[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 139 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 139
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should
address the ongoing problem of untouchability in India.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 1, 2007
Mr. Franks of Arizona (for himself, Ms. Kilpatrick, Ms. Norton, Mr.
Scott of Virginia, Mr. Akin, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Sali, Mr.
Payne, Mr. Rush, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Chabot, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Lewis of
Georgia, and Ms. Clarke) submitted the following concurrent resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should
address the ongoing problem of untouchability in India.
Whereas the United States and the Republic of India have entered an
unprecedented partnership;
Whereas, the July 18, 2005, Joint Statement between President George W. Bush and
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated that, ``[a]s leaders of nations
committed to the values of human freedom, democracy, and rule of law,
the new relationship between India and the United States will promote
stability, democracy, prosperity, and peace throughout the world [. . .
and] it will enhance our ability to work together to provide global
leadership in areas of mutual concern and interest'';
Whereas caste is the socioeconomic stratification of people in South Asia based
on a combination of work and descent;
Whereas the ``Untouchables'', now known as the Dalits, and the forest tribes of
India, called Tribals, who together number approximately 250,000,000 to
300,000,000 people, are the primary victims of caste discrimination in
India;
Whereas discrimination against the Dalits and Tribals has existed for more than
2,000 years and has included educational discrimination, economic
disenfranchisement, physical abuse, discrimination in medical care,
religious discrimination, and violence targeting Dalit and Tribal women;
Whereas Article 17 of the Constitution of India outlaws untouchability;
Whereas despite numerous laws enacted for the protection and betterment of the
Dalits and Tribals, they are still considered outcasts in Indian society
and are treated as such;
Whereas the Dalits and Tribals are denied equal treatment under the law;
Whereas the National Commission on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has
declared that many of the reported cases of atrocities against Dalits
and Tribals end in acquittals;
Whereas Dalit women are often raped with impunity;
Whereas despite the fact that many Dalits do not report crimes for fear of
reprisals by the dominant castes, official police statistics averaged
over the past five years show that 13 Dalits are murdered every week,
five Dalits' homes or possessions are burnt every week, six Dalits are
kidnapped or abducted every week, three Dalit women are raped every day,
11 Dalits are beaten every day, and a crime is committed against a Dalit
every 18 minutes;
Whereas the majority of temple prostitutes as well as the majority of women
trafficked in India are Dalit women;
Whereas low-caste unborn females are targeted for abortions;
Whereas most Dalits and Tribals are among those poorest of the poor living on
less than $1 per day;
Whereas most of India's bonded laborers are Dalits;
Whereas half of India's Dalit children are undernourished, 21 percent are
``severely underweight'', and 12 percent die before their 5th birthday;
Whereas Dalits and other low-caste people are denied equal access to education;
Whereas the Dalits and Tribals maintain higher illiteracy rates than non-Dalit
populations;
Whereas the public education afforded Dalits and Tribals, when available at all,
is usually inadequate and conducted in regional languages or Hindi,
thereby disqualifying them from access to India's public universities
which teach in English, and from most government positions and most
advanced jobs in India, which require English;
Whereas the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India is massive and underreported;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that approximately 50,000,000 Indians will
die from HIV/AIDS in the next 40 years; and
Whereas Dalits and Tribals are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and are
the largest high-risk population in India: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of Congress that, as the leaders of the United
States and the Republic of India have expressed commitment to the
values of human freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, it is in the
interests of the United States to address the problem of the treatment
of the Dalits and Tribals in India in order to better meet mutual
economic and security goals by--
(1) raising the issues of caste discrimination, violence
against women, and untouchability through diplomatic channels
both directly with the Government of India and within the
context of international bodies;
(2) inviting Dalit organizations to participate in the
planning and implementation of development projects from the
United States Agency for International Development and other
United States development organizations;
(3) prioritizing funding for projects that positively
impact Dalit and Tribal communities, especially Dalit women;
(4) ensuring that cooperative research programs targeting
rural health care, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and rural technology
contain proper focus on the Dalits and Tribals;
(5) ensuring that anyone receiving funding in India from
the United States Government--
(A) is aware that it is United States Government
policy that caste discrimination is unacceptable, and
that the United States is committed to eliminating it;
and
(B) treat all people equally, with regard to caste
discrimination;
(6) ensuring that--
(A) qualified Dalits are in no way discouraged from
working with the United States Government or
organizations receiving funding in India from the
United States Government, and that transparent and fair
recruitment, selection, and career development
processes are implemented, with clear objective
criteria; and
(B) procedures exist to detect and remedy any caste
discrimination in employment conditions, wages,
benefits or job security for anyone working with the
United States Government or organizations receiving
funding in India from the United States Government;
(7) encouraging United States citizens working in India to
avoid discrimination toward the Dalits in all business
interactions; and
(8) discussing the issue of caste in the context of
congressional delegations.
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