Dalit Posters

8/11/2019 Dalit Posters

1/25

Seen as polluted or dirty, Dalits face socialand often violent sanction if they touch a water

tap, drink from a cup or enter into an area of

town that is used by dominant castes. Their

access to food, water, housing, market outlets,

employment opportunities as well as health and

education services is limited by the surrounding

society.

International human rights conventions oblige

state parties regardless of political, economic

and cultural systems to promote and protect

all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Governments of caste-affected countries have

a duty to effectively put an end to caste-based

discrimination, but are not living up to their

obligations.

The continued non-implementation of human

rights standards and national legal provisionsfor the protection and non-discrimination of

Dalits in a number of South Asian countries

has consistently been raised in several United

Nations forums.

Untouchables:Separate andUnequal

...caste determines what one is allowed to be, what one is forced to,

and denies ones ability to live a life of human dignity. Caste is an all

encompassing frame of barriers and violations for those of us the

Dalits at the bottom of the caste system. VI NCE NT MA NO H A R A N, I ND I A


2/25

Pangu PWD Sweeper Colony,Agargoan, Dhaka, Bangladesh

SEPTEMBER 2007

Sweeping the streets is a dirty job and Dhakas

sweepers are mainly Dalits. They are confined

to live in slums this one set up by their

employer, the Power Works Department (PWD).

500 people live in 98 shacks under unsanitary

conditions. Each shack is extremely small, onlya few square meters. The authorities provide

no safe drinking water, no electricity and no

special health facilities. There are no schools in

the vicinity.


SEPTEMBER 2007

Dalits walk the line, because the sweeper

colony is built in a drainage area. Houses

are on poles and pathways above ground

are necessary since floods occur every year

in the rainy season. Still, houses are often

under water. Waterborne diseases such as

cholera and diarrhea flourish. For children, thedisabled and elderly it is risky to move around

on wet bamboo poles.


3/25

Dhangadi, Far Western Province, Nepal

NOVEMBER 2007

Non-Dalits consider Dalits to be impure and polluted, so intercaste

marriage is often perceived as a sin. Living only 200 meters apart,

Jhakondra, 21, and Manisha, 19, did the unthinkable and fell i n love.

Following years of arguments and attacks by Manishas non-Dalit

family, the couple ran away to India and got married shortly before

this picture was taken. But they are lucky young mixed couples

often pay with their lives since non-Dalit families sometimes resort

to murder to avoid the shame and pollution of the family.

Dhangadi, Far Western Province, Nepal

NOVEMBER 2007

Happy wedding memories live on, but reality is harsh.

Today Jhakondra and Manisha cannot visit any of

their families. Manisha became a Dalit when marrying

Jhakondra, so she has now been rejected by her family.

Jhakondras family lives so close to Manishas family that

quarrels are unavoidable if they come to visit.


4/25

Madurai, India

OCTOBER 2007

No one wants to buy polluted milk from a cow owned by a Dalit.

Exclusion from society makes it almost impossible to overcome poverty

in the slums of Madurai and elsewhere. Unless caste-affected countries

make specific measures for including Dalits in development processes,

they will fail to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Kotri, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

APRIL 2008

The segregation of the so-called Scheduled Castes is

complete in this tea shop in Karachi. Men from the Kolhi

caste are not allowed into tea shops owned by Muslims or

dominant castes. Similarly, no other men than Kolhi men

can enter a Kolhi tea shop.


5/25

D13-3 railway crossing, Hassan Square,Karachi, Pakistan

APRIL 2008

It is painful to live here. Where do we go? We face problems

everywhere, says Sehto, 55.

Sehto is the leader of the Bagri Dalit community who live next

to the railway tracks as many Dalits do all over South Asia. The

rent for one little hut is five euros per month which is paid

to the railway company employees as bribe. The communitycame from an area close to the Indian border 40 years ago, but

still cannot own the land. There is no electricity, no education

or health facilities and no water. Water is fetched from a

mosque nearby, but again a bribe has to be paid.

Dal Potti, Dhaka, Bangladesh

SEPTEMBER 2007

Forcibly removed from their homes time and time again, this

Dalit community is now living on the roof of a market place.

Largely without land themselves, Dalits are forced to live

on public land. When that land becomes valuable, Dalits are

moved to yet another place without access to public facilities.

