California Senate passes bill banning caste discrimination | World News

Going a step further, the California State Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would ban caste-based discrimination in the state.

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The law, which passed in a 34-1 vote, would provide individuals with legal options to address allegations of caste bias and discrimination in housing, employment, education and other areas, CNN reported.

Those who have been systematically harmed by caste bias and bias are explicitly protected by Section 403 of SB. Furthermore, it provides clear legal consequences for anyone who tries to evade responsibility or condones or participates in caste-based violence.

Earlier this year, Seattle was the first U.S. city to include caste protections in its anti-discrimination statute, and some colleges and universities have taken similar steps.

Advocates for caste-oppressed individuals say institutions and workplaces are ill equipped to address the caste bias that has been demonstrated among South Asians in the United States in recent years, CNN reported.

The California law was introduced in March by Democratic state Senator Aisha Wahab, who told CNN at the time that caste was an issue for residents in her area, which included those in the East Bay and Silicon Valley. In some areas.

Wahab, who is Afghan-American, said she saw the effects of the toll caste on other families growing up in Fremont, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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A coalition of organizations from different religious and caste backgrounds also supported the bill. The California state legislature will now consider the bill.