IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 139 

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States should address 

the ongoing problem of untouchability in India. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 1, 2007 

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona (for himself, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 

SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. AKIN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. SALI, Mr. 

PAYNE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 

LEWIS of Georgia, and Ms. CLARKE) submitted the following concurrent 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States 

should address the ongoing problem of untouchability 

in India. 

Whereas the United States and the Republic of India have 

entered 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 


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•HCON 139 IH 

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 descent; 

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

the forest tribes of India, called Tribals, who together 

number approximately 250,000,000 to 300,000,000 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; 

Whereas the Dalits and Tribals are denied equal treatment 

under the law; 

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 Dalit women are often raped with impunity; 

Whereas despite the fact that many Dalits do not report 

crimes for fear of reprisals by the dominant castes, offiVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:42 May 02, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC139.IH HC139

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•HCON 139 IH 

cial police statistics averaged over the past five years 

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 the majority of temple prostitutes as well as the majority of women trafficked in India are Dalit women; 

Whereas low-caste unborn females are targeted for abortions; 

Whereas most Dalits and Tribals are among those poorest of 

the poor living on less than $1 per day; 

Whereas most of India’s bonded laborers are Dalits; 

Whereas 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 people are denied equal 

access to education; 

Whereas the Dalits and Tribals maintain higher illiteracy 

rates than non-Dalit populations; 

Whereas the public education afforded Dalits and Tribals, 

when available at all, is usually inadequate and conducted 

in regional languages or Hindi, thereby disqualifying 

them from access to India’s public universities which 

teach in English, and from most government positions 

and most advanced jobs in India, which require English; 

Whereas the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India is massive and 

underreported; 

Whereas the United Nations estimates that approximately 

50,000,000 Indians will die from HIV/AIDS in the next 

40 years; and 


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•HCON 139 IH 

Whereas Dalits and Tribals are disproportionately affected by 

HIV/AIDS and are the largest high-risk population in 

India: 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 economic and security goals by— 

9 (1) raising the issues of caste discrimination, vi10 olence against women, and untouchability through 

11 diplomatic channels both directly with the Govern12 ment of India and within the context of international 

13 bodies; 

14 (2) inviting Dalit organizations to participate in 

15 the planning and implementation of development 

16 projects from the United States Agency for Inter17 national Development and other United States devel18 opment organizations; 

19 (3) prioritizing funding for projects that posi20 tively impact Dalit and Tribal communities, espe21 cially Dalit women; 

22 (4) ensuring that cooperative research programs 

23 targeting rural health care, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, 


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•HCON 139 IH 

1 and rural technology contain proper focus on the 

2 Dalits and Tribals; 

3 (5) ensuring that anyone receiving funding in 

4 India from the United States Government— 

5 (A) is aware that it is United States Gov6 ernment policy that caste discrimination is un7 acceptable, and that the United States is com8 mitted to eliminating it; and 

9 (B) treat all people equally, with regard to 

10 caste discrimination; 

11 (6) ensuring that— 

12 (A) qualified Dalits are in no way discour13 aged from working with the United States Gov14 ernment or organizations receiving funding in 

15 India from the United States Government, and 

16 that transparent and fair recruitment, selection, 

17 and career development processes are imple18 mented, with clear objective criteria; and 

19 (B) procedures exist to detect and remedy 

20 any caste discrimination in employment condi21 tions, wages, benefits or job security for anyone 

22 working with the United States Government or 

23 organizations receiving funding in India from 

24 the United States Government; 


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1 (7) encouraging United States citizens working 

2 in India to avoid discrimination toward the Dalits in 

3 all business interactions; and 

4 (8) discussing the issue of caste in the context 

5 of congressional delegations. 

Æ 


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