|
|
|
|
Dear all, apologies for re-sending this newsletter but there was a problem with the link to the article by Priyanka Samy - please find the article here and the link is fixed in the newsletter below also.
|
|
|
At the 2024 UN Forum on Minority Issues, IDSN delegates called for action on caste discrimination and exclusion. Sundar Sheni from Nepal emphasized the need for Dalit inclusion in political and public spaces, highlighting the barriers faced by Dalit women. Hariharan Karuppusamy from India addressed the pervasive problem of caste-hate speech on social media, calling for stronger regulatory measures and culturally informed solutions. Their contributions underscored the urgency of combatting caste discrimination and amplifying marginalised voices globally.
The Forum was held in Geneva on 28-29 November, focusing on the theme of “Minority representation and self-representation in public spaces and discourses”. Both delegates actively engaged in sessions and side-events, with Sundar Sheni delivering a speech in the plenary session and Hariharan Karuppusamy recording his statement in a UN room for dissemination through IDSN channels.
|
|
|
An IDSN delegation actively participated in the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights from 25-27 November, drawing attention to caste-based human rights violations in global supply chains, affecting Dalit workers in South Asia. Delegates Hariharan Karrupusamy, from India’s Rights Education and Development Centre (READ) and Sundar Sheni, from Nepal’s Dalit Welfare Organisation (DWO), represented IDSN throughout the three-day forum.
 The delegation engaged extensively in raising the issue of caste discrimination through active participation in sessions, side-events, meetings and informal discussions. Sundar Sheni, for instance, highlighted the challenges of caste in Nepal’s post-conflict context during a session on business and conflict, ensuring that caste was part of the conversation. Hariharan Karrupusamy raised intersectional caste discrimination in a session on global food supply chains and in other relevant sessions and contexts.
IDSN’s Executive Director, Meena Varma, addressed the official snapshot event on “Groups at Risk”, organised by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), IDSN and the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD), on 26 November at the Palais des Nations. Speaking alongside Alima Taal GFoD, Ms Varma underscored the urgent need to tackle caste-based human rights violations in global supply chains.
|
|
|
 A new report by Arisa and the Centre for Labour Research and Action (CLRA) highlights caste discrimination and forced labour in Rajasthan’s sandstone and marble industries, which export widely.
The study reveals that Dalits endure informal employment, low wages and dangerous working conditions, with limited protections against hazards like silica dust and mine cave-ins. In Budhpura and Makrana, key regions for sandstone cobbles and marble, many workers face bonded labour, reinforcing cycles of poverty and dependency. Despite these risks, caste discrimination remains largely overlooked in corporate risk assessments and due diligence efforts.
The report calls on companies to recognise and address caste discrimination as a fundamental driver of labour rights violations in their supply chains. It urges businesses to implement more inclusive human rights due diligence practices, focusing on marginalised groups and engaging directly with affected workers and support organisations.
|
|
On December 9, Swapon Das, of DALIT Khulna, Bangladesh and Rini Elizabath Babu, took part in the EU event in Brussels “A Spotlight on Human Rights Defenders: Enhancing the Common Agenda for Protection”.
IDSN delegates spoke about caste discrimination at several workshops and Swapon Das also took part in meetings with the European External Action Service, Members of the European Parliament and other EU officials. He also met with Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and the Vice Chair of the Human Rights sub-committee MEP Marta Temido. They also met several Brussels based civil society organisations and had interactions with many other participants.
|
|
|
 Abirami Jotheeswaran, General Secretary of All India Dalit Women Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM-NCDHR), delivered a compelling presentation to 20 European Union diplomats stationed in Asia and the Pacific, highlighting caste discrimination and its intersections with other forms of inequality and human rights violations.
The session formed part of a civil society EU and Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) initiative on “Combating discrimination: from policy to action in different regional contexts” on 19 November, and provided a look at the historical and cultural roots of caste discrimination in South Asia and where to be aware of the intersections with human rights violations. Ms. Jotheeswaran explained how the practice has evolved into a rigid cultural and social norm, making eradication efforts exceedingly challenging and the need for awareness of the issues critical.
|
|
|
Dalit women human rights defenders highlighted the need to explicitly address caste discrimination as a root cause of widespread human rights violations, at a UN Human Rights Council IDSN side-event on 18 September 2024. The event also featured a keynote by the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues.
UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Professor Nicolas Levrat, opened the discussion by stressing the need for the United Nations to explicitly address caste discrimination as part of its global human rights agenda. He highlighted that caste-based discrimination is a profound global human rights issue that affects millions and intersects with other forms of marginalisation such as poverty and gender. He quoted passages from the yet to be adopted UN Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination, which he said were still languishing in the UN bureaucracy. Prof. Levrat called on the UN international mechanisms to recognise caste as a key factor in addressing human rights abuses.
