III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 139 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 24, 2007 

Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States 

should address the ongoing problem of untouchability 

in India. 

Whereas the Human Rights Watch and the Center for 

Human Rights and Global Justice at New York University School of Law released a report in February 2007 

that describes caste discrimination against India’s ‘‘Untouchables’’ based on in-depth investigations and the 

findings of Indian governmental and non-governmental 

organizations on caste-based abuses; 


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Whereas the United States and the Republic of India have 

entered into an unprecedented partnership; 

Whereas the July 18, 2005, Joint Statement between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan 

Singh stated that, ‘‘[a]s leaders of nations committed to 

the values of human freedom, democracy, and rule of law, 

the new relationship between India and the United States 

will promote stability, democracy, prosperity, and peace 

throughout the world [. . . and] it will enhance our ability 

to work together to provide global leadership in areas of 

mutual concern and interest’’; 

Whereas caste is the socioeconomic stratification of people in 

South Asia based on a combination of work and heredity; 

Whereas the ‘‘Untouchables’’, now known as the Dalits, and 

the people of the forest tribes of India, called Tribals, 

who together number approximately 200,000,000 people, 

are the primary victims of caste discrimination in India; 

Whereas discrimination against the Dalits and Tribals has 

existed for more than 2,000 years and has included educational discrimination, economic disenfranchisement, 

physical abuse, discrimination in medical care, religious 

discrimination, and violence targeting Dalit and Tribal 

women; 

Whereas Article 17 of the Constitution of India outlaws untouchability; 

Whereas despite numerous laws enacted for the protection 

and betterment of the Dalits and Tribals, they are still 

considered outcasts in Indian society and are treated as 

such; moreover, in practice, Dalits and Tribals are frequently denied equal treatment under the law; 


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Whereas Dalit women suffer both caste and gender discrimination as a result of the deficient administration of justice and are often raped and attacked with impunity; 

Whereas the National Commission on Scheduled Castes and 

Scheduled Tribes has declared that many of the reported 

cases of atrocities against Dalits and Tribals end in acquittals; 

Whereas, despite the fact that many Dalits do not report 

crimes for fear of reprisals by the dominant castes, national police statistics averaged over the past five years 

by the National Commission on Scheduled Castes and 

Scheduled Tribes show that 13 Dalits are murdered every 

week, five Dalits’ homes or possessions are burnt every 

week, six Dalits are kidnapped or abducted every week, 

three Dalit women are raped every day, 11 Dalits are 

beaten every day and a crime is committed against a 

Dalit every 18 minutes; 

Whereas many Dalit girls are forced to become temple prostitutes who are then unable to marry and may be auctioned to urban brothels, and many women trafficked in 

India are Dalit women; 

Whereas low-caste unborn females are targeted for abortions; 

Whereas according to Human Rights Watch and India’s official National Family Health Survey, most Dalits and 

Tribals are among those poorest of the poor living on less 

than $1 per day; most of India’s bonded laborers are 

Dalits; and half of India’s Dalit children are undernourished, 21 percent are ‘‘severely underweight’’, and 12 

percent die before their 5th birthday; 

Whereas Dalits and other low-caste individuals often suffer 

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mary schools leading to low enrollment, high drop-out, 

and low literacy rates, perhaps linked to a perception 

that Dalits are not meant to be educated, are incapable 

of being educated, or if educated, would pose a threat to 

village hierarchies and power relations; 

Whereas the Dalits and Tribals maintain higher illiteracy 

rates than non-Dalit populations; and 

Whereas the HIV/AIDS epidemic is India is massive and 

Dalits and Tribals are significantly affected by HIV/ 

AIDS: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that, as the 

3 leaders of the United States and the Republic of India 

4 have expressed commitment to the values of human free5 dom, democracy, and the rule of law, it is in the interests 

6 of the United States to address the problem of the treat7 ment of the Dalits and Tribals in India in order to better 

8 meet mutual social development and human rights goals 

9 by— 

10 (1) raising the issues of caste discrimina11 tion, violence against women, and untouch12 ability through diplomatic channels both di13 rectly with the Government of India and within 

14 the context of international bodies; 

15 (2) encouraging the United States Agency 

16 for International Development to ensure that 

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1 porated in the planning and implementation of 

2 development projects; 

3 (3) ensuring that projects that positively 

4 impact Dalit and Tribal communities, especially 

5 Dalit women, are developed and implemented; 

6 (4) ensuring that cooperative research pro7 grams targeting rural health care, the HIV/ 

8 AIDS epidemic, and rural technology contain 

9 proper focus on the Dalits and Tribals; 

10 (5) ensuring that anyone receiving funding 

11 in India from the United States Government— 

12 (A) is aware that it is United States 

13 Government policy that caste discrimina14 tion is unacceptable, and that the United 

15 States is committed to eliminating it; and 

16 (B) treat all people equally without 

17 engaging in caste discrimination; 

18 (6) ensuring that— 

19 (A) qualified Dalits are in no way dis20 couraged from working with organizations 

21 receiving funding in India from the United 

22 States Government, and that transparent 

23 and fair recruitment, selection, and career 

24 development processes are implemented, 

25 with clear objective criteria; and 


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1 (B) procedures exist to detect and 

2 remedy any caste discrimination in employ3 ment conditions, wages, benefits or job se4 curity for anyone working with organiza5 tions receiving funding in India from the 

6 United States Government; 

7 (7) encouraging United States citizens 

8 working in India to avoid discrimination toward 

9 the Dalits in all business interactions; and 

10 (8) discussing the issue of caste during bi11 lateral and multilateral meetings, including con12 gressional delegations. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 23, 2007. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 

By DEBORAH M. SPRIGGS, 

Deputy Clerk. 


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