As the world commemorates the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the theme of "Fighting Everyday Racism", FORUM-ASIA calls on all relevant stakeholders, particularly states, to bring an end to "everyday discrimination" based on work and descent, particularly against the Dalit community in Asia.As the world commemorates the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the theme of “Fighting Everyday Racism”, FORUM-ASIA calls on all relevant stakeholders, particularly states, to bring an end to “everyday discrimination” based on work and descent, particularly against the Dalit community in Asia.
While strongly condemning the everyday discrimination of Dalits in areas such as work, marriage, voting, political participation, access to justice, education, housing, water, health services and even emergency relief in times of natural disasters, we congratulate the Dalit movements – local and national as well as the international solidarity groups – for their relentless peaceful struggle for dignity and to be free from discrimination. We are inspired by their courage, commitment and creativity, and we stand in solidarity with them.
We are also encouraged by the recent efforts of the United Nations to address this serious violation of human rights and contemporary form of apartheid. In particular, we are hopeful that the appointment of two experts of the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights to study discrimination based on work and descent will contribute towards the elimination of this scourge that dehumanizes more than 160 million people in Asia.
However, we are concerned that none of the states where affected communities live in Asia have responded to the survey circulated by the two experts, despite the positive response to this process from affected communities, other civil society groups and some African and Latin American states. We call on all states, especially Bangladesh, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to extend their fullest cooperation to the study undertaken by the two experts, and contribute towards the eradication of this form of apartheid.
States should introduce comprehensive legislature to ensure that no person or community is discriminated based on work and descent and to fully implement existing legislatures to ensure that everyday discrimination based on work and descent is eliminated. Justice must be ensured for all those responsible for discrimination based on caste and descent, and all forms of atrocities against the Dalit community.
Anselmo Lee
Executive Director
For further details, please contact Ruki Fernando (66-4-0991538 / [email protected]), Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) Program Coordinator.
