Young Dalit leaders speak out at UN Business and Human Rights Forum

An IDSN delegation of inspiring young Dalit rights leaders participated in the the 11th session of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. The Forum was created by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights as a means to facilitate dialogue between several stakeholders working for compliance with human rights norms by […]

A long awaited and hard-fought victory for us and a triumph for Dalit voices everywhere

Today is a day for celebration. Following a historic vote at the UN our big-little human rights solidarity network, IDSN, was finally granted UN consultative status after fighting 15 years for it. After having been repeatedly deferred due to silencing in the form of arbitrary questioning in the smaller UN NGO Committee – IDSN, alongside eight other […]

India rights review: Action on caste discrimination recommended by States across three continents

During the 4th Cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India, the country received recommendations on caste, including the need to ensure implementation of legislation to protect Dalits from discrimination and violence, develop an action plan to prevent caste discrimination in labour, protect Dalit women and girls from violence and sexual abuse, ensure equal access to […]

Dalit activists and theologians discuss ways to tackle caste discrimination

A well-attended workshop brought Dalit activists and theologians together to discuss caste discrimination, within and beyond the church, addressing challenges and ways forward. The workshop formed a part of the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe, Germany, which took place in September 2022.

Activists from across India and Nepal spoke […]

IDSN members take part in training on interaction with the European Union

In September and October, IDSN ran workshops designed to help members and affiliates understand the EU mechanisms and how to best engage with them.

IDSN organised the trainings to make EU human rights bodies and mechanisms more accessible to Dalit human rights defenders in IDSN’s network

Human rights and democracy are central to  the EU’s internal and external […]

Caste discrimination raised at the UN Human Rights Council

IDSN participated actively in the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the need to tackle caste discrimination through participation at key events, interactive dialogues and oral statements.

On September 16, the persistence of caste discrimination in Pakistan was raised at the side event ‘Minorities subjected to contemporary forms of slavery: addressing […]

Dalit woman appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Racism

IDSN welcomes the newly appointed Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Dr. Ashwini K.P., to the post.  Dr. K.P. brings with her valuable knowledge and insight on discrimination based on work and descent and the United Nations.

In 2014, Dr. K.P. was part of an IDSN delegation to the […]

Dalit rights raised at the pre-session for the UN rights review of India

Dalit activists gathered in Geneva to take part in the pre-session for the Universal Periodic Review of India – scheduled for November 2022. Rahul Singh, the Director of the National Dalit Movement for Justice-NCDHR, an IDSN member organisation was present at the session. Mr. Singh engaged with multiple stakeholders throughout to enhance the understanding of the human […]

Speaking out against caste discrimination at the Women at Work Conference

A unique event organised by the Norwegian Human Rights Fund brought together, activists, experts, trade unions and several international NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, IDSN and OSF.  In a session dedicated to addressing caste-based discrimination, the exploitation of Dalit women in work settings, was raised by speakers at the global Women at Work conference in Nepal, stressing […]

The UN Special Rapporteur on Slavery highlights the deep-rooted and intersecting forms of discrimination as main causes of contemporary forms of slavery affecting minorities

At the 51st Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, Mr Tomoya Obokata, the Special Rapporteur on Slavery, will present his report focusing on the Contemporary forms of slavery affecting persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minority communities. Child labour and caste-based discrimination are closely interlinked alongside severe discrimination against Dalit women.

The report explores the main causes of […]