IDSN Members responding to Covid-19
IDSN Members continue to respond to the extremely vulnerable situation of Dalits during the Covid-19 lockdown and pandemic. We have collated some examples of reports, relief and other initiatives undertaken by IDSN members over the past two months:
Covid-19 Relief Response Stories of Resilience & Hope (Jan Sahas)
Jan Sahas has released a report detailing their support to the most […]
Dalit women activists highlight caste and gender discrimination at UN hearing
The need for more attention to be paid to intersectional caste and gender discrimination and for transforming mindsets through human rights education and awareness raising, was highlighted at the UN multi-stakeholder hearing ‘Accelerating the Realization of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls’ on 21 July.
Dalit women […]
Study: Dalits and Adivasis working under hazardous conditions in India’s stone industry
Dangerous working conditions, debt bondage and below minimum wages are some of the findings of the study ‘Between a rock and a hard place‘ released by the Dutch-based human rights NGO Arisa. In the quarries surveyed in Rajasthan, it was found that over 60% of the workers were Adivasis or Dalits.
Activists call for caste legislation as tech giant Cisco is accused of discrimination
The federal lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), alleges that dominant caste managers at Cisco’s San Jose headquarters campus, which employs a predominantly South Asian workforce, harassed, discriminated, and retaliated against an engineer because he is a Dalit.
“It is unacceptable for workplace conditions and opportunities to […]
Report: Over 50% of child labourers in cottonseed farms in India are Dalits or Adivasis
A new report published by the human rights NGO Arisa has found that children under 14 years account for over 18% of the workforce in the cottonseed farms surveyed, with over 50% of the child labourers in the sector being Dalits or Adivasis. The majority of the child labourers were not attending school.
Surge in atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis under COVID-19 lockdown in India reported
Please find the documented cases and interventions by NDMJ here >> and the collection of media reports collated by NDMJ here >>
Below please read the full press release from NDMJ on this:
Press Statement by National Dalit Movement for Justice (NDMJ-NCDHR)
– 10 June 2020
At a time when communities around the world are experiencing severe health and economic issues […]
Statement by the EU delegation and member states on killings in Nepal
A joint statement by the EU Delegation and EU Member States represented in Kathmandu was issued on 3 June deploring the tragic loss of life in Rukum, condemning violence based on caste and other grounds and expressing the EU’s support to efforts undertaken to conduct a fair investigation leading to action to ensure justice and reparations for the […]
In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter
IDSN strongly condemns the murder of George Floyd.
Our hearts go out to his loved ones and the loved ones of all those killed because of systemic inequality, racism and discrimination every day across the globe.
We stand in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the fight for justice and a world free of racism and discrimination.
Nepal: Bachelet condemns Dalit killings, calls for independent investigation
See the statement below from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet:
Nepal: Bachelet condemns Dalit killings, calls for independent investigation
GENEVA (29 May 2020) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed shock Friday at the killing of five men by opponents of an inter-caste relationship in Nepal […]