The proposal was presented a month ago by Senator Aisha Wahab. The comment of Fr. Devasahayaraj, former secretary of the Commission for Scheduled Tribes and Castes of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India: “Caste-based discrimination is a disgrace to human society.”
New Delhi () – The California Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously in favor of a bill against caste-based discrimination in California introduced last month by Afghan-born Muslim senator Aisha Wahab. The law must now undergo a second review: if it passes, the most populous state in the United States would be the first to officially ban caste bias.
“Discrimination based on caste is a disgrace to human society. The Indian diaspora has carried the heritage of caste with them wherever they have gone. But treating other Indians as untouchables in the land where people are considered equal regardless of his birth must be condemned,” Father Devasahayaraj, former secretary of the Commission for Scheduled Tribes and Castes of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, told .
The caste system has been used for centuries in the Indian subcontinent and migrated along with the Indian diaspora. According to a 2018 survey, 67% of Dalit workers said they had experienced caste discrimination in the United States. Dalits (the “untouchables”) occupy the lowest places on the social scale, compared to Brahmins, who are at the top of the caste system.
“If the United States has laws that prevent discrimination based on skin color, it’s good to see California pass a law against discrimination based on caste. It is a great success for human rights activists,” added Father Devasahayaraj. “Silicon Valley is located in California. Most of the CEOs are Brahmins or higher caste people. When the employees come from India, they are treated the same as in India, with the label of caste. That’s why this law is needed in that state.”
During the California Senate session, hundreds of opponents and supporters of the law gathered in the state capital, Sacramento, displaying banners and chanting slogans for or against the law. According to opponents, the bill would target Hindus and people of Indian origin, creating unnecessary divisions. Senator Wahab specified that the regulation “does not target any specific community or religion.”
A 2016 United Nations report records that at least 250 million people still experience caste-based discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific.
