MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on caste discrimination in India
11.12.2012 - (2012/2909(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Peter van Dalen, Ryszard Czarnecki on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0574/2012
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on India, in particular the one of 1 February 2007 on the human rights situation of the Dalits in India,
- having regard to Articles 2 and 3(5) of the Treaty on European Union,
- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, signed and ratified by India,
- having regard to the draft United Nations Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination Based on Work and Descent,
- having regard to the 9 July 2012 report of the United Nations Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on India[1], in particular recommendations 138.47, 138.72 and 138.118,
- having regard to the EU‑India Thematic Dialogue on Human Rights,
- having regard to Art. 122(5) of its rules of procedure,
A. Whereas India is the largest democracy in the world and its citizens are granted equal status by its Constitution and discrimination based on caste and untouchability are deemed illegal by Articles 15 and 17 of the Indian Constitution; whereas Dalits have served in the highest political functions; whereas India has laws and regulations intended to protect Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, such as the 1976 Protection of Civil Rights Act and the 1989 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act; whereas Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made several strong statements about prioritizing combating violence against Dalits;
B. Whereas in spite of these legal safeguards caste discrimination is widespread and persistent and affects hundreds of millions of people, in particular an estimated 166 million Dalits; whereas according to the ILO, Dalits constitute the single largest group in South Asia subjected to forced and bonded labour and whereas in many Indian states and regions Dalits are allegedly forced into manual scavenging and other degrading activities;
C. Whereas Dalit women, who alongside Adivasi (’’tribal") women are the poorest of the poor in India, face double discrimination on the basis of caste and gender and are sometimes subjected to gross violations of their physical integrity, including sexual abuse;
D. Whereas literacy levels are as low as 24% for Dalit girls, compared to the national average of 43% for the female population;
E. Whereas reports from the state of Haryana allege that numerous Dalit women and girls have been raped in recent months;
F. Whereas in one particular case in Haryana State a 16-year old Dalit girl was gang-raped in the village of Dabra, Hisar district, on 9 September 2012; whereas her father committed suicide after discovering what happened and the police only decided to take belated action when faced with mass protests;
G. Whereas in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu State, a mob of approximately 1,000 people from higher castes looted and torched 403 houses in Dalit communities without police intervention;
H. Whereas according to various local and international sources between 100.000 and 200.000 girls – in majority Dalit - are allegedly trapped in bonded labour in spinning mills in Tamil Nadu;
I. Whereas implementation of existing legislation and judicial follow-up of atrocities and cases of discrimination is insufficient in many states and regions;
J. Whereas India, when presenting its candidacy for the Human Rights Council, ahead of the elections of 20 May 2011, pledged to uphold the highest standards to promote and protect human rights;
1. Acknowledges the significant work that has already been done at Union, state, regional and local levels to eradicate caste discrimination; furthermore applauds the clear stance against caste discrimination by many Indian politicians, Indian media and other public opinion makers at every level of society;
2. Remains however alarmed by the persistently large numbers of reported and unreported crimes and the widespread societal nature of caste discrimination;
3. Urges the Indian authorities, at Union, state, regional and local level to redouble their efforts to honour their pledges, to implement existing legislation, to ensure protection of Dalits and other vulnerable groups in society and to ensure a police- and judicial follow-up of reported crimes and other cases of discrimination;
4. Urges the Indian authorities to ensure victims can safely register their cases with police and judicial authorities;
5. Calls on the Indian authorities to eradicate bonded labour from the spinning mills in Tamil Nadu and other states;
6. Calls on the Indian authorities to allow for funding, including from abroad, for Dalit organizations and other organizations representing disadvantaged groups in Indian society;
7. Asks the Indian Parliament to push through its plans to pass an effective Statute prohibiting manual scavenging;
8. Calls on the Member States to endorse the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent in the UN Human Rights Council;
9. Calls on EU and Member States' representations in India to include the issue of caste discrimination in their human rights and other dialogues with the Indian authorities;
10. Calls on the Commission to prioritise programmes addressing caste discrimination among its activities in India;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to India's Prime Minister, India's Minister for Law & Justice, India's Home Minister, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States and the Secretary-General of the UN.
- [1] A/HRC/21/10, http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session21/A-HRC-21-10_en.pdf