By IANS,
New Delhi: The Orissa government has issued a notification abolishing the practice of exacting work from barbers and washermen by upper caste families under the customary ‘bartan’ system, a statement by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said.
Under the bartan system, the workers are paid a pittance like 15 kg of paddy for the whole year.
“With the intervention of the NHRC and relentless efforts of the petitioner, Baghambar Pattanaik, since 2006, the Orissa government issued a notification on Feb 17, 2011 abolishing the practice of bartan system,” the statement said.
The notification records that “some of these customs and traditions are exploitative and beneath the dignity of human beings. Some have gone to the extent of forcing the barbers to wash the feet of guests during social ceremonies like marriage”.
“The commission in its recent camp sitting in Orissa on Jan 18, 2011 again asked the state authorities to stop ‘bartan’ system and take action against those who failed to stop this illegal practice or abetted it,” the statement added.