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Indian Prime Minister Modi takes a sweep at caste

October was a month of headlines on India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, asking the nation to rise above caste divides and telling every Indian to pick up a broom and sweep the streets. Modi’s drive to make India clean and to end the practice that one caste group is tasked with cleaning up after all the others, sounds promising. It remains to be seen, however, whether there will be true reform and political will to end caste discrimination, behind the hype.

October 24th, 2014|India, Manual Scavenging|
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Caste discrimination, child labour and the Nobel prize

Caste discrimination is a key factor behind child labour in India, home to the highest number of child labourers in the world. This is the message coming from experts on child labour. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi, also explains how witnessing caste discrimination as a child spurred on his engagement with fighting for the rights of the most marginalised.

October 23rd, 2014|Caste-based slavery, Dalit Children, India|
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Bangladesh: Dalits fight for their rights – hold anti-discrimination marches and a housing rights seminar

Dalits marched in Bangladesh to demand that the Government enact anti-discrimination legislation – important to the protection of rights of marginalised groups like the Dalits. The Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement also organised a seminar on housing and land rights for Dalits.

October 23rd, 2014|Bangladesh, Political Participation|
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Urgent Appeal: Brutal police torture of Dalit human rights defender – perpetrators must be held accountable

A 28 year old Dalit human rights defender, Mr. Poovarasan, was abducted from his house by five police officers in Tamil Nadu, and brutally tortured and abused using derogatory caste names. Following the abuse, the police filed false charges against him. Unable to walk, the victim was taken to court in an ambulance, and the Police inspector forced the ambulance with Mr. Poovarasan in it to drive off the court premises, while he threatened Mr. Poovarasan to remain silent about the assault. An urgent appeal has been launched to ensure proper medical treatment for the victim and consequences for the involved police officers.

October 2nd, 2014|Access to justice, India|
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Dalits in Pakistan suffer from severe drought – despite promises to act

1.2 million people and five million livestock in district Tharparkar are now once again in the grip of a severe drought and efforts to prevent future human catastrophies must be stepped up.

September 26th, 2014|Humanitarian Aid, Pakistan|
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India’s Prime Minister and the President urge the nation to end casteism

In two separate speeches India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, have stressed the urgent need to end casteism and communal violence splitting the Nation and hampering India’s developement.

September 25th, 2014|India, Political Participation|
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Dalit girls in Nepal particularly vulnerable to child marriage

In an analysis entitled “Nepal: why child marriage persists”, based on findings by Save the Children, World Vision, and Plan, IRIN news highlight that Dalit girls are at particular risk of child marriage in Nepal, and that concerted efforts to change the social welfare for Dalits in Nepal are needed.

September 25th, 2014|Dalit Children, Dalit Women, Nepal|
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Thousands of Dalits protest over attacks and discrimination in Pakistan

In a mass protest 15,000 Hindus, the majority of them Dalits, marched through the streets of Karachi to push for the provincial Government of Sindh in Pakistan to meet their demands for provisions to stop escalating discrimination against Hindus in the region.

September 24th, 2014|Pakistan, Political Participation|
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UN CERD urges Japan to act on discrimination against the Buraku

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommends that Japan effectively apply its legislation to protect Burakumin and provide information and indicators on concrete measures to uplift hteir living conditions and position in society.

September 19th, 2014|Japan, United Nations|
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HRW Report: Cleaning Human Waste: Manual Scavenging, Caste, and Discrimination in India

Important new report, Cleaning Human Waste: "Manual Scavenging," Caste, and Discrimination in India, released by Human Rights Watch. Press Release from Human Rights Watch: India: Caste Forced to Clean Human Waste

August 25th, 2014|Caste-based slavery, Dalit Women, India, Manual Scavenging|
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