DOCSLIB.ORG

Discrimination Based on Work and Descent and Untouchability

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Discrimination Based on Work and Descent and Untouchability DISCRIMINATION BASED ON WORK AND DESCENT AND UNTOUCHABILITY: GLOBAL PROFILE AND A COMMON FRAMEWORK TO ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE DISCRIMINATION BASED ON WORK AND DESCENT AND UNTOUCHABILITY About Asia Dalit Rights Forum Asia Dalit Rights Forum (ADRF) is a platform of, and those working with Dalits in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, committed to the empowerment and emancipation of communities subjected to descent and work-based discrimination including Untouchability. ADRF aims at addressing violations of the rights and entitlements of these communities, in particular, their women and children, in the respective countries as well as worldwide. Amnesty International Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Amnesty’s vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standard. Amnesty is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. The Inclusivity Project The Inclusivity Project(TIP) is a non-profit organisation that is primarily focused on capacity building, collaboration, and research in support of those communities that face exclusion and what the UN calls “discrimination based on work and descent” under caste or caste-like social structures across the globe. The organisation aims to enhance the social, economic and political integration of these communities and increase their global visibility by creating a platform for international cooperation, providing opportunities for capacity building, and promoting and circulating policy-relevant research. Concept: Paul Divakar Namala Authors: Monica Vincent, Rahul Dandge & Deepak Nikarthil Editors: Paul Divakar Namala, Aloysius Irudayam & Deepak Nikarthil Co-ordination: Beena Pallical 2 GLOBAL PROFILE AND A COMMON FRAMEWORK TO ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE ABBREVIATIONS ADRF: Asia Dalit Rights Forum APFDC: Asia Parliamentarians Forum on Dalit Concerns CAT: Committee Against Torture CEDAW: Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women CERD: Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination CRC: Committee on the Rights of the Child DWD: Discrimination Based on Work and Descent ECOSOC: United Nations Economic and Social Council EU: European Union FIDH: International Federation of Human Rights HRW: Human Rights Watch ICERD: International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination IMADR: International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism MENA: Middle East and North Africa MRG: Minority Rights Group International NCDHR: National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights SC: Scheduled Caste UDHR: Universal Declaration of Human Rights UN: United Nations WCAR: World Conference Against Racism 3 DISCRIMINATION BASED ON WORK AND DESCENT AND UNTOUCHABILITY CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Concept of Discrimination 3. The concept of Discrimination based on Work and Districts 4. The situation of the DWD community Africa Benin Burkina Faso Ethiopia Ghana Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Somalia Togo Asia India Bangladesh Pakistan Nepal Sri Lanka South East Asia Malaysia Far East Asia Japan Middle East Yemen Latin America Brazil Europe United Kingdom Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain,Sweden 5. Conclution and Recommendations 4 GLOBAL PROFILE AND A COMMON FRAMEWORK TO ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE INTRODUCTION The social, hierarchical and intergenerational discrimination that is passed on to generations is prevalent across the globe. In the era of globalisation and global migration, these forms of discrimination are carried and practised across international borders. In Africa, such forms of discrimination exist and are practised against certain communities and passed on to generations. Such discriminatory practices against these communities often manifest whereby considerable population are forced ofSex Trade, Forced Labour, Child Slave Trade, witchcraft or witch children or women, cultural, traditional and ritual slavery. In South America, discriminatory practices exist in the form of Slavery, exclusion in access to land, education, employment, physical violence and exclusion from mainstream society. In European countries, discriminatory practices exist in the form of ‘antiziganism’,or ‘anti-gypsyism’.In South Asia, it identified as caste-based discrimination. The affected population referred to as Dalits. They are often harassed, beaten to death and face exclusion in socioeconomic development. The subsequent sections talk about the situation of DWD communities across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the UK and evaluate if there exists sufficient constitutional safeguards, legislative remedies, program and policies safeguarding for the protection of human rights of these affected population. 