They are constantly on the move.

Tikapir Kailali, Far Western Province, Nepal

NOVEMBER 2007

Water tap for Dalits only. Dominant castes in the village

of Tikapir Kailali demanded separate water taps to avoid

contamination from Dalits. T he Tikapir Kailali municipality

institutionalised the discriminatory belief that Dalits are dirty

when they decided to make two separate water taps. In other

villages Dalits are dependent on the good will of non-Dalits

to pour them some water without any form of physical

contact. Unless development actors, including the European

Commission, proactively take measures to ensure that funds

are not used to reinforce caste-based discrimination, studies

show that such discrimination will happen by default.


6/25

When Dalits challenge the unjust practicesimposed on them, dominant castes often use

violent means to reinforce their own dominant

position and keep Dalits in their place.

Every hour in India two Dalits are assaulted,

every day three Dalit women are raped, every

day two Dalits are murdered and two Dalit

homes are burnt (Government statistics from

the Ministry of Welfare).

Impunity for the perpetrators permeates

the justice and law enforcement systems.

Crimes against Dalits are often not reported,

investigated or prosecuted properly. Policemen,

lawyers and judges often belong to dominant

castes and they are unwilling to investigate,

prosecute and hear cases of crimes against

Dalits. Very few cases lead to conviction.

Dalits continue to assert their rights and to hold

the state accountable for crimes committed

against them.

The United Nations Committee on the

Elimination of Racial Discrimination

recommends with specific reference to caste-

affected communities that all states take

the necessary steps to ensure equal access

to the justice system for all members ofdescent-based communities as well as ensure

the prosecution of persons who commit

crimes against members of descent-based

communities and the provision of adequate

compensation for the victims of such crimes.

FreedomComes ata Cost

Any small assertion of Dalits in raising their voice against inhuman untouchability

practices or their legitimate demands for their share in the Indias resources and

wealth is seen as an act of disobedience and revolt. The Caste Hindus unleash all

crude forms of violence on Dalits which ranges from social boycott, to mass

killings, raping and naked parading of Dalit women. VI NCE NT MA NO H A R A N, I ND I A


7/25

Shaileshwori Temple,Silgadhi, Nepal

NOVEMBER 2007

Dalit women worshipping at the Shaileswori

Temple. Nepalese Dalits have fought against

discrimination and made great leaps forward

in recent years. The Temple Movement

protests against dominant castes who

prevent Dalits from accessing public spacessuch as temples, restaurants and markets.

In the Dalit Rights Kathmandu Charter from

2007, Dalit representatives call for an end

to discrimination of Dalits in the political,

economic, social and cultural spheres and

for the inclusion of Dalits in the current

restructuring of the state and decision making

processes.

Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh, India

OCTOBER 2007

On 25 March 2007, Awadkesh Kumar, 24, was

hit by gunshots fired by members of the

dominant caste in his community. In the days

leading up to the incident, members of the

dominant caste had verbally abused Dalits by

calling them degrading caste names. Awadkesh

had tried to mediate and did manage to settle

the immediate dispute. But on the day of the

incident a group of men were waiting for him

and fired their guns as soon as they saw him.

Awadkesh was semi-unconscious for five days

and lost both eyes. Four arrests were made, but

the accused were released on bail. The court

case is still pending. Meanwhile, Awadkesh is

unable to feed his family and relies on the help

of neighbours.


8/25

Dhaka Lahan, Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

Captured, stripped naked, beaten and slashed

with a knife under both eyes, Sunita Devi, a 35

year old Dalit woman, has paid a heavy price

for living in the centre of her town on land

wanted by dominant castes. After ten years

the court case is still pending. Sunita thinks the

perpetrators are paying off the courts to stall

her case until it is too old to process. Impunity

for caste-related crimes remains an enormous

problem.

Freed Hari Camp(Human Rights Commissionof Pakistans camp for freedbonded labourers),Sindh, Pakistan

APRIL 2008

Manu Bheel has become a symbol for the

struggle against forced labour in Pakistan.

Manu is a Dalit belonging to the Bheel sub-

caste. He and his family were freed in 1996

from forced labour when the Human Rights

Commission of Pakistan found them in chains.

Two years later, in May 1998, nine of Manu

Bheels family members were kidnapped

allegedly on orders from the landlord from

whom they had been rescued. Manus family

members have still not been found.

