Yes. There is an International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination in the UN, the CERD committee, at which a lot of nations have a voice. That committee has gone into detail. In a report released on March 9, 2007, when they called the Indian government before them, they raised a huge amount of very serious concerns. We would again urge Canada to use whatever influence it can to see that the recommendations of that committee are followed. India has been asked to come back in a year to give a report.
I'll read to you a couple of concerns that were raised by the CERD committee. On point number 13, it says:
The Committee urges the State party to intensify its efforts to enforce the Protection of Civil Rights Act (1955), especially in rural areas, including by effectively punishing acts of “Untouchability”, to take effective measures against segregation in public schools and residential segregation, and to ensure equal access for Dalits places of worship, hospitals, water sources and any other places or services intended for use by the general public.
This is nothing but a blatant description of apartheid in practice and the urging of this committee of the UN to do something about it.
Another one is in point 15, and then I'll stop. It says:
The Committee urges [the Indian government] to effectively prosecute and punish perpetrators of acts of sexual violence and exploitation of Dalit and tribal women, sanction anyone preventing or discouraging victims from reporting such incidents, including police and other law enforcement officers, [and] take preventive measures such as police training
to stop violence against Dalit women and girls.
Thank you, sir.