Marginalization is the treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral. History books are filled with various citations of discrimination against the marginalized groups including the scheduled tribes, scheduled caste, the disabled and women where they were explicitly denied hygienic water, nutritious food and a safe place to sleep in.
Marginalized groups today face difficulty in getting access to good education, respectable workplace, voice to opinions are not economically stable and dependent on others for survival and often just become votes banks for the political parties. Marginalization is not only threatening to the economic and physical wellbeing but also the mental health of the marginalized individuals as they are constantly dominated in the society. Marginal groups often start believing in the lies of the society and start accepting the lies which call them unworthy and insignificant and lose confidence and self-belief.
The fundamental right of India includes right to equality mentioned in Article 14,15,16,17 and 18 of the Indian constitution states equality before the law, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, gender or place of birth, and equality of opportunity in matters of employment, an abolition of untouchability and abolition of titles. The government is constantly taking various steps and making laws to protect the marginalized however it can’t just be the government that tries to bring forward the marginalized, even the efforts of NGOs may fall short if the society as a whole does not change their perspective as to the way they treat individuals. It is often said that the way one treats others is a representation of them and not the person they treat, discrimination against others puts forward the orthodox and uneducated mindset of the society.
