Henry Thiagaraj gave the following speech at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in June.
It is in achieving the supreme goal of "all human rights for all" that we bring to the attention of this august body the plight of the 250 million "untouchable" [Dalit] people in the South Asia region. The sheer magnitude of the number of people suffering discrimination alone is sufficient to attract the attention of this world body.
When our group arrived in Vienna, a friend took us to visit Mauthausen, near Linz, to see the site of a concentration camp of the Nazis which now has memorials to the people who suffered inhuman torture and death. This reminded us of the experience of our own Dalit people's suffering, violence and pain. It is very clear to us that "casteism" and its untouchability doctrine is a manifestation of Nazism still practised in modern times in South Asia. It has all the dangerous ingredients of racism which manifests in ugly forms.
The untouchable people have chosen a name for themselves — Dalits, the broken people — to overcome the stigma of being born in an untouchable community. Untouchability is worse than apartheid, as it is not colour but the community and the place in which one is born that discriminates a person: whether in the caste village or the segregated Dalit colony. Discrimination of one's very existence, one's being starts from birth and continues to haunt all through life and goes beyond death into separate burial/cremation grounds.
This anachronistic belief system, sanctioned by the Hindu religion, has been absorbed by other religions through social practices and taboos. This pernicious doctrine is insidious, showing up in discrimination of occupation, marriage and segregated housing. Casteism is a man-made myth, which was designed to keep a class of people under servitude.
Historically, it originated from powerful invaders who
created segregated communities to oppress the native indigenous people and to enslave the conquered communities by imposing discriminatory taboos: denial of ownership of land, denial of education, denial of worship and spirituality, denial of growth of human personality, denial of drinking water and access to public roads.
Dalits were condemned to engage in degrading occupations like carrying corpses, leather workers, cobblers, scavengers, street sweepers and agricultural coolies. All kinds of dirty, difficult and dangerous work are assigned to the Dalits, who in many places are still treated like slaves — their masters believe they are born to lord over them and enjoy the fruits of their labour.
This practice of "casteism" has been dehumanising people for over 2500 years and enforced deplorable living conditions. This reality is easily seen even today in rural areas, where feudalistic social structures and attitudes, supported by a colonial bureaucracy, keep people in oppressed conditions — as landless labourers and bonded labourers. Women are induced to prostitution in the name of religion.
Murder and criminal assaults are well documented. According to an Indian government document, in 1991 1067 Dalit women were raped, 731 Dalits were murdered, 645 incidents of arson against Dalits took place, 1890 Dalits were grievously hurt. Another 17,029 offences against Dalits were registered. Every hour two Dalits are assaulted, every day three Dalit women are raped, two Dalits are murdered, two Dalit houses are burnt.
The national press have pointed out in several leading articles how the tormentors go free while victims wait for justice with pain from wounds inflicted on their body and soul. Justice delayed is justice denied, and our people suffer with anguish. Despite clear laws abolishing untouchability, the crimes committed by upper caste feudal people continuously reveal the deep-rooted prejudices which cannot be changed by mere legislation alone. Efficient law enforcing machinery and the will of people in power to implement the laws are urgently required. In this area the United Nations Human Rights Commission can play a vital role.
When Dalits want to escape from the oppressive social system by seeking faith and comfort in other religions, they are denied the benefits of the government. They are denied the freedom of belief, though they continue to suffer the same socioeconomic disadvantages. This is clear violation of article 18 of UN Human Rights. Several protests and petitions against this discrimination on the basis of religion have not produced any remedial measures.
This world conference has highlighted the interrelationship of human rights with democracy and development. This new paradigm will herald a new revolution in the world based on justice. The removal of poverty and the social development of deprived people with full realisation of human rights go together. A country's real progress is measured by the quality of life of the people.
The Dalits remain untouched by development. Literacy, disease and poverty are high among the Dalit people, who are exploited by age-old barbaric customs. It is in this context of socioeconomic realities we would like to urge the United Nations Human Rights Commission to establish a cell to end the racist manifestation of untouchability which is a crime against humanity.
As we reaffirm the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we recall the words of a great champion of human rights for Dalits, Dr B.R. Ambedkar: "The world owes a duty to the untouchables, as it does to all oppressed people, to break their shackles and to set them free".
We plead that the United Nations, which is the conscience of the world's humanity, to accord high priority to appoint a special commissioner to study the situation of untouchable people and to initiate measures to end violations of human rights. Human rights is an "idea whose time has come" (Victor Hugo) — to bring real humanity to the deprived millions of Dalit people in the Asian region.
[Henry Thiagaraj is managing trustee of the Dalit Liberation Education Trust, 161, T.T.K. Salai, Alwarpet, Madras 600 018, India.]