5 DISCRIMINATION BASED ON WORK AND DESCENT AND UNTOUCHABILITY This report speaks to a wide range of audiences such human rights defenders, activists, community leaders and people alike who have been fighting for the rights of the discriminated communities to understand and explore the similarities in the forms of discrimination existing in Africa, Asia, Europe, UK and Latin America. The primary objective of the report for the targeted audiences is to see if there live any similarities, look for the possibilities if these affected communities referred under the boarder umbrella term identified by United Nations as the communities discriminated based on work on the descent. Further, this report is envisioned to shed lights on each of the countries progress so far in addressing the issues of social and hierarchical discrimination at the national and international level through, constitutional amendments, legislation, program and policies. The report is a result of extensive desk research based on UN OHCR, Special Rapporteur and CSO reports.The researchers have timely consulted and received feedback from DWD community leaders from respective countriesand have sufficiently tried to deal with any discrepancies in the data and information. However due to time constraints; lack of grassroot level survey data, there may be possibility of scanty data especially relating to African countries. The research report is first of its kind and is written to act as a guiding document for further research on global DWD Human Rights Issues. Feedback and collaboration are welcomed from local or international civil society organizations, leaders from DWD communities and Human Rights Defenders working on the issues of DWD or from government agencies 6 GLOBAL PROFILE AND A COMMON FRAMEWORK TO ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE CONCEPT OF DISCRIMINATION Discrimination refers to intentional or unintentional behaviour for which there is no reasonable justification. Such behaviour adversely affects specific individuals or groups by characteristics defined by the 1992 B.C. Human Rights Act1. It is the selection for unfavourable treatment of an individual or individuals by some characteristics. These characteristics include age, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, and unrelated criminal convictionsor any conditions or requirements that do not accord with the principles of fairness and natural justice. It can take a variety of forms and may include the following:2 • Direct discrimination, an individual is treated less favourably • Indirect discrimination, a rule or policy is madeto exclude a particular category of people • Discrimination by association, a person is discriminated because someone’s associations with is a person who is from discriminated communities. • Discrimination by perception, receiving unfair treatment because someone thinks that an individual belongs to a particular group or community • harassment, it comprises of unwanted behaviour that makes another person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. 7 DISCRIMINATION BASED ON WORK AND DESCENT AND UNTOUCHABILITY • Victimisation, when a person is poorly treated or subjected to a detriment because they complained about discrimination or supported another victim of discrimination, this may be considered victimisation. Additionally, discrimination may distinguish from prejudice which is made up of hostile or discriminatory attitudes (not actions) towards persons of different categories. Racial, sexual and other types of discrimination can exist at the level of personal relations and individual behaviour as well as institutionalise as a legal or administrative policy. The term discrimination refers to modern industrial societies characterised by a generalised ideology of equality of opportunities and rights, but which exclude from them specific categories of persons, sometimes small minorities but often large and important ones or even majorities such as women. 8 GLOBAL PROFILE AND A COMMON FRAMEWORK TO ELIMINATE THE PRACTICE THE CONCEPT OF DISCRIMINATION BASED ON WORK AND DESCENT (CASTE) Discrimination based on work and descent (DWD) is the UN terminology for systemic discrimination like caste-based hierarchical system. The term has been used by several UN human rights bodies, including by Treaty Bodies and Special Rapporteurs, reaffirming that this form of discrimination is prohibited under international human rights law. DWD has various characteristics like caste, descent,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Untouchability Today: the Rise of Dalit Activism by Christine Hart
    HUMAN RIGHTS & HUMAN WELFARE Untouchability Today: The Rise of Dalit Activism By Christine Hart On July 19, 2010, the Hindustan Times reported that a Dalit (“untouchable”) woman was gang- raped and murdered in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The crime was an act of revenge perpetrated by members of the Sharma family, incensed over the recent elopement of their daughter with a man from the lower-caste Singh family. Seeking retributive justice for the disgrace of the marriage, men from the Sharma family targeted a Dalit woman who, with her husband, worked in the Singh family fields. Her death was the result of her sub-caste status; while the crime cost the Singh family a valuable worker, the perceived value of her life was less than upper-caste individuals. In this case, the perpetrators of the crime were arrested, but similar atrocities are committed with frequency and impunity throughout India as a result of the entrenched practice of untouchability. Overview of Untouchability Caste discrimination, manifested through an array of “untouchability practices,” is an entrenched part of daily life in India. This “hidden apartheid” impacts more than 160 million Dalits —the victims, survivors, and challengers of the practice, as well as approximately 860 million non- Dalits—the perpetrators, bystanders, and witnesses. Despite domestic policy measures and increased attention to the issue, the practice of untouchability remains ingrained and touches nearly every aspect of Dalit life. Untouchability practices range from actions that impact the minutiae of daily life, to life-altering inequity and denials of opportunity, to violence committed with impunity.
