147 entries found
Take-aways on caste and gender intersectionality from the report “Tripartite Marginalisation” in South Asia: In countries like Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Dalits face overlapping discrimination due to factors such as caste, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, disability and religion. This multi-layered disadvantage severely restricts their access to basic rights. Hazardous Labour: Dalit women are disproportionately forced into dangerous and informal jobs, most notably manual scavenging. The vast majority of those engaged in this degrading work are Dalit women, who are then denied access to basic necessities like clean water, healthcare, and other goods and services. Violence with Impunity: Caste and gender-based violence are rampant, serving to reinforce oppressive social hierarchies. This violence often goes unpunished due to systemic discrimination within justice systems. Examples include trafficking and forced prostitution, sexual violence against Dalit women as a tool of caste oppression, and forced religious conversions or marriages. In Nepal, a significant number of human trafficking survivors are Dalit women, with Badi Dalit women being especially vulnerable due to historical prejudices. LGBTQ+ Dalit individuals also face high risks of physical and sexual violence, and Dalit children endure severe social exclusion and corporal punishment in schools. Dalit Women and mainstream feminist movements: Dalit feminist scholars have tirelessly brought to light the specific social, sexual and cultural contexts that shape Dalit women’s lives. They show how Dalit women’s bodies, identities and work have been historically controlled and exploited. The report notes that Dalit women are often marginalised even within feminist academic circles, underscoring that any feminist movement that ignores caste is fundamentally flawed and complicit in perpetuating caste hierarchies. The Special Rapporteur outlines essential elements to tackle discrimination: Understand the roots: It’s vital to conduct systemic, racial and historical analyses of oppression, including caste. The report warns against a superficial use of “intersectionality” without truly dissecting the power systems and privilege that fuel inequality. Without this, the concept risks losing its power to dismantle systemic discrimination. Listen to affected communities: The diverse experiences of those facing caste discrimination must be central to all efforts. Full and effective participation of caste-oppressed communities in all policy and decision-making spaces is non-negotiable. The report highlights a worrying trend: Dalit communities experience low representation in policymaking in India. Collect disaggregated data: Gathering data that is disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and caste, among other identities, is described as a critical tool. This “intersectional data” is powerful because it makes invisible communities and their struggles visible, challenges stereotypes and exposes systemic disparities. Demand justice and reparation: Laws must be expanded to include all forms of intersectional discrimination. Beyond this, the report champions comprehensive and structural reparatory justice approaches. These are crucial for acknowledging and fully addressing the harms of historical atrocities, especially those related to caste oppression. True justice, the report asserts, must be grounded in the lived experiences of those who have suffered systemic racism and intersectional discrimination.
Press Release – Ethical Trading Initiative – UK - Remaining silent about caste discrimination in global supply chains is fueling modern slavery, child labour and the exploitation of workers in South Asia, according to new ETI Base Code guidance for companies published today.
Intersectional caste and gender discrimination leaves Dalit women and girls as some of the furthest behind when it comes to achieving the UN Global Goals and therefore this type of discrimination needs special focused attention. Dalit women are leading the way by standing up for their rights, they need global solidarity and justice to catalyse their access to rights and dignity. In this publication we highlight some of the key challenges faced by Dalit women and girls in relation to the specific UN Global Goals and targets and offer advice on what you can do to stand in solidarity with these women and be a catalyst of change
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have released a statement asking the Indian Government to end politically motivated arrests of Dalit rights activists who are simply doing their work to defend human rights in the country. IDSN continuously raises this issue in international fora and fully endorses and supports this statement.
Caste-Based Discrimination and Untouchability against Dalit in Nepal
Nepal's Civil Society ALTERNATIVE REPORT to the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in addition to the Government of Nepal periodic reports 17 to 23, to be reviewed at the 95th session, 23 April -11 May 2018 Caste-Based Discrimination and Untouchability against Dalit in Nepal February 2018
The Concluding Observations of the May 2018 review of Nepal, by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), includes dozens of remarks relating to caste-based discrimination and several strongly worded recommendations on fighting it. Read the full IDSN analysis
In its 2017 Report on the “Annual Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter” the European Parliament (EP) calls for an EU policy on caste discrimination and urges the EU and its Member States to, “intensify efforts and support related initiatives at UN and delegation level by implementing and monitoring the 2030 SDGs, monitoring the new UN Guidance Tool on descent-based discrimination and supporting states’ implementation of recommendations by UN human rights mechanisms on the topic of caste discrimination”.
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Frederica Mogherini, responds to the letter from Members of the European Parliament regarding EU action to fight caste-based discrimination.
Joint statement by the International Dalit Solidarity Network, Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network, International Movement Against All Forms of Racism and Discrimination (IMADR), Minority Rights Group International, Anti-Slavery International and FORUM-ASIA. As the UN review Pakistan’s human rights record on 13 November, we urge the Government to commit with time bound action plans to end ongoing serious human rights violations against Dalits in Pakistan. Despite general commitments made to this effect at previous UN UPR reviews of Pakistan these have not been implemented and violations such as bonded labour, forced conversions and disappearances, murder and persecution of Dalit rights defenders continue unabated. As a newly elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, Pakistan must ensure that commitments to protect the rights of Dalits are urgently and duly implemented.
Inspiring video from Feminist Dalit Organization – FEDO, Nepal about Dalit women and political representation in Nepal. Meet som of the fantastic women putting Dalit rights on the political agenda in Nepal and working together across party lines to create a better future.
A cross-party group of prominent Members of the European Parliament has sent an open letter to the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, calling on them to address caste discrimination directly at the October EU-India Summit.
In its 2016 Report on the “Annual Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter” the European Parliament (EP) raises deep concern over grave violations of Dalit human rights. The report calls for an EU policy development on caste discrimination.
A cross-party group of Members of the European Parliament have asked the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to ensure that EU action to address caste discrimination is prioritised at the highest levels.
