The News Caravan

Tag: discrimination

  • France urged to outlaw hair discrimination against afros and braids

    France urged to outlaw hair discrimination against afros and braids

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    France must introduce a law banning hair discrimination against natural afro hairstyles and braids, a lawmaker from Guadeloupe has argued as he prepares a cross-party bill to be presented to parliament in the autumn.

    “Just as the Republic’s motto is ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’, this is about allowing everyone to be as they are and as they want to be, whether in it’s in the workplace or anywhere else,” Olivier Serva told France Info radio.

    Serva, who left Macron’s centrist party, La République En Marche, and sits with a different centrist opposition grouping, said he was seeking calm “cross-party consensus”. In order to introduce a law on hair discrimination, he had approached all other parties in parliament except the far-right National Rally.

    He said the law was about “fighting against any form of discrimination linked to hair texture, length, colour and style”.

    Serva said the case of a black flight attendant for Air France who took his employers to an industrial tribunal because of discrimination over his braids had showed how France needed to tighten up legislation with a specific text on hair discrimination, and also increase awareness in the workplace and broader society.

    Aboubakar Traoré, an Air France steward who had changed his hairstyle to braids worn tied back in a chignon, had been refused access to a flight because his hairstyle was said not to conform to the rules in the flight manual for male staff. After a legal battle lasting more than a decade, France’s highest appeals court found in Traoré’s favour in November last year, ruling that the company authorised female staff to wear braids and so could not ban the hairstyle from male staff.

    Serva said Traoré’s long legal case showed that there was a gap in the law and specific legislation should focus on hair discrimination.

    He said black women were taking health risks to straighten their hair with chemicals because of discrimination in French society and in the workplace. He said the law would ban any form of hair discrimination, including towards women and men with afro hairstyles or braids, as well as stereotyping against bald men or women with blond hair.

    Serva said that because France did not count data based on ethnicity, there were no studies on the extent of hair discrimination against black people in France, but he said it would be similar to the US or UK. He cited a study funded by Dove and LinkedIn that found that two-thirds of black women in the US had felt obliged to change their hair for a job interview.

    When Macron’s former adviser Sibeth Ndiaye became spokesperson for the French government during Macron’s first term in office, her natural afro hairstyle was targeted in racist commentary on social networks.

    Joëlle Dago-Serry, a French career coach and TV commentator, told a chatshow on RMC radio: “Of course there is discrimination … my mother first straightened my hair when I was seven or eight … I’m of the generation where our hair was very much straightened using dangerous products in order to pass the barrier of a job interview, or to move up in a career.

    “Natural afro hair is seen as not styled, it’s not understood or accepted, comments are made about it. Behind the word discrimination are the real stories of people who have the right qualifications and skills but don’t get the job because they don’t have the so-called ‘right’ hair.”

    The proposed bill would have to be approved by the leader of the French parliament in order to be put on the parliamentary agenda in October.

    Last year, the US House of Representatives passed a bill banning race-based discrimination on hair, specifically textures or styles associated with a particular race or national origin such as dreadlocks, afros and braids. The bill was known as the Crown Act, standing for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

    In 2019, California because the first US state to ban discrimination against natural hair.

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    #France #urged #outlaw #hair #discrimination #afros #braids
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Senate GOP blocks measure looking to prohibit sex discrimination in Constitution

    Senate GOP blocks measure looking to prohibit sex discrimination in Constitution

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    chuck schumer 15407

    A later vote extended the deadline to 1982, but a sufficient number of states still did not ratify. The Senate’s resolution would remove the 1982 deadline and recognize the ERA in the Constitution.

    The measure was bipartisan, sponsored by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). But all Republicans save for Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins voted against it, arguing it’s not necessary to include in the Constitution. Opponents also said it raises legal questions about Congress’ authority to remove amendment ratification deadlines or whether states can rescind it.

    Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) alluded to the uphill climb for Democrats to get the measure over the finish line on Wednesday.

    “It only takes 41 to block,” Thune said, implying Democrats didn’t have the votes for passage. “I think it will be a heavy lift.”

    Before the vote, Schumer called the deadline to ratify the ERA “arbitrary” and said it must be passed.

    “There is no good reason — none — for this chamber, this Congress, and this nation to bind itself to limitations set fifty years ago,” he said on the Senate floor. “The Constitution itself imposes no such barrier; by keeping this barrier in place — this seven year barrier — all we’re doing is needlessly obeying skewed rules set by politicians who are long gone, and whose views ought not rule the day any longer.”