    [Show full text]
  • Racism Without Race? : the Case of Japan's Invisible Group
    Racism Without Race? : the Case of Japan's Invisible Group Masami Degawa A thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology in conforrnity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Queen's University Kingston. Ontario. Canada Cop-yright O Masami Degawa. 200 L National Library Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 345,rue Wellington Ottawa ON KIA ON4 OttawaON K1AW Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distn'bute or sel reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract This thesis examines the persistence of social exclusion of the Buraku people. They were created as a class -- lower than the lowest. under the strict Tokugawa feudal system (1603-1867). and in 1871 they were officially emancipated. The Buraku people are physically. ethnically. racially. religiously and culturdy indistinguishable fiom the rest of Japanese society.
    [Show full text]
  • Hybrid Identities of Buraku Outcastes in Japan
    Educating Minds and Hearts to Change the World A publication of the University of San Francisco Center for the Volume IX ∙ Number 2 June ∙ 2010 Pacific Rim Copyright 2010 The Sea Otter Islands: Geopolitics and Environment in the East Asian Fur Trade >>..............................................................Richard Ravalli 27 Editors Joaquin Gonzalez John Nelson Shadows of Modernity: Hybrid Identities of Buraku Outcastes in Japan Editorial >>...............................................................Nicholas Mucks 36 Consultants Barbara K. Bundy East Timor and the Power of International Commitments in the American Hartmut Fischer Patrick L. Hatcher Decision Making Process >>.......................................................Christopher R. Cook 43 Editorial Board Uldis Kruze Man-lui Lau Syed Hussein Alatas: His Life and Critiques of the Malaysian New Economic Mark Mir Policy Noriko Nagata Stephen Roddy >>................................................................Choon-Yin Sam 55 Kyoko Suda Bruce Wydick Betel Nut Culture in Contemporary Taiwan >>..........................................................................Annie Liu 63 A Note from the Publisher >>..............................................Center for the Pacific Rim 69 Asia Pacific: Perspectives Asia Pacific: Perspectives is a peer-reviewed journal published at least once a year, usually in April/May. It Center for the Pacific Rim welcomes submissions from all fields of the social sciences and the humanities with relevance to the Asia Pacific 2130 Fulton St, LM280 region.* In keeping with the Jesuit traditions of the University of San Francisco, Asia Pacific: Perspectives com- San Francisco, CA mits itself to the highest standards of learning and scholarship. 94117-1080 Our task is to inform public opinion by a broad hospitality to divergent views and ideas that promote cross-cul- Tel: (415) 422-6357 Fax: (415) 422-5933 tural understanding, tolerance, and the dissemination of knowledge unreservedly.
    [Show full text]
  • Fuzzy and Neutrosophic Analysis of Periyar's Views
    FUZZY AND NEUTROSOPHIC ANALYSIS OF PERIYAR’S VIEWS ON UNTOUCHABILITY W. B. Vasantha Kandasamy Florentin Smarandache K. Kandasamy Translation of the speeches and writings of Periyar from Tamil by Meena Kandasamy November 2005 FUZZY AND NEUTROSOPHIC ANALYSIS OF PERIYAR’S VIEWS ON UNTOUCHABILITY W. B. Vasantha Kandasamy e-mail: [email protected] web: http://mat.iitm.ac.in/~wbv Florentin Smarandache e-mail: [email protected] K. Kandasamy e-mail: [email protected] Translation of the speeches and writings of Periyar from Tamil by Meena Kandasamy November 2005 2 Dedicated to Periyar CONTENTS Preface 5 Chapter One BASIC NOTION OF FCMs, FRMs, NCMs AND NRMS 1.1 Definition of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps 9 1.2 Fuzzy Cognitive Maps – Properties and Models 13 1.3 Fuzzy Relational Maps 18 1.4 An Introduction to Neutrosophy and some Neutrosophic algebraic structures 22 1.5 Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps 27 1.6 Neutrosophic Relational Maps — Definition with Examples 31 Chapter Two UNTOUCHABILITY: PERIYAR’S VIEW AND PRESENT DAY SITUATION A FUZZY AND NEUTROSOPHIC ANALYSIS 2.1 Analysis of untouchability due to Hindu religion using FCMs and NCMs 43 2.2 Analysis of discrimination faced by Dalits/ Sudras in the field of education as untouchables using FCMs and NCMs 58 2.3 Social inequality faced by Dalits and some of the most backward classes - an analysis using FCM and NCM 66 4 2.4 Problems faced by Dalits in the political arena due to discrimination – a FCM and NCM analysis 75 2.5 Study of Economic Status of Dalits due to untouchability using fuzzy and neutrosophic
