Dalits can fare better through Millennium Development Goals
Last week, a few hundred kilometres further north from the capital city of New Delhi, a Dalit youth was tied to a tree and beaten up, tonsured and spat upon by lawyers at an Agra court. The reason: he had dared to not agree with one of them and so was punished.
The UN Millennium Declaration of September 2000 upholds the right of citizens to freedom, to live their lives and raise their children in dignity, free from hunger and from the fear of violence, oppression or injustice, and to access opportunities to benefit from development. The Declaration recognises that globalization offers great opportunities, but it is also obvious that its benefits are very unfairly shared and costs unevenly distributed. Therefore the current challenge is to make globalization fully inclusive and equitable. The Declaration also stresses the need for special policies and measures at the global level that match the needs of developing countries and economies in transition. These strategies need to be devised and put into action with the effective participation, and to the benefit of the most marginalised and vulnerable sections of population. To address this issue and seek ways to convert social exclusion into inclusion, the National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) recently hosted a panel discussion on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Dalits at New Delhi. Dalit rights are not merely the rights to not be attacked, harassed and humiliated as it happened to the little girl in Bihar or young Vinod in Agra, but also rights to education, safe drinking water and health, said panelist Ben Philips, South Asia Campaign and Policy Manager, Oxfam GB. How can the MDGs improve the lives of Dalits? In very relevant ways, said Minar Pimple, Deputy Director Asia, UN Millennium Campaign, who also chaired the event. First, the MDGs are strongly related to children. Second, he said, social exclusion has been addressed in the Millennium Declaration and more recently in the Common Minimum Programme of the Indian government. At the same time there is sufficient evidence to show that progress on the MDGs in South Asia has not been fairly dispensed. The rate of poverty reduction has been relatively low in the case of marginalised groups, and is often accompanied with lack of access to basic health care and sanitation, amenities like electricity and safe drinking water, and also education. Socially excluded groups constitute a large part of these countries, and their inclusion and progress is critical to global progress. If the MDGs are not reached in India, then they will not be achieved globally because of the sheer size of the country, said panelist Eimar Barr, Deputy Director, UNICEF. India may witness an 8% economy growth but 46% of all children under the age of three are underweight; the figure is higher at 60% in Madhya Pradesh. Despite recent fall in infant mortality, that rate of death is still 58 per 1,000 newborn. More children are dying in U.P. and Bihar than in all of sub-Saharan Africa. If India can design a nuclear programme, why cant it provide safe drinking water for all? added Philips. Ending social exclusion is the overarching aim of the MDGs. According to Barr, rhetoric needs to be translated into reality. One way could be through audit, he suggested, adding that UNICEF has begun identifying beneficiaries in Bihar. Panelist Sushila Zeitlyn, Senior Social Advisor, DFID India said there are enormous gaps in India with relation to MDGs. While some areas show improvement, many pockets are untouched by progress. Dalits have the worst MDG indicators in India, said Zeitlyn. An Adivasi/Dalit child has a lesser chance of surviving his fifth birthday than children of other social and caste groups. The latest NFHS data reveals only one-third of pregnant Dalit women receive any sort of medical care. There is no immunisation against killer diseases and ailments like pneumonia and diarrhoea. Compared to other caste groups, Dalits are less likely to have access to sanitation and safe drinking, and almost no access to education. Zeitlyn claimed a recent study by Institute of Dalit Studies found that the high dropout rates among Dalit schoolchildren were caused by, among others, discrimination in mid-day meals and forced menial tasks. Ashok Bharti, convenor, NACDOR said there should be a change in the mindset of people. Is the government an opponent, or can it partner us in change? In Haryana, people have demanded Shiksha Adhikari cards (right to education), he cited. Peoples participation should be actively linked to advocacy from the panchayat to the parliament. Ben Philips spoke on the need for more nurses and teachers. Wada Na Todo Abhiyans 9 is mine campaign that calls for 9% of GDP to be spent on health and education, is a step in this direction. Philips was optimistic about the power of campaigning campaigning works, he said as it did during Indias struggle for Independence. The issue of corruption to root out poverty was stressed by Eimar Barr. Why is it so difficult to hold people to account? he asked. People should be engaged with their elected representatives to make them responsible to carry out legislations. Allocation of resources is not the issue, he pointed out. Available data should be used by the people for naming and shaming. A strict monitoring of programmes to prevent misuse of funds was also proposed by Sushma Yadav, a professor with the Indian Institute of Public Administration. Social audit and output audit should be mandatory, she said. Zeitlyn of DFID suggested NACDOR could create support groups for Dalit parents so that they can help their children at school, and train Dalit members to help monitor health and education programmes and pressurise the government. The need is to put a human face to the numbers, to speak out. Carrying this forward, Minar Pimple said, Informed social mobilisation is critical. Any campaign/ event should be followed by sustained lobbying and mobilisation. The UN Millennium Campaigns next Stand Up event slated on 17 October 2007 will incorporate this in its slogan Stand Up and Speak Out. The plea to speak out was reiterated by others too. The media has moved away from reality, said a consultant of the UNMC. People should write to their local and national newspapers and drive them to play an important role. The world will indeed question Indias aspirations for a seat on the UN Security Council when glaring social inequalities are visible in its economy, Barr concluded. It is time that India recognises this fact and moves toward inclusive humanity. As conveyed by Philips in the eloquent words of the great emperor Ashoka, All men are my children. What I desire for my own children I desire for all men. |
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