Indian Dalit Diaspora and International Movements Against Caste Discrimination

Indian caste system is considered as a unique system of social stratification which emerges out of and sanctified by the Hindu religious scriptures. The structure, function, organisation and perpetuation of caste system, despite many changes, has endured for more than two millennia. Furthermore, there is caste discrimination in many other countries too and their diasporas which effects more than 260 million people globally (Pinto, 2002, p. 3988). Dalit diaspora has emerged as a distinct social category and identity that shares the stigma of birth and the associated disabilities and has organised itself for social justice.

Therefore, several transnational civil society organisations across the globe working against caste discrimination have actively raised the issue of caste discrimination at various international forums since 1990s and collaborated for inclusion of caste as akin to racial discrimination. UN (CERD) in 1996 affirmed caste discrimination as a form of descent-based racial discrimination under Article 1 of ICERD. Thus, casteism was recognised as a violation of international human rights law at par with racism. The issue of caste discrimination was compared to apartheid or racial discrimination during the United Nations (UN) Conference on Racial Discrimination in 2001 at Durban, and later at Durban Review Conference in 2009 at Geneva. Dalits in the UK have been strongly articulating and lobbying for inclusion of caste as protected characteristics in the Equality Act, 2010. Moreover, Dalits in the USA are making efforts for the incorporation of the caste as a legal protected category within the American law.

Thus, the paper will explore and analyse the concerted international and transnational efforts of Dalit diaspora for eradication of caste discrimination. Moreover, it attempts to structurally and ideologically consolidate these social justice movements as united efforts for justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, dignity and annihilation of caste.