    [Show full text]
  • Caste & Untouchability
    Paggi fr. Luigi s.x. * * * * * * * * Caste & untouchability Pro Manuscripto Title: Caste & untouchability. A study-research paper in the Indian Subcontinent Authored by: Paggi fr. Luigi sx Edited by: Jo Ellen Fuller- 2002 Photographs by: Angelo fr. Costalonga sx Printed by: “Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico di Parma” - 2005 © 2005 Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico © Paggi fr. Luigi sx A few years ago, my confreres (Xaverian Missionaries working in Bangladesh) requested that I conduct a four-day course on caste and untouchability. Probably, I benefited as much from teaching the course as my student-confreres did since the process helped me crystallize my ideas about Hinduism and the ramifications of certain aspects of this religion upon the cultures of the subcontinent. From time to time, I am invited to different places to deliver lectures on these two topics. I usually accept these invitations because I am convinced that those who would like to do something to change the miserable lot of so many poor people living in the Indian Subcontinent must be knowledgeable about the caste system and untouchability. People need to be aware of the negative effect and the impact of these two social evils regarding the abject misery and poverty of those who are at the bot- tom of the greater society. It seems that people living in the Indian Subcontinent , no matter which reli- gion they belong to, are still affected (consciously or unconsciously) by these as- pects of Hinduism that have seeped into other religions as well. In order to prepare myself for the task of lecturing (on caste and untoucha- bility), I read and studied many books, magazines and articles on these two evil institutions of Hinduism, which have affected the social life of most of the people living in the Indian Subcontinent.
    [Show full text]
  • Eliminating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination for All in the Decade of Action for the Sdgs - Special Meeting (2021 ECOSOC)
    Economic and Social Council: Reimagining Equality: Eliminating racism, xenophobia and discrimination for all in the decade of action for the SDGs - Special meeting (2021 ECOSOC) Statement by Professor Penda Mbow, representative of Stakeholder group of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (SG-CDWD) and member of Global Forum of Communities Discrimination on work and Descent (GFoD) My name is Professor Penda Mbow, I speak to you today as a representative of the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent. When we discuss eliminating racism, xenophobia, discrimination and related forms of intolerance, it is our imperative to highlight discrimination based on work and descent (or DWD, using its acronym) and its relationship with the perpetuation of contemporary forms of slavery. Intergenerational caste hierarchies such as Antigypsyism, Untouchability affecting Dalits, modern and traditional form of slavery, which can be seen across the globe, have continued to subjugate those on lower rungs of the ladder to violence, vulnerability, enslavement and discrimination over several generations with limited to absolutely no avenues for social mobility. Discrimination based on Work and Descent in Africa has been eclipsed by the issue of slavery and child labour. Slavery and DWD have had a parallel existence for different communities, but the latter lacks public recognition and attention. As an activist, my research work with communities in Mauritania, Nigeria, Mali, Ghana, Benin, Niger, and Togo shows that enslavement originates from DWD. This practice also exists in some Asia countries, where caste based ‘untouchability’ against Dalit or Scheduled Caste communities occur. Discrimination, segregation, and exploitation take place under the general umbrella of Discrimination on Work and Descent similar to ‘slavery’ observed in some African countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Is the Ku Klux Klan ?
