‘The Oppression Dalit Women Face is an Intersectional Issue’: The Modern and Historic Oppression of India’s Women in the Caste System

By Simran Badan

*TW - violence against women, SA*

In South Asian culture, the caste system is used to justify unfair treatment against groups due to a combination of race, gender and class. Although the system itself is thousands of years old, it remains a relevant issue: violence and prejudices are still committed on the basis of caste. Casteism is a form of prejudice that isn’t widely seen as such, and its negative impacts are often dismissed due to it being a cultural structure.

There are many variants of caste systems, with no one unifying system. The modern version of the Indian Hindu system, or 'Jati', has four hierarchical categories based on profession. Beneath this – and often not considered to be a part of the system at all – are the Dalits, or untouchables. This group are outcasts in society, given the lowest jobs of streetsweepers or cleaners; they face the most negative impact from the caste system. Castes are assigned by lineage and are usually difficult to change. People are born into this life and generally must accept the treatment they receive.

Under colonialism, the caste system underwent a systemisation different to its cultural origins. To effectively categorise people in a way that was convenient for the British Empire, a census was produced that reduced caste to the categories previously mentioned. Caste was not always so rigid; there was previously much greater variety within castes, and malleability between castes. This new order helped to maintain a system of hierarchy as the clear divisions between groups were harder to transgress.

For the community of Dalits, this can mean being trapped in poverty as they are only able to work low-paying jobs. They are viewed as lesser, or undeserving of help. The women within this caste face disproportionate levels of discrimination through severe forms of sexism. Dalit women are considered to naturally be without honour due to their caste. Much of their identity and autonomy are stripped, and as a result many women endure abuse. A quick search of Dalit women in the news offers stories of violence, rape and brutality.

In the South Asian diaspora, these caste-based values are still held on to, particularly when marriage is involved. Many families are still resistant to the idea that it is acceptable to marry below their own caste. Worsening this is the preoccupation with how other members of the community will judge their family and their children with their choice of partner for their children. Community is an important thing in South Asian culture, so there is a lot of importance placed on maintaining a good image. In some cases, women are disowned from their families for acting with agency in their choice of a partner, while in extremes honour-based violence is committed. 

Deeply embedded in Indian and caste culture are the ideas surrounding female sexuality. The need to retain 'izzat' (respect) and avoid 'sharam' (shame) is an onus put on women, which limits their ability to freely express themselves and often puts the honour of the whole family on the women's shoulders. The lack of bodily autonomy is also visible in the ownership of women, who are passed from father to husband to son.

The oppression Dalit women face is particularly unique as it is an intersectional issue, combining gender, race and class. In India, caste discrimination is seen similarly to racial or class discrimination in the West – groups are marginalised and treated differently based on both colourism and socioeconomic status. It has racial undertones: as caste is directly linked to lineage, it is passed down and difficult to move on from. Even the term ‘untouchables’ is racially motivated, with similar connotations of Dalits being dark, dirty or polluted. With colourism being a prominent issue in South Asian societies, the caste system provides an apparent structure that allows for this racism to be hidden behind ‘economic’ segregation.

This tight control over women and the importance of reproduction in the caste system hold women in a tight structure with reduced freedom. They face oppression from upper-caste men, working as labourers under upper-caste men, and are subordinated in the patriarchy by men of all castes. Crimes against Dalit women are rising – 66% from 2007 to 2017, and rape cases have doubled.

The Prevention of Atrocities (or PoA) Act has been put in place in Indian law with the intention to reduce crimes committed against people based on caste. With this, there should be funds and special courts allocated to these cases. However, the money given does not correlate to the amount of help that victims should be receiving. They are often unaware of their rights, and so the help they are entitled to is rarely seen by them.

In the case of sexual crimes against Dalit women, they must first report to the police and investigations are done. However, the police are usually slow to believe women and will often victim blame. ‘Tests’ to prove a rape was committed can be intrusive and without scientific proof. A First Information Report (FIR) is also required, which not every woman knows of. Therefore, high levels of external interventions from NGOs and activists are required; but even then FIRs take time to process and any evidence collected after its approval may no longer be of use.

The woman of the lower castes are forced not only to endure abuse and suffering due to their societal position, but they are also unable to seek justice for the crimes committed against them as their society views these women as being impure, despite it being their systems that created this misconception in the first place. 

The issue of caste-based violence is prevalent across South Asia and beyond, not just in India. Much more needs to be done for these baseless attacks against women to be better recognised, rather than accepted as an internal or cultural issue that isn't to be interfered with globally.

Casteism, just like racism or sexism, is a socially constructed tool used to enforce segregation between groups and to justify violent forms of discrimination. Although we can recognise it as an issue, effective change can only begin when the Indian government acknowledges it as a continuous and complex issue.