Arrests were not made until eight years later,

and the suspects were released on bail the

case is not yet settled. Over the years, Manu

has been tortured by people who wanted

him to withdraw the case. International

organisations have criticised the government

for denying Manu and his family access to

justice and basic human rights protection.


9/25

On 26 December 2004, the Tsunami claimedmore than 200,000 lives and affected the

livelihoods of more than one million people

primarily in South and South-East Asia.

While natural disasters are caste-neutral, the

ensuing relief and reconstruction efforts are

not. In the weeks, months and years after

the Tsunami hit, discrimination by default

continued to take place in the Indian state of

Tamil Nadu.

Despite unprecedented levels of relief and

reconstruction aid, many Indian Dalits living on

the fringe of coastal fishing communities are

now worse off than before the Tsunami. Relief

was mainly given to the directly affected fishing

communities of dominant castes, which Dalits

both depend on and are oppressed by. Since

those dominant caste fishing communities arenow better off, Dalits are no longer needed for

manual labour.

As heavy rainfall caused floods in South Asia in

the summer of 2007 the scene was set for more

discriminatory relief efforts.

When disaster hits, EU institutions, member

state governments, relief agencies and NGOs

must act proactively to overcome casteblindness and confront caste discrimination in

all relief operations. If caste barriers in society

are not taken into account, relief efforts will

continue to be caste-biased.

WhenDisasterHits

Dalits have faced a unique discrimination in our society that is

fundamentally different from the problems of minority groups in general.

Untouchability is not just social discrimination. It is a blot on humanity.

D R . MA NMO H A N S I NG H , P R I ME MI NI S T E R O F I ND I A


10/25

Dilahi, Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

A meagre income. Dalits suffer double

when natural disasters hit, as happened

in South Asia in June 2007. Heavy rainfall

caused the river Gandak t o overflow,

leaving millions of people in the state of

Bihar displaced and without food and

shelter. Even if the government dispatches

help, discrimination often happens when

dominant castes are responsible for the

distribution of relief items.

Road next to the village

of Ramdas Ghosai MasaliKonnare, Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

This old woman and her community of 80

Dalit families have been living along the

road for more than three months after

the floods in Bihar. They are unaware of

any right to emergency help. Continued

rain and low nightly temperatures take

its deadly toll on the community. Some

road workers gave her the black sheet of

plastic, but she sleeps on the cold and wet

concrete.


11/25

Displaced girl from Aladane village, Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

The road is her home now she is wearing all her clothes and has received

no help. Dalit children and women are particularly vulnerable in times of

crisis. Levels of violence and cases of rape increase as Dalits are forced into

new areas where their presence tests the unjust power hierarchies of the

caste system.

Birari, Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

Dalits from the flooded areas of Bihar are questioning a local government

official about why they have received little or no help. The Dalit river

communities in Bihar are forced to live in separate settlements, so their

problems and needs are often overlooked in times of disaster. Government

officials rarely come to do needs assessments.

Vincent Manoharan from India was part of a NGO survey team that went to

Bihar to investigate caste discrimination in relief distribution:

Most Dalit communities were left with no relief aid from the government

or NGOs. We wrote to the governor and asked for equity and inclusion in the

humanitarian aid to those affected by the floods.


12/25

Displaced people from Alardane village, Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

On the road to nowhere. The Dalit communities in Bihar live in low-lying areas

more prone to flooding and are worst affected. Their mud houses are of poorer

quality and easily destroyed by rains and floods. Government aid often consists

of compensation for lost assets, but Dalits rarely have any. Instead they need

help to re-establish their livelihood, but it is not forthcoming.


13/25

The Son ofa Sweeperis a Sweeper

Seen as polluted, Dalits are assigned workconsidered to be humiliating and dirty, such

as removing human waste, sweeping, cleaning

sewers or handling dead bodies and carcasses.

Once covered in dirt, they are marginalized

even more. Pay is lousy or in kind, if at all.

Manual scavenging is the task of cleaning

human excrement from roads, railway tracks

and dry latrines. Using little more than a broom,

a tin plate, and a basket, Dalits are made to

clear faeces from public and private latrines

and carry it to dumping grounds. This is mainly

a hereditary occupation reserved for Dalits,

and manual scavengers are among the worst

affected victims of untouchability. The work is

extremely hazardous.

