benefits of the Bonded labour relief and rehabilitation programme of the State Government.
Read more about the EveryChild India Engal Kural Project
Contact us:
READ- Rights Education and Development Centre
27/1-Muniyappar Street,
Rangasamuthiram Post
Sathyamangalam 638402,
Erode (Distt.)
Tamil Nadu, India
Phone No: 91-4295-224313 / 91-9842090035 (Mr. Karuppusamy)
Email: padi.sathy@gmail.com
Website: www.readindia.org.in
Blog: www.arunthathiyer-tamilnadu.blogspot.com