    “In 2023, we should move forward to ratify the ERA with all due haste, because if you look at the terrible things happening to women’s rights in this country, it’s clear that we must act,” he added.

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    #Senate #GOP #blocks #measure #prohibit #sex #discrimination #Constitution
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • ‘Discrimination in Shariat law’: SC to hear plea on equal property share to females

    ‘Discrimination in Shariat law’: SC to hear plea on equal property share to females

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    New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea filed by a Muslim woman who claimed the provision of Shariat law to the extent of not giving an equal share to a female compared to a male is “discriminatory” and violative of the rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

    A bench of justices Krishna Murari and Sanjay Karol was hearing the appeal against the Kerala High Court’s January 6 order filed by Bushara Ali, who claimed that it is her grievance that being a daughter, according to Shariat Law, she was only allotted half the shares as of her male counterparts.

    The bench issued notice to the petitioner’s 11 siblings which include four sisters.

    The plea, filed through advocate Bijo Mathew Joy, said Bushara is a decree holder in a partition suit whereby according to a preliminary decree dated January 19, 1995, she was allotted 7/152 shares of the scheduled property having 1.44 acres each.

    Joy said that a status quo has also been ordered by the apex court.

    The plea filed by Bushara said, “Petitioner is aggrieved by the final decree passed by the trial court wherein the petitioner was only allotted 4.82 cents of property marked as plot D of advocate commissioner’s plan.”

    Bushara said her father died intestate leaving behind his wife, seven sons and five daughters.

    She said in her plea, “It is the grievance of the petitioner that in spite of guarantee of the Constitution, Muslim women are subjected to discrimination. Even though the preliminary decree dated January 19, 1995 was not challenged and had become final, petitioner begs to submit that the partition of the property as per Shariat Law is discriminatory and same needs to be set aside. The Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, to the extent of not giving equal share to a female compared to a male is violative of Article 15 of the Constitution and therefore void as per Article 13 of Constitution.”

    The petition said that a similar issue is pending consideration before the court.

    Referring to the 2017 verdict in triple talaq case, she said the 1937 Act is a pre-constitutional legislation which would fall directly within Article 13(1) of Constitution.

    Article 13(1) states “all laws in force in the territory of India immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, in so far as they are inconsistent with the provisions of this Part, shall, to the extent of such inconsistency, be void”.

    Bushara said she raised the objections against the advocate commissioner’s report and plan dated 2022 before the trial court but it was dismissed and the advocate commissioner’s plan was accepted and based on that, the property having an extent of 4.82 cents was allotted to petitioner.

    “The High Court in First Appeal, without even looking into the records and without considering my aforesaid objections to the Commission report erroneously dismissed the appeal,” she said.

    Bushara sought interim order from the apex court restraining her siblings from alienating 80.44 cents of scheduled property as per advocate commissioner’s report dated July 25, 2022.

    (Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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    #Discrimination #Shariat #law #hear #plea #equal #property #share #females

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Seattle City Council votes to ban caste discrimination

    Seattle City Council votes to ban caste discrimination

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    Seattle: The Seattle City Council voted today to pass a landmark ordinance to ban caste discrimination in Seattle City.

    The legislation, introduced by Councilmember Kshama Sawant, outlaws caste-based discrimination. This historic decision will have far-reaching implications for the oppressed castes in the States, and everywhere that the evils of caste have spread.

    “We thank Council member Kshama Sawant for sponsoring the ordinance and her advocacy on behalf of the oppressed castes and organizations representing them. We, along with our partner organizations – Coalition of Seattle Indian-Americans, Ambedkar King Study Circle, Ambedkar Association of North America and Equality Labs – had worked closely with Councilmember Kshama Sawant to help draft this legislation,” said Ram Kumar, President, Ambedkar International Centre.

    Efforts of Ambedkar International Center

    Over the last two years, the Ambedkar International Center has championed caste equity and justice for the caste-oppressed through our policy and advocacy efforts including being an amicus curiae in the Cisco caste discrimination case and launching the policy initiative to add caste as a protected category in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

    The efforts of the Ambedkar International Centre were joined by a dynamic and resilient collective of more than 170 human and civil rights groups, faith communities and other non-governmental organizations, as well as experts, academics, advocates and dynamic leaders on the ground in Seattle.