    Fields Magazine / June / 2015 Fields Magazine – June – 2015 1 Fields Magazine / June / 2015 Fields Magazine / June / 2015 Contents Staff & Thanks EDITORIAL Where Do I Belong PerCeptions Founder and Editor in Chief Hââbré – The Last Generation Saran Koly Reviving The Ancient Inuit Tradition WOONGO – How Masks Can Reveal Stories Design & Layout Mystical Wanderers mrtim.co OBSERVERS Copy Editor Uzupis – The Mysterious Republic of Artists Louise Scrivens The Montmartre of Vilnius Defying the Political Dynasties Translation Who is the Klu Klux Klan? Jonathan Stone Verbatim Cover illustration Dismantle the System of Domination Eiko Ojala What is your Clan? Fields is edited and published by culture Fields Creatives. Redefine the Clan Gleimstrasse 37, West Side Story – A Cinematic Approach of Gang Phenomenon 10437 Berlin, Germany. STYLE The Return of Exoticism I am Not Exotic, I Got Style! Editor's Pick ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FIELDS JUNE 2015 DISCLAIMER: CONTENT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR COPIED WITHOUT PERMISSION. VIEWS AND OPINIONS PORTRAIT EXPRESSED BY AUTHORS MAY NOT REFLECT THOSE OF THE PUBLISHER OR THE EDITORIAL TEAM. Benny Wenda – The Struggle of Independence 2 3 Fields Magazine / June / 2015 Fields Magazine / June / 2015 As global nomads and where eternal wanderers, we are often asked: do “Where are you from”, “where is home”. These questions often raise our insecurities, sometimes discomfort. “Where do I belong”, the answer usually doesn’t define whom we are but whom we think we are talking to. Why do they want to i know? We don’t fit in boxes, and certainly not in a mind that wants us to be one or the other.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender, Caste and Ethnic Exclusion in Nepal Gender, Caste and Ethnic Exclusion in Nepal
    UNEQUAL CITIZENS UNEQUAL37966 Public Disclosure Authorized CITIZENS Gender, Caste and Ethnic Exclusion in Nepal Gender, Caste and Ethnic Exclusion in Nepal Caste and Ethnic Exclusion Gender, THE Department For International WORLD DFID Development SUMMARY BANK The World Bank DFID Nepal Nepal Office P.O. Box 106 P.O. Box 798 Kathmandu, Nepal Yak and Yeti Hotel Tel.: 5542980 Complex Fax: 5542979 Durbar Marg Public Disclosure Authorized Kathmandu, Nepal Tel.: 4226792, 4226793 E-mail Fax: 4225112 [email protected] Websites www.worldbank.org.np, Website www.bishwabank.org.np www.dfid.gov.uk Public Disclosure Authorized DFID Development International Department For ISBN 99946-890-0-2 9 799994 689001 > BANK WORLD THE Public Disclosure Authorized A Kathmandu businessman gets his shoes shined by a Sarki. The Sarkis belong to the leatherworker subcaste of Nepal’s Dalit or “low caste” community. Although caste distinctions and the age-old practices of “untouchability” are less rigid in urban areas, the deeply entrenched caste hierarchy still limits the life chances of the 13 percent of Nepal’s population who belong to the Dalit caste group. UNEQUAL CITIZENS Gender, Caste and Ethnic Exclusion in Nepal SUMMARY THE Department For International WORLD DFID Development BANK THE Department For International WORLD DFID Development BANK The World Bank DFID Nepal Nepal Office P.O. Box 106 P.O. Box 798 Kathmandu, Nepal Yak and Yeti Hotel Complex Tel.: 5542980 Durbar Marg Fax: 5542979 Kathmandu, Nepal Tel.: 4226792, 4226793 E-mail Fax: 4225112 [email protected] Websites www.worldbank.org.np, Website www.bishwabank.org.np www.dfid.gov.uk A copublication of The World Bank and the Department For International Development, U.K.
    [Show full text]
  • Untouchables Or the Children of India's Ghetto ______
    Selected Works of Dr BR Ambedkar 3947 UNTOUCHABLES OR THE CHILDREN OF INDIA'S GHETTO ________________________________________________ Contents Part I: What It Is to be an Untouchable . Chapter I: Untouchability—its source Chapter 2: Untouchables—their numbers Chapter 3 : Slaves and untouchables Chapter 4 : The Indian ghetto—the centre of untouchability— outside the fold Chapter 5 : Unfit for human association PART II PART III - Roots of the Problem PART IV - What the Untouchables have to face UNTOUCHABLES OR THE CHILDREN OF INDIA'S GHETTO ( This is a 208-page MS (Second copy) under the title‖Untouchables or The Children of India's Ghetto‖. The whole MS forms an independent book by itself. It has a ' Table of Contents ' divided into 4 parts, which are further sub-divided into 14 chapters. Slight modifications had to be made in the arrangement of the chapters to bring them in conformity with that of ' Table of Contents '. Except few corrections in the titles of the chapters, the text is untouched by the author.) PART I What it is to be an Untouchable . 3948 Selected Works of Dr BR Ambedkar CHAPTER I UNTOUCHABILITY—ITS SOURCE It is usual to hear all those who feel moved by the deplorable condition of the Untouchables unburden themselves by uttering the cry‖We must do something for the Untouchables". One seldom hears any of the persons interested in the problem saying ' Let us do something to change the Touchable Hindu '. It is invariably assumed that the object to be reclaimed is the Untouchables. If there is to be a Mission, it must be to the Untouchables and if the Untouchables can be cured, untouchability will vanish.
