William Wilberforce on caste

From Substance of the speeches of William Wilberforce, esq. on the clause in the East-India bill for promoting the religious instruction and moral improvement of the natives of the British dominions in India, on the 22d of June, and the 1st and 12th of July, 1813 (1813) Read the full speech here

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But even Swartz’s converts, it is alleged, were all of the lowest class of the people, wretches who had lost caste, or were below it; and the same assertion is generally made concerning the native Christians at this day. This again, Sir, is one of those wretched prejudices which receive easy credence, because they fall in with the preconceived notions of the receiver, and pass current from man to man without being questioned, in spite of the plainest and most decisive refutation. Even our opponents themselves will refer to Mr. Swartz’s own authority; and that excellent man having happened to read in India much such a speech concerning Missionaries as the Honourable Baronet has this day uttered, which had been made in the India-House the year before, by Air. Montgomery Campbell, he positively contradicted all those stale assertions in disparagement of the Missionaries and their followers, which had been so generally circulated ; among the rest, this of the low degraded quality of their converts; by stating, that if Mr. Campbell had even once attended their Church, he would have observed, that more than two thirds were of the higher caste, and so it was, he said, at Tranquebar and Vepery. In like manner, Dr. Kerr, who was officially commissioned by the Madras Government, in 1806, to visit the Malabar coast, for the express purpose of obtaining every possible information in regard to the establishment, &c. of the Christian Religion in that part of the Peninsula, after stating, that the character of the native Christians, whose numbers, according to the best accounts, are estimated at from seventy to eighty thousand, is marked by a striking superiority over the heathens in every moral excellence, and that they are remarkable for their veracity and plain dealing, adds, ” They are respected very highly by the Nairs” (the nobility of the country), ” who do not consider themselves defiled by associating; with them, though it is well known that the Nairs are the most particular of all the Hindoos in this respect ; and the Rajahs of Travancore and Cochin admit them to rank next to Nairs.”

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But the evils of Hindostan are family, fire-side evils: they pervade the whole mass of the population, and embitter the domestic cup, in almost every family. Why need I, in this country, insist on the evils which arise merely out of the institution of Caste itself; a system which, though, strange to say, it has been complimented as a device of deep political wisdom, must surely appear to every heart of true British temper to be a system at war with truth and nature; a detestable expedient for keeping the lower orders of the community bowed down in an abject state of hopeless and irremediable vassalage. It is justly, Sir, the glory of this country, that no member of our free community is naturally precluded from rising into the highest classes in society. And, in fact, we have all witnessed instances of men who have emerged out of their original poverty and obscurity, and have risen to the highest level by the in-born buoyancy of their superior natures ; our free constitution, to which such occurrences are scarcely less honourable than to the individuals who are the subjects of them, opening the way for the developement, and Providence favouring the exercise, of their powers. Even where slavery has existed, it has commonly been possible, (though in the West Indies, alas! artificial difficulties have been interposed,) for individuals to burst their bonds, and assert the privileges of their nature. But the more cruel shackles of Caste are never to be shaken; as well might a dog, or any other of the brute creation, it is the Honourable Gentleman’s own illustration, aspire to the dignity and rights of man.

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Equality, in short, is the vital essence and the very glory of our English laws. Of theirs, the essential and universal pervading character is inequality ; despotism in the higher classes, degradation and oppression in the lower. And such is the systematic oppression of this despotism, such its universal predominancy, that, not satisfied with condemning the wretched Soodras for life to their miserable debasement, (nay, death itself does not mend their condition), and endeavouring to make that degradation sure, by condemning them to ignorance as well as humiliation, the same inequalities pursue and harass their victims, in the various walks and occupations of life. If they engage in commerce, they are to pay 57. per cent, interest for money, while a Bramin pays 1/. and the other two castes 2/. and 3/. per cent. Their punishments are far more severe than those of the higher classes, for all crimes; although, with any but a Hindoo legislator, their inferior measure of knowledge might be held to extenuate their guilt.

Tearing down the wall of caste

by Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

First published on October 8, 2009

இந்த உரையை தமிழில் இங்கு பதிவிறக்கம் செய்யலாம்.

A group of representatives from caste-affected communities in Asia recently gave me a piece of brick from the wall of a torn-down latrine. The brick symbolized the global struggle against the degrading practice of making members of a “lower caste” clean public toilets with their bare hands.

This practice, which persists in many places despite increasing prohibition in law, is not the workers’ choice. It is rather a task that they inherit because of their social origins and descent. In turn, these discriminated individuals are further “contaminated” by their work and further trapped in a generational cycle of social exclusion and marginalization.

Today caste-affected communities and civil society activists are hoping to tear down the much bigger invisible wall of discrimination by trying to promote new international standards of equality and non-discrimination. I have tremendous respect for their determination and courage. As a woman of color from a racial minority growing up in apartheid South Africa, I know a thing or two about discrimination.

“Untouchability” is a social phenomenon affecting approximately 260 million persons worldwide. This type of discrimination is typically associated with the notions of ritual purity and pollution which are deeply rooted in different societies and cultures. The problem is neither confined to one geographical area nor exclusively practiced within one particular religion of belief system. It is a global phenomenon.

Caste is the very negation of the human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination. It condemns individuals from birth and their communities to a life of exploitation, violence, social exclusion and segregation. Caste-discrimination is not only a human rights violation, but also exposes those affected to other abuses of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

“Lower caste” individuals are frequently confined to hereditary, low-income employment and deprived of access to agricultural land and credit. They often find themselves battling high levels of indebtedness or even debt and labor bondage, which is practically a contemporary form of slavery. The barriers they face in seeking justice or redress are formidable. Child labor is rampant in descent-based communities and children of “lower castes” suffer high levels of illiteracy. For women, caste is a multiplier that compounds their experience of poverty and discrimination.

Laws and policies have been put in place in many to combat this scourge. Constitutions prohibit caste-based discrimination and “lower caste” members have been elected to the highest offices of the land. Special legislation has been enacted to provide for affirmative action in education and employment, as well as protection from violence and exploitation. Judiciaries have sought to enforce laws and provide relief to victims. Dedicated institutions monitor the conditions and advocate on behalf of “lower caste” groups.

At the international level, the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination explicitly lists descent as a ground of racial discrimination. The Durban Declaration and Program of Action, adopted at the World Conference on Racism in 2001, recognized descent-based discrimination. It also provided a comprehensive roadmap to combat it which was reaffirmed by states in April this year.

Yet, there is a real need for targeted social policies and programs to address caste-based discrimination. It is imperative to implement education programs that can change deeply rooted systemic, cultural and social prejudices, customs, beliefs and traditions based on descent, power and affluence. Above all, caste-affected communities must be given a voice and full participation in the development, implementation and evaluation of strategies aimed at empowering them. The international community should come together to support these efforts as it did when it helped put an end to apartheid.

This action to stem an abhorrent form of marginalization and exclusion which traps the victims in hopelessness and poverty is long overdue. We owe it to those “lower-caste” families forced to leave their village because they dared to vote in a parliamentary election against the favored candidate of the upper caste. We owe it to the villagers belonging to the lowest social class starving to death because they were not able to benefit from the public services which they were entitled to. We owe it to that “lower caste” woman assaulted, publicly humiliated and forced to eat her own excreta by members of the upper caste community accusing her of witchcraft. All caste-victims demand and deserve remedies. The plight of hundreds of millions cannot be justified as age-old traditions, nor can it be regarded merely as a “family business.”

The Human Rights Council, the premier intergovernmental body for the protection and promotion of human rights, should promote the 2009 Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent. This study complements existing international standards of non-discrimination. All states must rally around and endorse these norms. The time has come to eradicate the shameful concept of caste. Other seemingly insurmountable walls, such as slavery and apartheid, have been dismantled in the past. We can and must tear down the barriers of caste too.

