Quotes/statements on caste

A number of public figures and organisations have expressed their opinion on caste discrimination. Please see their quotes/statements below:

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay:

Caste is the very negation of the human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination”  Read the full opinion piece on caste discrimination by Navi Pillay here >

Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Maxime Verhagen, at the UN Human Rights Council:

"In terms of issues, I think the Council’s agenda does not yet reflect  all the substantive issues that need to be addressed. Discrimination on the basis of descent or work, for example, is still missing from the non-discrimination agenda. There are approximately 260 million people in the world that suffer such discrimination. For these men and women, it is impossible to escape grinding poverty because the society
they grew up in does not allow them to take their fate into their own hands and improve themselves,”

Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

“In 2001, I noted that India was at the forefront of the struggle against apartheid and expressed the belief that the Indian people would want to end the scourge of caste discrimination. I still hope that this is so, and I strongly urge the Indian government and my own government to endorse international efforts to end the practice of „untouchability‟, which is a blot on humanity. Such support would be a boost to the struggle for Dalit rights, not only in India, but all over the world.”

Meira Kumar, the Speaker of India's Lower House (Lok Sabha):

"We need a concerted effort to bring about a social change which can weaken these divisive forces, strengthen unity and accelerate our march for national progress"

Clive Baldwin, senior legal advisor, Human Rights Watch:

“Caste discrimination is a major global human rights issue that needs to be effectively dealt with at the international level.” 

 Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India :

“It is shocking that the conviction rate for cases of atrocities against SC/STs is less than 30% against the average of 42%.”

Human Rights Watch, Asia director, Brad Adams:

“political will to end the scourge of caste discrimination is needed at all levels of government to alter traditional attitudes and turn well-meaning laws into reality."

ISO 26000 - standard on social responsibility in the private sector:

“Hundreds of millions of people are discriminated against because of their hereditary status or descent. This form of discrimination is based on a history of rights abuse justified by the wrongful notion that some people are considered unclean or less worthy because of the group into which they are born. An organization should avoid such practices and,
where feasible, seek to contribute to eliminating these prejudices.’’

UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Mr. Githu Muigai:

“The legal framework on discrimination based on descent is unambiguous. Yet, it remains to be implemented properly. Robust action was required from Governments in order to advance in the fight against discrimination based on descent. The vital first step in addressing this issue was for States to recognize that discrimination on the grounds of descent constituted a form of racial discrimination prohibited by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination. In the absence of such recognition
it would not be possible to effectively address the serious human rights violations and discrimination suffered by individuals and groups on grounds of caste and other systems of inherited status.”

Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Yakin Ertürk:

“Dalit women are confronted with discrimination, exclusion and violence to a larger extent than men. Land and property issues in particular, tend to cause or be at the root of conflicts over which Dalit women have faced eviction, harassment, physical abuse and assault. Dalit women are often denied access to or are evicted from their land by dominant castes, especially if it borders land belonging to such castes. They are thus forced to live in the outskirts of villages, often on barren land. Reportedly, on many occasions, cases of violence against Dalit women are not registered, and adequate procedures are not taken by the police.”

Two UN independent experts on water and sanitation and on extreme poverty:

”They [Dalits of Bangladesh] are reportedly denied education because of social stigma, and their jobs are threatened. Although they work in sanitation all day long, they have no or inadequate access to water and sanitation in their own homes. The Government must end all forms of discrimination and adopt immediate measures to guarantee their human rights.”

Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Ms. Gulnara Shahinian:

”ILO research shows a clear link in Asian countries between forced labour and long-standing patterns of discrimination. In India, the overwhelming majority of bonded labour victims in agriculture, brick making,mining and other sectors are from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.”