,,iv #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #eff ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #b1 #bjad ,ms4 ,norton submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,condemning ,dalit untouchability1 the practice of birth-descent discrimination against ,dalit people1 which is widely practiced in ,india1 ,nepal1 the ,asian diaspora1 and other ,south ,asian nations1 and calling on these countries to recognize the human rights of the ,dalit people and end all forms of untouchability within their borders4 ,whereas untouchability1 recognized as discrimination and social stratification based on a combination of heredity and work1 is a form of discrimination and exclusion against ,dalit people founded on ill-conceived notions of ,dalit impurity1 ,dalit pollution1 and ,dalit inequality2 ,whereas ,dalit untouchability continues to be widespread and persistent in ,india1 ,nepal1 and throughout ,south ,asia and in the ,asian diaspora in nations such as ,nigeria1 ,senegal1 ,mauritania1 ,yemen1 and ,japan1 affecting an estimated #bfj1jjj1jjj people worldwide1 with the highest number of victims found in ,south ,asia2 ,whereas discrimination against the ,dalits1 or 8untouchables01 has existed for more than #b1jjj years in ,india alone and has included educational discrimination1 economic disenfranchisement1 discrimination in medical care1 and increased vulnerability to poverty1 hunger1 violence1 rape1 and humiliation2 ,whereas the status of untouchability significantly increases a ,dalit's vulnerability to debt bondage1 forced labor1 child labor1 domestic servitude1 commercial sexual exploitation1 and all forms of human trafficking and modern-day labor enslavements2 ,whereas according to ,human ,rights ,watch and ,india's official ,national ,family ,health ,survey1 ,dalits are among the poorest of the poor1 living on less than #a4be per day1 most of ,india's bonded laborers are ,dalits1 and half of ,india's ,dalit children are undernourished1 #ba percent are severely underweight1 and #ab percent die before their #eth birthday2 ,whereas a crime is committed against a ,dalit every #ah minutes in ,india2 ,whereas untouchability and birth-descent discrimination in all its forms are prohibited by international human rights law as proclaimed by the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 by the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights1 ,international ,covenant on ,economic1 ,social and ,cultural ,rights1 the ,international ,convention on the ,elimination of ,all ,forms of ,racial ,discrimination1 the ,convention on the ,elimination of ,all ,forms of ,discrimination ,against ,women1 the ,convention on the ,rights of the ,child1 and the ,international ,labor ,organization ,convention ,no4 #aaa2 ,whereas ,dr4 ,b4,r4 ,ambedkar1 born on ,april #ad1 #ahia1 was a freedom fighter and advocate for ending the practice of untouchability2 ,whereas ,dr4 ,ambedkar was the father and architect of the ,constitution of ,india and ,article #ag abolishes untouchability and its practice in any form2 ,whereas under the ,international ,convention on the ,elimination of ,all ,forms of ,racial ,discrimination1 to which ,nepal has been a state party since #aiga1 the government is obligated to prohibit discrimination based on descent1 which includes untouchability1 as a form of racial discrimination2 ,whereas in ,march #bjaj1 the ,house of ,lords in the ,united ,kingdom passed the ,equality ,bill empowering the government to treat birth descent discrimination as an aspect of race2 ,whereas the ,european ,union ,parliament resolution on caste-based discrimination of #bjac condemns the practice of untouchability and the continuing human rights violations committed against people suffering from social hierarchies and birth-based discrimination2 ,whereas at the ,dalit-,minority ,international ,conference on ,december #bg1 #bjjf1 ,india's ,prime ,minister ,dr4 ,manmohan ,singh became the first leader of his country to compare the condition of ,dalits with that of ,black ,south ,africans under apartheid1 stating ,even after #fj years of constitutional and legal protection and support1 there is still social discrimination against ,dalits in many parts of our country4 ''' ,dalits have faced a unique discrimination in our society that is fundamentally different from the problems of minority groups in general4 ,the only parallel to the practice of untouchability was apartheid in ,south ,africa2 ,whereas ,human ,rights ,watch and the ,center for ,human ,rights and ,global ,justice at the ,new ,york ,university ,school of ,law released a report in ,february #bjjg describes the discrimination against ,dalits or 8untouchables0 as a hidden apartheid2 ,whereas despite the numerous laws enacted for the protection and betterment of the ,dalits1 ,dalits are still considered outcasts in ,south ,asian society and in the ,asian diaspora and are treated as such2 and ,whereas the ,national ,commission on ,scheduled ,castes and ,scheduled ,tribes in ,india has declared that many of the reported cases of atrocities against ,dalits end in acquittals3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 condemns the practice of untouchability and the discriminatory treatment of the ,dalits in ,south ,asia and the ,asian diaspora2 7#b7 calls on the ,governments of ,india1 ,nepal1 the ,asian diaspora1 and other ,south ,asian nations to end all forms of untouchability and discrimination of the ,dalit people1 and to ensure respect for internationally recognized human rights for these minority groups within their nations2 and 7#c7 demands that the international community put pressure on the governments of nations that still practice ,dalit untouchability to take every necessary measure to end this horrific practice and to protect the fundamental rights of all ,dalits within their borders4