India Committee of the Netherlands
+++ In solidarity with the oppressed in India +++


DALITS

Dalits - Information
Murders of Religious Minorities in India Go Unpunished, Report Finds
The New York Times, Feb 18, 2019
The Indian authorities have delayed investigating a wave of vigilante-style murders of religious minorities, with many instead working to justify the attacks or file charges against some of the victims’ families, according to a report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch. »
Ambassadors join the fight to end caste discrimination
press release IDSN, Feb 5, 2019
A brand new IDSN Ambassadors Group is launched today. The group is made up of several highly distinguished human rights advocates, who will use their knowledge and skills to ensure that caste discrimination never falls off the global human rights agenda. »
Report finds entrenched caste discrimination in India’s criminal justice system
IDSN, Jan 18, 2019
Criminal Justice in the Shadow of Caste is a pioneering report looking at the administration of criminal justice in India through a caste lens. The findings reveal discrimination at all levels, including within prisons. »
European Parliament calls on the EU to step up action at the UN and delegation levels to eliminate caste-based discrimination
press release IDSN, Dec 12, 2018
IDSN welcomes today’s adoption of the European Parliament’s annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2017 and the European Union’s policy on the matter. »
We have a dream
IDSN, Dec 10, 2018
Today, as we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the struggle to open the doors of the minds of people across the world to accept that all humans are of equal value and deserve equal rights remains one of the key challenges facing our societies. »
‘Tell Everyone We Scalped You!’ How Caste Still Rules in India
The New York Times, Nov 17, 2018
Dalits are not just considered lower caste, but technically outcaste. Bound at the bottom of India’s Hindu society for centuries, the Dalit population, now estimated at more than 300 million, has been abused for as long as anyone can remember. And now, according to crime statistics, the violence against them is rising. »
UN women’s committee makes recommendations to Nepal to address discrimination against Dalit women
IDSN, Nov 14, 2018
The CEDAW Committee has released its Concluding Observations, after the periodic review of Nepal. The Committee took note of a number of concerns regarding Dalit women and made relevant recommendations. »
UN CEDAW committee voices concern over difficulties faced by Dalit women in Nepal
IDSN, Nov 5, 2018
UN experts on gender discrimination voiced concerns over the difficulties elected Dalit women face in Nepal, the need for proportional inclusion of Dalit women in the Judiciary, and extreme poverty faced by many Dalit women as a result of discrimination and stigmatization. »
Republic Of Fear: ‘India is hostile to its weakest and poor, there is no justice for them’
The Polis Project, Oct 15, 2018
India has always been a profoundly violent country. The routinized violence experienced by the country's marginalized - Dalits, Muslims, Adivasi, poor, women - is not only denied but also hidden behind a language of neutrality. »
EU high-representative calls the UN NGO Committee “hostile to civil society interests, particularly … caste discrimination”
IDSN, Oct 8, 2018
“A critical mass of members of the NGO Committee is hostile to civil society interests, particularly in sensitive areas such as caste discrimination.” »
Sanitation worker deaths spark protests demanding an end to manual scavenging in India
IDSN, Sep 26, 2018
This past month it has been uncovered that in the Delhi municipality alone, there has been an alarmingly high number of deaths of sanitation workers. Activists are sending the message that the caste-based practice must end now. »
IDSN engages with the 39th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
IDSN, Sep 26, 2018
IDSN engaged with the 39th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), held from 10 to 28 September 2018. IDSN delivered statements, lobbied Member States and OHCHR staff and met with the High Commissioner and the NGO Committee. »
Senior UN official raises concern over the ‘de facto’ rejection of ECOSOC status for IDSN
IDSN, Sep 20, 2018
In his address to the HRC, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights raised concern over the “repeated deferrals and apparent lack of transparency amounting to a de facto rejection on the granting of IDSN’s UN consultative status.” »
Modi Govt Has Not Released a Single Rupee for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers
The Wire, Aug 31, 2018
More than four years since it came to power, the Narendra Modi government has not released a single rupee for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers. Not only that, the government is yet to spend almost half of the funds released by the previous UPA government. »
India: MRG & IDSN strongly condemn latest arrests of prominent human rights defenders
IDSN, Aug 31, 2018
Five prominent Indian human rights activists were arrested during simultaneous police raids, as part of an investigation into events earlier this year during a Dalit commemoration. They follow a wider crackdown on activists in recent months. »
Five female anti-trafficking activists kidnapped and raped in India – EU responds
IDSN, Aug 23, 2018
The EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs has reiterated the EU’s commitment to fighting caste-based discrimination and gender-based violence, following the rape of five female anti-trafficking activists in India, earlier this summer. The women were performing a play against human trafficking in Jharkhand state when they were abducted and gang-raped. »
