Untouchability is the social practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, nomadic tribes, law-breakers and criminals and those suffering from a contagious disease such as Leprosy. This exclusion was a method of punishing law-breakers and also protected against contagion from strangers and the infected. A member of the excluded group is known as an untouchable.[1]
The term is commonly associated with treatment of the Dalit communities, who are considered "polluting" among Hindus of India, Nepal and Bangladesh, but the term has been used for other groups as well, such as the Burakumin of Japan, Cagots in Europe, or the Al-Akhdam in Yemen. Untouchability has been made illegal in post-independence India, and Dalits substantially empowered, although some prejudice against them continues, especially in rural pockets dominated by certain other backward caste (OBC) groups.[2]
Contents |
Untouchability is not merely the inability to touch a human being of another caste or sub-caste, it is an attitude on the part of a whole group of people that relates to a deeper psychological process of thought and belief, invisible to the naked eye, translated into various physical acts and behaviours, norms and practices.[3]
Untouchability is prompted by the spirit of social exclusion and the belief in purity, contagion and self-righteousness that characterise certain societies. It is generally taken for granted that Dalits pollute people and are at the lowest end of the South Asian society. The jobs considered polluting and impure are expected to be done by Dalits, and many a times Dalits are known to have been prevented from engaging in any work other than removing human waste (known as “manual scavenging”), dragging away and skinning animal carcasses, tanning leather, making and fixing shoes, and washing clothes. They were supposed to reside outside the village so that their physical presence did not pollute the “main” village. Not only had they been restricted in terms of space, but their houses were inferior in quality and devoid of any facilities like water and electricity.The government of India has, however, introduced many measures like low cost or free housing and free electricity for those below the poverty line, to address these problems.
Untouchability is practised in a number of forms in rural India. At the village level Dalits are sometimes barred from using wells used by non-Dalits, forbidden from going to the barber shop and entering temples, while at the level of job recruitment and employment many Dalits are known to be paid less, ordered to do the most menial work, and rarely promoted, except in the government jobs reserved for them. Even at school, there have been instances of Dalit children being asked to clean toilets and to eat separately, although the government comes down heavily in these cases and punishes the offenders, as soon as these are highlighted by the alert Indian media.
In the name of untouchability, Dalits face nearly 140 forms of work and descent-based discrimination at the hands of the dominant castes. This discrimination included:[4]
The 1950 national constitution of India legally abolishes the practice of untouchability provides measures for positive discrimination in both educational institutions and public services for Dalits and other social groups who lie within the caste system. These are supplemented by official bodies such as the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Despite this, prejudice against Dalits and others still exists and has been evidenced by events such as the Kherlanji massacre.
Caste and analogous systems of social hierarchy operate across the world, particularly in Asia and Africa, subjecting millions to inhuman treatment on the basis of being born into a certain caste or similar social group. Though the communities themselves may be indistinguishable in appearance from others, unlike with race or ethnicity, socio-economic disparities are glaring, as are the peculiar forms of discrimination practiced against them. It is approximated that around 250 – 300 million people across the world suffer from caste, or work and descent based discrimination, a form of discrimination that impinges on their civil, political, religious, socio-economic and cultural rights.[4]
Common features seen in caste and analogous systems across the world include the following:
Below is a list of some communities in other countries around the world facing discrimination due to caste or some analogous social hierarchical system:
The voices has been raised by many countries to involve caste in the UN resolution against racism too.[6]