Law banning caste-based discrimination comes into effect in US’ Seattle

The decision was moved final month by Kshama Sawant, an Indian-American politician, economist and an upper-caste Hindu.

It was accepted unanimously by the Seattle Metropolis Council by six to 1 vote.

Seattle is just not solely the primary American metropolis to ban caste discrimination however is the primary jurisdiction at any degree globally outdoors South Asia to take action.

“The world’s first ban towards caste discrimination outdoors South Asia goes into impact TODAY in our metropolis of Seattle!” Sawant stated on Monday.

“Seattle’s legislation now prohibits companies from discriminating primarily based on caste with respect to hiring, tenure, promotion, office circumstances, or wages,” Sawant stated.

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It is going to ban discrimination primarily based on caste in locations of public lodging, similar to lodges, public transportation, public restrooms, or retail institutions, she stated, including that the legislation additionally prohibits housing discrimination primarily based on caste in rental housing leases, property gross sales, and mortgage loans.

Describing it as the most important breakthrough for the worldwide combat towards caste oppression in lots of many years, Sawant stated it has opened the floodgates for probably profitable such a ban on caste discrimination in different cities and states within the US as properly.

“It’s not stunning that since we received in Seattle, insurance policies towards caste discrimination have been proposed in Toronto and California,” she famous.

Sawant stated additional victories are usually not assured until activists and dealing folks undertake the form of preventing technique they used to win in Seattle.

“The truth is, it’s not coincidental that this unprecedented step ahead occurred on this metropolis. We received exactly as a result of Socialist Various and I take advantage of our Council workplace as a car to construct united actions of working folks, unbiased of the institution that represents huge enterprise and the established order,” Sawant defined.

Sawant, who migrated to the US from Pune within the late Nineteen Nineties, stated the following step can be to implement this new legislation within the metropolis.

“We have to hold constructing our motion to place stress on the courts to win a case towards caste discrimination utilizing this legislation, which can be important to drive the foremost companies to really abide by it. My Council workplace will host a public listening to in Might, inviting working folks to talk out,” she defined.

Final week, California State Senator Aisha Wahab, the primary Muslim and Afghan American elected to the state legislature, additionally launched the invoice looking for to explicitly ban caste discrimination.

Many Indian-Individuals worry that codifying caste in public coverage will additional gas cases of Hinduphobia within the US.

Over the past three years, ten Hindu temples and 5 statues, together with these of Mahatma Gandhi and Maratha emperor Shivaji, have been vandalised throughout the US as an intimidation tactic towards the Hindu group.

Indian-Individuals are the second-largest immigrant group within the US.

In accordance with knowledge from the 2018 American Neighborhood Survey, which is carried out by the US Census Bureau, there are 4.2 million folks of Indian origin residing in the US.

India banned caste discrimination in 1948 and enshrined that coverage within the Structure in 1950.