Plight of Dalits in Pakistan

Presentation by Pirbhu Lal Satyani plsatyani@gmail.com

Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSN)

For International Commission for Dalit Rights in the high level policy conference at the US State Department on July 22, 2015

“We were not counted in relief and rehabilitation during flood and not in general

development”

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Pakistan Overview

• 6th most populous country

• 180 million population

• Religious Minorities 5 percent including Hindus (Dalits), Christian, Ahmedis, Sikh, Jews and Parsis etc.

• 70/80 percent Dalits within Hindus population

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Scheduled castes /Dalits and their locations…

In 1956, Pakistan government declared about 32 castes and tribes as scheduled castes in the country. Majority of them are lower castes Hindus such as Kolhi, Menghwar, Bheel, Bagri, Balmaki, Jogi and Oad.

Majority of these castes reside in Tharparkar, Umerkot Mirpurkhas and Badin districts in Sindh and Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalpur districts in South Punjab.

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Dalit Population1998 census reveal Dalit population – 3,32,343 - however Scheduled castes (SC) representatives and other social activists have rejected the figures issued by census department. They say the number is much lesser than actual population of the scheduled caste or dalits. They indicate that 90 percent scheduled caste populations has either been missed from this very important count or have been wrongly marked to other categories.

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Equality denied by the state

Schedule caste / Dalits community, which is already marginalized, is paying heavy price of this exclusion from very important official document as most of the development schemes and share in political power is decided on the basis of population census.

Dalit representatives consider it a conspiracy of the state who do not want to see this marginalized section of the population uplifting.

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Situation of Dalits during Flood 2010-2011

In 2011 it is estimated that there are 7 million Dalits in Pakistan, 3.5 million of which live in the flood prone Sindh province and 70% of Pakistan’s Dalits work as agricultural labourers.

Thousands of Dalit families faced caste discrimination in relief efforts, hampering their access to necessary help. Because of their caste they were no allowed into relief camps or offered food or water.”

They lived in open sky where their young daughter and female were unsafe.

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Role of PDSN during about discrimination with Dalit in relief work

The Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (PDSN) has been instrumental in raising awareness of caste discrimination in Pakistan in 2011 and creating a stir in the

media. Media have reported widely on discrimination in flood relief work in Pakistan following new monsoons rains, causing one of recent history's worst disasters. Dalit communities were denied access to relief camps because of their case and

were forced to live under the open sky. The president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, has spoken out against this

discrimination against Dalits in the on-going flood relief work saying that any discrimination in extending rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations to anyone on the basis of caste is unacceptable. Nonetheless the discrimination continued

throughout 2011. PDSN has worked to support Dalit victims of the flooding and highlighting their

plight to the attention of authorities, international NGOs, and agencies involved in relief operation.

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Routine Issues faced by Dalits

•Lack of access to basic human needs

•Lack of access of mobility

•Lack of access to education, health

•Denial of service at barbershop•Denial of service at restaurants•No invitation in weddings

•Refusal in using medical instruments

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• Separate burial grounds

• Prohibiting dalit children to sit along with dominant caste children

in schools

• Segregation in seating and food arrangements in village functions and festivals.

• Prohibiting from contesting in elections and exercise their free franchise.

• Forced to vote or not to vote for certain candidates during the elections.

• Using of Dalit ID cards by getting relief and bait-ul-maal funds.

Forms of discrimination

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Forms of discrimination:

Prohibiting the Dalits from the usage of common resources (wells, ponds).

Separate glasses for Dalits in householdsand restaurants.

Discriminatory seating arrangements.

Prohibition of entry into dominant caste’s houses. Not allowing to use the common village path.

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Dalits women -------------------------------------------87% of scheduled caste women are illiterate….63.5 % men of theircommunity against nationalilliteracy of 58% female and 35 per cent male.

National primary enrollment rate for girls stands at 48%. only 10.2 per cent female of schedule castehave had access to primary schooling. A negligible 0.9 per cent of schedule caste women have studied up to eighth grade.

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Other Issues faced by religious minorities and dalits in Pakistan

a) Biased curriculum/ Role of increasing Madarsas

b) Forced marriagesc) Forced conversionsd) Migration (Hindus) e) Anti Blasphemy lawsf) Caste based discriminationg) Sexual harassment/ rapingh) Bonded labor

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What needs to be done

• “Humanitarian agencies, whether multilateral, governmental or non-governmental must accept the responsibility to ensure that Dalits are not discriminated against and left out in relief and rehabilitation operations.”

• Policy legislation to ban on untouchability - reservation for Dalits in judiciary and law departments and participation in political process.

• Legislation against kidnapping and forced conversion of minority girls.

• Implementation of Bonded labour act 1992 and rehabilitation of Dalit families and landless Dalit peasants.

• Awareness raising at grass root level for equality and Dalit rights • Increase literacy rate among Dalit population

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What needs to be done

• Legal support to the victim of caste discrimination

• all prejudices should be removed from curriculum and it should be designed in a modern way, free of any religious biased.

• Government, NGO and donor agencies such as the UN agencies and multilateral banks should initiate poverty reduction projects exclusively for scheduled castes. These projects, in addition to other activities should include trainings on income generation skills.

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THANKS

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