The winner of the Dutch Human Rights Tulip 2012 is barred from traveling to the Netherlands to receive his award. Marimuthu Bharathan, a Dalit human rights defender from Tamil Nadu, has been refused a passport by the Indian authorities.
The new Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs has committed himself to working for Dalit rights. In a recent debate in his country’s parliament, he called the position of Dalits “a very important and complex issue.”
PRESS RELEASE: A strongly worded resolution on caste discrimination in India was debated and adopted today by the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The Parliament condemned the high number of atrocities committed against Dalits in India and the Indian government’s insufficient action on the issue of caste discrimination.
The European Parliament (EP) includes text on caste discrimination in the resolution adopted on the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2011 and the European Union’s policy on the matter.
In the European Parliament’s resolution on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World and the European Union’s policy on the matter, the European Parliament highlights caste discrimination and, “Recommends initiatives for EU legislation to ensure that attention is paid in EU human rights policy and cooperation instruments to eliminating caste discrimination, and action in caste-affected countries, including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Yemen.”
The IDSN Annual Report 2011 sums up the many positive developments in the struggle to end caste discrimination that the year has brought and outlines some of the remaining challenges that will keep us all engaged in this struggle for many years to come.
In a letter to the Presidents of the European Council and European Commission regarding the EU India summit, Human Rights Watch strongly urge the EU to address a number of pressing human rights issues in India including the situation of Dalits.
IDSN have launched a YouTube Channel on www.youtube.com/IDSNVideo
Following February’s European Parliament hearing on caste discrimination a hard hitting opinion piece on caste discrimination by MEP Peter van Dalen was yesterday published in New Europe and several other MEPs have taken up the issue on their website and in press releases.
PRESS RELEASE: Brussels, March 1, 2011 (IDSN) --- MEPs stated that EU action must be taken to help end caste discrimination, affecting 260 million people worldwide. The statements came during a hearing on caste discrimination in South Asia, at the European Parliament Monday afternoon. This was also the message delivered by Dalit rights advocators at the hearing, who informed MEPs that concerted action to combat caste discrimination through EU development work, trade agreements and political dialogues, must be taken if development goals in caste-affected countries including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, are to be achieved and human rights respected.
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