In much of Asia and parts of Africa, caste is the basis of discrimination against and exclusion of distinct groups. Over 250 million people worldwide (160 million in India) suffer from this form of discrimination. Communities affected by caste include the Dalits in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as well as the Buraku people of Japan, the Osu of Nigeria’s Igbo people, and certain groups in Senegal and Mauritania.
The Dalits are among the poorest of the Indian population. Their status means that they are frequently the victims of violence, including murders, rapes, arson and forcible land encroachment. In addition they suffer from wage discrimination, infringement of the right to vote and run for elections, discrimination in schools, disproportionately high drop-out rates and levels of illiteracy, dehumanizing living and working conditions, impoverishment and malnourishment.
Dalits form a large proportion of India’s agricultural workers but they generally do not own land and are often relegated to separate villages or neighbourhoods. They are forced to do low-paying and undesirable occupations such as street sweeping and removing human waste and dead animals. They are often not allowed to use the same wells or attend the same temples as higher castes.
Dalit women are affected by the burden of both caste and gender and even farther removed from legal protections. An example of this is the use of Dalit girls in the practice of ‘Joghinis’ – which literally means ‘female servant of god’ – where girls are forced into prostitution.