Lord Pattern submits written questions on ritualised prostitution in India, along with questions on the banning of Dalits from public parks and British aid benefitting Dalits...

India

Questions

Asked by Lord Patten

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of India with regard to allegations that ritual slavery is involved in the Devadasi system in temples. [HL3563]

Lord Howell of Guildford: Through the EU-India Human Rights dialogue, we have regularly raised the issues of women's rights and trafficking of children with the Indian Government, though these discussions have not covered the specific issue of the Devadasi system. We welcome the steps taken by the Indian Government and State Governments to address the issue. Through the EU we also funded a project on the education, empowerment, participation and rehabilitation of children vulnerable to or survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation, in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh from June 2006 to June 2010.

Asked by Lord Patten

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of India with regard to the circumstances which permit the banning of Dalits from the use of certain public parks and places of worship.[HL3562]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We recognise caste discrimination as a problem and are concerned by reports of discrimination against Dalits and other minority communities in India. We welcome the measures that the Indian Government have taken to address discrimination. Our High Commission in New Delhi has discussed these issues with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with various state level authorities, drawing their attention to British parliamentary and public concern, though we have not covered the specific issue of access to parks and places of worship. We will continue to raise human rights issues with the Indian Government both bilaterally and through the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue.

Asked by Lord Patten

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total aid given to help the Dalits of India in 2010 and what is the projected aid for each of the years 2011 and 2012.[HL3564]

Baroness Verma: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development has launched a bilateral aid review of the Department for International Development's (DfID's) country programmes, including India, to ensure that we are giving aid where it is most needed to help the world's poorest people. Any decision on the future of the UK's bilateral programme in India will be made in close consultation with the Government of India.

Currently, the UK does not have a specific aid allocation for Dalits but all UK development programmes are designed to benefit particularly the poorest and most excluded, including Dalits. For example, the Indian Government's Education for All scheme, which is supported by the UK, has helped bring the proportion of Dalit children in school into line with their proportion in the general population. The UK has also supported the Government of India to reduce maternal and infant deaths among Dalits and tribal people by training community health workers to provide health services in remote rural areas. Through our civil society programmes, the UK is also supporting excluded groups, including Dalits, in India's 120 poorest districts to access benefits and services.

Source: Lords Hansard 16 Nov 2010 Column WA193