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Casteaway Arts

 

Conference: Caste and Indian Christian Diaspora

 
Press Release
CasteWatchUK conference - “ Caste and Indian Christian Diaspora”

Source : http://www.freepressreleases.co.uk/

CasteWatchUK is an independent, voluntary organisation registered with the Charity Commission. Our main aims are to raise awareness of Caste discrimination in the United Kingdom (UK) and to strive for appropriate legal, social and democratic remedies. Since its formal launch in July 2004, CasteWatchUK has worked on a broad front, to raise awareness of caste-based discrimination in the UK. We sought consultation with the Department for Education & Skills; provided input into consultations on the Home Office's White Paper Strength in Diversity; provided feedback to the government's Community & Faiths Unit and made submissions to the Discrimination Law Review. We have also networked with a number of community groups, faith groups, human rights groups, academic institutions, trade unions, voluntary & statutory organisations and continue to raise the profile of Caste based discrimination and its impact on British society. We continue to lobby the social and political classes in the United Kingdom & provide a public platform to victims of Caste discrimination through personal contacts, educational institutions and community groups. We organised a number of conferences in various cities in this respect giving effect to concerns raised, including a conference called "Caste Discrimination & British Law" held in November the UK Parliament.

Caste Away Arts (www.casteawayarts.com) is the artistic wing of CasteWatchUK and has been an invaluable help in campaigning for equality, human rights and breaking down social barriers through theatre. They have successfully managed to shed light on issues that aren't normally talked about, particularly in the British-Asian community, by including true stories in their work. Caste discrimination in the UK can be seen in temples, schools, places of higher education, community centres, social clubs, places of employment and services in the UK where people from Indian and Pakistani Diaspora are working, resulting in caste based bullying, leading to inferiority complex and low self esteem in victims. This maltreatment prevents victims from achieving their full potential and making their due contribution to British society. Caste Away Arts has written a stage play called "The Fifth Cup"- based on true life experiences of caste discrimination collected from research conducted by CasteWatchUK and Caste Away Arts. The Fifth Cup has been successfully staged in London, Birmingham, Southall and Leicester. The performances with packed audiences were a clear signal of the power of the play in highlighting the devastating effect caste discrimination has on its victims and urgent need for finding solutions.

The purpose of the Conference with its respective theme of "Caste and Indian Christian Diaspora" was to provide an opportunity to the Indian Christian community in the UK to raise concerns that they have about how the Caste System affects their communities. Since the advent of CasteWatchUK and the subsequent public debate that we unleashed, the Hindus specifically have accused the Christians of proselytising a particular section of the Hindus. In each and every media broadcast, press releases and hurriedly conducted Caste Research Reports, the Hindus did not miss a single opportunity to bring this aspect to the forefront going to the extent of accusing CasteWatchUK of being manipulated by Christians for their conversion agenda. Hindus have now to thank themselves that Indian Christians have awakened to the ground realities of Caste. The community now feel that it should express its abhorrence of the Caste System and related prejudice. Indian Christians are converts from Hinduism. The community feels challenged by prevalence of Caste notions and wishes to air its grievances in a public forum. Being a secular organisation, CasteWatchUK has an overarching theme to raise awareness of Caste based discrimination. We are happy to provide a platform to any community that wishes to raise issues relating to caste without promoting a particular religion, sect or creed. The objective of the conference, unashamedly, was to mobilise communities so that the legal apparatus of this country does not lose sight of the prevalence of Caste prejudice and that Caste is seen as a menace to social harmony in Britain. The Indian Christian community has felt marginalised especially in the context of recent atrocities committed on Christians in India. This was an effort by CasteWatchUK to enable the Indian Christian community to raise Caste as an issue affecting the Christian Community and demonstrate its unequivocal abhorrence of Caste practices and Caste unacceptability in modern Britain.

It is unfortunate that decades of exposure to British Values has failed to change the rigid caste prejudiced mind set of British Hindus. Community groups that are victims of caste discrimination, are disappointed with Hindu opposition to our campaign for rooting out caste discrimination from British Society. Instead of joining us in promoting social equality and community cohesion, Hindu organisations have published fabricated reports suggesting that Christians are responsible for stirring up the caste problems in UK. Reluctance to accept their social responsibility and denial of caste discrimination practices, which even their reports suggest go on in the UK, aggravates the seriousness of the situation. Change in the "Anti Discrimination Law" by inclusion of "Caste" in the Single Equality Bill is the first step and the only sure way of ensuring that human rights of British Citizens are not undermined by undesirable elements in the British Society.

Please see Press Release

Please see: http://www.bbc. co.uk/asiannetwo rk/news/
    

How can you help CasteWatchUK ?

You can help by becoming a member of CasteWatchUK and join a team of committed volunteers who not only have a sense of social responsibility but also see it as their duty to promote social equality and social justice.

Please download the CasteWatchUK membership form, fill it in and  send it with your membership subscription to CasteWatchUK, PO Box 3685, Coventry, CV6 4WA.
 

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