The June Record contained some introductory comments about the Dalit peoples in caste-affected societies, and about the recent Global Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits, which took place in Bangkok this past March.
The word Dalit means crushed or oppressed and is the self-chosen word used to describe those who are not born into one of the four overarching castes in the Hindu caste system, and are therefore considered to be impure and polluting, even from birth. Previously, this group was sometimes known as the untouchables or the harrijans.
Because of the complexity of the Dalit issue, one of the most understandable questions that is commonly raised is: “What can we do about it?”
There are no illusions that the rest of the world can solve this problem. Gone are the days when we—particularly in the West—can impose or dictate how other cultures, religions and countries should view the world. However, it is important to remember that a great number of Dalits are Christian brothers and sisters. Our concern should never, of course, be limited to those who share our faith, but neither can we remain blind to their plight.
The starting point involves simple awareness. How many of us are aware that there are approximately 200 million people in the world who endure this terrible form of discrimination? How often do we forget that in an increasingly interconnected globalized community, the idea that there can be a massive human rights problem “over there” is an increasingly irrelevant, naive and archaic notion? How many of us work for businesses which have dealings in caste-affected countries, and which should monitor whether their businesses participate in discriminatory practices? How many of us have friends, relatives, and members in our congregations whose lives are affected by levels of caste-based discrimination?
So how do we become aware? An excellent online introduction to this issue—with beautiful but troubling photos—can be viewed at idsn.org/wearenotuntouchable.
A short video presentation can be viewed at youtube.com by searching for the video entitled, “I’m Dalit, how are you?”
Another way to become informed is by learning about organizations that are seeking to advocate for the rights and dignity of the Dalits such as the International Dalit Solidarity Network which can be found at idsn.org.
Finally, the official summation of the Global Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits—including specific suggestions for churches, governments and businesses both in caste-affected countries and less affected countries—can be viewed online at standrewstoronto.org/thailand/BangkokDeclaration.pdf.
While such problems may seem overwhelming, it is inspiring to note that a number of the participants who joined with us in Bangkok had been at the forefront of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa—which, in its time, was also seen as an intractable and impossible problem to solve. Apartheid is now a damnable footnote in human history. Like apartheid, the Dalit issue is an issue of mountainous proportions. It’s a good thing that Someone made a promise, once, about the power to move mountains …