In India, the practice of manual scavenging has

been outlawed since 1993. But the legislation isfar from implemented. An estimated 1.3 million

people are employed as manual scavengers

most of them women. Many are employed by

the authorities themselves.

No political will to eradicate the degrading

occupation of manual scavenging seems to

exist on the part of either the Central or State

Governments. A Supreme Court case has been

pending for years and the Court has recentlyasked several states to explain why they have

not met their responsibilities.

The United Nations Committee for the

Elimination of Racial Discrimination

recommends that all states take resolute

measures to eliminate degrading conditions

of labour associated with descent-based

discrimination.

The caste system is a multi floored building with neither ladders nor windows. Unlike a

club, the membership of a caste is not open to all and sundry. The law of Caste confines

its membership to persons born in the caste. Castes are autonomous, and there is no

authority anywhere to compel a caste to admit a new-comer to its social life.

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, India (1891-1956). Indian scholar, political leader and chief architect of the Constitution.

Born into an untouchable community, he spent his life fighting against the Indian caste system.


14/25

Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

Dalits preparing a deceased man for burial.

Everything associated with death is considered

polluted, so the tasks of preparing the dead

for burial is forced on to Dalits as an unpaid job

by dominant castes.

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

OCTOBER 2007

Occupation: Cleaner of dry latrines. Niita

Tank, 35, cleans the dry latrines of 25 houses

and gets 43 eurocents per house per month.

According to beliefs, Dalits are unclean, so

treating human waste is left for Dalits such as

Niita. The pollution that comes with her job

adds to the notion of untouchability.


15/25


16/25

Dhaka, Bangladesh

SEPTEMBER 2007

Celebrate death and mourn the newborn!

The lives of Dhakas Dalit sweepers are so poor

that they have reversed their social functions.

Chances of moving up in life are few.

The sweeping makes them sick. Again, with noprotective gear sweepers often suffer from skin

diseases, cholera, tuberculosis and asthma.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

SEPTEMBER 2007

Dalit sweepers contribute to Dhakas production

of public goods by removing garbage. Although

all citizens are equal under the constitution,

few Dalits get any public goods and services in

return. Still many sweepers struggle to hold on

to their jobs as they have very few alternatives.

The Dhaka City Corporation is privatizing the

process and many Dalit sweepers are now losing

the very low income that sustain their families

approximately 28 euros per month.


17/25

Men and women in chains and private jails is nota thing of the past. Most Dalits in South Asia are

in practice excluded from accessing reasonably

paid jobs and owning land. Many rely on private

loans to simply sustain life. Often, the loan is

paid back with bonded labour from themselves

or their children. If a loan-taker dies, the debt is

passed on to children or other family members,

through the generations.

Discriminatingly high interest rates often makes

it impossible to repay the loans and many Dalits

end up owing their lives to the loan-giver. Very

often illiterate Dalits are made victims of false

accounting. Kept in chains or locked up at

night in private jails, many Dalits are modern

day slaves. In the Sindh province of Pakistan,

raids are sometimes conducted to free forced

labourers kept against their will. They are the

disenfranchised slaves of abusive landlords.

According to a 2005 report by the United

Nations International Labour Organisation there

is no greater challenge than bonded or forced

labour in the world today for those national

and international agencies concerned with the

eradication of extreme poverty by the year

2015.

Bonded or forced labour is a form of slaveryaccording to the United Nations. All forms of

slavery are prohibited by international law and

seen as a crime against humanity. However,

bonded labour continues to keep generations

enslaved in the agricultural and industrial

sectors in caste-affected countries. By far the

greatest numbers of bonded labour victims are

Dalits, lower castes and tribal people.

Modern DaySlavery

Bonded labour is a system of debt bondage enslaving Dalit and other marginalized

castes to grossly underpaid and un-free jobs. This system of employment is yet

another form of economic exclusion of Dalits and other caste-based discriminated

communities from economic growth. PAUL DIVAKAR, INDIA


18/25

Pachnali,Far WesternProvince,Nepal

NOVEMBER 2007

Caught in a bondage system

that defies logic, Gore Sunar,

55, has worked for 25 yearsbecause of loans. With no

agreement on interest rates,

Gore gets no salary and works

just to keep his four landlords

happy so that they wont

ask for repayment. In this

respect, Dalits like Gore are

kept in a situation whereby

they reinforce and perpetuate

the unequal caste system.

