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Discrimination Against Dalits Or So-Called Untouchables in India

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CASTE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST DALITS OR SO-CALLED UNTOUCHABLES IN INDIA information for the consideration of the COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN REVIEWING INDIA’S FIFTEENTH TO NINETEENTH PERIODIC REPORTS Presented at the Seventieth Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination February 2007 Prepared by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and Human Rights Watch Table of Contents Glossary .......................................................................................................................................... 5 I. Summary List of the Critical Issues pertaining to India’s Periodic Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination .................................................................................. 6 II. Authors of the Report............................................................................................................ 14 III. Scope of the Report........................................................................................................... 15 A. Sources Used in this Report.............................................................................................. 16 1. Availability of Information from the Government of India.......................................... 16 IV. Response to India’s denial of ICERD’s prohibition of discrimination on the basis of caste 17 V. Article 2: States Parties’ obligation to end caste-based discrimination................................ 19 A. Condemn caste discrimination and undertake to pursue by all appropriate means a policy of eliminating caste discrimination ....................................................................................... 19 1. Refrain from committing discriminatory acts............................................................... 19 a. Dalits and law enforcement ...................................................................................... 20 i. Disproportionate targeting of Dalits ..................................................................... 21 ii. Improper use of security legislation against Dalits............................................... 21 iii. Custodial abuse and torture of Dalits................................................................ 22 iv. Police abuse of Dalit Women ........................................................................... 23 v. Police Extortion and Looting................................................................................ 23 vi. Failure of police to properly register crimes against Dalits.............................. 24 b. Discrimination in the provision of disaster relief ..................................................... 25 2. Refrain from supporting private actors committing discriminatory acts and prohibit and bring to an end caste-based discrimination by private actors ............................................... 26 3. Reform state policies..................................................................................................... 27 4. Encourage integrationist movements and other means of eliminating barriers between castes, and discourage anything that strengthens caste division........................................... 27 B. Ensure the development and protection of certain groups or individuals belonging to them 27 1. Failure of compensatory discrimination mechanisms and discrimination in public employment........................................................................................................................... 28 2. Proposals to extend reservations to other sectors ......................................................... 29 3. Poor implementation of development programs........................................................... 29 4. Inadequate Development and Protection of Dalit women ............................................ 30 a. Lack of gender equity ............................................................................................... 30 b. Forced Prostitution – Devadasi system..................................................................... 31 VI. Article 3: Prevent, prohibit and eradicate caste-based segregation .................................. 32 A. Segregated housing colonies for Dalits............................................................................. 32 B. Segregation in relief camps............................................................................................... 33 C. Segregation in schools...................................................................................................... 33 D. Segregation in public life.................................................................................................. 33 VII. Article 4: Eradicate propaganda inciting caste-based discrimination............................... 33 VIII. Article 5: Eliminate discrimination in the enjoyment of Fundamental Rights ................. 34 A. Duty to ensure the right to equal treatment of Dalits before organs administering justice 35 2 1. Police............................................................................................................................. 35 2. Prosecutors.................................................................................................................... 35 a. Poor quality of prosecution under the Protection of Civil Rights Act and the Prevention of Atrocities Act ............................................................................................. 35 b. Failure to prosecute rape cases of Dalit women ....................................................... 35 3. Courts............................................................................................................................ 36 a. Caste and Gender Discrimination by Judges ............................................................ 36 b. Lack of Dalit Judges ................................................................................................. 37 c. Large number of cases involving offenses and atrocities against Dalits still pending before the courts................................................................................................................ 38 d. High rate of acquittals............................................................................................... 38 B. Ensure Dalits’ right to security of person and protection by the State against violence or bodily harm, whether inflicted by government officials or by any individual group or institution............................................................................................................................... 38 1. Widespread violence against Dalits.............................................................................. 39 2. Violence against Dalit women...................................................................................... 41 C. Ensure Dalits’ political rights ........................................................................................... 43 1. Booth-capturing and denial of entry to polling booths ................................................. 43 2. Intimidation and violence in voting, standing for election and conduct of public affairs 44 3. Denial of entry to public offices ................................................................................... 44 D. Ensure Dalits’ other civil rights ........................................................................................ 45 1. Ensure Dalits’ right to freedom of movement and residence within the border of the State45 a. Forced Migration of Dalits........................................................................................ 45 b. Forced displacement of Dalits .................................................................................. 45 2. Ensure Dalits’ right to leave any country, including one’s own, and to return to one’s country .................................................................................................................................. 46 3. Ensure Dalits’ right to marriage and choice of spouse ................................................. 47 a. Prohibitions on marriage between Dalits and non-Dalits ......................................... 47 b. Forced prostitution and rape of Dalit women as an impediment to marriage........... 48 c. Child marriage .......................................................................................................... 48 d. Inequality of women in family law........................................................................... 48 4. Ensure Dalits’ right to own property alone as well as in association with others ........ 48 a. Landlessness: lack of access to land, inability to own land, and forced evictions ... 49 b. Prevention of access to, and enjoyment of, own property ........................................ 49 c. Failure of land reform legislation and efforts ........................................................... 50 d. State suppression of movements requiring land reform and retaliatory violence and economic sanctions against Dalits by private actors......................................................... 50 5. Ensure Dalits’ right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion ........................... 50 a. Loss of constitutional privileges upon conversion.................................................... 51 b. Anti-conversion legislation....................................................................................... 51 6. Ensure Dalits’ right to freedom
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