I think that many of us, in the western world, think that India’s caste system was something we learned about in social studies a long time ago. But we assumed that this system had been eliminated, in the same way that White-Only drinking fountains are an embarrassing part of US history that no longer exist. But no, the caste system still prevails in India.
What Are Untouchables?
The “Dalit” or Untouchables are still regarded as subhuman in some parts of India. They are segregated in southern India. Many children are forced into child labor, and they cannot get educated. Adults are forced to work in slave-like conditions in order to survive. Women face a particularly grim future.
The Problem is Focused in Villages of Southeast India Where:
- People are divided by caste, religion and class
- “Untouchables,” or “Dalits,” seen as impure and sub-human, are degraded, segregated and exploited outcasts
- They and caste poor depend on dominant caste people for their livelihoods, struggling daily in slave-like conditions, poverty and hunger
- Women endure even more hardships
- The poorest children face many obstacles to education and often leave
school for child labor
Who Helps The Untouchables?
I read about an organization that helps Indian Untouchables. It is called Lead Forward, and it is based upon the “teach a man to fish” principal. The program concentrates on educating children so that future generations can break the cycle of poverty and exlusion.
Learn more about one American Lead Forward volunteer’s adventures. You can also find the organization’s website here: Lead Forward – Free India’s Untouchables From Poverty.
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