The City Council of Alcorcón, Madrid, has named a new inclusive children’s park after Manjula Pradeep, a Dalit human rights defender and long-standing collaborator of  IDSN. The “Manjula Pradeep Children’s Park” was formally named by municipal decree on 25 February 2026. The decree recognises Manjula Pradeep’s lifelong work against discrimination based on caste and gender and her commitment to human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls.

Parque Infantil Manjula Pradeep in Parque Darwin Sur, Alcorcón, Madrid. The park was named in recognition of Manjula Pradeep’s work against caste- and gender-based discrimination, and for the rights of women and girls

The recognition was part of Alcorcón’s activities around International Women’s Day. In announcing the naming, the City Council described Manjula Pradeep as an Indian human rights activist and a defender of causes against the exploitation and abuse of women and girls. The park was officially inaugurated on 1 March 2026, with activities for children, including a “Tree of Rights” workshop, an ivy planting workshop, and a children’s theatre performance centred on children’s rights.

In a letter to Manjula Pradeep, the Mayor of Alcorcón, Candelaria Testa Romero, described the new playground as an accessible and inclusive space designed so that all children, regardless of their abilities, may play, learn and grow together in conditions of equality, dignity and respect. The Mayor further stated that the values reflected in the park are those Manjula Pradeep has upheld throughout her career in defence of human rights, particularly the rights of women and children.

The park includes a range of inclusive play elements, including a collective swing, wheelchair-accessible trampoline, accessible carousel, sensory panels, zip line, climbing structures and a large central dome-shaped play structure.

Manjula Pradeep has been a long-standing partner in IDSNs work to end caste discrimination and has worked for decades to advance the rights of Dalits, women, children and other marginalised communities. As a Dalit woman human rights defender, she has played an important role in bringing attention to the intersection of caste- and gender-based discrimination, including in international advocacy spaces. She is a lawyer, former Executive Director of Navsarjan Trust, and founder of WAYVE Foundation.

The events around the naming continued in May, when Manjula Pradeep visited the park and took part in a public dialogue in Alcorcón on the rights of Dalits. The event provided an opportunity to raise awareness in Spain about caste discrimination, Dalit rights and the importance of international solidarity in addressing discrimination based on work and descent.

IDSN congratulates Manjula Pradeep on this public recognition of her human rights work. Naming a children’s park after a Dalit woman human rights defender is a meaningful acknowledgement of her contribution and a reminder that the struggle against caste discrimination is part of the broader global movement for equality, dignity and justice.