The European Parliament calls for stepping up consultations with Dalit communities and the adoption of a policy addressing intersectional discrimination
The International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) welcomes the adoption of the European Parliament’s annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2022 and the European Union’s policy on the matter.
In addition to the calls by the European Parliament for the EU to adopt a “policy on […]
Dalit voices heard at the UN Forum on Minority Issues
IDSN delegates from South Asia spoke out on the human rights issues faced by Dalits at the UN Forum on Minority Issues in December 2022. Speaking on the panel and from the floor, human rights defenders from India and Nepal shared their experience of discrimination and injustice and their thoughts on the way forward for their communities. […]
Young Dalit leaders speak out at UN Business and Human Rights Forum
An IDSN delegation of inspiring young Dalit rights leaders participated in the the 11th session of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. The Forum was created by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights as a means to facilitate dialogue between several stakeholders working for compliance with human rights norms by […]
A long awaited and hard-fought victory for us and a triumph for Dalit voices everywhere
Today is a day for celebration. Following a historic vote at the UN our big-little human rights solidarity network, IDSN, was finally granted UN consultative status after fighting 15 years for it. After having been repeatedly deferred due to silencing in the form of arbitrary questioning in the smaller UN NGO Committee – IDSN, alongside eight other […]
India rights review: Action on caste discrimination recommended by States across three continents
During the 4th Cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India, the country received recommendations on caste, including the need to ensure implementation of legislation to protect Dalits from discrimination and violence, develop an action plan to prevent caste discrimination in labour, protect Dalit women and girls from violence and sexual abuse, ensure equal access to […]
Dalit activists and theologians discuss ways to tackle caste discrimination
A well-attended workshop brought Dalit activists and theologians together to discuss caste discrimination, within and beyond the church, addressing challenges and ways forward. The workshop formed a part of the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe, Germany, which took place in September 2022.
Activists from across India and Nepal spoke […]
IDSN members take part in training on interaction with the European Union
In September and October, IDSN ran workshops designed to help members and affiliates understand the EU mechanisms and how to best engage with them.
IDSN organised the trainings to make EU human rights bodies and mechanisms more accessible to Dalit human rights defenders in IDSN’s network
Human rights and democracy are central to the EU’s internal and external […]
Caste discrimination raised at the UN Human Rights Council
IDSN participated actively in the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the need to tackle caste discrimination through participation at key events, interactive dialogues and oral statements.
On September 16, the persistence of caste discrimination in Pakistan was raised at the side event ‘Minorities subjected to contemporary forms of slavery: addressing […]
Dalit woman appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Racism
IDSN welcomes the newly appointed Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Dr. Ashwini K.P., to the post. Dr. K.P. brings with her valuable knowledge and insight on discrimination based on work and descent and the United Nations.
In 2014, Dr. K.P. was part of an IDSN delegation to the […]
Dalit rights raised at the pre-session for the UN rights review of India
Dalit activists gathered in Geneva to take part in the pre-session for the Universal Periodic Review of India – scheduled for November 2022. Rahul Singh, the Director of the National Dalit Movement for Justice-NCDHR, an IDSN member organisation was present at the session. Mr. Singh engaged with multiple stakeholders throughout to enhance the understanding of the human […]