Three human rights group supported the call of a top UN official to end caste system in India and other countries where it is still being practiced.
"Governments in India and other caste-affected countries should support the new UN framework to eliminate caste discrimination," said Rikke Nohrlind, coordinator, International Dalit Solidarity Network.
"It is time for these nations to cooperate with the UN to address a human rights issue that affects 260 million people," Nohrlind said in a statement as the call to end the discrimination was issued jointly by the Human Rights Watch, the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN).
The joint statement came after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has issued a strong call to end caste discrimination.
In an opinion article, Pillay stated that "the time has come to eradicate the shameful concept of caste," and called on the international community to come together "as it did when it helped put an end to apartheid."