Human Rights and Caste Discrimination
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” - Article 1 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The idea of unity in diversity prevails in India. We have a multilingual and multicultural society. With this diversity arise many issues. Casteism is one of the problems that India has been facing for centuries now. Millions of Indians are still denied a life with dignity and equality just because of their caste. An individual’s caste with respect to his society is like the umbilical cord. This system of inherited occupation has sealed the fate of millions. Its origin is believed to be divine and is sanctioned by the sacred books of Hindus.
My term paper throws light on the origin of
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The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its 2012-13 annual report, highlighted that there were 33,719 cases of crimes registered against SCs in 2011. This figure was higher than of 2010 when there were 32,712 cases. There is no doubt in the fact that the actual figures are much higher. Most of the cases go unreported due to the hegemony of the upper class.
Those whose job is to maintain law and order are themselves the violators. The National Human Rights Commission, a government body that protects that human rights and redresses the grievances commented that “law enforcement machinery is the greatest violator of Dalits’ Human Rights”. The police is responsible for widespread custodial torture and killings of Dalits, sexual harassment and rape of Dalit women and looting of their property. Sometimes police collude with private actors against Dalits.
The Dalits students suffer because of the stigma attached to their caste. They are often denied admissions. The school officials bar them from morning prayers and they are not allowed to intermingle with other students. According to Human Rights Watch “99 percent Dalit students are enrolled in government schools that lack basic infrastructure, classrooms, teachers and teaching aids. Dalit children face continued hurdles both in classrooms and in the provision of mid day