What are the key issues affecting Dalits today?

A significant proportion of Dalits find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of bonded labour or other forms of contemporary slavery.

Dalit women are especially vulnerable to verbal abuse, physical assault, sexual harassment, rape, and domestic violence as a result of caste as well as gender discrimination.

Many Dalit women have been forced into sexual slavery or suffer systematic sexual abuse by dominant castes.

Dalits are often forced to make their living through this vile, inhuman and outlawed practice of removing human excrement from dry toilets and sewers using only basic tools.

As a result of their social marginalisation, Dalits are often limited from equal and meaningful political participation.

Even though legal mechanisms to protect the rights of Dalits exist, atrocities against Dalits are committed with impunity as implementation of legislation remains alarmingly weak and insufficient.