    [Show full text]
  • Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (AJMS)
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (AJMS) ISSN: 2321-8819 (Online) Asian Journal of 2348-7186 (Print) Impact Factor: 0.92 Multidisciplinary Studies Volume 3, Issue 2, Feb. 2015 Dalits and Social Mobility: A Discussion on the Dalit Middle Class Anshika Srivastava Phd Scholar, Zakir Husain Cenrte for Educational Studies Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India Abstract: The spread of education ,introduction of policy of reservations in government jobs and educational institutions and other Affirmative Action policies of the State have led to the emergence of a middle class from within the Dalit community referred to as the ‘Dalit Middle Class’ (Ram, 1995; Savaala, 2001; Pandey, 2011; Jodhka, 2012; 2015). This group constitutes the educated Dalits who have entered into modern occupations associated with the middle class. While these Dalits have undoubtedly secured occupational and economic mobility and have witnessed an improvement in class position, as literature highlights, their caste identity as ‘Dalits’ still continues to mediate their daily life experiences of ‘being the middle class’ and stigmatise their identity unlike the ‘mainstream middle class’. This renders the understanding of their social mobility as complex. It is the case of this Dalit Middle Class and their social mobility which the present paper takes up for discussion. Through a review of literature, this paper argues that given that the considerations of caste are still at work as far as the relations and interaction between the Dalits and the larger society is concerned, an improvement in class position for these educated middle class Dalits may not necessarily lead to an improvement in their social status.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan's Forsaken People
    Hugvísindasvið Japan‘s Forsaken People Burakumin in contemporary society Ritgerð til B.A.-prófs Kristín Mist Sigurbjörnsdóttir Janúar 2012 Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Japanskt mál og menning Japan‘s Forsaken People Burakumin in contemporary society Ritgerð til B.A.-prófs Kristín Mist Sigurbjörnsdóttir Kt.: 070587-2469 Leiðbeinandi: Gunnella Þorgeirsdóttir Janúar 2012 Abstract The Burakumin is a minority group in Japan that has, since ancient times, been suffering from occupational and social discrimination from the grand majority of Japanese citizens. There is nothing that visually or technically distinguishes them from the rest of the mainstream community. Trivial things like occupation or a specific location played a significant part in the discrimination against the Burakumin from pre-Nara times to modern day civilization. Occupations that dealt with death were considered contaminated and resulted with the exclusion and avoidance of the Burakumin from common villages. This thesis asks the question whether such or similar discrimination still exists in a society that claims to be as close to homogeneous as is possible. In order to obtain such an answer, first it is necessary to dig deeper into the origin of the problem, starting at the medieval period in Japan and then steadily work our way up, to the present day Japan. The history of the prejudice will be examined from early historical background as well as the religious origins pertaining to the Buraku discrimination and will end at couple of years after the Meiji Restoration, where the government issued the Emancipation Edict in 1871. After the introduction of the Emancipation Edict, the focus is on the numerous actions that the Burakumin took in order to free themselves from their plight, starting with their own and then ending with the government‟s aid when its legal actions put forth the Special Measures Law in 1969.
    [Show full text]
  • Compendium of Documents and Cases on the Right to Health Under the African Human Rights System
    Compendium of documents and cases on the right to health under the African human rights system Compendium of documents and cases on the right to health under This publication aims at ensuring easy accessibility to cases and materials on the right to health in Africa. The publication contains decisions, resolutions, declaration and cases by the AU or the African Commission dealing with the right to health under the African Human Rights system. It is aimed at assisting scholars, researchers, students, lawyers, judges and others who are interested in researching on the right to health, including sexual and reproductive health and Compendium of documents and rights, in Africa. Equally, regional human rights bodies such as the cases on the right to health under African Commission and national human rights institutions will find this publication useful to their work. the African human rights system Edited by Ebenezer Durojaye & Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi A place of quality, a place to grow, from hope to action through knowledge Compendium of Documents and cases on the right to health under the African Human Rights System 2013 Compendium of documents and cases on the right to health under the African Human Rights System i Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Bello Ayodeji for providing the background research leading to this publication. This publication is made possible through the generous financial support provided by the Ford Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication do not reflect that of Ford Foundation. Citation To be cited as: Ebenezer Durojaye and Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi. 2013. Compendium of documents and cases on the right to health under the African human rights system.
    [Show full text]