It’s Not Just Ancient History… Copyright©2014 History Gal. All rights reserved.

It’s Not Just

Ancient History…

Copyright©2014 History Gal. All rights reserved.

Modern Day Untouchables


In 1950, India adopted a constitution which made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of a person’s caste.

What was the Caste System? It was a social class structure tied to Hindu

beliefs.

Dalit, UntouchablePerformed unclean jobs like street sweepers,

waste handlers, dead body handlers

Brahmins

Priests, scholars Kshatriy

aWarrior and rulersVaishya

Merchants, landowners

SudraCommoners, peasants,

laborers, servants


Hindus believe in reincarnation or the rebirth of the soul.

In other words, when a person dies, their soul is reborn as another person.

A person’s karma or actions while they live determines what caste that soul will be reborn into.

If a person is born a Dalit or Untouchable, it is a result of bad karma from the previous life or lives. Copyright©2014 History Gal. All rights reserved.

The 1989 Scheduled Castes and Tribes Act (Prevention of Atrocities Act) made specific acts against Dalits illegal including:

-forcing Dalits to eat things that are inedible-dumping waste in Dalit villages or neighborhoods-forcing a Dalit into forced or bonded labor-corrupting or fouling a Dalit water source-denying Dalits entrance into a public placeCopyright©2014 History Gal. All rights reserved.

Even though national law prohibits

discrimination against people born into the

bottom caste, discrimination and

human rights violations are still very prevalent.


The word Dalit means those who have been broken down or crushed.

Dalits are expected to marry other Dalits.

In some rural areas, Dalits are not allowed to enter police stations to report a crime.


Dalits are forced to take demeaning, low-end jobs and live in severe poverty.Jobs performed by Dalits include:leather workers, street workers, brick making, cobblers, field hands, scavenging, grave diggers, disposing of dead animals,unclogging sewers, washing clothes,cleaning dry latrines (toilets that don’t flush)


Notable Numbers167 million1.2 billion $.50 The percentage of rural villages in 2010 where Dalits could not eat with people from other castes The percentage of Dalit villages in 2010 that had no access to water

The number of Dalits murdered each week in 2010 The number of Dalit homes torched each week in 2010

The number of Dalits abducted each week in 2010

The number of Dalit women assaulted each week in 2010

How much time passes before another crime is committed against a Dalit The conviction rate for crimes against Dalits

The number of people in India who are Dalits

The number of people living in India

The amount Dalits live on a day

70%

48% 18 minutes 5%

135

6

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It’s Not Just Ancient History… Copyright©2014 History Gal. All rights reserved.

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