WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2008: In a landmark effort to combat caste-based discrimination, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), a leading non-governmental organization based at The Hague, Netherlands, announced calls for applications for the first annual Shri Narayana Guru Award for Outstanding Leadership in Social Reform earlier today.
The Award seeks to recognize individuals or organizations working for social upliftment and human rights advocacy for “Harijans”, a common term of self-identity used by Hindus considered to exist on the bottom rung of the South Asian social order (or caste), the announcement relayed. The specific areas of work the award seeks to recognize include women’s rights, health, education, economic upliftment, social equality, religious equality, and justice.
The award, along with a $10,000 prize, will be presented in November in India. Award nominees will be selected based on their track record in the area of Harijan human rights, vision for future initiatives and commitment to tolerance, pluralism and respect for indigenous traditions. HAF also plans to simultaneously release an extensive report documenting the ongoing human rights violations against Harijans in India.
Nominations can be submitted on the HAF website by September 1, 2008 at the url above.