Dalit activists spoke at the UN Forum on Minority Issues to highlight the issue of violence against Dalits in South Asia and the lack of access to justice for victims. They also pointed to ways forward in redressing and preventing these crimes.
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.
Report and press release on HRC26 side-event on ‘caste-based violence against women’ Calls came from top UN officials for a coherent and coordinated approach from the UN in tackling caste-based violence and discrimination, with a particular focus on women and girls. Ms. Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed great concern for the issue of caste-based violence and discrimination and UN Women Policy Director, Saraswathi Menon, summed up the sentiments of the speakers in her statement, “Words and legislation is not enough we need concrete action.The UN has an important role to play and must step up to the plate to help stop caste-based violence against women.” The event had a high attendance and good state representation. Read IDSN’s joint press release, the report from the side-event and the IDSN recommendations to the UN on caste-based discrimination and violence against women.
On Tuesday 17th June the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, will give the opening statement at a side-event on caste-based violence against women, at the UN Human Rights Council. The event comes following a series of brutal rape cases against Dalit women and the rape and hanging of two teenage cousins in India.
“The intergenerational nature of caste-based discrimination condemns women to a life of exclusion, marginalization and disadvantage in every sphere of life. Many of those women are denied an education and economic opportunities, and perform dangerous and unprotected work, including … modern forms of slavery,” stated the SR on Violence against Women, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, in her report following her mission to India.
UNICEF: Dalit girls most excluded from primary education in India A report just released by UNICEF and UNESCO, on out of school children in India, highlights that Dalit girls have the highest primary school exclusion rate in India. The report also finds that half of the pre-school age Dalit children are not attending school.