Author: Ashwini Deshpande, Professor of Economics at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. Prepared in collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO) for the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN).This study argues that a greater socio-economic diversity in the workforce at all levels of employment, by which we mean greater representation or inclusion of groups which have been traditionally marginalized, such as Dalits, and under-represented in organized employment, will not only have extremely positive repercussions for society as a whole, but more importantly,would make good business sense.
This study argues that a greater socio-economic diversity in the workforce at all levels of employment, by which we mean greater representation or inclusion of groups which have been traditionally marginalized, such as Dalits, and under-represented in organized employment, will not only have extremely positive repercussions for society as a whole, but more importantly, would make good business sense. Evidence across all states in India and in different sectors indicates that access to productive employment and decent jobs remains confined to a few sections of the workforce. Labour is divided by caste, religion, region, all of which overlap with class and gender with some castes and religious groups practically absent in the top echelons of the private corporate sector. Section II of the study contains a brief discussion of which groups are marginalized, excluded, under-represented and why. Section III demonstrates how dealing with exclusion and adopting a non-discriminatory policy is not only possible for the private sector, it is mandated by international convention. Section IV discusses how this problem is similar to the situation in racially divided advanced countries, such as the USA, UK, and other European countries and the measures taken in these societies to redress under-representation. Section V discusses the implications of the previous section for India and the specific steps which the private sector has adopted and additional steps it can adopt. The Appendix contains the code of conduct to promote affirmative action adopted in 2011 by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and the All India Organisation of Employees.
Speaking at the Indian Council of World Affairs UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need for inclusive growth for shared prosperity saying that, “millions of Dalits, Tribals and others still face discrimination, especially the women and girls.” On a visit to Gujarat the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, similarly cautioned that while India was an accelerating economy, “Indian society has an enduring exclusion that is based, among other things, on caste identities. This bias can impede shared prosperity, serving as a basis for discrimination in many spheres, including in employment and other markets, as well as in public services.”
The Global Slavery Index 2014, released by the Walk Free Foundation, singles out India as the country in the world with the most slaves and sees caste at the root of slavery in India. Caste-affected Mauritania tops the Index on percentage of the population in slavery.
Because India’s jurisprudence remains ill-equipped to stringently provide legal protection for Dalits, human traffickers easily kidnap and lure vulnerable Dalit women and girls into prostitution and child marriage and men and children into bonded labor in factories and on farms.
Silicosis death in Rajasthan Mines. Dominated by the Bairwa and other Schedule Caste communities, mining is the main source of livelihood in this region. The poorest of the poor live here and the death of an earning member pushes the family into further poverty.
Veeru escaped with her family and after months of fighting for her family and begging the police to protect them, she finally found refuge in a camp inhabited by other former bonded labourers. It was then that she decided to dedicate her life to freeing others like her.
Caste discrimination is a key factor behind child labour in India - is the message coming from experts on child labour. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi, also explains how witnessing caste discrimination as a child spurred on his engagement with fighting for the rights of the most marginalised.
By Ashwini Deshpande. Traditional hierarchies are too deeply entrenched to be reversed through one single measure; they need a concerted push, backed by strong will from different segments of society, including, but not confined to, politicians
By Humphrey Hawksley
New Harvard report finds that, “minority castes and ethnic groups remain heavily exploited in India’s carpet sector. The fact that 99.9% of cases documented belonged to these communities is a blistering indictment of the country’s inability to protect and empower its most vulnerable and disenfranchised citizens.”