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South Asian Parliamentarians meet to discuss strategies for ending caste discrimination

Thirty-one parliamentarians from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh gathered for a meeting of the Asian Parliamentarians’ Forum on Dalit Concerns in Kathmandu, at the fringes of the 2014 SAARC meeting. The former Prime Minister of Nepal, Baburam Bhatttarai, delivered a remarkable keynote speech, calling for an international framework and a regional thematic approach to eliminate caste discrimination, and cooperation between South Asian parliamentarians for a common agenda.

December 18th, 2014|Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan|
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Caste at the root of India and Mauritania’s position as top global slavery offenders

The Global Slavery Index 2014, released by the Walk Free Foundation, singles out India as the country in the world with the most slaves and sees caste at the root of slavery in India. Caste-affected Mauritania tops the Index on percentage of the population in slavery.

December 3rd, 2014|Caste-based slavery, Pakistan|
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Dalits in Pakistan suffer from severe drought – despite promises to act

1.2 million people and five million livestock in district Tharparkar are now once again in the grip of a severe drought and efforts to prevent future human catastrophies must be stepped up.

September 26th, 2014|Humanitarian Aid, Pakistan|
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Thousands of Dalits protest over attacks and discrimination in Pakistan

In a mass protest 15,000 Hindus, the majority of them Dalits, marched through the streets of Karachi to push for the provincial Government of Sindh in Pakistan to meet their demands for provisions to stop escalating discrimination against Hindus in the region.

September 24th, 2014|Pakistan, Political Participation|
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Drought in Pakistan kills over 100 children – many are Dalits

Urgent and sustainable relief is needed for Dalits residing in the Thar desert who are repeatedly struck by drought. Over 100 children have died in this last drought and the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network have issued a press release calling for action to address the cause of these humanitarian catastrophes in Thar and find sustainable solutions to protect Dalits from droughts in future.

March 10th, 2014|Dalit Children, Humanitarian Aid, Pakistan|
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Global Slavery Index: Caste a major factor

Caste systems are present in four out of five countries ranked the worst slavery offenders, in the 2013 Global Slavery Index. India alone accounts for half of the people on the planet regarded as ’modern slaves’.

October 22nd, 2013|Caste-based slavery, Dalit Children, Pakistan|
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EP Committee approves caste resolution

Next month, the European Parliament will express serious concern about caste discrimination and urge the EU to take action on this important human rights issue.

September 19th, 2013|Access to justice, Bangladesh, European Union, India, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia, Sri Lanka, Yemen|
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Dalit women raise their voices in the UN

Nine Dalit women activists from South Asia attended the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week. Members of the group spoke at a side event on Dalit women on 4 June, and they appealed to UN member states to address their situation.

June 10th, 2013|Bangladesh, Dalit Women, India, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia, United Nations|
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Pakistan: Dalits demand representation

Participants in a consultation on Dalit political representation have adopted a resolution urging political parties in Pakistan to nominate members of ‘scheduled castes’ for seats in the country’s elected assemblies.

April 2nd, 2013|Pakistan, Political Participation|
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Dalit women in Pakistan – denied a life in dignity and respect

A new report documents the situation of Pakistan's Dalit women; one of the most socially excluded and impoverished sections of the population. The shadow report for a UN CEDAW review of Pakistan in February calls on the Government to focus on education, access to basic services, and laws and special programmes to protect the rights of Dalit women.

January 30th, 2013|Caste-based slavery, Dalit Women, Pakistan, United Nations|
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