Awake

House hears testimony on caste-based discrimination, untouchability, and the plight of the Dalits in India

Something VERY interesting happened today (October 6, 2005). The U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations heard testimony from Indian human rights leaders, including Joseph D'Souza, on the situation of the Dalits in India. They testified about the unconstitutional practice of untouchability, situations of blatant disregard of religious freedom, and caste-based discrimination.

I watched most the hearing live on the Web. The video is now posted on the Subcommittee's Web site and I'll include a link to it below as well. Also, the full written testimonies are also online and links are provided in the list below.

Hearing: India's Unfinished Agenda: Equality and Justice for 200 Million Victims of the Caste System

• Index of Hearings: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations (Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives)
• Video: India's Unfinished Agenda: Equality and Justice for 200 Million Victims of the Caste System (You will need RealPlayer to view this. It's free forever, you just have to look for the "Get Real Player Free" link (Basic Player not "SuperPass").)
• Testimony: [PDF opens/downloads in separate window] Left Behind: The Importance of Reservation for the Future of the Dalits. (Dr. Udit Raj, National Chairman, All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations & Indian Justice Party.)
• Testimony: [PDF opens/downloads in separate window] The Abolition of Untouchability: The Key to Stability in India. (Dr. Kancha Ilaiah, Professor of Political Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India.)
• Testimony: [PDF opens/downloads in separate window] Thrice Oppressed: Caste Violence Against Dalit Women. (Indira Athwale, General Secretary and Maharashtra State President of All India Conference of SC/ST Organizations.)
• Testimony: [PDF opens/downloads in separate window] Joseph D'Souza's Testimony (Joseph D'Souza, President, All India Christian Council; President, Dalit Freedom Network.)
• Testimony: Amnesty International Testimony (T. Kumar, Advocacy Director for Asia & Pacific, Amnesty International USA)

Other links of interest on the Dalits and religious freedom

• Christian Solidarity Worldwide
• Joseph D'Souza's blog (just lauched)
• All India Christian Council
• Dalit Freedom Network

A couple of books that were cited in oral testimonies during the hearing:

• The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions. William G. Bowen, Derek Bok. ISBN: 0691050198.
• Untouchable Citizens: Dalit Movements and Democratization in Tamil Nadu. Hugo Gorringe. ISBN: 0761933239.

Other issues that affect Dalits in India (unbeknownst to the world's leaders in some cases)

Disclaimer: articles found via a quick Google search; I can't vouch for the other content on these web sites, but the articles I link to below I felt were fairly good primers on the topics.

• Human trafficking
  • HumanTrafficking.org
  • United Nations document: Trafficking in Human Beings
  • usinfo.state.gov: Human Trafficking
  • ...and many others
• Sex-selective abortion
  • Wikipedia entry: Sex-selective abortion and infanticide
  • Catholic World News article, September 22, 2005: India Offers Free Education for Girls, To Curb Sex-Selection Abortion
  • In India, sex selection gets easier - abortion of female fetuses common in India due to use of ultrasound technology - Brief Article (UNESCO Courier, Sept, 1999)
  • India's Top Court Bans Sex-Selection Advertising (October 9, 2002)

It's well worth it to learn about the Dalit movement in India as well as the discriminatory practices that gravely insult the dignity of human beings all around the world. I hope you will take some time to read or to listen to at least one of the resources I listed. You may find yourself learning more about how God feels about injustice and that may draw you nearer to Him, which is a very good thing, wouldn't you agree?