In the context of the reports presented at the 58th Council session, IDSN recommends States to pay particular attention to caste-based discrimination to ensure it is included on par with other forms of discrimination in thematic Human Rights Council resolutions.
Submitting Organisations - The joint shadow report was submitted by the Feminist Dalit Organisation and the International Dalit Solidarity Network.
This is a summary brief - The full report submitted for the UN CEDAW 2025 review can be downloaded here https://tinyurl.com/IDSN-FEDO-CEDAW2025 Submitting Organisations - The joint shadow report was submitted by the Feminist Dalit Organisation and the International Dalit Solidarity Network. The FEDO is a Dalit women-led Nepalese NGO. FEDO works towards a discrimination-free society where dignity, human-rights, equal participation and benefits from development are afforded to Dalit women. The IDSN is a global membership network advocating and raising awareness for Dalit human rights.
Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) Submission to Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls to the UN General Assembly on violence against women andgirls in sport - includes information on Dalit women and girls in Nepal and India
Joint submission by IDSN and Nepal NGOs to the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Woman (CEDAW) - 2024 review of Nepal. Highlight the need for action on caste and gender justice in Nepal.
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.
IDSN is delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Renu Sijapati as the first Dalit woman from Nepal to be elected chair of the IDSN board following approval of the board at IDSN’s General Assembly. Ms Sijapati is the General Secretary of the Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) and will be continuing her tenure on the IDSN board. IDSN is thrilled that Ms Sijapati will lead the newly constituted Board, bringing her invaluable experience and expertise to the forefront and further supporting IDSN’s strategic aims on caste and gender justice.
The report, “No One Cares”: Descent-Based Discrimination against Dalits – documents the experience of systemic caste-based discrimination in Nepal and the challenges they face in accessing justice as the Nepali authorities’ existing legal and protective measures prove insufficient and fail to secure their human rights. The main takeaways of the report include: State of Nepal falls short to protect Dalits; distrust in the police and justice system, Inadequate and insufficient measures to address systemic caste-based discrimination, Culture of impunity, Dalit women and girls at risk Authorities in Nepal are failing to protect Dalits, particularly women and girls, from systemic and widespread caste-based discriminatio.
Dalit activists forming part of the IDSN delegation made their presence felt at the 25th EU-NGO Forum on Human Rights in Brussels, Belgium held from 4-6 December, 2023. Sunil Kumar Pariyar from Nepal and Prameela KP from India joined the forum to highlight the challenges faced by Dalit communities in their respective countries and beyond.
An IDSN delegation of Dalit human rights defenders participated in the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights held on 27-29 November as well as the UN Forum on Minority Issues, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 30 November – 1 December 2023. The delegation made an important impact giving statements and participating in panels, sessions and events.
Perspectives, ideas, insights and engagement filled the room as representatives from IDSN’s member organisations and international associates from across the globe gathered for a two-day general assembly meeting in Geneva on 24-25 November, 2023.
Marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a series of events focusing on combatting descent-based discrimination, through the prism of access to justice and the role of youth in South Asia, were held in Kathmandu. Spanning four days, from September 4th to 7th, 2023, the events were organized jointly by IPMS/Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) and the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFOD).
IDSN highlighted the need to keep caste discrimination on the international agenda through recommendations, meeting with Permanent Missions and statements at Interactive Dialogues made by IDSN affiliates. Swapon Kumar Das, the Executive Director of DALIT in Khulna, Bangladesh read out a statement at the Interactive Dialogue on the Special Rapporteur (SR) on climate change. Jarna Das working for Parittran in Khulna, Bangladesh, also an affiliate of IDSN’s, read a statement at the Interactive Dialogue on the Special Rapporteur on trafficking, and Kalpana Biswakarma, part of the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights in New Delhi, India, a member of IDSN, prepared a statement to be read at the Interactive Dialogue on the Special Rapporteur on Poverty.
Following IDSN’s ECOSOC accreditation last year, we were delighted to formally sponsor and host our first side event at the 53rd UN Human Rights Council. It took place on Wednesday 5 July 2023 and focused on ‘Addressing the intersection of caste and gender-based violence in South Asia’. The side-event was a great success with good participation and was also livestreamed. We thank the speakers, participants and co-sponsors: International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), Lutheran World Federation (LWF), FORUM-ASIA, Minority Rights Group and Human Rights Watch (HRW); and supporting organisations Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network (DHRDNet), The Blue Club, Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO), National Council of Women Leaders (NCWL), for making this a wonderful event. Do read the full article on the event and the statements by the speakers.
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.
An IDSN delegation of inspiring young Dalit rights leaders participated in the the 11th session of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva - December 2022. The young Dalit leaders from Nepal and India participated actively in the Forum, through statements from the floor, social media, interviews and in-person interactions during sessions, side-events and breaks. They also took part in side-events, sharing their experiences and learning from the experiences of other.
"According to a 2013 report (PDF) on forced labour in Nepal’s agriculture sector, published by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an overwhelming 95 percent of households employed in the haruwa-charuwa system are victims of forced labour. Nepal’s Dalit community, the lowest group in the complex Hindu caste system, is the most exploited in the haruwa-charuwa system. Discriminated in every sphere of their lives, poor Dalits fall prey to debt traps laid by landlords belonging to the privileged castes. The haruwa-charuwa labourers often toil from morning to dusk during the peak agricultural season, but receive minimum compensation for their work."
A unique event organised by the Norwegian Human Rights Fund brought together, activists, experts, trade unions and several international NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, IDSN and OSF. In a session dedicated to addressing caste-based discrimination, the exploitation of Dalit women in work settings, was raised by speakers at the global Women at Work conference in Nepal, stressing the urgent need to address the situation.
The biennial Darnal Award for Social Justice (DASJ) 2022 is all set to be warded to Karnali Arts Centre (KAC), a community-based arts organisation of Nepal and Equality Labs (EL), a US-based Dalit civil rights organisation this year.