The Hindu caste system was created more than 3,000 years ago by invading Aryan tribes to prevent pollution of their race.
Here is the hierarchy of the caste system:
- Brahmins = priests and teachers
- Kshatriyas = rulers and soldiers
- Vaisyas = merchants and traders
- Sudras = laborers and servants
The Dalits fall beneath this structure and are considered less than human. Their position in Asian society is justified by ancient Hindu religious texts such as The Laws of Manu.
Dalit is derived from the Marathi language. It literally means “ground,” “crushed,” “broken to pieces,” “suppressed” and the last of these literal meanings, “untouchable.” These are the words that have shaped their lives and their culture.
Dalits are expected to perform menial, degrading tasks that include: unclogging sewers, disposing of dead bodies, cleaning latrines and removing waste. For the most part, these tasks are done with their bare hands and often for less than a dollar a day.
Dalits are forced to live in separate settlements, prohibited from worshipping in temples, barred from using the village wells, and their children often denied education or made to sit in the back of the classroom.
The Indian constitution outlawed the caste system and reserved nearly 25 percent of government jobs and university spots for Dalits. However, today more than a million of these posts remain unfilled, or are filled by dishonest non-Dalits.
Here are some facts of the crimes committed against Dalits by higher caste members every day:
- 3 Dalit women are raped
- 2 Dalit people are murdered
- 2 Dalit houses are burnt
- 11 Dalit people are beaten
Some Social and Economic facts of Dalits:
- 37% are living below the poverty line (which is under 30 cents a day)
- More than half (54%) of their children are undernourished
- 45% are illiterate
- 50% of the children are undernourished, 21% are severely underweight and 12% die before their 5th birthday
- Literacy rates for women are as low as 37.8% in rural areas
These are the people whom we want to serve.
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