Representing the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network, Bhagwani Bai Rathore focused on the extreme marginalisation and exploitation of Dalits in Pakistan, particularly in child and bonded labour. Tamanna Singh Baraik of the Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement (BDERM) highlighted the extreme marginalisation and vulnerability of Dalit women in Bangladesh and Renu Sijapati of the Feminist Dalit Organisation of Nepal discussed the discrimination faced by Dalits during disaster relief efforts, particularly following the November 2023 Jajarkot. Abirami Jotheeswaran, of the All India Dalit Women Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM-NCDHR), highlighted the intersectionality of caste and gender-based violence, using the case of the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata as a focal point.Read more about the statements and recommendations from the panelists in the IDSN article.
The event was co-organised by IDSN and International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation (LWF), FORUM-ASIA, Minority Rights Group and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
|
|
|
In July 2024, the United Nations Human Rights Committee reviewed India’s adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Committee expressed serious concerns about ongoing caste-based discrimination and violence, particularly targeting Dalits and Adivasis (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes). This review, alongside a joint submission by IDSN and 12 other NGOs, underscores the need for urgent action.
The Committee highlighted alarming incidents of lynching, mob violence and forced displacement of Dalits and Adivasis. Experts pointed to disparities between the high reporting of crimes against these marginalised groups and low conviction rates.
The Committee recommended that India introduce laws to combat caste discrimination in all spheres of life, implement public campaigns and train law enforcement, judiciary and community leaders to promote respect for diversity and ICCPR principles and address the culture of impunity surrounding caste-based crimes.
In the Concluding Observations, the Committee furthermore raised concern over the non-extension of scheduled caste status and reservation benefits for Dalits who have converted to Islam or Christianity and the lack of enforcement of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
Together with 12 other NGOs, IDSN submitted a joint report to the Committee ahead of the review. The report, among other issues, addresses the intersection of human rights violations and caste discrimination.
|
|
No references to Dalits in the UN ICCPR of Pakistan
|
|
|
IDSN was deeply disappointed to note that there was no mention or explicit reference to the human rights of Dalits in Pakistan at the UN ICCPR Pakistan review where concluding observations were released in December. We have noted references that were relevant to Dalits, despite a lack of direct references to Dalits, in this overview compiled by IDSN.
|
|
|
 The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) raised concerns over persisting discrimination and stereotypes against Buraku women at the 17 October review of Japan. The Committee’s Concluding Observations specifically identify, and make recommendations to address, the intersecting forms of discrimination faced by Burkau women, including by drafting a national policy.
The Committee acknowledged progress made by Japan since 2016, whilst reiterating its concerns regarding the prevailing gender stereotypes, gender-based violence, unequal participation, employment challenges, lack of economic empowerment, and gender-based discrimination that Buraku women are subjected to.
The Committee’s Concluding Observations specifically identified, and made recommendations to address the intersecting forms of discrimination faced by Burkau women, which limit their access to education, employment and health.
|
|
Caste and gender discrimination raised at the AWID Forum
|
|
Many Dalit activists took part in the 15th International AWID Forum in Bangkok from 2-5 December. IDSN’s Executive Director, Meena Varma, also spoke on a panel at the session “Addressing Issues & Challenges: Caste/Untouchability and Gender-Based Discrimination” organised by IDSN member, Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO). The panel also included Durga Sob from FEDO, Prachi Patankar from Foundation for a Just Society, and Manjula Pradeep, Cofounder of the National Council of Women Leaders. It was moderated by Sarita Bharma Shaka from FEDO. Photo above shared by Durga Sob.
A Factsheet on caste-based gender violence was also released by the All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) - NCDHR at the Forum, presented by AIDMAM's General Secretary Abirami Jotheeswaran.
Following the Forum IDSN board member, Priyanka Samy, published a thought piece with reflections on the need to ensure meaningful inclusion of Dalit women and intersectional caste and gender discrimination in national and global feminist discourse and forums. You can read the article here. Photo below by National Federation of Dalit Women.
|
|
|
Generations of Dalit activists offer an important historical and analytical perspective on the upcoming 30 year anniversary of The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
"As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, this moment demands more than just reflection. The 1995 Beijing Conference was not an end in itself, but a quantum leap in the long journey towards gender equality. Now, we are at another crossroads, needing a monumental step forward with a strategy focused on long-term, systemic change.
While young feminists, particularly from the Global South, are stepping up to meet these challenges, by devising innovative ways to mobilise resources and forming solidarity networks – this is not their burden to carry alone. To drive transformative change, feminist movements must adopt intergenerational strategies, combining the hard-earned wisdom of older feminists with the innovation and dynamism of the younger feminists."
|
|
Connect with IDSN on social media for more news
|
|
|
If you want more news and updates on what IDSN and our members are doing please connect with us on LinkedIn or Facebook. We have stopped our activities on X - previously Twitter - for the time being and only have historical tweets now here X .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
