Caste Discrimination against India's âUntouchablesâ - Human Rights ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

• Outline how India plans to ensure effective eradication of exploitative labor arrangements and the effective implementation of rehabilitation schemes for Dalit bonded and child laborers, manual scavengers, and devadasis. The right to public health, medical care, social security, and social services Dalits are often refused admission to hospitals, or access to health care and treatment in violation of their rights to the highest attainable standard of health and social services. In a number of cases those who are admitted receive discriminatory treatment. In addition, caste-based occupations that Dalits are made to perform, such as manual scavenging and forced prostitution, frequently expose Dalits to serious and sometimes fatal health hazards. Manual scavengers are routinely exposed to both human and animal waste without the protection of masks, uniforms, gloves, shoes, appropriate buckets, and mops. This has severe repercussions for their health; the majority of scavengers suffer from anemia, diarrhea and vomiting, with 62 percent suffering respiratory diseases, 32 percent suffering skin diseases, 42 percent suffering jaundice, and 23 percent suffering trachoma, leading to blindness. Many scavengers have also died of carbon monoxide poisoning while cleaning septic tanks. In Mumbai, for instance, Dalits are lowered into manholes to clear sewage blockages—often without any protection. More than 100 workers die every year due to inhalation of toxic gases or drowning in excrement. Dalit women and girls who are forced to become devadasis, and ultimately auctioned to urban brothels, are at particular risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. The right to education and training The right to education free from discrimination is not secured for Dalit children. 99 percent of Dalit students are enrolled in government schools that lack basic infrastructure, classrooms, teachers, and teaching aids. Dalit children face continued hurdles and abuse from teachers and fellow non-Dalit students, including through segregation both in classrooms and in the provision of mid-day meals. Dalit schoolchildren also face discrimination and discouragement from higher-caste community members who perceive education for Dalits as both a waste and a threat. Their hostility toward Dalits’ education— which includes discrimination against Dalit teachers—is linked to the perception that Dalits are not meant to be educated, are incapable of being educated, or if educated, would pose a threat to village hierarchies and power relations. Additionally, Dalit children are often subjected to corporal punishment by their teachers. As the Special Rapporteur on the right 13
to education noted in his report before the 67 th session of the then-Commission on Human Rights (CHR), “teachers have been known to declare that Dalit pupils ‘cannot learn unless they are beaten.’” Dalits’ labor patterns (migratory and child labor) also adversely affect access to education. A combination of these factors results in low enrollment, high drop-out rates, and low literacy rates of Dalit students. The right to equal participation in cultural activities Dalits are prohibited from taking part in religious and cultural rituals and festivals, including through a ban on marriage processions on roads. Where Dalits are included in village ceremonies and festivals, their participation is limited to the performing of degrading tasks. Additionally, they are expected to provide services during rituals and festivals without remuneration. The right of access to any place or service intended for use by the general public, such as transport hotels, restaurants, cafes, theatres, and parks Dalits are denied equal access to a spectrum of places and services intended for use by the general public, such as police stations, government ration shops, post offices, schools, water facilities, and village council offices. As a result of segregation in water facilities, more than 20 percent of Dalits do not have access to safe drinking water, only 10 percent of Dalit households have access to sanitation (as compared to 27 percent for non-Dalit households), and the vast majority of Dalits depend on the “goodwill” of upper-caste community members for access to water from community wells. Dalits are also excluded from, or receive discriminatory treatment in, private businesses, including tea shops, food stalls, barber shops, and cinemas. Because of strictly enforced prohibitions on inter-dining, Dalits are made to use separate crockery and cutlery, and drink from separate tea glasses which they are then required to wash. On the basis of this information, we respectfully request that the following issues be raised with the State Party: • Identify measures to protect Dalits’ right to health, including through ensuring greater access to health care services, and through eradicating the inhuman practice of septic tank cleaning, and other hazardous tasks performed by manual scavengers. 14
Page 1 and 2: Hidden Apartheid was produced as a
Page 3 and 4: VII. Article 4: Eradicate propagand
Page 5 and 6: I. Summary List of the Critical Iss
Page 7 and 8: Article 2 India’s failure to ensu
Page 9 and 10: The NHRC has recommended that the g
Page 11 and 12: propaganda of the Sangh Parivar, wh
Page 13 and 14: The right to freedom of opinion and
Page 15: impediment to Dalits’ freedom to
Page 19 and 20: Article 7 There is a severe lack of
Page 21 and 22: Human Rights Watch An independent,
Page 23 and 24: The Committee itself has recognized
Page 25 and 26: IV. Response to India’s denial of
Page 27 and 28: to suffer disproportionately from m
Page 29 and 30: V. Article 2: States Parties’ obl
Page 31 and 32: interrogation of Dalits. Jurists, h
Page 33 and 34: Section 107 in excess of the maximu
Page 35 and 36: Bihar and Tamil Nadu conducted by H
Page 37 and 38: Atrocities Act, 1989. 83 Similarly,
Page 39 and 40: 2. Refrain from supporting private
Page 41 and 42: 4. Encourage integrationist movemen
Page 43 and 44: that these groups were poorly repre
Page 45 and 46: 4. Inadequate development and prote
Page 47 and 48: implemented. 130 The societal perce
Page 49 and 50: caste residents. 140 This segregati
Page 51 and 52: Muslims and Christians in India, 14
Page 53 and 54: A. Duty to ensure the right to equa
Page 55 and 56: In fact, as statistics from the Nat
Page 57 and 58: Dalits’ right to equal treatment
Page 59 and 60: egistered in the state, with only 4
Page 61 and 62: Box 3: Offenses under the Preventio
Page 63 and 64: Box 4: Examples of retaliatory atta
Page 65 and 66: Vulnerability to sexual violence al
Page 67 and 68:
C. Ensure Dalits’ political right
Page 69 and 70:
een facing discrimination, intimida
Page 71 and 72:
Box 6: Instances of Forced Displace
Page 73 and 74:
caste system. Inter-marriages betwe
Page 75 and 76:
off by her parents without her cons
Page 77 and 78:
Denial of the right to own property
Page 79 and 80:
difficult if not impossible. Finall
Page 81 and 82:
6. Ensure Dalits’ right to freedo
Page 83 and 84:
The Ramabai Killings The Ramabai ki
Page 85 and 86:
1. Ensure Dalits’ rights to work,
Page 87 and 88:
castes, 326 with the result that mo
Page 89 and 90:
formulate and implement comprehensi
Page 91 and 92:
c. Forced Migratory Labor The susce
Page 93 and 94:
also fail to adequately address chi
Page 95 and 96:
3. Ensure Dalits’ right to housin
Page 97 and 98:
upper-caste women than the Dalit wo
Page 99 and 100:
Additionally, Dalit children are of
Page 101 and 102:
overwhelmingly landless and engaged
Page 103 and 104:
. Compulsory, exploitative, and deg
Page 105 and 106:
c. Segregation in schools Segregati
Page 107 and 108:
of sufficient water and adequate sa
Page 109 and 110:
(Indore district, Madhya Pradesh) t
Page 111 and 112:
ecause police will purposely downpl
Page 113 and 114:
exist. 483 School textbooks may sim
Page 115 and 116:
Acknowledgements Center for Human R
show all

Caste Discrimination against India's âUntouchablesâ - Human Rights ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?

Caste Discrimination against India's âUntouchablesâ - Human Rights ...