Caste discrimination in Britain.

[Abdul-Curim]

Indian couple in UK alleges caste discrimination
Shyam Bhatia in London

The UK society has learned to its dismay this week that there is a darker side to the Indian connection that surpasses the stories of holidays in Kerala, tigers, Bollywood and joyful investors prepared to pour buckets of money into ailing British companies.
In the first-ever case of its kind, a young Indian-origin couple has testified before an employment tribunal in Birmingham about how they were allegedly discriminated against on caste grounds before they resigned or were dismissed from their jobs.
Their former employers, Heer Manak, a group of mostly Indian-origin solicitors based in the city of Coventry, are understood to regard the allegations as outrageous.
Whatever the final outcome of the employment tribunal hearing, there is no denying the dented image of India as a progressive society where all are deemed equal, regardless of race, religion, gender or any personal factor.
Amardeep Begraj, 33-year-old Sikh Jat woman, told the tribunal that her employers tried to discourage her from marrying the love of her life, Vijay, a practice manager at the same company because he was a Dalit.



Those responsible for the vandalism seem to have got hold of their identities even though the newspaper article made sure their names were changed for their own protection.

Under the current British law, employers are specifically banned from discriminating on grounds of race, sex, religion and sexuality. If Home Secretary Theresa May has her way, caste discrimination could now be added to the list.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110818/main8.htm

[Abdul-Curim]

Re: Caste discrimination in Britain.

Asian caste discrimination rife in UK, says report

Tens of thousands affected 'at workplace, school and doctor's surgery'

Caste discrimination is rife in the UK, with more than half of those from traditionally lower-status Asian backgrounds finding themselves victims of prejudice and abuse, according to a report published today.
The study, co-ordinated by the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (Acda), suggests that the caste system is still widespread and affects tens of thousands of people in the workplace, the classroom and even the doctor's surgery.
Fifty-eight percent of the 300 people surveyed said they had been discriminated against because of their caste, while 79% said they did not think the police would understand if they tried to report a caste-related "hate crime".
Almost half of the respondents (45%) said they had either been treated negatively by co-workers or had comments made about their caste. Nine per cent felt they had been passed over for promotion, and 10% said they had been paid less because of their caste. A further 5% said they had experienced threatening behaviour because of their caste.
One woman said she had been demoted from her job at a radio station after her manager discovered her caste background, while one bus company decided to reorganise shifts so that a "higher caste" inspector would not have to work alongside a "lower caste" bus driver.
The classroom also appears to be subject to caste divides: 7% of those surveyed said they had been the victims of threatening behaviour while aged under 12 at school, with another 16% suffering verbal caste abuse. According to the study, 10% of those responsible for caste discrimination against under-12s were teachers, and 42% fellow pupils.
One of the most commonly reported forms of discrimination is caste-related name-calling. Almost three quarters (71%) of those questioned in the survey identified themselves as members of the Dalit community. Dalits, who were formerly known as Untouchables because of their low caste status, are sometimes referred to abusively as chuhra and chamar.
"[Such] names [are] as derogatory as calling a black person a ******, anyone from the subcontinent of Indo-Pakistani diaspora Paki, or someone of Jewish extraction a ****," says the report. "These names are associated with hereditary work such as scavenging and working with leather – occupations regarded as beneath 'caste Hindus'. These names are deliberately used to offend and provoke. They are hurtful and exceedingly offensive."
A number of respondents also reported being asked – directly or indirectly – about their caste background by their family doctor, nurse or a community nurse. One elderly woman felt her care worker had discriminated against her on caste grounds, while a physiotherapist was also alleged to have refused to treat someone of low caste.
The report says that the significant number of doctors from the Indian subcontinent now indicated "a potential for caste discrimination occurring in the healthcare sector".
The Acda hopes its findings will persuade the government to amend theequality bill to make caste discrimination illegal.
Although the issue was raised over the summer when the bill was at the committee stage, a caste discrimination amendment was not added as there was not enough evidence on the matter.
The report – which was produced in collaboration with focus groups and academics from the University of Hertfordshire, the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University – aims to provide a snapshot of caste discrimination in 21st century Britain.
The study concludes: "There is clear evidence from the survey and the focus groups that the caste system has been imported into the UK with the Asian diaspora and that the associated caste discrimination affects citizens in ways beyond personal choices and social interaction. There is a danger that if the UK government does not effectively accept and deal with the issue of caste discrimination the problem will grow unchecked."
Allowing such a situation to develop, it adds, would undermine the "values of fairness and equality of treatment" that the government promotes.
Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said: "Caste discrimination, like other forms of discrimination, needs to be outlawed. This is the evidence that will prove the case for its inclusion in the equality bill."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/11/caste-discrimination-uk-report

[Abdul-Curim]

Re: Caste discrimination in Britain.

Caste discrimination in the UK could be outlawed

Discrimination on the grounds of caste exists in the UK, research suggests.

The study, by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, found evidence of harassment in the workplace, in the provision of services and in education.
The government will now consider the evidence to determine whether there is a serious enough problem to impose a legal ban on caste discrimination.
The prejudice affects members of the mainly Hindu and Sikh communities.
A person's caste is their historic social standing and often refers to their forefathers' occupation.
BullyingSomeone who works with animal products or in domestic services is often regarded as being of a lower caste than someone who is a landowner or priest.
A person's surname identifies what caste they come from which can then lead to bullying.
Hindu campaigners have long argued that members of the lower caste - referred to as Dalits or "untouchables" - suffer unfair treatment at the hands of higher caste members, even in second generation UK Asian communities.

I have a customer, who is from a higher caste than me and she refuses to make any physical contact with me”

Reena Jaisiah

Reena Jaisiah, 30, from Coventry, said she had been the victim of harassment throughout her whole life because she was of a lower caste.
"It started when I was at school, I experienced bullying and name calling," she said.
''It really affected my self-esteem and made me feel low and inferior."
Reena runs a family newsagents in Coventry and said the harassment continues now.
''I have a customer, who is from a higher caste than me and she refuses to make any physical contact with me.
"She will never taken any change from me because she doesn't want to touch me. This is a shocking practice of caste prejudice in this country,'' she said.
Caste discrimination has not been explicitly covered by British legislation before and ministers have previously said they did not think it was a problem in the workplace.
The report, which is due to be published this week, was commissioned by the Government Equalities Office after an amendment to the Equality Act 2010.
The findings of the report now pave the way to outlaw discrimination on grounds of caste and Home Secretary Teresa May will make the final decision which is expected early next year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12011112

[x--x]

Re: Caste discrimination in Britain.

This is ridiculous.

[noobz]

Re: Caste discrimination in Britain.

this is ridiculous , im not reading all that :D

[neelu]

Re: Caste discrimination in Britain.

I'm not at all surprised. Caste based prejudice is haram but that hasn't stopped Muslims in the subcontinent from holding equally disgusting prejudices. Generation after generation over a few centuries of being raised as Muslims hasn't stopped this disgusting form of Hindu backwardness from seeping into those who claim to believe in Islam... so it stands to reason that Hindus who do not believe in Islam would be far worse in being steeped in these prejudices.

[haque]

Re: Caste discrimination in Britain.

The caste system is a poopasaurus :badguy: