UN says India's Caste-System is a human rights abuse

[grey boy 2]

UN says India's Caste-System is a Human Rights Abuse

Ani September 29th, 2009 Geneva, Sep.29 (ANI): The United Nations Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva, is expected to ratify draft principles which will recognize India’s caste system as a human rights abuse.

The UN will condemn the persecution suffered by 65 million ‘untouchables’ or ‘Dalits’ who carry out the most menial and degrading work

The UN draft, which has been opposed by India, pledges to work for the “effective elimination of discrimination based on work and descent”.

The Indian government had lobbied heavily for the Human Rights Council to remove the word ‘caste’ from a draft earlier this year.

India’s opposition was undermined however by Nepal, the former Hindu Kingdom, which has supported the move. Its foreign minister Jeet Bahadur Darjee Gautam said Nepal welcomes UN and international support for its attempts to tackle caste discrimination.

The UN has now called on India to follow Nepal’s example, but New Delhi remains opposed to international interference on the issue.

Navanethem Pillay, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, who is a South African Tamil, said Nepal’s response marked a “significant step by a country grappling with this problem itself” and urged other states to follow its lead.

The issue is sensitive in India where untouchables and other low-caste groups wield increasing political influence, particularly in Uttar Pradesh.

According to The Telegraph, the caste divisions has become institutionalised by quotas for Dalits in government jobs and university places, which has in turn angered higher caste groups. (ANI)

UN says India’s caste system is a human rights abuse

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

65 Million ??? wow that is alot of people

 

[BATMAN]

UN cannot help it.
Cast system is core of hinduism.
I have hardly met hindu who failed to mention is high cast and hardly met a hindu who mentioned his low cast.

 

[amna]

no doubt about caste system being a big human rights abuse. hindu society is a very cruel one for women and poor.

a lot of pakistanis, especially punjabis, are still clinging onto this caste rubbish - bragging about being rajput/raja/araeen.. even jatt and gujjar.. jeez.. the way kaanjar, chooray and chamar are treated in rural punjab is deplorable even today, generations after being muslims..and lets not even start with the syed nonsense...

 

[HK-47]

Syeds yeah don't they consider themselves to be direct descendents of the Prophet(PBUH)?

 

[grey boy 2]

I was even told by some indian members here, i don't understand

how wonderful caste system works for India.

Now UN show the true face of castes system

 

[grey boy 2]

See, how Indians still praise their proud Caste-system;

The Caste-System of India

(The Varna and Jati Systems)

by Terence Callaham and Roxanna Pavich

The Indian caste system has been in use for many years. Still today the values of the caste system are held strongly. It has kept a sense of order, and peace among the people. There are five different levels of the system: Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and Harijans. Within each of these categories are the actual "castes" or jatis within which people are born, marry, and die. They all have their own place among each other and accept that it is the way to keep society from disintegrating to chaos. This system has worked well for Indian people and still has a major role in modern India.

India's Caste System

 

[Insane]

Come on its time to remove this $hit centuries old cast system. Though the task is difficult as majority of the older population have a strong feeling that will die a slow death with them.

Its very much a fact of daily life. Caste system that is. But it is a very complex phenomenon to tackle at governmental level. I guess part of the administration doesn't want this to be removed which might kill the vote bank politics. Though there has been a significant change in the attitude over last decade and caste feelings have decreased a lot ( Specially in urban areas) but still long way to go before the elimination of this social evil.

The presence of quota system by the government is also kind of a recognition and validation of the caste system. But then again i guess if u remove it many SC/ST and Other Backward caste people may not gain access to the education and employment they are getting because of the quota system. So its a tricky situation.

I guess the quota system to SC/ST/OBC was there to see that the castes of the population that were behind come up in social level and join mainstream. But that was long back. I think if anything the system should be brought under serious overhaul.

I guess the govt could do some of the following.

