MP Letter: Outlaw caste discrimination

Outlaw caste discrimination

There are 50,000-200,000 people living in Great Britain who are perceived as "low caste", and are vulnerable caste-based discrimination, harassment and bullying in employment, education and in the provision of services.

However, caste is still not a specific protected characteristic within the Equality Act 2010, in spite of calls from the Equality and Human Rights Commission for caste to be included. As a result, caste-based discrimination effectively remains legal. Find out more here.

Please write to your MP and urge them to work to enable genuine protection for those vulnerable to caste-based discrimination, by advocating the inclusion of caste as a specific protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.

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Dear {{name}},

I am writing to urge you to call for caste discrimination to be outlawed, by including caste as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.

Tens of thousands of people in Britain are vulnerable to discrimination based on their perceived ‘caste’. However, they have no protection because ‘caste’ is not sufficiently covered in equality law.

According to government-commissioned research, there are 50,000-200,000 people living in Britain who are perceived as “low caste”. The same research found significant evidence of caste-based discrimination, harassment and bullying in employment, education and in the provision of services.

However, caste is not a specific protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010, despite calls from the Equality and Human Rights Commission for it to be included. This means victims of caste discrimination have to use unclear and precarious case law to secure justice. Most victims, already facing economic and social barriers due to their caste, do not have the resources to fight for justice based on case law. As a result, caste discrimination effectively remains legal.

The government’s decision in 2019 not to explicitly recognise caste discrimination in the Equality Act defied a formal UN Human Rights Council recommendation to legislate "in conformity with its international human rights obligations". It was also criticised by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Opponents claim legislating against caste discrimination would be an ‘attack’ on religion. This view appears to be more prevalent among those from so-called ‘higher castes’, who are less likely to suffer adversely from discrimination, and in fact are likely to benefit from the status quo. Protecting people from caste discrimination is not an attack on religion – on the contrary, it is a way of protecting religious minorities.

There is no legitimate reason to exempt caste from equality law. An express provision for caste in the Equality Act would remove any legal uncertainty and would afford real protection. Please work to enable genuine protection for those vulnerable to caste-based discrimination, by advocating the inclusion of caste as a specific protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.

For more information, please see: https://www.secularism.org.uk/outlaw-caste-discrimination

Thank you for your time on this matter. I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

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MP Letter: Outlaw caste discrimination

Outlaw caste discrimination

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