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.
On 30 September 2023, Probir Sircar, from IDSN’s affiliate organisation, Parittran, was invited by UPR Info, to deliver a statement during the pre-session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bangladesh in Palais des Nations, Geneva. The event was organised in view of the upcoming Universal Periodic Review of Bangladesh, which will take place on 13 November 2023.
In March 2023, IDSN, Parittran, Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement, DALIT, and Nagorik Uddyog collaboratively submitted a report to the Universal Periodic Review Secretariat of the UN. This report, based on consultations ongoing since 2018, highlighted the situation of Dalits in Bangladesh.
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.
The outcome report on the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Pakistan has been published and will be adopted during the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council held from 19 June to 14 July 2023. The outcomes of the review have implications for all marginalised communities in Pakistan, including the Dalits, who form a significant portion of the religious and ethnic minority groups in the country. Ahead of the review IDSN participated in the UPR Pre-Session and submitted a joint stakeholder submission on the human rights situation of Dalits in Pakistan.
IDSN submitted a Joint NGO report on the situation of Dalits in Bangladesh in advance of the review of Bangladesh for the UPR mechanisms fourth cycle. The report critically evaluates Bangladesh's three previous cycles of the UPR, in 2009, 2013, and 2018, focusing on recommendations concerning ethnic and religious minorities and the Anti-Discrimination Bill accepted by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB). It also offers a comprehensive look at the country's progress in addressing caste discrimination and protecting Dalit rights, while shedding light on the work that still needs to be done.
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
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.
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.
The impact on women of caste-based hate speech in the internet, so- cial media, and technology spheres
"In South Asia (and amongst South Asian diaspora communities) caste may be a strong, possibly unacknowledged, factor. Caste discrimination involves violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. While often outlawed, a lack of implementation of legislation and caste-bias within justice systems leave victims without protection in many countries. Dalits (people from the most oppressed or so-called lowest caste communities) may be excluded from some jobs and concentrated in lowest paid and hardest work.7 Being from a minority religion is also often a marker of vulnerability in South Asia, with some communities facing systemic discrimination within and beyond the workplace. Most homeworkers and factory workers in the leather footwear sector in Tamil Nadu, South India, for example are from Dalit and/or Muslim communities, and may face barriers to training and promotion which are invisible to outsiders.8 Gender, caste and religious difference may operate together to create barriers to homeworkers’ access to remedy and social dialogue. Dalit women homeworkers, for instance, may face very unequal power relations and discrimination in discussions with subcontractors or suppliers. They may have had less access to schooling. These multiple barriers explain why complaints and grievance mechanisms are rarely accessed by homeworkers. These barriers can be reduced by bringing homeworkers together, so that they discuss issues and collectively find solutions, and awareness-raising and capacity-building activities, giving them a collective voice through their own organisations and elected representatives. Key Questions: • What issues of gender, caste and religious discrimination do you need to consider in your production chain? • Consider gender, caste and religious composition of teams engaging with homeworkers, to ensure that information is reliable and to avoid pitfalls of hidden power dynamics. Working with a local NGO which is sensitive to issues of gender, caste and religion may help navigate these issues (see Recommended Civil Society Organisations page 22). Dalit Solidarity Network UK is a source of advice for businesses on measures to address the risks of economic exploitation and caste-based discrimination throughout their supply chains."
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.
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.
IDSN participated actively in the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the need to tackle caste discrimination through participation at key events, interactive dialogues and oral statements.
Khabar Lahariya or Waves of News is an all-women newsroom in northern India. Its co-founder, Kavita Bundelkhandi, learned to write when she was 12. Many of her staff are from marginalised backgrounds and include survivors of domestic abuse and violence.
Voices represented in Indian media are overwhelmingly upper-caste and male. Now Dalit-led media, taking inspiration from Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy and Black liberation movements, is bringing their experiences to light with grace and humor — both at home and in the diaspora.
Jeyasre Kathiravel’s death exposed the epidemic of violence facing workers making clothes for the UK high street. Will a groundbreaking agreement improve their lot?
A campaign by a dalit women-led trade union following the rape and murder of a member has been successful in making the global fashion brand H&M, along with Eastman Exports and Natchi Apparels, Dindigul, to ensure there is no gender-based violence against women workers in factories from where it sources its garments.