EU briefing on human rights situation for Dalits in Pakistan

Provincial Consultation: Health, Safety, and Job Security of Sanitation Workers in Sindh

The Sindh Human Rights Commission organised a one-day consultation with key stakeholders at Hotel Avari Towers, Karachi, on August 18, 2022. The purpose of the consultation was to identify the gaps in the legislation covering labour rights of sanitation workers and build a consensus to gear efforts toward driving legislative interventions for the inclusion of sanitation workers in the labour laws. The event was organised in technical partnership with The Knowledge Forum.

Speaking out against caste discrimination at the Women at Work Conference – International Dalit Solidarity Network

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.  

TTCU, AFWA, GLJ-ILRF and Eastman Exports Make Joint Statement after Natchi Apparels US Import Ban Lifted – Asia Floor Wage Alliance

An unprecedented collaboration between apparel manufacturer Eastman Exports and labour stakeholders TTCU, AFWA and GLJ-ILRF led to the historic reversal of a decision by the US government, thereby protecting both businesses and thousands of jobs for women workers. This framework of cooperation and goodwill between industry and labour organisations is a harbinger of what is possible when the two parties come together constructively.

Why some Indians die younger than others – BBC News

A new-born Indian can expect to live for 69 years, just three years short of the world average. But disparities in life expectancy - the average number of years that a person can expect to live - among India's social groups have lingered and widened, according to two new studies.

Seen, But Not Heard: Exploring Intersections – Climate Change Adaptation, Gender and Adolescents

This report is an attempt by Dasra and the India Climate Collaborative to draw attention to the unique space that girls and women occupy in the climate crisis today.

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 inputs to report on contemporary forms of slavery as affecting persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minority communities

Survey by the SR on contemporary forms of slavery

Caste is a salient risk for business – here’s why | Ethical Trading Initiative

Many businesses, mainstream trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) alike, are not aware of caste and how it may relate to them if they operate in countries in South Asia. With a lack of knowledge on the realities of caste and its consequences, even progressive, responsible businesses may undermine their own efforts to protect workers’ rights and implement responsible business codes and the UNGPs.

Caste has migrated beyond India: Why it must be identified as a global concern

The recent controversy around actor-comedian Vir Das’s  show ‘I come from two Indias’ sparked a debate around the perception of India on the international front. While Vir talked about various issues in the 6-minute monologue, he did not utter a single word against the darkest reality of India – caste dominance.

South Asian students pushing colleges to address caste discrimination

Prem Pariyar worked with the student government association representing the 23 colleges in the California State University system as they passed a resolution to ban caste discrimination. He said he was involved in efforts at the University of California, Davis to do the same. 

UC Davis quietly added caste to its antidiscrimination policy. Will it cause others to do the same?

Students worked to get their university to officially recognize caste — a millennia-old concept that assigns people their social statuses at birth — as a source of discrimination on the Northern California campus.

Confronting the Pandemic

The report captures the possible widening gap in educational attainment between the SC/ST students and others during the Covid 19.

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.

Global forum addresses the caste and sanitation work nexus (IDSN News)

The links between caste and hazardous forms of sanitation work were highlighted by speakers at the Sanitation Workers Forum 2021 from 29 November – 2 December. Participants at the forum urged that immediate steps are taken to ensure the safety and dignity of millions of sanitation workers worldwide – and ensure social protections.

UN slavery expert raises concern over caste discrimination in Sri Lanka (IDSN News)

Following his visit to Sri Lanka last week, the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Tomoya Obokata, raised concern over caste-based discrimination in Sri Lanka affecting the lives and opportunities for oppressed castes in the country.

Brief: Dalit women face violence and harassment in India’s garment industry – time to act (IDSN)

Brief and recommendations in relation to the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights – 29 November- 1 December The rape and murder of a 20-year-old Dalit factory worker has attracted attention to poor working conditions and caste- and gender-based inequalities in India’s garment industry.

Caste Is More Than a South Asian Problem — It Is a North American Issue | The Blueprint

Narendra Jadhav, author of Untouchables: My Family’s Triumphant Escape from India’s Caste System, observes that every sixth human is an Indian and every sixth Indian is a Dalit. The simple fact that over 16% of India’s population were historically excluded by caste-based cruelty — one of the world’s oldest forms of discrimination — from holding power in society and were cruelly called and treated as “untouchables” is sufficient to value the importance of taking a Dalit perspective today.

US govt urged to recognise caste-based discrimination on par with racialism

The International Commission for Dalit Rights (ICDR), together with the National Coalition Against Caste Discrimination (NCACD) and other civil rights groups, have submitted a policy memo demanding the US Department of Justice recognize that civil rights laws prohibit caste-based discrimination in the United States and integrate and enforce this recognition into civil rights and non-discrimination guidelines.

Gerard Oonk gets ribbon | Arisa

Gerard Oonk, co-founder and former director of the National India Working Group (LIW), received a ribbon today from the mayor of Utrecht, Sharon Dijksma, during the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Arisa, formerly LIW.