Experts at NSS event discuss how to end caste discrimination

(From left) Megan Manson, Sat Pal Muman, Sahdaish Pall, Elizabeth Joy, Santosh Dass, Annapurna Waughray

Campaigners highlighted the need to ban discrimination based on perceived 'caste' during a National Secular Society event in Leicester on Tuesday.

Caste systems are rooted in religious and cultural beliefs and are upheld in some Hindu and Sikh communities. There are an estimated 50,000 – 200,000 people in the UK who are regarded by some as 'low caste' (sometimes known as 'dalits') and are at risk of caste discrimination. But unlike discrimination based on race, sex, sexuality or religion or belief, caste discrimination is not explicitly prohibited in UK law.

The panel discussion on caste discrimination, co-hosted by Leicester Secular Society (LSS) and held at Leicester Secular Hall, aimed to bring together campaigners and experts to explain how caste discrimination and prejudice affect the lives of people in the UK, and why some religious groups have opposed laws against caste discrimination. The event was attended by around 70 people, and entry was free for NSS and LSS members.

The panel included:

• Santosh Dass, chair of the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA), who said caste has "migrated" to the UK and explained how, in recent years, caste-based attitudes have been found in UK institutions including charities and the NHS. She highlighted ACDA's recent success in convincing the Black Member's Conference of UNISON, the UK's largest union, to pass a policy to ban caste discrimination last month.
• Annapurna Waughray, Professor of Human Rights Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, explained how the Equality Act 2010 includes an amendment that requires the Government to include caste discrimination as form of race discrimination in the act. However, this has not been enacted, leaving those facing caste discrimination having to rely on precarious case law to find justice.
• Director of the Dalit Solidarity Network UK Dr Elizabeth Joy talked about the work of her organisation, including its "everyday casteism" campaign encouraging victims of caste discrimination to report their experiences.
• Women's rights campaigner Sahdaish Pall raised the intersecting nature of so-called 'honour crimes' and other forms of violence against women with caste-based prejudice and discrimination.
• Sat Pal Muman, chair of Caste Watch UK, highlighted research which has found caste discrimination present in UK workplaces and universities. This included instances of physical and sexual assault. He also explained how Hinduism maintains the caste system.
• Amar, who sits on the board of directors for LSS and co-organised the discussion, gave his personal experiences of caste-based prejudice. This included LSS being threatened with police action by Hindu Council UK (HCUK) when it held a talk critical of the caste system in Hinduism. HCUK has been highly vocal in its opposition to anti-caste discrimination law. Following that talk, Amar proposed to the board of directors that eliminating caste discrimination be included in LSS's aims under its commitment to justice and fairness. The proposal was accepted by the board.

NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson, who chaired the panel, said: "Caste discrimination is poorly understood in the UK, and some religious groups have tried to shut down discussion about it. That's why we need to talk about it.

"It's clear from our discussions that equality law must be strengthened to protect everyone from caste discrimination. We will continue to work with campaigners in this field to put pressure on the Government to make this a reality.

"We would like to thank all our panellists, and everyone at Leicester Secular Society, for their excellent contributions to this event."