The Dalit Rights Kathmandu

Charter 2007 calls for all

kinds of bonded labour and

exploitation of labour as

determined by the feudal land

production system to be ended

and provisions be made for

rehabilitation of the affected

Dalits. Until then, Gore keeps

working.

Pachnali, Far Western Province, Nepal

NOVEMBER 2007

Debt bondage is outlawed, yet Gores nephew (in grey shirt) inherits the loan

when Gore dies as Gore himself does not have a son. With no clear agreement

on interest rates and repayment, the two younger brothers of one of the

landlords (both with hands in their pockets) will come out on top.


19/25

Litani, Haryana, India

OCTOBER 2007

14 year old Sukhwinder Singhs father was an alcoholic and a gambler. At the

age of 35, Balwan Singh saw suicide as the only way out of a loan of 474 euros

he took from his landlord to sustain his drinking habit as well as buy medicinefor his sick mother. For the past six years his son, Sukhwinder, has been

working for an average wage of 63 euros per year to repay the loan while at the

same time supporting his three siblings and his mother. Luckily Sukhwinder

and others are able to keep track of the repayment he still needs to repay

79 euros before he is free.

Freed Hari Camp(Human RightsCommission ofPakistans camp forfreed bondedlabourers),Sindh, Pakistan

APRIL 2008

Bonded labour in Pakistan

among lower caste Hindus,

some of whom have converted

to Christianity or Islam, is

widespread. In the provinces

of Sindh and Punjab an

estimated 0.75 to 1.5 million

people are bonded labourers.

Debt bondage is fuelled

by the absence of a formal

credit system, as well as the

availability of a vulnerable and

poor labour force.

A few years ago, the police

conducted missions to free

bonded labourers. Many of

them settled in the Freed Hari

Camp a camp near a stone

quarry in the Sikanderabad

Kotri, Sindh province. Men and

women in the camp earn a

living by making stone a team

of workers get ten euros per

truckload.

In recent years, Government

commitment to abolish

bonded labour has slowed

down, although raids to free

bonded labourers still occur.

Even though the official

Human Rights Commission of

Pakistan established the camp,

it is often under attack from

government forces who want

the land.


20/25

Umerkot, Sindh, Pakistan

APRIL 2008

40 families of the Oad caste in Pakistans Sindh

province work at this brick factory. Among them

is Phoolan, her three children and husband.

Whether they borrowed money from the owners,

also of the Oad caste, is not clear, but very likely.

They get two euros per 1000 bricks which is the

amount they can produce in one day.

Sindh, Pakistan

APRIL 2008

The girl in the red dress is 12 years old and a child

labourer caught in debt bondage. She belongs

to the Meghwar caste of the Hindu minority in

Pakistan. Her father has borrowed money from

the carpet factory owner. She earns a little over

11 euros working 40 days to make one carpet. If

she is sick she gets no pay. Over time, she might

lose her eyesight as many child carpets labourers

do. She is not going to school.

Her instructor, Loono, 27, tells her how the

patterns of the carpet should look. Loono owes

the carpet factory owner close to 400 euros.

He earns 35 euros per 40 days with which he

repays his loan.


21/25

At the bottom of South Asias caste, class andgender hierarchies, are Dalit women. They

suffer triple discrimination as Dalits, as

members of an impoverished underclass and

as women. The endemic gender-and-caste

discrimination and violence Dalit women face

is the outcome of severely imbalanced social,

economic and political power equations.

Violence, such as indecent and inhuman

treatment, including sexual assault, and being

paraded naked serves as a social mechanism to

maintain Dalit womens subordinate position in

society. Dalit women are targeted as a way of

humiliating entire Dalit communities.

In January 2007, the United Nations Committee

on the Elimination of Discrimination against

Women in its observations on India noted

concern about the ongoing atrocitiescommitted against Dalit women and the culture

of impunity for perpetrators of such atrocities

as well as concern that despite a law banning

manual scavenging, this degrading practice

continues with grave implications for the

dignity and health of the Dalit women who are

engaged in this activity.

In November 2007, Dalit women gathered in

the Hague called on the United Nations, theEuropean Union and the community of states to

raise the issues and concerns of Dalit women

at all levels and to involve and introduce all

necessary measures, and to support and secure

the implementation of the recommendations of

this Declaration with a sense of great urgency.

