Archive | Programme

States neglect to address caste discrimination at the UN rights review of the UK

DSN-UK have summarised the review on their website stating: Prior to the review DSN-UK and International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) made a joint submission to the UPR, outlining the need to outlaw caste-based discrimination in the UK […]
May 19th, 2017|Access to justice, UK, United Nations|

Landmark UN guidance tool on caste discrimination launched in Kathmandu

In a historic event in Kathmandu, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched a comprehensive guidance tool addressing caste-based discrimination. The tool is meant to support UN country […]
March 31st, 2017|United Nations|

Bangladesh must step up efforts to address caste discrimination say rights activists at UN review

Ahead of the review IDSN, NNMC and BDERM submitted an alternative report to the Committee, documenting how the Dalit population in Bangladesh continues to be exposed to systemic discrimination based on caste. The report […]
March 17th, 2017|Bangladesh, United Nations|

UPR 2017 recommendations: Caste discrimination in India and the UK

Ahead of the reviews fact sheets and UPR submissions concerning the situation of Dalits in the two countries have been prepared. The reviews are in place to examine the extent to which the two […]
March 15th, 2017|Diaspora, India, UK, United Nations|

EU states its commitment to civil society and human rights defenders

The statement issued on the 27 February includes the following passages: “There has been a backlash against civil society over the past years as governments, in a significant number of countries, seek to suppress opposition or criticism, with a clear […]
March 1st, 2017|European Union, Human Rights Defenders|

UN Expert Report: India must act on access to adequate housing for Dalits

The report cites Government statistics revealing that Dalits on average live in lower quality housing, made with inadequate materials compared to the general population and finds the lack of access for Dalits to latrines, […]
February 3rd, 2017|India, Living conditions, United Nations|

Report: Widespread child slavery in India’s yarn industry, most victims are Dalits

The India Committee on the Netherlands (ICN) report  ‘Fabric of Slavery – Large-scale forced (child) labour in India’s spinning mills’ shows that various forms of modern slavery, including child slavery, are found in more […]
January 13th, 2017|Caste-based slavery, Dalit Women, United Nations|

European Parliament report calls for EU policy on caste discrimination

The report, released by the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, states that the European Parliament is ”deeply concerned by the alarming rate of caste-based violent attacks on Dalits and of institutionalised discrimination with impunity,” […]
December 21st, 2016|European Union|

(In)Equality in Aid discussed at the 9th session of the Forum on Minority Issues

The 9th session of the Forum on Minority Issues (the Forum) was held last week, on 24 and 25 November 2016, focusing on the situation of minorities in humanitarian crises. The Forum provides a […]
November 29th, 2016|India, Nepal, Pakistan, United Nations, Yemen|

IDSN at the CERD consultation with civil society: joining hands to end racial discrimination

On 23 November 2016, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) held a consultation with civil society organisations “Joining hands to end racial discrimination”. It aimed to reflect on how the International […]
November 25th, 2016|India, Nepal, UK, United Nations|