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Read this statement on the UN High Commission site here

A poem for Krishnaveni

- SRaj

ஒதுக்குப்  புறமாக ஒடுங்கி கூனிக்  கிடந்த சக்கிலிச்சி
சபையேறி நிமிர்ந்து நின்று  ஊர்ப்பணி ஆற்றுவது
ஜீரணிக்க முடியுமா பரம்பரை ஏவலர்க்கு
அடுக்குமா ஆதிக்க ஜாதிக்கு
பொறுக்குமா நம்மை ஏய்த்துப் பிழைத்து
வயிர் வளர்க்கும் கூட்டத்திற்கு

The Sakkili woman, who once lay crouched in a corner,
Now standing straight on a stage, serving the public,
Will those who have ordered us for generations digest this?
Will the dominant castes tolerate it?
Will the crowd that survives and fills its stomach
By ordering us around stand for it?

ஊரை விற்று உலையில் போட
சுயநல கூட்டம் போட்ட  தாளத்திற்கு
ஆட மறுத்து உன் உயிரை பணயம் வைத்து
திமிறி எழுந்து திறம்பட பம்பரமாய் மக்கள் பணியாற்றி
மாதிய குலத்து  வேணி  வீராயி நீ பெற்ற விருதுகள்
கண்களை கட்டை கொண்டு உருத்தியதோ

To sell the town and toss it into the fire
The selfish crowd beat out a rhythm
That you refused to dance to, placing your life on the line,
You threw them off, stood up and skillfully, busily, served the people
The awards you won, brave goddess of the female clan,
Were they as logs poked into their eyes, to annoy them so?

பெண் என்றால் பேயும் இரங்கும் என்பர்
ஐந்து ஜாதி  வெறி பிடித்த மிருகங்கள்
பெண் ஒருத்தி உனை சுற்றிவளைத்து
மேனியை ஆயுதத்தால் வெட்டி  பிளைந்து குதறி
கொலைவெறி தாக்குதலை நடத்தி
குற்றும்  குலை உயிருமாக இரத்த வெள்ளத்தில்
தங்கை நீ மிதந்த பத்திரிக்கை  செய்தி பார்த்து
படபடத்து பதரிவிட்டோம் உன் அண்ணன் நாங்கள்

For a woman, even the spirits show pity, they say.
Those five animals possessed with casteist rage
Surrounded you, a lone woman,
Hacked, split open and ripped you with weapons,
Attacking you with murderous intent,
They left you barely alive, floating on a flood of blood,
Our sister, when we read of this in the news,
We, your brothers, were flustered, stunned, troubled.

இந்த மிருகங்களின் முகங்களிலே
காரி உமிழ்ந்தால் கூட நம் எச்சில் தான் வீணாகும்
ஆட்சியாளர்கள் அலட்சியம் காட்டி
நீதித்துறை  நீதி வழங்கவில்லை எனில்
நம் நீலப்படை நீதிவழங்கும் என அண்ணன் அதியமான்
கூறியதை நீ சிந்திய செங்குருதியின் மீது
அணையிட்டு கூறுகின்றோம்.

Even if we should hawk and spit upon the faces
Of these animals, only our spit will be wasted.
If the ones who govern us should prove indifferent
If the department of justice does not provide justice
Our blue army will provide justice, said our brother Athiyaman,
Upon the blood you have spilt,
We swear that this shall be so.

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This poem is written for Aathithamilar Peravai www.aathithamizharperavai.com

தாழையூத்து பஞ்சாயத் தலைவர் கிருஷ்ணவேணியின் மீது நடத்தப்பட்ட கொடூரமான தாக்குதலைத் தொடர்ந்து, தலித் பஞ்சாயத் தலைவர்களின் மீது நடத்தப்படும் வன்முறைகளை முன்வைக்கும் வலைபதிவுகளின் இரண்டாம் பதிவு இது. அருந்ததியர் மனித உரிமை அமைப்பு வெளியிட்ட அறிக்கை இங்கே.

In response to the brutal attack on Thalaiyuthu Panchayat President Krishnaveni, this is the second of a series of posts about attempts on the lives of dalit panchayat presidents. This attack has hospitalised an award-winning and popular elected leader and underlines the threat that caste poses to democracy. A statement on the attack issued by the Arunthathiyar Human Rights Federation has been reproduced here.