Study finds Dalits working in forced and child labour in India’s garment industry

The report offers the most wide-reaching and comprehensive investigation into the conditions of work in India’s home-based garment sector. “Time and time again studies find that Dalits in the global supply chains are working in forced, bonded and child labour.” says Meena Varma, Executive Director of the International Dalit Solidarity Network. […]

|Categories: Business, Dalit Children, Dalit Women, India|Tags: |

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Caste discrimination is blocking progress on the SDGs says UK NGO development network BOND

A new report Caste and Development: Tackling Discrimination Based on Work and Descent has just been released by the UK NGO development network BOND highlighting the urgent need to address caste discrimination in order to progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  One of the co-authors of the report, Murali Shanmugavelan writes:

|Categories: Africa, Bangladesh, development, Diaspora, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia, Sri Lanka, UK, United Nations, Yemen|Tags: |

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UN rights chief warns against “increasing harassment and targeting of” Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis in India

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bachelet, raises concern over increasing marginalisation and discrimination in India, in her speech to the UN Human Rights Council. Speaking about the situation in India, the High Commissioner shows concern over the fact that, despite significant poverty reduction in general terms, “increasing harassment and targeting of minorities – in particular Muslims and […]

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“Today, we are not here only to speak of our plight. We are also agents of change”, says Ruth Manorama at the UN Human Rights Council

On Friday 8 March, Ruth Manorama, a Dalit human rights defender, delivered a statement, co-sponsored by the International Movement against all Forms of Racial Discrimination (IMADR)and by the Right Livelihood Award (in solidarity with IDSN), during the 40th regular session of the Human Rights Council. She also spoke on the panel of the panel at the Right Livelihood […]

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Dalit women defenders featured by UN Women on Women’s Day (Video)

Asha Kowtal, General Secretary of the Dalit Women’s Movement AIDMAM-NCDHR, an IDSN member talks about the Dalit Women Fight movement in this UN Women & Google collaboration 5 minute video. “We are not silent. You are not silent. You are fighting. We are also fighting. We need to connect together because injustice is injustice, whether it’s your class, your caste, […]

|Categories: Dalit Women, Human Rights Defenders, India, United Nations, Violence and atrocities|Tags: |

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Amnesty India raise concern over “disturbing number of hate crimes” targeting Dalits and Muslims in India

A disturbing number of alleged hate crimes – including assault, rape and murder – were reported in 2018 against people from marginalized groups, especially Dalits and Muslims, said Amnesty India, as it released data recorded on its interactive website, ‘Halt the Hate’. “The first step to ensuring justice and ending impunity for hate crimes – where people are targeted […]

|Categories: Access to justice, Human Rights Defenders, India, Violence and atrocities|Tags: |

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Ground Down by Growth: Oppression, Discrimination and Exploitation of Adivasis and Dalits in 21st century India (Policy Brief)

This Policy Brief from the London School of Economics reports on oppression and discrimination against Dalits and Adivasis perpetuating labour exploitation and land alienation, entrenching poverty and inequality in India. This brief is based on research carried out across India by the Programme of Research on Inequality and Poverty, Department of Anthropology, London School of Economics. This research is […]

|Categories: Business, Caste-based slavery, India|Tags: |

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Activists: Government funds India’s most marginalised are not reaching them

The Government have announced a rise in budgets allocated for the welfare of Dalits (Scheduled Castes) and Adivasis (Scheduled Tribes) in India, however human rights activists are saying that the rise is irrelevant as the allocations are not in fact benefitting those they are suppoused to be aimed at. Speaking at the India Today Conclave on 1-2 March Paul […]

|Categories: development, Human Rights Defenders, India, Living conditions, Manual Scavenging, Political Participation|Tags: |

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Members of European Parliament Ask India to ‘End Crackdown’ on Rights Activists

Twenty members of the European Parliament have written to Central ministers, expressing concern about “worrying signs of shrinking civil society space in India”, newsoutlet The Wire reports. “India is the largest democracy in the world, and an important strategic partner of the European Union, whereas the relationship between the two is based on shared values of human rights, democracy and […]

|Categories: European Union, Human Rights Defenders, India|Tags: |

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Dignity March to end Sexual Violence in India – culminates in New Delhi

The aims of the march are to end stigmatization; to demand that state, non-state and social actors […]

|Categories: Dalit Women, Human Rights Defenders, India, Political Participation, Violence and atrocities|Tags: |

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