Dalits still working in bonded labour in the cotton industry despite some improvements, new report finds
Follow-up report highlights improvements but warns that root problems remain and bonded labour continues to exist in the cotton indsutry.
Archive | Caste-based slavery
GalleryUN: End the bonded labour system in Nepal
The UN and national level Dalit bodies are urging the Government to end the bonded labour system in Nepal, known as the Haliya system, and implement rehabilitation schemes for freed Haliyas. Haliyas in Nepal are predominantly Dalits, excluded from other work due to rampant caste discrimination.
GalleryCaste-based slavery in the mining sector highlighted in UN debate
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery noted with concern that children from marginalised groups, including tribal and lower caste communities, are "doubly vulnerable to abuses" in the mining sector.
The ILO and Manual Scavengers in India: Paving the way towards the elimination of caste discrimination
ILO: For millions of people, contemporary India has become a land of opportunities, and the largest democracy in the world has experienced a remarkable economic growth during the last decade. Yet, as India accelerates its pace towards development, many are left behind due to long standing caste-based discrimination in employment. ILO Online reports from Rajasthan, India.
GalleryDalit girls working under slave like conditions in India’s garment industry
Multinational clothing brands are sourcing from cotton spinning mills in Tamil Nadu that exploit teenage girls, subjecting them to what the ILO terms the ‘worst forms of child labour’.
GalleryThe cost of cotton – Every 30 minutes an Indian farmer commits suicide
India is failing to address its farmer suicide crisis, says the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ), in a report released yesterday that has indentified an agrarian crisis in India where farmer suicides are on the rise and caste discrimination only exacerbates the problem.
IDSN on YouTube
IDSN have launched a YouTube Channel on www.youtube.com/IDSNVideo
GalleryBus ‘march’ against manual scavenging
A march – or ‘yatra’ - for the eradication of manual scavenging in India was launched on 29 September. During the next few weeks, buses will carry campaigners from five different corners of India to the capital.
GalleryNGOs call for ban on Haliya system
The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and the Jagaran Media Center, a Nepalese NGO, are urging the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that Nepal ends the Haliya system of bonded labour. Most Haliyas are Dalits.
Child labour: EU’s India policy under scrutiny
Two new reports on child labour in the Indian seed industry have prompted a Dutch member of the European Parliament to ask questions about the EU’s relations with India - including the issue of Dalits.