Dalit women and girls are often subjected to more severe or aggravated forms of sexual violence, such as gang rapes or rape with murder, and there is commonly a collective nature to these crimes, with offenders from dominant castes acting in groups to commit offences.
In connection with their participation in the 48 th Human Rights Council session, states are encouraged to consider the ongoing and systemic practice of discrimination based on work and descent, also known as caste-based discrimination, affecting more than 260 million people globally.
Recommendations for the prevention of sexual violence against Dalit women and girls (August 2021)
A number of recent cases of rape and murder against Dalit women and girls in India have attracted attention from the media as well as politicians. But all too often, violence against Dalit women remains unreported – in India as well as in other caste-affected countries.
A sub-inspector and two constables of Addagudur police station, who were placed under suspension a month ago in relation to the custodial death of a 48-year-old dalit woman, have been dismissed from the service by Rachakonda commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat.
In India, women and girls from the Dalit community experience incredibly high rates of sexual violence. India’s caste system, which functions like a social hierarchy, imposes positionality at birth and has been in place for thousands of years. Dalits are at the bottom, outside the caste hierarchy, leading to discrimination at the intersections of caste, class, and gender.
A case was registered against a couple following court’s order in connection with the alleged rape of a 16-year-old Dalit girl in a village.
A Joint Civil Society* Contribution to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) for the adoption of the List of Issues Prior to Reporting on India has regretted that despite the abolition of untouchability enshrined in the Indian Constitution, and a constitutional formal prohibition of discrimination on the ground base of race or caste, under the Constitution, Dalits and other communities affected by discrimination based on descent, including Adivasis, still face de facto discrimination.
In an open letter Members of Parliament express their utmost concern regarding the rising number of grave incidents of rape and sexual violence against Dalit women and girls, which have been taking place in India over the last few years.
When Mamta (26), was elected to Jayadara Gram Panchayat ( lowest tier in India’s 3 tier local governance system) in Sirohi district of Rajasthan in 2015, the upper caste former male Sarpanch (village council head) was angry. He found it hard to digest that an Adivasi woman from the Bhil tribe was not just entering the panchayat office but occupying the chair of the sarpanch. What followed were a series of open threats, intimidation, harassment and abuse.
Profile on Beena Pallical from ADRF-NCDHR.
Many women in India continue to be engaged in manual cleaning of dry latrines, one of the most inhuman and undignified forms of manual scavenging, despite its legal prohibition. Watch how societal discrimination and systemic apathy lead to challenges in the rehabilitation of women engaged in manual scavenging, and how we can support their journey towards dignified and sustainable alternative livelihoods.
U.S. authorities recently raided a large and well-known Hindu temple in New Jersey that they said had exploited Dalit workers from the “lowest” bracket of India’s caste system. The men had been categorized as “lay religious workers” for immigration purposes but were instead employed in back-breaking labor for $1/hour.
Nodeep Kaur – a Dalit woman and a trade union activist who joined the agitation against the new agri-marketing laws in the early days of November. She was arrested on January 12 – weeks before the mass arrests that happened in New Delhi on January 26 over the tractor rally violence. Nodeep has been denied bail twice because of a range of charges slapped against her, including Section 307 – attempt to murder.
INDIA, July 19, 2021: Working in collaboration with Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network (DHRD-Net), Equality Labs, and Equality Now, NCWL is launching a national campaign running from July 19th to August 31st 2021, which will draw much-needed public attention to how Dalit women and girls are being deliberatly subjected to widespread sexual violence and harrassment stemming from severe, pervasive and intersectional discrimination tied to their gender, caste and class. Vulnerably positioned at the bottom of these social structures, the socio-economic vulnerability and low political status of Dalit women and girls increases their exposure to human rights violations, while simultaneously reducing their ability to escape harm or access justice.
The report focuses on the current status of Dalit women in India, the nature and extent of crimes committed against them and the existing gaps in the system which create barriers in accessing justice. It also highlights a detailed analysis of the NCRB data on crimes committed against Dalit women from 2014-19 and the current socio-economic and political status of Dalit women in the country.
While working to rehabilitate and support manual scavengers, one of the first steps should be to recognise the women engaged in this work and prioritise their needs.