What is caste discrimination? A closer look at new Ontario human rights ruling
caste discrimination in Canada is a huge step forward for civil rights, advocates say.In its ruling, the OHRC said while caste is not specified as a protected category under Canadian law, it is covered by international human rights law and hence, can be protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code.“Caste is not a prescribed Code ground, and only the legislature can recognize a new ground,” the OHRC noted.“However, the OHRC, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the courts must take a liberal and progressive interpretation of the Code. Human rights tribunals have found that caste-based discrimination is covered by human rights laws and can be challenged under one or more existing grounds.”Vijay Puli, executive director of the Canada-based South Asian Dalit Adivasi Network (SADAN), told Global News just the acknowledgment of caste discrimination from the OHRC is a huge leap forward.“People from oppressed castes can now finally go to court if they face discrimination.
This is huge,” he said.For many Canadians without close ties to communities where caste discrimination occurs, the phrase may be unfamiliar. Here is what you need to know.Caste is a form of hierarchical social stratification that originates from the Indian subcontinent.While caste has existed in South Asia for centuries, some discriminatory attitudes made their way outside the subcontinent as the size of the Indian diaspora has grown worldwide.Members of oppressed castes have historically faced prejudice, in the form of social ostracization, employment discrimination and outright violence.The OHRC in its release on Thursday said, “A caste system is a social stratification or hierarchy that determines a person or group’s social class or standing, rooted in
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