India, Caste and Poverty
Practice of Untouchability Continues and Creates Poverty
Dalits or untouchables are still considered outcasts in India and remain impoverished, discriminated against and segregated.
Although the practice of “untouchability” was abolished in 1950, it remains and is very much alive in India. The caste system in India is over 2,000 years old and is tied with the religion of Hinduism, so it is not going down easy.
India has one of the world’s largest democracies but the Dalits or so called “untouchables” do not generally feel that they have been given fair treatment.
There are four varnas or large caste categories and they are:
- Brahmins (priests and teachers)
- Ksyatriyas (rulers and soldiers)
- Vaisyas (merchants and traders)
- Shudras (laborers and artisans)
The fifth category is considered outcasts, untouchables or Dalits. One sixth of India’s population or 160 million Dalits endure discrimination, segregation and social ostracization. Many villages are separated by caste and they may not cross the line dividing them from the higher castes. They also may not use the same wells or drink in the same tea stalls as higher castes. The state administration frequently fails to install electricity, sanitation facilities or water pumps in lower caste neighborhoods. Higher caste villages also enjoy better education, housing and medical facilities than the segregated Dalits. Urban areas have shown some improvement but people in rural areas and villages still face extreme discrimination.
Division of labor:
The occupations of people in caste systems are hereditary so if your parents are street cleaners then you are considered a Dalit as soon as you are born. Dalits are restricted to certain occupations that are considered too dirty or polluting for the higher castes such as:
- Sanitation Work
- Plantations workers
- Street Cleaners
- Disposing of dead animals
- Leather Workers
- Cobblers
Although the government has made some formal policies to discourage discrimination, the integration of Dalits is not easily accepted because many are still prejudiced. The programs that have been created are not always being implemented and the Dalits understandably feel discriminated against and most do not believe the government is doing much to help them.
- Most Dalits live in extreme poverty, do not own land and have no opportunities for better employment or education. Because of their vulnerable position and lack of access to land they are often taken advantage of and abused by landlords. Police rarely help because they have their own caste biases. There is a lot of police corruption happening and if any Dalits dare complain or try to change the social order by demanding land or asking for a minimum wage they are beaten, harassed and sometimes even murdered.
Although India now has a policy of quotas for education and government jobs for Dalits, most are still stuck with menial jobs. Dalit children can attend school but they have to sit at the back of the classroom and are frequently treated poorly by teachers and students. The drop out rate is very high because of this and also because they need to help their parents financially by working. Lower castes continue to have lower literacy levels, which prevent them from obtaining higher paying jobs. Presently almost two thirds of Dalits are illiterate.
- Dalit children are more likely to be malnourished because they often lack basics such as access to clean water and proper health care. They are also frequently victims of abuse including child labor.
- Many Dalits continue to work in slave like conditions in order to pay off debts as bonded laborers. The Bonded Labor System Abolition Act in 1976 abolished bonded labor by demanding the release of laborers and prohibiting new bondage agreements but it has not been properly enforced.
Although there has been some progress and potential for social change for Dalits, they continue to be exploited, discriminated against and treated as sub-human. Attitudes are slowly changing but caste bias remains so Dalits continue to fight for their freedom in India.
Reference: Caste Discrimination: (Report by Human Rights Watch, Sept. 2001)
For more information or to help make a difference see: Dalit Freedom Network
