Therapeutic techniques work on the assumption that the cause of distress is only within the individual. However, an individual’s mental health is also affected by various forms of systemic discrimination. So for Dalits, therapy involves narrating trauma from one therapist to another, in the hope that they will eventually find a caste-sensitive professional.
It’s been close to four months since the gangrape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl, Asha, in the bajra fields of Chanda village, which lies in Hathras district of western Uttar Pradesh.
Rape culture in India. A social environment where sexual violence is normalised, impunity is widespread, and victim-blaming rife; meaning rape becomes increasingly common.
“For Casteless Collective, gaana is a tool to end caste-based discrimination, which features in many spheres of Indian life.”
“Is it really possible advocating for inclusion without acknowledging the history and lived experiences of marginalised people?‘”
The central government’s actions ‘mimic that of authoritarian regimes’ that cannot take criticism and target those who speak out, the organisations said.
Collection of press clippings on rape cases in India and Nepal in September 2020.
“Abirami Jotheeswaran, director, All India Dalit Women Adhikar Manch, says due to negligence of police, many rape cases against Dalit women go unreported. This is a problem not restricted to Tamil Nadu alone, it is the same story all over the country”.
In the last five years of the Modi government, there has been no movement even on assistance and rehabilitation of manual scavengers. In fact, in the interim budget, the Centre has reduced by more than half the allocation for rehabilitating manual scavengers.
According to the Dalits who spent months in jail, the police specifically asked people their caste and arrested them even if they weren't involved in the Bharat Bandh protest.
Arrested during nationwide protests in April, called by Dalit organisations, the juveniles' families have stated that the boys were picked up by police only because they were Dalits standing up for their rights. “My son’s only crime is that he is a Dalit,” says the father of one of the boys. “We thought that if our son studied well, the family’s fortune would change for the better. But now they have pressed so many charges against him that his whole life will become embroiled in it.” News site The Wire has covered this story and IDSN members in India are currently conducting fact-finding in relation to this case.
Dalit Rights Activists Slam Budget, Say Allocation for SC/STs in Violation of Jadhav Guidelines
Domestic servitude inflicted on Dalits, the ‘untouchable’ lowest Indian caste, was supposed to have been made illegal in Britain. Why hasn’t the law been implemented?
Despite the existence of a unified “Tamil” identity, Sri Lankan Tamil society is rent by caste inequalities and is dived into “Oppressing and Oppressed Castes.”