California passes bill against caste discrimination

The proposal had been made a month ago by Senator Aisha Wahab. Comment by Fr. Devasahayaraj, former secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India's Commission on Recognized Tribes and Castes: "Caste-based discrimination is a disgrace to human society." 

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - The California Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously in favor of a bill against caste discrimination in California, legislation introduced last month by Muslim and Afghan-born Senator Aisha Wahab.

The bill will now face a second reading: if passed it would also make America's most populous state the first to officially make caste bias illegal in the United States. 

"Caste-based discrimination is a disgrace to human society. The Indian diaspora has carried with it the legacy of caste wherever it has gone. But to treat other Indians as untouchables in the land where people are considered equal regardless of their birth is to be condemned," said Fr. Devasahayaraj, former secretary of the Commission for Recognized Tribes and Castes of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, when questioned by AsiaNews.

Used for centuries on the Indian subcontinent, the caste system has migrated along with the Indian diaspora. According to a 2018 survey, 67 percent of Dalit workers said they have experienced caste discrimination in the United States. Dalits (the "untouchables") occupy the bottom rungs of the social ladder, versus Brahmins at the top of the caste system.

"If the United States has laws preventing discrimination based on skin color, it is good to see that in California they have passed a law against caste discrimination. This is a great success for human rights activists," added Fr. Devasahayaraj.

"Silicon Valley is located in California. Most of the CEOs are so-called Brahmins or upper caste people. When ordinary staff come from India, they treat them the way they are treated in India, with the caste label. That is why this law is needed in that state."

During the California Senate hearing hundreds of opponents and supporters of the bill gathered in the state capital, Sacramento, displaying signs and chanting slogans for or against the legislation.

According to opponents, in fact, the bill would target Hindus and people of Indian descent, creating unnecessary divisions. Senator Wahab specified that the legislation "does not target any specific community or religion."

A 2016 United Nations report said that at least 250 million people worldwide still experience caste discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific.