Press clippings: HRC12 side event

Following the Human Rights Council side event on caste discrimination in Geneva on 16 September, the debate in regional and international media on caste discrimination as a human rights violation has gathered momentum.

Some of the reports – not least the original article in the Telegraph – have contained a number of factual errors, which IDSN has attempted to correct in this background note.

Media reports in follow-up to HRC12 side event

The following links contain some of the most important media reports:

• Times of India (3 October): How India flip-flopped over caste and race at the UN

• IANS (1 October) : No UN resolution on caste in India

• The Daily Telegraph (29 September): UN says caste system is a human rights abuse

• BBC World Service (29 September):  Podcast: Is the caste system a human rights abuse? (Debate including Paul Divakar of the NCDHR)

• Indian Catholic (29 September): UN to treat caste system as right violation (The piece is a rehash of the Times of India-article)

• Times of India (28 September): UN set to treat caste as human rights violation

• The Himalayan Times (18 September): Nepal backs UN move on caste

• Presbyterian Outlook / ENI (17 September): Nepal singled out for praise following stance on caste discrimination

The following articles are re-runs of the Telegraph article:

• Sydney Morning Herald (30 September): UN moves to declare caste system an abuse

• The Brisbane Times (30 September)

• The Morung Express (30 September)

• Express Buzz (29 September)

• Gaea Times (29 September)

• New Kerala (29 September)

• Tamil News Network (29 September)

Blogs and discussion forums

• BBC World Service (29 September): On air: Is the Indian caste system a human rights abuse? (Blog with more than a 130 comments on the programme mentioned above)

• The Wall Street Journal India debate (8 October): Should India Oppose the UN's Push to Recognize Caste-Based Discrimination as a Human Rights Violation? (Discussion forum)