European Parliament passes resolution treating casteism on par with discrimination based on race, religion, gender
By Our Representative
In a resolution with far-reaching implications for Indian
policy makers, the European Parliament, which met in Strasbourg, Austria, has declared
that caste-based discrimination in several Asian countries, including India,
should be treated on par with other grounds of discrimination such as “ethnicity,
race, religion, gender and sexuality”. Passed after a debate opened by Green
member of European Parliament (MEP) Eva Joly, prior to adopting the resolution,
several MEPs argued that “goods from caste-affected countries should be
boycotted”, the International Dalit Solidarity Network said in a statement from its office in Copenhagen.
Labeling it “one of the biggest paradoxes of the 21st century”,
Liberal MEP Leonidas Donskis noted that “it is imperative to ensure that the
fight against caste-based discrimination becomes part of the standard EU human
rights language and is systematically included in the Union's efforts
worldwide.” Another MEP, Paul Murphy, said the way forward was to encourage
Dalit activists who want to confine “this barbaric feudal remnant to the
dustbin of history.”
The resolution says that caste discrimination should
be seen in the context of international human rights conventions which relate
to “contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance.” Looking at caste in “a socio-religious context, as in Asia, where
those who fall outside the caste system are considered ‘impure’ and
‘untouchable’ by nature”, it adds, “more broadly” it is a “system of rigid
social stratification into ranked groups defined by descent and occupation;
whereas discrimination based on work and descent.”
The European Parliament resolution expresses serious concern
over the fact that “despite the steps taken by the governments of some
caste-affected countries to provide constitutional and legislative protection
and introduce special measures against caste discrimination and untouchability,
caste discrimination continues to be widespread and persistent, affecting an
estimated 260 million people worldwide.”
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Pointing out that “caste-based discrimination exists in
numerous countries across the globe, with the highest number of victims being
found in South Asia”, it regrets, “there are large concentrations of victims in
other areas, including Africa, the Middle East and the diaspora community”,
too. It notes “non-implementation of legislation and policies and the lack of
effective remedies and effectively functioning state institutions, the
judiciary and police included”, saying these “remain major obstacles to
eliminating caste-based discrimination.”
Saying that caste-based discrimination in “severe forms of
social exclusion, poverty, violence, segregation, physical and verbal abuse
linked to prejudices and a concept of purity and pollution” continues and “untouchability
practices remain widespread and are taking on modern forms”, the resolution
notes, this has led to communities facing “restrictions in “political
participation and serious discrimination in the labour market.”
The resolution specifically expresses “serious concern” over
“the violence perpetrated against Dalit women, often do not report such
violence for fear of threats to their personal safety or of social exclusion.”
It says, Dalit women face “multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination
based on caste, gender and religion”, adding, they are subjected to “forced
conversions, abductions, forced prostitution, and sexual abuse by members of
dominant castes.”
While noting that in India “mandatory affirmative action has
to some extent contributed to the inclusion of Dalits in the public sector”,
the resolution adds, “Lack of protective non-discrimination measures in the
labour market and the private sector adds to exclusion and growing inequalities”.
It refers to the International Labour Organisation documents to say that “overwhelming
majority of bonded labour victims in South Asia are from the Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes”. This type of
labour, it adds, is “particularly widespread in the agriculture, mining and
garment production sectors, which supply products to a number of multinational
and European companies.”
Pointing out that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) Guidelines and the ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility,
“specifically mentions caste-based discrimination as a serious form of
discrimination”, the resolution urges the Commission and the European External
Action Service (EEAS) to “mainstream the fight against caste-based
discrimination in EU legislation, policies and programming documents and to
adopt operational guidelines for its implementation.” OECD is the apex body of
western developed countries.
Expressing alarm that
“in certain countries perpetrators of such discrimination hold high-level
government positions”, the resolution recommends that the European Union (EU) should
“carry out a systematic assessment of the impact of trade and/or investment
agreements on groups affected by caste discrimination, and address these issues
with industry representatives, government authorities and relevant civil society
organizations.”
The resolution calls for “the inclusion of caste-based
discrimination as a human rights issue in future EU human rights policies,
strategies and action plans” adding, there should be a “stronger support for
development projects combating caste-based discrimination as a serious human
rights violation that exacerbates poverty, and to take this form of
discrimination into account in all projects with a focus on education, women,
access to justice, political participation or labour.”
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