Manual scavengers: The government has 60 days to act
Manual scavengers from across India gathered at a mass rally in New Delhi Monday 1 November and demanded immediate government action to end manual scavenging once and for all, rehabilitate former manual scavengers and apologise for decades of suffering imposed on this group.
Indian churches: ‘zero tolerance’ for caste discrimination
Caste discrimination, or casteism, was designated a sin and a “crime against humanity” at the Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits held in New Delhi on 22-24 October.
Get updated with IDSN’s October newsletter
This month's IDSN newsletter features information on Dalit issues from several caste-affected countries, including India, Bangladesh and Nigeria, as well as numerous stories with an international perspective.
Dalits essential to MDG outcome
The world will not achieve the eight major anti-poverty goals by 2015 unless Dalits, most of whom are poor, are included in the equation.
Open Letter to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton urging action on caste discrimination
IDSN urges Catherine Ashton to address caste discrimination in upcoming EU dialogues with India, ensure that the issue is given proper attention in EU cooperation with caste affected countries and pursue an EU policy on the issue.
Open letter to Barack Obama ahead of his visit to India
IDSN urges President Barack Obama to raise the issue of caste discrimination on his upcoming visit to India
Bus ‘march’ against manual scavenging
A march – or ‘yatra’ - for the eradication of manual scavenging in India was launched on 29 September. During the next few weeks, buses will carry campaigners from five different corners of India to the capital.
IDSN group meets Minister
Three Dalit veterans of the international struggle against caste discrimination were part of an IDSN delegation that met the Danish Minister for Development, Søren Pind, in Copenhagen on 8 September.
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.