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Addressing Caste Discrimination

 We work alongside Dalit communities in India who are trapped in a cycle of poverty and exclusion.

Children on the Edge envision a world in which every child thrives regardless of their geography, ethnicity, gender, or caste.

In India, illegal, but culturally ingrained caste discrimination in India traps Dalit communities in a cycle of extreme poverty and exclusion. 

Dalit people, often referred to as ‘untouchables’ are India’s lowest caste. The word Dalit translates as ‘oppressed’ or ‘broken’ and is generally used to refer to people who were once known as ‘untouchables’ because of the impurity and pollution connected with their traditional ‘outcaste’ occupations such as cleaning latrines. 

Considered to be contaminated and ‘unclean’ from birth, they are shunned by society and suffer from exclusion, discrimination and exploitation. Of the twenty-one strata of Dalit castes, the Musahar are the lowest. 

Working with our local partner Navjeevan Educational & Social Welfare Society (NESWSD), we support 35 community Learning Centres for over 1000 of the most marginalised children in Bihar State.

​As members of the lowest rank of Indian society, Dalits face discrimination at almost every level, from access to education and medical facilities to restrictions on where they can live and what jobs they can have.

Abuse of the Dalit caste is particularly high in Bihar, where we partner with local communities. Despite having just 8% of the country’s scheduled caste population, this state has one of the highest numbers of crime cases registered against scheduled castes, contributing 16-17% of all Indian crimes against Dalits.

This combination of persecution, discrimination and poverty leaves Dalit children in Bihar extremely vulnerable to harm. Not only this, but there are high numbers of ‘Musahar’ children who represent the lowest strata of the Dalit caste. The term Musahar literally translates as ‘rat eaters’, a practice which ostracises the Musahar from other Dalit castes and reflects their struggle for daily survival.

Our learning centres offer a safe, protective space for Dalit children to learn and play, with colourful classrooms and nurturing teachers. Video lessons shared through portable projectors bring learning to life and allow the children to connect with their peers around the world.

In addition to academic learning, our partners provide plenty of opportunities for the children to learn about their rights, realise their worth and participate in a huge range of experiences and joyful celebrations that they are normally excluded from in society. 

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What is the caste system?

The caste system assigns individuals a certain hierarchical status according to Hindu beliefs. Traditionally there are four principal castes (divided into thousands of sub-categories) and a fifth category of people who fall outside of the caste system; the Dalits.

Despite the fact that discrimination based on caste was outlawed by India’s constitution in 1950, the practice of ‘untouchability’ still dictates the order of modern life for millions living in India.

The Caste system is a socially constructed system, but unlike class discrimination where there is some potential for mobility, this is fixed by birth and perpetuated through many generations.

Commonly  in caste systems, those who have more power are at the top and those who have none are at the bottom.  

The caste system in India has been described as the country’s ‘hidden apartheid’.

What is caste discrimination?

​Caste Discrimination can be described as ‘discrimination based on work and descent’, meaning that because of the occupation or the family a person is born into, they are socially excluded, economically deprived and subject to violence and abuse. 

​Currently, schools in Bihar State in India, where we work, are legally obliged to include children from all castes, but because of the prevailing prejudice, most of these schools are either abandoned, barely functioning or allowing Dalit children to attend, but treating them with cruelty and neglect.

​Dalit children are frequently discriminated against, being made to sit at the back of the class and restricted from touching or interacting with children from other castes. As a result, those who do make it into school often drop out at an early age, perpetuating a cycle of illiteracy, poverty and exclusion.

We do know that 62% of Dalits are illiterate indicating they have likely not completed primary school. The National Institute for Open Schooling in India estimates there are 105 million children who have dropped out before 8th standard. This is the equivalent to Year 9 in the UK and the end of Indian upper primary, when key exams are taken. Informal data on school drop outs show more than nearly 60% of children who drop out are Dalit children.

Yas Raj

“My name is Yash Raj and I am 10 years old. My father drives a rickshaw and with that money he takes care of us, provides food for the house, and pays my school fees. My favourite subjects are Hindi and English. The learning centre has shown me that education is the key to a better future. My dream is that when I grow up, I work in an Indian Administrative Service so that I can improve the welfare of my society”
Your donation can support our work to combat caste discrimination and help Dalit children like Yash to get the education they deserve. 
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