    “Together, we built a movement of organizations and individuals, endorsing and advancing the ordinance, informing and mobilizing people. We would like to thank MAPS-AMEN, in particular, and the Ravidassia community for their colossal support and tireless work in raising awareness and engaging the organizations and stakeholders to join the coalition to achieve this victory. We would also like to thank our policy consultant Sumit Anand for his guidance and expertise throughout the campaign. We thank all the supporters who submitted testimony today, and everyone who previously provided verbal or written comment to the Council,” added Kumar.

    Seattle paved way for social change, justice and equality

    “We are grateful and would like to acknowledge John Doe from the Cisco lawsuit, whose revolutionary actions, despite facing all odds stacked against him, brought the issue of caste discrimination in the tech industry and within the South Asian diaspora to a point where it can no longer be denied. This movement has stepped up on his labor, sacrifice and bravery,” said Anil Wagde, Spokesperson, Ambedkar International Centre.

    “Seattle has paved the way for social change, justice and equality. We hope that the rest of the country will follow the suit soon. We are now one step closer to an egalitarian world,” added Anil Wagde. “I congratulate and appreciate the Seattle City Council for this historic step and standing by the caste oppressed. It is applaudable that the Council did not fall to the fabricated threats and tales told by right wing groups.”



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    #Seattle #City #Council #votes #ban #caste #discrimination

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • IIT B student death: Family says he faced caste discrimination; suspects ‘murder’

    IIT B student death: Family says he faced caste discrimination; suspects ‘murder’

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    Ahmedabad/Mumbai: The family of an IIT-Bombay student who allegedly committed suicide has claimed he faced discrimination at the premier institute for belonging to a Scheduled Caste community and suspected foul play in his death, while the Mumbai police on Wednesday said they have started recording statements of his hostel mates as part of their probe into the case.

    In Mumbai, the police citing initial probe said the student, Darshan Solanki (18), had spoken to his father in Ahmedabad for around 30 minutes before ending his life on Sunday, but did not mention anything about facing caste discrimination at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

    The IIT Bombay administration on Tuesday rejected charges of caste bias in the institute and said initial inputs from the deceased’s friends suggested there was no discrimination.

    A senior police official involved in the probe said the student’s parents had not raised any objection on investigation or expressed doubt over their son’s suicide when they came to Mumbai on Monday to take possession of his body.

    However, in Ahmedabad the family of the student claimed he faced discrimination at the premier institute for belonging to an SC community and that there was a strong possibility that he was “murdered”.

    Darshan Solanki, a first-year student of BTech (chemical), died allegedly after jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building on the Powai campus of the IIT on Sunday (Feb 12).

    His family members, who live in the Maninagar area of Ahmedabad city, claimed though Darshan Solanki faced “discrimination for being a Dalit”, he could not have taken his own life.

    “I strongly believe that my son was murdered. Hours before his death, he had called us but he talked normally and gave no indication that he was under any tension. However, when he came home during Makar Sankranti (in mid-January), he informed his aunt that other students were keeping distance from him. They were upset because Darshan made such progress (in academics),” said his mother Tarlikaben Solanki.

    The deceased student’s father Rameshbhai Solanki alleged the institute as well as hospital authorities had tried to cover up the matter and performed a post-mortem on the body even before he reached Mumbai.

    “I do not think it was a case of suicide. If you fall from the seventh floor, you will sustain many injuries. But, when I saw my son’s face after the post-mortem, I did not see any injuries. How is that possible? Moreover, the PM (post-mortem) was done in a haste and that too without our permission. I was allowed to see only his face after the PM,” claimed Rameshbhai Solanki.

    Darshan Solanki’s sister Jahnvi said the IIT-B management kept changing its stand about the reasons behind her brother’s death.

    “His body was not shown to my parents, neither before nor after the PM. Earlier, the institute told us that he fell down the stairs. Then, the principal told us that my brother jumped from the building. Do they think we are fools? It seems that my brother was murdered,” said Jahnvi Solanki.

    The late student’s aunt Divyaben said Darshan Solanki once told her other pupils had started maintaining distance from him upon learning he belonged to an SC community.

    “In January, he told me that other students were jealous of him. They used to ask Darshan how come you are studying for free while we have to spend a lot of money?’. They used to taunt him and ask him how he secured admission. Darshan was harassed there. But, he could not have taken his life due to such tension. It seems he was first murdered and then thrown off the building,” she claimed.

