On 23 November 2016, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) held a consultation with civil society organisations “Joining hands to end racial discrimination”. It aimed to reflect on how the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination helped make a difference in combatting racial discrimination and seek views on how to improve and enhance its engagement with civil society.
During the 31st Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Dalit human rights campaigners met the high-ranking UN human rights official, Kate Gilmore.
Reducing inequality and ’leaving no one behind” are paramount within the SDG framework.The zero draft outcome document of the Post 2015 SDG however gives no recognition to more than a quarter of a billion people discriminated and marginalised on the basis of caste. An SDG appeal has been launched by the Asian Dalit Rights Forum (ADRF) and co-signed by IDSN and dozens of other organisations, urging that caste discrimination be noted as a major cause of poverty and inquality, which must be taken into account in the outcome document.
REPORT - Caste and Gender-Based Forced and Bonded Labour from UN HRC29 IDSN SIDE-EVENT 18th June 2015, 17.00-18.30
Briefing note including cases and quotes.
When the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) convenes to discuss challenges that affect the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women at its 59th session in March 2015, there is an urgent need to address the link between caste and the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence faced by Dalit women.
kind of discrimination that Dalits suffer in Nepal in the far-western regions is called Haliya and Khali. This system of discrimination is essentially the same as Haruwa and Charuwa practices in the Terai region. Haliya are the agricultural laborers who work for grains, a maximum of 15-20 kilos of rice and the same amount of wheat annually. Khali are the people who also work as agricultural laborers, and they are paid in grains during the harvest. They go to pick up their payment directly in the field.
Within the span of a month the urgent issue of caste discrimination has been highlighted by the UN Special Rapporteur on Rights to Freedom of Assembly, The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the UNDP. Earlier this year the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women also reported grave concern for Dalit women.
Caste highlighted in UN review of Nepal In the Human Rights Committee on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) review of Nepal, UN experts highlighted caste issues - read the summary of the caste-related dialogue here.