According to the UN, non-discrimination is focus of Human Rights Day, 10 December. So today I want to talk about a group that is discriminated against in India: the Dalits. I first learned about them from reading Revolution in World Missions.

Dalits are on the lowest rung in the Hindu caste system, which was put into place 3,000 years ago. The Indian constitution outlaws the caste system, but just as with racism here in the States, it still exists and the result is still visible.

They are considered less than human in their society and are forced to live separate and not participate in social life, and are thus banned from schools and temples. The occupations they hold are those considered ritually impure, such as street sweeping, latrine cleaning, and disposing of dead bodies.

“Every hour, two Dalits are assaulted, three Dalit women raped, two Dalits murdered and two Dalit houses burned, according to the Human Rights Education Movement of India, yet only one percent of those who commit crimes against Dalits are ever convicted” – GFA Dalit Facts They are the majority of people you will find living in the slums of India. You can read more about them here.

They seem to be a people without hope, but this is not true because God loves them and values them. Gospel for Asia has a ministry devoted to helping the Dalits. GFA is touching the Untouchables by teaching the adults to read, giving the children an education, and planting churches. Plus Dalits are standing up for themselves and speaking out for their own rights, including Meira Kumar, who is not only the first woman to be elected to the Indian Parliment, but also the first Dalit.

I don’t want to sound like an infomercial, even though all the information contained within was obtained from GFA or Wikipedia. I
was not compensated in any way for this post. I just wanted to raise awareness about an oppressed people group that have been heavy on my heart.  When I heard that today was Human Rights Day, and that the focus this year is anti-discrimination, the Dalits immediately came to mind.  If you want to support GFA in their ministry to the Dalits, you can make a one-time donation or by sponsoring a Dalit child through their Bridge of Hope program, where they provide children with education, nutrition, and medical care.

If anyone knows any non-monetary ways of helping, such as letter-writing, please comment so myself and others can know. Let’s put an end to the discrimination that the Dalits face every day due to unethical social structure in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and elsewhere.

Note: The pictures contained within this post are not necessarily of Dalits, but any that were tagged with “India” and “Poverty” on stock.xchng

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