Country: India

Group: Pallar/Mallar

Date finalized: 11/1/2023

Team: Khulan Davaasuren (lead), Kate Edwards, Likith Munigala, Autumn Towne, Lori Francis

Content Warning: Forced labor, slavery, violence

Approximate Time Period: 19th century – present

The Pallar or Mallar is the largest of the Dalit groups in Tamil Nadu, constituting about 19-20 percent (Human Rights Watch, 2023). The name Pallar, believed to have originated from the word pallam, means a low-lying area. Most rural Dalits are agricultural laborers, including the Pallar (Human Rights Watch, 2023). The Dalits refrain from reporting discrimination due to their dependence on their employers. The Pallar have traditionally been subject to forced labor in agriculture. There is substantial literary evidence that claims Pallars were victims of slavery. In the 19th century, Pallars faced untouchability and slavery (Viswanath, 2014). As Edgar Thurstan, a British anthropologist claimed, the Pallar’s labor was “akin to slavery” and described Pallars as “the most abject and despised race by all respectable men” (Thurston, 1909).

Due to the lack of data available, this case was rated a 2/3. Inadequate information on any form of forced labor and slavery.

Sources

  1. Human Rights Watch (2023). Hidden apartheid. https://www.hrw.org/report/2007/02/12/hidden-apartheid/caste-discrimination-against-indias-untouchables 
  2. Thurston, E (1909). Castes and tribes of southern India. Government Press, Madras. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hW3hAAAAMAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&ots=zPkmgciJ-f&sig=0IqK7buMezWX5u0YvxkXEJJuIC0#v=onepage&q&f=false
  3. Viswanath, Rupa (2014). The Pariah Problem. Columbia University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.7312/visw16306-014