UN condemns caste discrimination in UK

Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, called caste discrimination “a base act of hidden denigration” that “leaves an insidious stain on society”.

It is hard to wipe out, and in this country, hard to see,”

she addressed the Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA) gathered in the House of Lords Wednesday morning.

Caste-based discrimination is illegal in India and other South Asian countries, but not yet in Britain.

In her keynote speech, Pillay pledged her office’s support of new legislation that would place caste on par with race and gender as a quality protected against discrimination under the 2010 Equality Act. She warned the Government that failure to implement this bill could hinder the UK's efforts to gain a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.

Out of the 400,000 lowest caste Dalits living in the UK, an estimated 100,000 are victims of discrimination, according to a 2009 ACDA report.

Caste discrimination survived migration and continues to affect education, employment, and work places,”

the High Commissioner said.

Pillay has personal proof. Even though her ethnically Indian parents were born in South Africa, they refused to accept or even attend the wedding of her sister because of her chosen husband’s lower caste.

Caste discrimination has severe psychological and economic repercussions. It is destructive of all we stand for,”

said Pillay.

Prithi Kaeley, who shared his testimony at the meeting, is a survivor of that destruction. For ten of his 35 years working in a public sector company, he was verbally abused and his authority as a manager mocked by another employee.

The only reason?- Kaeley’s lower caste.

He repeatedly took his case to his superiors but received no response, so silently endured the abuse until his retirement. Only then did he begin speaking out, telling his story on BBC News Night in April.

When he shares his experiences, Kaeley has to stop to hold back threatening tears.

I suffered, my kids suffered. The hurt is as fresh now as it was then,”

he said.

Kaeley’s case is not rare, but his outspokenness about it is.

“There are so many people, but not everyone speaks out. When I complained, they didn’t do anything, but if I don’t share it, nothing will happen,”

he said.

Caste discrimination in UK is shrouded in silence and misunderstanding, but politicians and activists aim to bring the issue into the light through education and law.

The amendment adding caste to the list of protected qualities under the Equality Act was passed in April 2013, but in July the government announced a two-year timetable for the bill.

It includes two 12-week consultations to define the “complex issue” of caste and will push the law’s implementation to summer 2015. The timetable also includes a rare “sunset clause” which requires review of the bill after five years.

Lord Eric Lubbock of Avebury, Liberal Democrat champion of the legislation, believes the delay is deliberate.

There is hostility among some people implementing it, which is why we’re facing such a long timetable. It’s calculated to push it to the other government,”

he said.

It’s genuinely overly bureaucratic, designed to kick implementation of law into the long grass,”

said Santosh Dass, vice-chair of ACDA who also co-founded CasteWatch UK in 2002.

The bills’ supporters blame the delay on lobbying from influential opposition groups.

The government is pressured by powerful Indian business class and they are afraid for how it will affect business,”

said Ravi Kumar, general secretary of ACDA.

Other opponents within government believe that legislation is not necessary and instead the issue can be dealt with solely through education. Activists such as High Commissioner Pillay agree that legislation alone is not enough – but neither is education.

A new law cannot be the silver bullet. We must couple the law with legal and social commitment,”

she said.

Kaeley urges for legislation first and education later, demanding protection for victims such as himself as a priority.

We ask the Government because we need protection. When there’s no change, the Government is giving encouragement to oppressors,”

he said.

The resurgence of this debate follows on the heels of an EU resolution on October 10 condemning caste discrimination as a human rights violation and calling for protective measures against it in member states. If Britain implemented its law, it would be the first country outside South Asia to take a stand.

High Commissioner Pillay declared that caste-based discrimination is on the forefront of the international human rights agenda, and challenged the UK to join the world in taking action.

My office is looking forward to strong, swift implement by the government here of its new obligation to extend the reach of the UK’s legislation on inequality to cover caste discrimination. Now the challenge is protection and enforcement.”

Mallory Moench