Press Release (May 31, 2012). Following yesterday’s release of the reports on the UN human rights reviews of India and the UK, it is evident that UN member states are increasingly concerned about caste discrimination, affecting an estimated 260 million people worldwide.
The final report on last week’s UN human rights review of India has just been adopted, and included ten recommendations and seven questions and observations on caste discrimination, made by a total of 14 UN member states. It is now imperative that the Indian government accept all the recommendations made on caste.
The report on the UN human rights review of the UK was adopted today. A significant recommendation on caste discrimination has been included in the final report. This will provide the basis for monitoring and reporting on the UK’s efforts to amend its legislation to include caste and promote a national strategy to eliminate caste discrimination in the next four years.
When India and the UK come up for review by the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 24 May, IDSN urges all UN member states to seize this important opportunity to address concerns about caste discrimination based on recommendations by civil society and UN human rights bodies.
Press Release (HRW & IDSN): (Geneva, May 14, 2012) – United Nations member states should make ending caste-based discrimination a priority when they review India’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council in late May, 2012, Human Rights Watch and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) said today. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India at the Human Rights Council is scheduled for May 24.
Pakistan will be reviewed for the second time by the UPR Working Group at the 14th UPR session on 30 October 2012. On this occassion, Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSN) and IDSN have prepared and submitted a stakeholders' report to the OHCHR on 23 April 2012 concerning discrimination against Dalits in Pakistan.
In the European Parliament’s resolution on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World and the European Union’s policy on the matter, the European Parliament highlights caste discrimination and, “Recommends initiatives for EU legislation to ensure that attention is paid in EU human rights policy and cooperation instruments to eliminating caste discrimination, and action in caste-affected countries, including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Yemen.”
The report is an outcome of the International Consultation on Caste-Based Discrimination: Good practices and strategies to eliminate caste discrimination by governments, civil society, national & international institutions...
The IDSN Annual Report 2011 sums up the many positive developments in the struggle to end caste discrimination that the year has brought and outlines some of the remaining challenges that will keep us all engaged in this struggle for many years to come.
In a letter to the Presidents of the European Council and European Commission regarding the EU India summit, Human Rights Watch strongly urge the EU to address a number of pressing human rights issues in India including the situation of Dalits.
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