    However, the Mumbai police said Darshan Solanki’s parents, who visited the IIT campus in suburban Powai after the incident, in their initial statements had not raised any objection on probe or expressed doubt over their son’s suicide.

    Darshan Solanki had spoken for half an hour with his father before ending his life, but during the conversation he had not said anything about facing discrimination in the institute, said the police official.

    He said statements of more than a dozen persons have been recorded so far as part of probe to ascertain what led the student to take the extreme step.

    Darshan Solanki had told his father he will be visiting home on February 15, said the official.

    “The police are thoroughly investigating the case and each and every aspect will be examined to know the exact cause of the suicide,” he said.

    Earlier in the day, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale visited the IIT B campus and demanded a thorough probe into Darshan Solanki’s death.

    Athawale said Darshan Solanki had called his father on Sunday and informed him that except for one paper, all his other first semester exams went well.

    Meanwhile, a student collective at the IIT Bombay demanded the resignation of the institute’s director in the backdrop of the alleged suicide and allegations he was facing caste discrimination.

    The Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) also sought that a report of the SC/ST Cell of the IIT Bombay, which it claimed talks about lack of institutional support for Dalit and tribal students in the campus, be made public.

    In a statement, the APPSC, said, “We demand resignation of the institute director in the light of these new facts and hope the administration will start the much needed learning process, at least now. Data prepared by the SC/ST Cell points towards the lack of institutional support for SC/ST students at the IIT B.”

    The student body alleged the IIT-B administration has not appointed any SC/ST counsellors even after its complaints and said this shows blatant disregards towards the pupils.

    However, the institute on Tuesday said it takes utmost precautions to make the campus as inclusive as possible and it has a zero tolerance for any discrimination by faculty.

    Caste identity is never disclosed to any one (whether students or faculty) once the admission is done and the institute sensitises students to not seek proxy information such as ranks in entrance exams, it said in a statement.

    The institute gives strong warnings against discrimination right from the time students enter the IIT campus. While no steps can be 100 per cent effective, discrimination by students, if at all it occurs, is an exception, the statement said.

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    #IIT #student #death #Family #faced #caste #discrimination #suspects #murder

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Ban caste discrimination: Ambedkar Intl Center to Seattle City Council

    Ban caste discrimination: Ambedkar Intl Center to Seattle City Council

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    The Ambedkar International Center, Inc. (AIC), a US-based civil rights group that fights against caste oppression, and other groups have asked the Seattle City Council to ban caste-based discrimination. The proposed ordinance, officially introduced by Councilmember Kshama Sawant, would put Seattle at the national forefront of protecting the caste-discriminated.

    The proposed ordinance for the Seattle City Council would add caste to its civil rights laws, prohibit caste-based discrimination, and include protections against discrimination in employment, public places, housing, and contracting, said a press release from the AIC.

    The AIC has worked closely with council member Kshama Sawant, the Coalition of Seattle Indian-Americans (CSAI), Equality Labs, and the Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA) to help draft this proposed ordinance. This proposal builds on AIC’s policy in Seattle and advocacy efforts to end caste-based discrimination and fight for justice for victims of caste discrimination.

    “Taking up such a model legislation is the need of the hour; a raft of evidence shows that the evils of caste and caste discrimination is present in the United States”, said Anil Wagde, a member of the AIC. According to the Seattle-based AIC, the 2020 census data shows that the South Asian population is the fastest-growing major ethnic group in Seattle, home to a large tech industry, where caste discrimination has thrived.

    “The proposal comes in light of a growing movement to recognize and stop caste discrimination in the States. If passed, Seattle will become the first city in the States to ban caste discrimination and add protections against it,” stated the release.

    More recently, Brown University became the first Ivy League institution to add caste to its non-discrimination policy and explicitly prohibit caste discrimination, joining a number of US colleges and universities. The AIC’s in Seattle proposal is also being supported by Ambedkarite Buddhist Association of Texas, Boston Study Group and Ambedkar Kings Study Circle.

    “Such legislation will not only bring the evils of caste to light and how caste bias operates but will also be much-needed legal teeth for the victims of caste discrimination. We thank Council member Kshama Sawant for her support and CSAI for this initiation. We would also like to thank our policy advisor Sumit Anand for his guidance and expertise. We hope that other city councils will follow suit and these small steps culminate in a national ban on caste discrimination”, Anil added.



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    #Ban #caste #discrimination #Ambedkar #Intl #Center #Seattle #City #Council

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )