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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/
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