Dalits still working in bonded labour in the cotton industry despite some improvements, new report finds
Follow-up report highlights improvements but warns that root problems remain and bonded labour continues to exist in the cotton indsutry.
Archive | Country/region
GalleryUN expert deeply disturbed by the situation of Dalit human rights defenders in India
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders has released a report with a strong focus on the dire situation of Dalit human rights defenders, following her 2011 visit to India.
Opening the door to equal justice for Dalits in Nepal: OHCHR-Nepal disseminates its report
The United Nations Human Rights Office in Nepal (OHCHR Nepal) organized a regional symposium on access to justice for victims of caste-based discrimination. Challenges, lessons learned and good practices from Nepal were shared with participants from the country and other South Asian nations. The Office’s report - Opening the Doors to Equality: Access to Justice for Dalits in Nepal - served as the basis for the discussion.
AHRC Statement: India: Dalits should save themselves through justice reforms
A way to effectively address caste-based discrimination in India is by reforming institutions of justice administration. This means changing the manner in which institutions like the police, prosecution and judiciary function in the region. At the moment, what are obtained in the name of human rights are only empty promises. When public institutions of justice fail having a law to guarantee non-discrimination of Dalits is of no meaning. What is achieved in India will have tremendous influence in the region.
AHRC Statement: NEPAL: Commitments to accountability and justice continue to be jeopardized in 2011
"The adoption of legislation criminalizing caste-based discrimination was a great achievement in 2011 for the Dalit community, who had long been advocating for this legislation. However, this legislation runs the risk of being rendered meaningless, if no tangible rejuvenation of the justice system takes place."
AHRC Letter: Nepal: Government should prioritize Dalits’ food security
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) calls for Government attention to Nepal’s Dalits, the Gandharva community in particular, who suffer from severe food insecurity and poverty.
GalleryUN: End the bonded labour system in Nepal
The UN and national level Dalit bodies are urging the Government to end the bonded labour system in Nepal, known as the Haliya system, and implement rehabilitation schemes for freed Haliyas. Haliyas in Nepal are predominantly Dalits, excluded from other work due to rampant caste discrimination.
GalleryPakistan’s Dalits denied flood relief because of caste discrimination
Desperately needed shelter and relief items are not reaching hundreds of thousands of Dalits who are left homeless after the severe flooding in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Dalits are being discriminated against because their caste relegates them to the bottom of the social order in Pakistan and ‘untouchability practices’ exclude them from sharing the same shelters as other members of society.
Gallery100 day campaign against caste discrimination and untouchability launched
“I commit to end caste-based discrimination and untouchability!” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, in her video message, kicking off the bold 100 day campaign launched by her office and the National Dalit Commission (NDC) in Nepal.
GalleryCaste-based slavery in the mining sector highlighted in UN debate
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery noted with concern that children from marginalised groups, including tribal and lower caste communities, are "doubly vulnerable to abuses" in the mining sector.