How does caste discrimination continue to inflict cruelty and exploitation on communities worldwide? What measures should governments implement to end these discriminatory practices? This report from Human Rights Watch surveys the inequalities and human rights abuses that lower-caste groups continue to experience in South and East Asia and West Africa. It argues that governments must enact new legislation, respect existing international agreements and fund socio-economic programmes to extend full human rights to all their citizens, regardless of caste.
The caste system is a rigid social hierarchy based on descent and occupation. Globally, over 250 million people suffer from degrading treatment because of their lower caste status. Even democratic states, which have ratified international rights agreements aimed at eliminating discrimination, continue to violate the basic rights of lower caste communities.
Groups affected by these practices include the Dalit or “untouchables” in India and Nepal, the neeno in Senegal, the Osu in Nigeria and the Buraku in Japan. These castes experience discrimination in numerous areas of social life, including housing, marriage, labour rights, provision of social services and distribution of wealth.
Marginalisation of lower caste groups is often defined by their characterisation as “unclean”, with societal prejudices reinforced by government policy and, sometimes, violence:
- Social segregation characterises caste discrimination. Marriage between upper and lower caste members can lead to ostracism or punitive violence. Lower-caste members are often forced into the worst paid, most unsanitary jobs.
- These groups are highly exploited. Debt bondage systems in Southern Asia and slavery practices in West Africa persist despite laws enacted to combat these activities. Lower-caste women are particularly vulnerable to economic and sexual exploitation.
- Significant socio-economic and civil inequalities persist between higher- and lower-caste communities. Levels of literacy, political representation, land ownership and life expectancy are often markedly lower in lower-caste groups.
- Governments frequently fail to apply domestic and international law to defend lower-caste groups. They tolerate or fail to punish community and police violence, enforced slavery and segregation in public places.
Governments must uphold their constitutional principles and treaty obligations to defend the rights of lower-caste citizens and end “untouchability” and segregation. The elimination of caste discrimination should become a global priority.
- Governments should acknowledge the mistreatment that has been directed against lower-caste groups.
- They should enact and enforce laws to end abuses linked to caste discrimination, such as child labour, bonded labour, manual collection of human waste and forced prostitution.
- States should launch public information campaigns to monitor and publicise the degree of implementation of existing anti-discrimination laws and explain legal prohibitions on discrimination.
- Governments should allocate resources to give educational and socio-economic support to lower-caste populations.
- They should enable greater participation of affected communities in civil administration and implement policies redressing social discrimination.
- States should ratify and implement the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and invite the special rapporteur on racism to investigate caste discrimination in their countries.
- United Nations development agencies should incorporate awareness of caste discrimination into their development of new strategies and their evaluation of current programmes.
