Sanitation Workers of South Asia Dangerous Work Demands Respect and Dignity

This Urban Cinema session features two short documentaries, Dangerous Gutters: South Asia’s Despised Sanitation Workers and Weight of the Waste: Story of Sanitation Workers, spotlighting the lived realities of sanitation workers in Bangladesh and Nepal. Through raw first-hand testimonies, the films reveal the dangerous working conditions, social exclusion and caste-based discrimination faced by workers who sustain urban sanitation systems under extreme risk and with little recognition.

The screening connects directly to WUF13’s theme, “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities,” demonstrating that resilient cities depend not only on infrastructure, but also on the dignity, safety and inclusion of the workers who maintain essential urban services. By highlighting practical gaps in worker protection, fair remuneration and institutional accountability, the session offers an important platform for policymakers, practitioners and urban stakeholders to reflect on more equitable and people-centered approaches to sanitation, housing and urban development.