‘Hidden Apartheid’ of Discrimination Against Dalits

[Mr.Spock]

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/13/india15303.htm

India has systematically failed to uphold its international legal obligations to ensure the fundamental human rights of Dalits, or so-called untouchables, despite laws and policies against caste discrimination, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. More than 165 million Dalits in India are condemned to a lifetime of abuse simply because of their caste.

...
Dalits endure segregation in housing, schools, and access to public services. They are denied access to land, forced to work in degrading conditions, and routinely abused at the hands of the police and upper-caste community members who enjoy the state’s protection. Entrenched discrimination violates Dalits’ rights to education, health, housing, property, freedom of religion, free choice of employment, and equal treatment before the law. Dalits also suffer routine violations of their right to life and security of person through state-sponsored or -sanctioned acts of violence, including torture.

Caste-motivated killings, rapes, and other abuses are a daily occurrence in India. Between 2001 and 2002 close to 58,000 cases were registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act – legislation that criminalizes particularly egregious abuses against Dalits and tribal community members. A 2005 government report states that a crime is committed against a Dalit every 20 minutes. Though staggering, these figures represent only a fraction of actual incidents since many Dalits do not register cases for fear of retaliation by the police and upper-caste individuals.
...

and i thought things in my country are bad.

 

[Baron Max]

India is a storehouse of "Human Rights Violations" ....they've got so many violations that the UN can't even list them all. And oddly, India ain't doin' a fuckin' thing about them.

I've also been reading up on police brutality in India ....it's so fuckin' horrendous that it amazes me that Sam can even mention police brutality in other nations of the world (like she constantly does against the USA).

Political corruption is so bad that India is used as an example for what NOT to do!!

Baron Max

 

[Mr.Spock]

India is a storehouse of "Human Rights Violations" ....they've got so many violations that the UN can't even list them all. And oddly, India ain't doin' a fuckin' thing about them.

I've also been reading up on police brutality in India ....it's so fuckin' horrendous that it amazes me that Sam can even mention police brutality in other nations of the world (like she constantly does against the USA).

Political corruption is so bad that India is used as an example for what NOT to do!!

Baron Max

i sure am glad i dont live in india.

 

[Prince_James]

India is great...if you're upper caste.

Just don't be a serf untouchable.

 

[S.A.M.]

Yes the condition of Dalits in India is terrible. Especially the atrocities they suffer from the established "higher castes"

http://www.ambedkar.org/crime.htm


The government is totally useless of course

The Indian government has failed to prevent widespread violence and discrimination against more than 160 million people at the bottom of the Hindu caste system, Human Rights Watch charged in a report released today. The report, Broken People: Caste Violence Against India's "Untouchables," calls on the Indian government to disband private militias and implement national legislation to prevent and prosecute caste-based attacks.

Untouchability" was abolished under India's constitution in 1950. Yet entire villages in many Indian states remain completely segregated by caste, in what has been called "hidden apartheid." Untouchables, or Dalits -- the name literally means "broken" people -- may not enter the higher-caste sections of villages, may not use the same wells, wear shoes in the presence of upper castes, visit the same temples, drink from the same cups in tea stalls, or lay claim to land that is legally theirs. Dalit children are frequently made to sit in the back of classrooms. Dalit villagers have been the victims of many brutal massacres in recent years.

"'Untouchability' is not an ancient cultural artifact, it is human rights abuse on a vast scale," said Smita Narula, researcher for the Asia division of Human Rights Watch and author of the report. "The tools for change are in place -- what is lacking is the political will for their implementation." Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring organization based in New York.

The lack of political will for change is the major reason why this system is still prevalent 60 years after Independence.

Even measures taken by the government in the private,

Indian Firms Must Hire 'Dalits' Says Gov't
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta

NEW DELHI, Mar 28 (IPS) - -India's left-leaning, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has on the anvil controversial legislation that would see jobs reserved for ‘dalits' (people socially deemed low caste by birth) in private corporations after a pattern that has long existed in the public sector.

Opposition to the proposed law is already building up from influential industrialists and others who see it as negative discrimination that would hamper a new drive by Indian companies to become globally competitive. But others see it as essential to a slow but long-standing programme of affirmative action.

Those in favour of the move claim the proposed new law could significantly alter ancient social equations in the country. The basic idea would be to reduce the incidence of not just economic inequality but social injustice as well in India's highly hierarchical society. The fact that the private sector has been providing more employment opportunities than public corporations in recent years, has spurred moves to reserve jobs in entities that are privately owned and controlled.

and public sector,

After India gained independence, the Constitution of India listed some erstwhile groups as Scheduled castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). The Constitution laid down that 15% and 7.5% of vacancies to government aided educational institutes and for jobs in the government/ public sector, as reserved quota for the SC and ST candidates respectively.

Later reservations were introduced for other sections as well. The supreme court ruling that reservations cannot exceed 50% (that would be violative of equality guaranteed by the constitution) has put a cap on reservations, but there are state laws that exceed this 50% limit and these are under litigation in the supreme court. For example, the caste based reservation fraction stands at 69% and is applicable to about 87% of the population in the state of Tamil Nadu (see section on Tamil Nadu below).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservation_in_India

or at policy level

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1928485,0008.htm
Alarmed at the growing rate of atrocities against Dalits and high acquittal rates in such crimes, the Centre has appointed a high-level committee for effective coordination to devise ways and means to curb such offences.

The Committee headed by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment would also see effective implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Ministry Sources said.

The government is very keen to handle the atrocity cases under the Prevention of Crime Act, 1955, and SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 at the highest level in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and has held several meetings with representatives from different states to finalise an effective action plan in this regard.

are clearly only implemented on paper.