1. Abolish quotas based on caste as a first step to reduce the feeling. ( cause many forward castes are angered when they have to study harder or work much harder and even then a much less suitable candidate get the place .. This doesn't help the elimination of caste system at all)

2. Revise reservation and make it on economic scale. Irrespective of caste if a person is from a struggling family unable to meet ends, he should get that reservation. The already rich lower caste people must not get reservation just on caste. Make a line of what is poor and try to bring the poor up by giving them reservation starting from school education to university education and employment.

3. Make strong social laws and punish people who are violate it. Make special grievances cell dealing with this kind of social abuse. When someone complains, his case must be dealt with quick investigation and action. Taking strong action on offenders quickly discourages other potential offenders. Depending on severity of abuse they can be handed over a fine or put behind bars.

4. Make public awareness a part of national media program. Just like literacy mission. Educate population that feeling of higher lower caste is just a dumb myth. All human beings are equal and must be treated such. At the very least the young kids who are not matured enough yet will have this feeling from very young stage and wont grow up to be caste offenders.

5. Encourage Inter-caste marriages. May be some quota for children of people who did inter caste marriage. ( Dunno if this is a good idea but in the long term the separation of caste might cease to exist ). Still today caste plays a very vital role in Hindu marriages. So Higher caste marries higher and lower marries lower.. Duh..

But even if they do all this... Caste system may not still go away.. cause i guess Hinduism is more a way of life than a religion. So the caste system which is based profession practiced by ancestors looks likely to stay for a long time as to date only a Brahman is Allowed to be a priest or the one who presides over most auspicious ceremonies.

I guess a lot of issues arise from the very basics of worship. Changing many basic things will alter the way of life that's Hinduism.

* Taking government control over temple appointments might help. Appoint people who are qualified to be a priest ( Pujari ) rather than just birth right. Once this barrier is breached the very roots of the system might be challenged.

Ooops i guess i am starting to go in a wrong direction i stop here.... But India has lots and lots of problems including poverty, illiteracy, Hunger, Corruption which we are fighting and that is reducing rapidly by the day. But cast system is an evil which i guess would die a very very slow death.. Its not going anywhere soon unless drastic steps are taken which ain't easy.. Thanks to DEMOCRACY ( or rather the practice of it).

 

[grey boy 2]

I hope next time Indians will think twice before started to preach their

Caste-democracy.

 

[Insane]

I hope next time Indians will think twice before started to preach their

Caste-democracy.

I do understand the nature of you post but Democracy is democracy.

I am not one who advocates caste system but these but really all you intelligent folks should not just bother about caste-democracy as you call it. Let people preach what they want, if you are happy with what you have got that's the only thing that should matter. Just ignore the rant as and when you see it. Its not really hard is it ?

And whats with the constant in all your posts ???

 

[Nemesis]

Grey boy i understand that you're slow mentally, but can't you get it through your thick skull that practicing caste system is illegal in India?

The issue is sensitive in India where untouchables and other low-caste groups wield increasing political influence, particularly in Uttar Pradesh.

According to The Telegraph, the caste divisions has become institutionalised by quotas for Dalits in government jobs and university places, which has in turn angered higher caste groups.

The anger is not directed against any caste but towards the government.

 

[SinoIndusFriendship]

Grey boy i understand that you're slow mentally, but can't you get it through your thick skull that practicing caste system is illegal in India?



The anger is not directed against any caste but towards the government.

Many things are illegal in India, but it is still condoned and accepted.

 

[Nemesis]

Many things are illegal in India, but it is still condoned and accepted.

It is neither condoned or accepted. It does exist, just like racism exists in any western nation.

 

[grey boy 2]

Grey boy i understand that you're slow mentally, but can't you get it through your thick skull that practicing caste system is illegal in India?



The anger is not directed against any caste but towards the government.

Well, Thats the reasons for caste-system still in full practice mode,

Thanks to some ignorant people like you , still shamelessly defending

your proud tradition

 

[Nemesis]

Thanks to some ignorant people like you , still shamelessly defending

your proud tradition

and where pray have i defended the caste system? Seriously, point out the post where i defended it.