Pakistan’s president against discrimination in relief efforts
The President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, has said that relief work in his country should not be influenced by considerations of caste, creed or ethnicity. IDSN is urging the international community to incorporate measures against caste discrimination in disaster relief operations.
India admits diversion of Dalit funds
Two human rights groups, NCDHR and HLRN, have called for the prosecution of officials who illegally diverted funds from Dalit social welfare programmes to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
New Finnish network strengthens IDSN
A Dalit Solidarity Network has been established in Finland. It has been widely welcomed by IDSN members.
NGOs call for ban on Haliya system
The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and the Jagaran Media Center, a Nepalese NGO, are urging the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that Nepal ends the Haliya system of bonded labour. Most Haliyas are Dalits.
False charges against Dalit activists
IDSN condemns the arrest of five human rights defenders in Tamil Nadu, India. A number of organisations, including Amnesty International, have addressed this case, which also involves a close associate of IDSN.
UN experts concerned about Dalits
Two United Nations Independent Experts have published a joint report from their visit to Bangladesh in December 2009. The experts note that Dalits suffer from "terrible living conditions."
Pakistan floods hit Dalits hard
Thousands of Dalit families in Pakistan’s Sindh province are thought to be affected by flooding and now face discrimination during relief efforts.
Child labour: EU’s India policy under scrutiny
Two new reports on child labour in the Indian seed industry have prompted a Dutch member of the European Parliament to ask questions about the EU’s relations with India - including the issue of Dalits.
Conference on Dalit issues in Nepal
The international conference “Envisioning New Nepal: Dynamics of Caste, Identity and Inclusion of Dalits” covered a number of important issues.
Two thirds of India’s Dalits are poor
According to a new way of measuring poverty, 66 percent of India’s Dalits are poor – a proportion that is significantly higher than the poverty level of the average population.