Manual Scavenging Is Outlawed, Yet It’s A Humiliating Reality For Millions of Dalits
Youth Ki Awaaz, Aug 15, 2018
‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ is a very open and common aphorism, taught since childhood. But why is this practice of godliness confined to one particular community, namely the Dalits to be more precise – the lowest among the social hierarchy in India? »
EU High Representative asked to outline how the EU intends to support IDSN’s application for UN consultative status
IDSN, Aug 15, 2018
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, has been asked by Member of the European Parliament, Jean Lambert, to .... »
Why Dalits are wary of a diluted Atrocities Act
LiveMint, Jul 31, 2018
The growing crimes against the community, low conviction rates, and a sense of disenchantment with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) may all be contributing to Dalit anger. »
Violence against India’s Dalit women on the increase
Asia Times, Jul 23, 2018
As India reels from widespread violence against women, females in the country’s lowest caste suffer the most. A conviction rate of only 25% in cases of offences against Dalit women means the problem for females of the lowest caste in Hindu society is only compounded by a weak accountability system. »
Australian Parliament passes motion on caste-based discrimination
IDSN, Jul 18, 2018
The Australian Parliament has passed a landmark motion urging the Government to take action on fighting caste-based discrimination. The motion requests the government to consider interventions in inclusion and non-discrimination in humanitarian aid; .... »
Women subjected to caste-based attacks in India call on the UN to act
IDSN, Jul 13, 2018
UN side-event hears cases of caste-based violence against Dalit women in India where UN and legal experts respond with calls for action. The report Voices Against Caste Impunity: Narratives of Dalit Women in India, was also released at the event. »
UN rights chief references the unjust 10-year deferral of IDSN’s application for UN accreditation
IDSN, Jun 15, 2018
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has presented his Annual Report to the UN HRC. The report features concern over the continuous deferral of applications for UN consultative status from civil society organisations. »
SCs/STs (PoA) Act: Implementation in Tamil Nadu 2016
HRF Media, Apr 25, 2018
A status report on the implementation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Tamil Nadu was released by the Tamil Nadu Right to Information Campaign. The Strategic Multi-Actor Round Table (SMART) was attended by over 50 participants. »
The need to address caste-based violence highlighted in international annual human rights reports
IDSN, Jun 11, 2018
The newly released Human Rights Watch World Report 2018, Amnesty International Report 2018 and the US State Department reports on India and Nepal, find that caste-based discrimination and violence remain a serious threat as hate crimes against Dalits are widespread. »
Dutch PM Mark Rutte urged to take up Hindu extremism in talks with PM Modi
National Herald, May 23, 2018
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been asked to take up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi increasing attacks on minorities and Dalits by Hindu extremist groups during the Netherlands’ leader two-day visit to India beginning Thursday. »
Caste-based politics returns to India as Dalits seek equality
Financial Times, May 14, 2018
Discrimination abounds despite Modi's election pledge to create equal opportunities. As Mr Modi enters the fifth year of his first term, rising Dalit anger and alienation have raised serious questions about whether the BJP can still count on strong support from the Dalit community as India heads towards national elections next year. »
Report: Dalit men, women and children enslaved in India’s brick making industry
IDSN, May 3, 2018
A new report by Anti-Slavery International documents widespread slavery in India’s brick making industry and finds that the majority of workers are Dalits. Whole families, including small children, work 9-12 hour days in debt-bondage with little recourse to justice. »
Dalits - Advocacy
European Parliament calls on the EU to step up action at the UN and delegation levels to eliminate caste-based discrimination
IDSN welcomes today’s adoption of the European Parliament’s annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2017 and the European Union’s policy on the matter.
IDSN, Dec 12, 2018
European Parliament report urges EU to step up action on caste discrimination
In its 2017 Annual Report the European Parliament calls for an EU policy on caste discrimination and urges the EU and its Member States to “intensify efforts and support related initiatives....".
IDSN, Dec 14, 2017
Answers to Parliamentary Questions by Member Voordewind (ChristianUnion)
(subm. Jan 31, 2017) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation on the exclusion of civil society organisations by the Indian government
Feb 13, 2017
Answers to Questions European Parliament
(subm. Mar 3, 2015) to the European Commission on caste discrimination
May 14, 2015
Answers to Dutch Parliamentary Questions by member Voordewind (ChristianUnion)
(subm. Oct 31, 2014) about the report Flawed Fabrics on modern slavery and child labour in the production chain of clothing brands
Nov 14, 2014
Sexual violence against Dalit women: Minister Timmermans discusses Dalit issue with Indian government - commitment in UN still largely absent
MPs from the Dutch political parties ChristianUnion, Socialist Party, GreenLeft, D66 and SGP urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Timmermans on June 11 to raise the issue of mostly unpunished violence against Dalit women with the Indian government, the UN Human Rights Council and the EU.
DNN, Jun 23, 2014