Archive | Water and Sanitation

UN side event highlights caste, gender and dignity in the right to sanitation

At the 63rd UN Human Rights Council the side event ‘Turning the Spotlight on the Right to Sanitation’ called for sanitation to be treated as a distinct human right. Held on 16 September 2026, […]
September 28th, 2026|Dalit Women, India, South Asia, Uncategorized, United Nations, Water and Sanitation|

UN CERD review of India calls for stronger action to end caste discrimination

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has issued wide-ranging recommendations to India on segregation, caste-based violence, access to justice, bonded labour, manual scavenging, education and health. The Committee also reaffirmed […]

Dalit human rights defenders urge EU decision-makers to strengthen work to end caste discrimination

A delegation of Dalit human rights defenders visited Brussels in July for a series of meetings with European Union institutions, Members of the European Parliament and civil society organisations to discuss how the EU […]

UN side-event highlights Dalit women’s leadership in the fight for justice

IDSN brought together #DalitVoicesForJustice, UN experts, civil society and Member States for our HRC62 side-event, Caste, Gender and Power: #DalitVoicesForJustice on 2 July at the UN Human Rights Council. The event highlighted the urgent need to […]

IDSN delegation highlights urgent concerns ahead of Nepal’s 2026 UN rights review

From 24–28 November, IDSN facilitated a delegation of Dalit human rights defenders from Nepal to come to Geneva for advocacy meetings ahead of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) pre-session of Nepal, as well as […]

UN Advocacy Update: June–November 2025

Over the past months, IDSN has been actively engaging across the UN Human Rights Council, the General Assembly and with several Special Rapporteurs to ensure that addressing caste discrimination remain firmly on the international […]

UN UPR Review: UN member states call on India to address caste discrimination

During the 4th cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review of India, the country received eight direct recommendations on caste, including topics such as racism, water, forced marriage and child labour. On November 10, 2022 […]

Global forum addresses the caste and sanitation work nexus

The links between caste and hazardous forms of sanitation work were highlighted by speakers at the Sanitation Workers Forum 2021 from 29 November – 2 December. Participants at the forum urged that immediate steps […]
December 8th, 2021|Human Rights Defenders, India, Pakistan, Water and Sanitation|

The need for action on ensuring rights for Dalits in Bangladesh – highlighted at key events

The Dalit Women Conclave, on the 24th September, brought together Dalit leaders and activists from across Bangladesh and was organized by IDSN member the Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement (BDERM). In her presentation at the Conclave, […]

India’s health inequality severely affects Dalits

Indian society is extremely unequal. Decent healthcare is a luxury mainly available to those who can afford it. The poor and marginalised, including Dalits, are much more likely to suffer from ill health than […]