NEW YORK, March 12: The Indian government should take immediate steps to implement the recommendations of a United Nations committee that found persistent violence and discrimination against Dalits, or so-called “untouchables”, a group of international human rights organisations said on Monday.

The organisations include Human Rights Watch, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York University School of Law, and the International Dalit Solidarity Network.

On March 9, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued its concluding observations regarding India’s compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The committee’s report found that “de facto segregation of Dalits persists” and highlighted systematic abuse against Dalits, including torture and extrajudicial killings, an “alarming” extent of sexual violence against Dalit women, and caste discrimination in post-tsunami relief.

The committee called for effective measures to implement laws on discrimination and affirmative action, and sought proper protection for Dalits and tribal communities against acts of “discrimination and violence”.

The committee has given India a year to respond to four of its recommendations, including how India can end widespread impunity for violence against Dalits, and Dalit women in particular.

“The UN committee’s concluding observations confirm that India has failed to properly protect Dalits and tribal communities,” said Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch. “This is a prime opportunity for India to give its own policies on discrimination some meaning. Laws need to be implemented, and those who violate them must be prosecuted.”

The observations were issued following two days of hearings in Geneva on Feb 23 and 26, between committee members and the Indian delegation.

During the hearing, committee members uniformly took issue with the Indian government’s refusal to acknowledge that caste-based discrimination is covered by the convention and is an issue of international human rights concern.