Reservations have become a joke. We all know the statistics. More than 80 per cent of Dalit students never make it past Class X; more than 80 per cent of the reserved seats in vocational institutes remain unused; and in engineering colleges it's even worse — more than 90 per cent of seats in the reserved category just lie empty.
What does this say? Two things. First, what's the point of all these reservations if there aren't enough qualified people to make use of them? But second, and more importantly, who should take responsibility for this gap between promise and possibility? Surely, this is the failure of governance, the failure of the State?

Mr. Prasad criticised the State Government for its "non-commitment" to the welfare of Dalits, and pointed out that the perpetrators of violence against them had not been arrested yet.

He said though Gummanahalli was in Mandya District from where the Chief Minister was elected, the latter had not ``cared to visit the spot and express his sentiments'' towards the victims. Even the Home Minister had not bothered to pay a visit. This indicated the lack of seriousness on the part of the Government to deal sternly with atrocities against Dalits.

non governmental organisations (NGOs) are pushing for changes in government policy

http://www.dalits.org/delhidecl.htm

but there are issues there too.

Be that as it may, the tragedy of the dalits is that Dr. Ambedkar's legacy, which ought to operate outside Hindu religion, has also not succeeded in breaking the status quo. Dr. Ambedkar felt that organisation, education and agitation would enable the dalits to reverse caste prejudices. As it has turned out, dalit political groups are totally disorganised. Education has only led to the emergence of a dalit elite class, which has slowly distanced itself from agitational dalit politics. Dalit movements have either been absorbed within mainstream parties or else have degenerated into negative militancy. The deification of Dr. Ambedkar by building statues in every village appears to have taken precedence over any fight for equal rights.

Self-seeking status quoists.

Dalit activists 20 or 30 years ago may have been expected to launch agitations to create public awareness against atrocities against them in various parts of the country. Today, caught up in factional politics, and bereft of any ideology, these very leaders appear unwilling to disturb the existing caste equations. These self-seeking status quoists have only aided in pushing the outcastes out of our society, out of the mainstream. Dalit politicians holding very high political posts have in practice proved to be "Uncle Toms" because of the compulsions of Indian polity.

What the dalits need today is an effective and sagacious leadership and not raising their problems in the UN World Conference against Racism. What Dr. Ambedkar said long ago about the dalit leaders being `selfish' and quarrelsome on `petty matters' is still true. There is however no reason to be despondent because there are still many far-sighted and levelheaded leaders among them who can guide the dalit community to achieve its aims.

Its a complete quagmire.

 

[spuriousmonkey]

Not so hidden apparently.

 

[Mr.Spock]

i had no idea india was in such a bad shape, maybe its because some indians care for palestinians more then their own country.

 

[spuriousmonkey]

I think it is more because of the poor shape of the American education system.

 

[S.A.M.]

i had no idea india was in such a bad shape, maybe its because some indians care for palestinians more then their own country.

Its possible to care about abuse at any level, in any country. Caring for the people of your own country does not exempt/absolve you from caring for people in similar oppressive situations elsewhere.

 

[Baron Max]

i had no idea india was in such a bad shape, maybe its because some indians care for palestinians more then their own country.

Yeah, or perhaps their own nation is so fucked up that they can't look at it every day, so they turn their attentions and efforts to condemn others for anything that they can find!

Baron Max

 

[Baron Max]

Its possible to care about abuse at any level, in any country. Caring for the people of your own country does not exempt/absolve you from caring for people in similar oppressive situations elsewhere.

People should clean up their own fuckin' homes before they attack others for the dirt in their homes.

Can you spell ......HIPPO-FUCKIN'-CRITTER?

Baron Max

 

[S.A.M.]

People should clean up their own fuckin' homes before they attack others for the dirt in their homes.

Can you spell ......HIPPO-FUCKIN'-CRITTER?

Baron Max

Apologist.

You can see plenty of Indians agitating on behalf of the dalits and the government at least attempts to provide opportunities.

A far cry from the death squads and School of Americas. No comparison.

 

[IceAgeCivilizations]

Sam was treated badly by American cops, they had the audacity to give her a ticket!

 

[Buffalo Roam]

samcdkey, but in doing is the caring proven, you can care all you want to make your self feel good but what have you done to change the problem? Point fingers at everybody else in the world.

 

[Mr.Spock]

Its possible to care about abuse at any level, in any country. Caring for the people of your own country does not exempt/absolve you from caring for people in similar oppressive situations elsewhere.

if you care so much for other countries why do you only focus on israel/us?

 

[spuriousmonkey]

samcdkey, but in doing is the caring proven, you can care all you want to make your self feel good but what have you done to change the problem? Point fingers at everybody else in the world.

well well. I'm glad you are making a change by supporting your morally corrupt government blindly.

 

[S.A.M.]

samcdkey, but in doing is the caring proven, you can care all you want to make your self feel good but what have you done to change the problem? Point fingers at everybody else in the world.

Same thing I do here. Create awareness and campaign for justice.

 

[S.A.M.]

if you care so much for other countries why do you only focus on israel/us?

Probably because at present they are the worst perpetartors of social injustice at the scale of the government. And they are spreading this poison worldwide.

 

[Baron Max]

well well. I'm glad you are making a change by supporting your morally corrupt government blindly.

Just because YOU think it's "morally corrupt" is no sign that others think so. And here we are again .....back to your bullshit about "morality". What the fuck is that, Spurious??? Just YOUR idea of morality??

Baron Max

 

[spuriousmonkey]

Just because YOU think it's "morally corrupt" is no sign that others think so. And here we are again .....back to your bullshit about "morality". What the fuck is that, Spurious??? Just YOUR idea of morality??

Baron Max

You are blind as a bat if you think nobody thinks the USA is morally corrupt. Wait. I forgot you don't go out much in the big bad world.