Seattle’s metropolis council Tuesday voted to ban discrimination on the idea of caste. Seattle is the primary metropolis to provides “caste” to different anti-discrimination provisions of its municipal code, following the California state college programs’ decision final January to ban discrimination on this foundation. Caste discrimination has been banned in India since 1948.
Discrimination on the idea of caste is outlined within the ordinance as “a system of inflexible social stratification characterised by hereditary standing, endogamy, and social obstacles sanctioned by customized, legislation, or faith.” The ordinance was launched by Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who referred to as this type of discrimination a “hidden and unreported issue” in Washington state. Washington is house to over 167,000 folks from South Asia, with most of them concentrated within the Better Seattle space.
On her blog, Councilmember Sawant cited a study that claims “one in 4 caste-oppressed folks in america confronted bodily and verbal assault, one in three confronted training discrimination, and two in three (sixty seven p.c) confronted office discrimination.” There was just one vote in opposition to the ordinance from Councilmember Sara Nelson who claimed that the ordinance “may generate extra anti-Hindu discrimination and will dissuade employers from hiring South Asians.”
The ordinance might be enforced by the Seattle Workplace of Civil Rights (SOCR) which handles federal and state discrimination complaints within the metropolis. The workplace requested extra funding to make sure it was capable of replace anti-discrimination supplies and reply to complaints of discrimination on the idea of caste.
