Press Release – Ethical Trading Initiative – UK - Remaining silent about caste discrimination in global supply chains is fueling modern slavery, child labour and the exploitation of workers in South Asia, according to new ETI Base Code guidance for companies published today.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have released a statement asking the Indian Government to end politically motivated arrests of Dalit rights activists who are simply doing their work to defend human rights in the country. IDSN continuously raises this issue in international fora and fully endorses and supports this statement.
A cross-party group of prominent Members of the European Parliament has sent an open letter to the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, calling on them to address caste discrimination directly at the October EU-India Summit.
In its 2016 Report on the “Annual Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter” the European Parliament (EP) raises deep concern over grave violations of Dalit human rights. The report calls for an EU policy development on caste discrimination.
REPORT - Caste and Gender-Based Forced and Bonded Labour from UN HRC29 IDSN SIDE-EVENT 18th June 2015, 17.00-18.30
Briefing note including cases and quotes.
When the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) convenes to discuss challenges that affect the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women at its 59th session in March 2015, there is an urgent need to address the link between caste and the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence faced by Dalit women.
The newly released Human Rights Watch World Report 2015 and the Amnesty International 2014-15 report find that caste discrimination persists with adverse effects to human rights on multiple levels. Serious obstacles to access to justice, discrimination in education and access to services and caste-based violence, including rape of Dalit women, are among the key themes addressed in the reports. These concerns are also noted in the latest India and Nepal reports of the US State Department.
The reports and statements of the new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Special Rapporteur on Slavery and Special Rapporteur on Water and Sanitation at the HRC27 session offered general, thematic as well as state specific observations and recommendations on caste-based discrimination.
The report has hundreds of references to caste-based exclusion in all aspects of life, especially highlighting Dalit women.
a report highlighting interventions taken by civil society organisations (CSOs) to address atrocities under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act (PoA). The report is based on extensive field study conducted in five states in India, and documents the experiences and reflections of using the criminal justice system as told by victims, witnesses, human rights defenders and public officials. The report captures CSOs’ best practices in assisting victims of atrocities, and offers recommendations to strengthen their fight towards dignity and justice.
In the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), review of India on 2 July 2014, the issues of Dalit women and girls were brought up by several experts of the Committee and the Committee noted that Dalit women and the lack of implementation of laws were matters of serious concern.
A comprehensive 2014 report by the National Dalit Movement for Justice (NCDHR) finds serious obstacles to Dalits obtaining justice in crimes against them and reports growing impunity when victims are Dalits. The report findings mirror many of the findings in the report Claiming Justice - also from 2014.
”Even if no one else recognizes us as human, we will shout it from the rooftops. … The shame is not on the women, the shame is on India,” said US Dalit woman filmmaker Thenmozhi Soundararajan in the talk she gave together with Asha Kowtal from AIDMAM, at the high profile Women in The World Summit in New York. Uma Thurman introduced the talk by playing the part of a Dalit woman rape victim and NBC anchor Cynthia McFadden moderated the discussion.
Human Rights Watch Report: India’s marginalized denied education Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims are most at risk of dropping out of school and being denied an education in India – states the comprehensive report, “They say we’re dirty” – Denying an Education to India’s Marginalised, just released by Human Rights Watch.
The manual produced by National Dalit Watch is a pioneering tool to help those delivering aid in post disaster situations counter caste-based discrimination in aid delivery efforts.