Sydney: It is reported that caste discrimination is increasing among Indians in Australia. The Australian Human Rights Commission is preparing to take strict measures against caste discrimination as immigration increases.
The news about this was released by the international media The Guardian.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, most immigrants are coming to Australia from South and Central Asian countries. In the years 2018-19 and 2021-22, 28 percent and 32 percent of new migrants arrived from these places respectively.
As of the 2021 census, with this, Indians are third in the list of overseas-born Australians.
As Australian society becomes more diverse, caste discrimination is becoming a major problem, says Beth Geiss, a law professor at the University of Melbourne.
The upper class, which dominates South Asian society, holds key positions in Australia’s public and private sectors. They claim that this kind of discrimination does not exist.
But the Australian Human Rights Commission is preparing to prepare a framework against such discrimination. The framework will be a long-term, reference point to guide anti-caste action in government, NGOs, business and communities.
Racial Discrimination Commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Chin Tan, says that discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on caste, is unacceptable. He is deeply concerned about the experiences of casteism in Australia which he shared with the commission. He said the legislation was aimed at protecting those who were discriminated against
Rakesh Kumar, who came to Australia from Punjab 16 years ago, shares the dark side of caste discrimination. Rakesh belongs to the Dalit caste called Chamar. ‘What is your caste?’, the first question Kumar faced before entering the house where he had gone to live in Australia. It was
Kumar revealed that he told them that he belonged to the Chamar community. It is not only here that questions of caste have followed Kumar throughout his career. Kumar is a manager at a Melbourne logistics company.
In 2013, Kumar said, he affixed a number plate to the car that read Chamar so that no one would ask about his caste.
It is customary for upper caste South Asians to flaunt their caste on Australian number plates. Kumar overturned this trend. “When I proudly say my caste, they feel ashamed and realize they have made a mistake,” added Kumar.
Despite his professional success, Kumar has faced severe caste discrimination. A colleague once confided that he had made such progress because his mother or grandmother had lived with someone from a higher caste. Kumar recalled that it was the worst experience he had ever had.
Apart from this, Kumar’s organization received an email from an unknown source. The e-mail was requesting that the company should hire only upper caste people.
“I am very concerned about racism in Australia,” said the Racial Discrimination Commissioner. Such insults make one feel hopeless. It can also make you feel a little guilty about your own identity, he added.
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