I am forwarding an email received from the representatives of India’s Black Untouchables.
The Third Preparatory Committee to the WCAR was held from the 30th of July to the 10th of August 2001 in Geneva and three activists attended the same by the NCDHR — namely Paul Divakar, Aloysius Irudayam and Henri Tiphagne.
Missing paragraph: NCDHR has been campaigning for the inclusion of the agenda of caste discrimination in the WCAR. In spite of the fact that we had managed to get a small paragraph into the text on the last date of the second Inter-sessional Working Group to the WCAR in Geneva on the May 11, 2001 through an intervention by Barabados, you are all aware that this para was found missing in the text that was circulated around for the Second Preparatory Committee meeting to the WCAR that commenced on May 20, 2001. Similarly, the small paragraph with reference to discrimination based on work and descent that was introduced by Switzerland and present throughout the Second Prep. Com in the draft document has now disappeared in the draft prepared by the Group of 21 for consideration of the Third and Final Prep. Com to the WCAR when the actual negotiations would commence.
The Third Prep Com is therefore the only opportunity for the community of nations gathered to reconsider the question of discrimination based on work and descent known as. The NCDHR has therefore decided to attempt to touch the conscience of this world community with a statement signed by eminent persons from throughout the world.
Global attention: Dalits are the largest and the most significant segment of the discriminated world population. That 260 million people in South Asia alone, perhaps more than the population of some of the European countries, are systematically subjected to continuous discrimination based on descent and work should be a mind-boggling factor for any human being sensitive to human rights. Discriminated in multiple forms and in various aspects of life on grounds of work and descent, they ought to attract global attention, concern and commitment. That they have been humiliated by gross violations of their rights for centuries should at least now, though far belated, awaken world conscience — that of peoples and governments.
Shocking fact: In the context of the WCAR, the most shocking fact is that some nations which support the WCAR do not only deny the existence of discrimination based on work and descent but also apply various tactical measures in order to pressurize other nations to withdraw their statements — statements which ask for recognition of discrimination based on descent and work. This has been happening in recent weeks and months although a good amount of progress has been made by the UN bodies to recognize and affirm unambiguously the existence of such discrimination.
The Dalit caucus is deeply concerned about the efforts of such nations to derecognize discrimination based on work and descent. This, no doubt, is against the spirit of the WCAR. It is against the UN Charter in letter and spirit. It is against the conscience of humanity.
