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 Presi-
dent 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 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:42 May 02, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC139.IH
HC139
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
•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 peo-
ple, 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 edu-
cational 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 un-
touchability; 
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 ac-
quittals; 
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, offi-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:42 May 02, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC139.IH
HC139
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
•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 ma-
jority 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 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:42 May 02, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC139.IH
HC139
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
•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 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that, as the 
leaders of the United States and the Republic of India 
have expressed commitment to the values of human free-
dom, democracy, and the rule of law, it is in the interests 
of the United States to address the problem of the treat-
ment of the Dalits and Tribals in India in order to better 
meet mutual economic and security goals by— 
(1) raising the issues of caste discrimination, vi-
olence against women, and untouchability through 
diplomatic channels both directly with the Govern-
ment of India and within the context of international 
bodies; 
(2) inviting Dalit organizations to participate in 
the planning and implementation of development 
projects from the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development and other United States devel-
opment organizations; 
(3) prioritizing funding for projects that posi-
tively impact Dalit and Tribal communities, espe-
cially Dalit women; 
(4) ensuring that cooperative research programs 
targeting rural health care, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:42 May 02, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HC139.IH
HC139
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
•HCON 139 IH 
and rural technology contain proper focus on the 
Dalits and Tribals; 
(5) ensuring that anyone receiving funding in 
India from the United States Government— 
(A) is aware that it is United States Gov-
ernment policy that caste discrimination is un-
acceptable, and that the United States is com-
mitted to eliminating it; and 
(B) treat all people equally, with regard to 
caste discrimination; 
(6) ensuring that— 
(A) qualified Dalits are in no way discour-
aged from working with the United States Gov-
ernment or organizations receiving funding in 
India from the United States Government, and 
that transparent and fair recruitment, selection, 
and career development processes are imple-
mented, with clear objective criteria; and 
(B) procedures exist to detect and remedy 
any caste discrimination in employment condi-
tions, wages, benefits or job security for anyone 
working with the United States Government or 
organizations receiving funding in India from 
the United States Government; 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:42 May 02, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HC139.IH
HC139
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
•HCON 139 IH 
(7) encouraging United States citizens working 
in India to avoid discrimination toward the Dalits in 
all business interactions; and 
(8) discussing the issue of caste in the context 
of congressional delegations. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
04:42 May 02, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HC139.IH
HC139
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS