Memorandum Submitted to the Govt of TN on the Development of Dalit & Tribals – June 2026

Dalit Women’s Long Road to Justice: Monitoring 10 Years of SDG 5 in India through Caste, Gender and SRHR Lens (AIDMAM, Dec 2025)

The report Dalit Women’s Long Road to Justice: Monitoring 10 Years of SDG 5 in India through Caste, Gender and SRHR Lens, by All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch - AIDMAM, offers an evidence-based assessment of progress and persistent gaps in achieving gender equality for Dalit women in India over the past decade. Drawing on official data, existing research and primary interviews conducted in 2025 in Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Telangana, the report shows how caste-based patriarchy continues to shape discrimination, violence, harmful practices, barriers to justice and unequal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Nepal: “No-one cares”: Descent-based discrimination against Dalits in Nepal (Amnesty Report – 2024)

his report documents the experience of Dalits, especially Dalit women, with systemic caste-based discrimination in Nepal, including the practice of untouchability, and the challenges they face in accessing justice. The report uses a human rights and intersectional lens, recognizing that systemic discrimination and inequality are the cause and consequence of several human rights violations, and that racism is a system of unequal power relations, which lead to human rights violations and barriers in accessing rights.

Caste related extracts from the 2023 European Parliament’s annual report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter (Adopted 2023)

European Parliament resolution of 18 January 2023 on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2022 (2022/2049(INI)) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0011_EN.pdf

India rights review: Action on caste discrimination recommended by States across three continents (IDSN News)

During the 4th Cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India, the country received recommendations on caste, including the need to ensure implementation of legislation to protect Dalits from discrimination and violence, develop an action plan to prevent caste discrimination in labour, protect Dalit women and girls from violence and sexual abuse, ensure equal access to services, and to step up efforts to end caste discrimination.

Dalit voices heard at the UN Forum on Minority Issues (IDSN News)

IDSN delegates from South Asia spoke out on the human rights issues faced by Dalits at the UN Forum on Minority Issues in December 2022. Speaking on the panel and from the floor, human rights defenders from India and Nepal shared their experience of discrimination and injustice and their thoughts on the way forward for their communities.

Report of the Working group on the UPR India 4th cycle 2022

The Working Group on the UPR reviewed India in November 2022 and the outcome report was adopted at the Human Rights Council 52 March session in 2023. This report includes recommendations on Dalits, caste, hate speech, racism, water and sanitation, women and girls' rights and many more.

UPR India 4th Cycle Recommendations

UPR India 4th Cycle, list of recommendations on caste and related topics

EU briefing on human rights situation for Dalits in Pakistan (2022)

A study Report On Dalit Women Specific Recommendations Received from the UPR, CEDAW and CERD, and their Implementation Status

Contemporary forms of slavery affecting persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minority communities Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, Tomoya Obokata

The report is focused on contemporary forms of slavery affecting persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minority communities. In that context, the Special Rapporteur identifies the main causes of contemporary forms of slavery affecting these groups and the main manifestations, such as chattel slavery; forced and bonded labour; domestic servitude; sexual slavery; child and forced marriage; and child labour.

Mauritania: UN expert encouraged by progress but says more work needed to fully eradicate slavery | OHCHR

Tomoya Obokata, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, today welcomed progress in strengthening Mauritania’s legal framework and building the political will to combat slavery, but cautioned that much work still lay ahead.

Ensuring a gender-responsive and effective Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence legislation

Open letter re Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive proposal1 adopted by the European Commission on February 23rd. Which lays down rules for companies to respect human rights and the environment in global value chains.

Ruth Manorama: “Without equal treatment, it is impossible to reach social justice” – Right Livelihood

India has approximately 100 million Dalit women. Sixty million of them are employed in domestic labour. 2006 Right Livelihood Laureate Ruth Manorama has dedicated her life to achieving equality and social justice for them, both at the national and international level.

Call for submission for two reports on the issue of child, early and forced marriage OHCHR February 2022

In Pakistan, forced marriages and forced conversions of women and girls affect Hindu and Christian minorities disproportionately. There are frequent reports that persons belonging to these minorities are kidnapped and subjugated to physical and emotional abuse involving threats of violence.

IDSN takes part in screening of award winning film Writing with Fire (IDSN News)

On 14 November the Alderbugh Cinema DocFest invited the IDSN Executive Director to speak about Dalit women human rights defenders and caste in South Asia at the screening of the award winning documentary Writing with Fire.

Mumbai’s sanitation workers protest and fight for fair wages and employment conditions from the BMC

Sanitation workers in Mumbai were declared ‘volunteers’ under a dubious privatisation plan, and denied their rightful wages. A protest led to further injustice.

The Dalit activist fighting for rape survivors – BBC News

Ms Narkar is one of dozens of women Ms Pradeep has been training to help rape survivors - especially those from the Dalit community - get justice.

Despite laws in place, justice still out of reach for Dalits in Nepal

The trial for the Rukum (West) mass murder is still underway, more than a year since the incident. The families of the victims are getting increasingly worried if justice will ever be delivered.

1-yr since Hathras ‘gang rape’: Caste divide is deeper, memories don’t fade, drama in court

The 20-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by four Thakur men in UP’s Hathras district last September.