Today, March 21, is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. To mark this day, Asian Human Rights Commission is calling for your urgent action, and also sends a solidarity greeting to all persons engaged in the struggle against all forms of racism, especially remembering those who have faced suffering and death due to this struggle. These include prominent names – such as Martin Luther King Jr. (killed fighting US right-wing white racism), Steve Biko (killed fighting South African apartheid) and Mahatma Gandhi (killed fighting Indian discrimination by an extreme right-wing Brahmin) – as well as the names of thousands of others that we have not heard. We dedicate this day to them also.
In around five months there will be a World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa. It is noteworthy that Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has recently announced that she will not continue in her position after the Durban conference. No doubt she feels frustrated, as we do, by the lack of progress towards addressing fundamental problems through this conference. In particular we can point to the extreme measures taken by the Indian government to prevent this conference from addressing fundamental issues such as caste-based violence and oppression affecting around 240 million of the world’s people.
Ms. Robinson had this to say in her ‘resignation’ speech at the opening of the UN Commission on Human Rights:
“The world Conference will allow us to address fundamental issues that have divided people in the past, and help shape the future of our global village. However uncomfortable the challenge we must respond to it constructively or future generations will not look kindly on us.”
BACKGROUND
Asian Human Rights Commission has repeatedly stated that this conference will mean nothing to the outcaste of South Asia if it does not address the caste issue. Caste oppression is a form of racial discrimination on the basis of descent and occupation (as defined by the UN Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination).
Yet the Indian government has used extreme measures to prevent the WCAR from addressing this issue, which it rightly considers to be a shameful and embarrassing blight on the record of the ‘world’s largest democracy’. Their strategies have included:
?Sending “GONGO’s” (government representatives in the guise of NGOs) to participate in every preparatory meeting with an aim to sabotaging discussions, documents and strategies related to caste
?Diplomatic pressure on other countries to not mention caste and pressure UN to not speak about caste
?Making pacts for silence with other Asian nations, to prevent any major discimination problems being raised
?Strategic control of UN: take chairing and drafting positions, adopt anti-NGO rules
?Bypass own parliament through an appointed 15-member team that does not report to Indian parliament
SUGGESTED ACTION
To mark this day for ending discrimination, built on the blood of those who have fought against entrenched systems of discrimination, we urge you to take a small action to urge both Mary Robinson and the Indian government to enable this issue to be raised at the WCAR. Your action may give a glimmer of hope to the outcaste millions condemned to the life of landless labourers or manual scavengers, prevented from receiving proper education, socially excluded and subject to massacres, rape and unsanitary housing conditions.
Following are two sample letters which you can use to help you write to Mary Robinson and the Indian government.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Ms. Robinson
I regret to learn of your decision to not continue in your role as High Commissioner for Human Rights. You have made a great contibution to the promotion of human rights in the world, despite the constraints of your office. It is possible that your imminent departure from the position may lift those contraints sufficiently to enable you to advocate on behalf of an extremely oppressed group numbering in the hundreds of millions who are yet to gain a voice in the international human rights stage.
This group is the Dalits of South Asia, who have been the victims of a fundamentally discriminatory caste system for thousands of years. Despite good legislation and superficial projects, their plight remains desperate. As you know, the Indian government has worked very hard to prevent this issue from being raised through the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, depite the CERD’s decision that caste oppression is an insidious form of racial discrimination on the basis of descent and occupation.
I urge you to, during your final months in your illustrious position, do everything possible to ensure that the WCAR will address this gross human rights abuse by an entire society. I also ask that you initiate proceedings to gain UN support for the International Day for Dalit Solidarity, April 14 (birthday of Dr. Ambedkar, the recognised Dalit leader), which was declared by the Global Dalit Conference held recently in Delhi. Your efforts on this could make an enormous difference to the forgotten, downtrodden masses of Dalits who have so far not benefitted in the least from the United Nations system.
Yours sincerely
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SEND TO:
Ms. Mary Robinson
High Commissioner for Human Rights.
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone Number (41-22) 917-9000
Fax Number (41-22) 917-9016
e-mail: webadmin.hchr@unog.ch
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SAMPLE LETTER 2:
Dear Mr. Vajpayee, Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Balayogi
It is my understanding that the Indian government is opposing the inclusion of caste in the agenda of the forthcoming World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. This is despite the fact that caste discrimination is the most deeply entrenched form of discrimination on the basis of descent and occupation, which is clearly related to racial discrimination. Further, I understand that the efforts to oppose the inclusion of this issue are being conducted in an underhand manner that prevents debate in the parliament and employs dishonest persons posing as "NGO’s" who are working to disrupt genuine efforts of Dalit groups.
I urge you to at the very least bring this matter for debate in parliament, as called for by the Dalit leaders who met in New Delhi recently for the Global Dalit Conference. It is shocking that the world’s largest democracy would prevent parliamentary debate on the issue, and would ignore the call of those representing some 160 million of its inhabitants to enable discussion of the issue at international fora. The international community and the Dalit community of India and Nepal will certainly know about and be shocked by these efforts to prevent discussion on this fundamental discimination problem, and would greatly appreciate the efforts of anyone working to enable it to be discussed at the WCAR.
Yours sincerely
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SEND LETTERS TO:
Prime Minister of India
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Address: 3, Race Course Road,
New Delhi-110001
Tel: +91 11 3018939
Fax: +91 11 301 9817
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
Leader of the Opposition
Smt. Sonia Gandhi
10, Janpath, New Delhi-110 011
Tels: +91 11 3012686, 3014161, 3014481
Fax: +91 11 3018651
Speaker of Parliament
Mr.Shri Ganti Mohanachandra Balayogi
17, Parliament House, New Delhi-110001
Tels: +91 11 3017795, 3017914, 3013211
Fax : +91 11 3792927
*** Please send a copy of your letter to AHRC Urgent Appeals:
Email:
Fax: +(852) 26986367
Please contact the Urgent Appeals coordinator if you require more
information or wish to report human rights violations.
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AHRC Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
Unit D, 7th Floor, Mongkok Commercial Centre,
16 – 16B Argyle Street, Kowloon, HONGKONG
Tel: +(852) – 2698-6339
Fax: +(852) – 2698-6367
E-mail: ua@ahrchk.org
Please contact the AHRC Urgent Appeals Coordinator if you require
further information or to make requests for further appeals.
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AHRC has an Urgent Appeal Programme which operates around the clock.
AHRC issues urgent appeals on behalf of persons or groups of persons
whose human rights have been violated. All urgent appeals released
by the AHRC since late 1997 can be accessed at our website:
http://www.ahrchk.net/appeal/index.html
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