A Dalit WomanSuffers Triple

Women have visions of peace, justice and equality, and of freedom from all

forms of violence. We aspire for the right to live as full and respected citizens of

this nation. We demand the enjoyment of this right as our birth-right and call

upon all right-thinking persons to join hands with us in achieving these

legitimate goals R U T H MA NO R A MA , I ND I A


22/25


SEPTEMBER 2007

On an empty stomach, learning how to read and write is

difficult. Five times a week the Dalit Women Forum provides

education for Dalit women from the sweepers colony.

Brought in from India by the British colonial power to take

menial jobs such as sweeping, the Dalit community speaks

Telugu or Hindi while the official language in Bangladesh is

Bengali. The women learn Bengali so they can function in

everyday life and pass on their knowledge to their children

who are often excluded from normal schools.

Prerna Hostel,Bihar, India

OCTOBER 2007

Dalit children are often prevented from exercising

their right to education due to harassment by

teachers and dominant caste children. They are

routinely seated at the back of classrooms and

separately during meal times. Dalit girls from the

Musahar community in Bihar were only helped when

a Catholic nun, Sister Sudha Varghese, set up schools

with hostels. UNICEF and the Indian government

support her work.


23/25

Mura, Far WesternProvince, Nepal

NOVEMBER 2007

The Badi caste in Nepal is a Dalit

sub-caste. Many Badi women

are forced into prostitution

and end up being trafficked

to Mumbais sex industry. Soni

Badi, 25, is a sex worker. As a

Badi Dalit she is prevented from

owning land, has little access to

education and other services

crucial to sustain life and avoid

lifelong poverty.

Soni with her son in her

bedroom. Children of Badi sex

workers often have unknown

fathers. Until recently,

citizenship in Nepal was given

according to the fathers

name. Badi children were

therefore unable to obtain

citizenship in their own country.

After protesting outside the

parliament in Kathmandu,

Badi rights activists ensured

that Badis can now use their

mothers name and gain

citizenship.


24/25

Mura, Nepal, November

2007

A sex worker, mother of three and community leader involved in improving

the lives of the Badi community, Gomati Badi, 28, is busy. Poverty makes

Nepali Dalit women easy targets for trafficking along the Nepalese-Indian

border, so Gomati fights for equal access to land, Dalit participation in the

constitutional assembly and better education.

Freed Hari Camp (Human Rights Commission ofPakistans camp for freed bonded labourers),Sindh, Pakistan

APRIL 2008

These girls are free to practice their dancing skills for an upcoming wedding. They

are lucky. Their parents were freed from forced or bonded labour and now they livein a camp that has been established for former bonded labourers. Had their parents

not been freed, these girls would have grown up in slavery. As a signatory to the

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Pakistan has a duty to ensure that children

are not subjected to economic exploitation and that their fundamental rights are

respected. Thousands of other girls are waiting to be freed, so they can dance too.


25/25

We are notuntouchable

International Dalit Solidarity NetworkThis exhibition is kindly sponsored by Ms Margrete AUKEN (Greens, DK).

Co-sponsors: Ms Maria MARTENS (PPE, NL), Ms Jean LAMBERT (Greens, UK) and Mr Claude MORAES (PSE, UK).

The exhibition is produced by IDSN The International Dalit Solidarity Network. IDSN works on a global level against caste discrimination.

All photographs by Jakob Carlsen. Design by Sren Maarbjerg.

For more information visit www idsn org or www idsn org/wearenotuntouchable

India167 million or

15-20 percent of

the total population

PakistanBetween 330,000 and 2 million or

between 0,25 and 1,20 percent of

the total population.

Bangladesh

4,5 million or3-4 percent of


Nepal4,5 million or

15-20 percent of

the total population.

Sri Lanka4-5 million or

20-30 percent of


Untouchable:Separate and Unequal

Segregation in housing, schools and cremation grounds

Limitation or prohibition of access to public places such as roads, temples

and tea houses

Denial or limitation of access to public services such as water taps, health

care and education

De facto prohibition of inter-caste marriage

Untouchable:Denied Civil and Political Rights

Subjection to extreme forms of violence and humiliation as part of caste

oppression

Harassment and discrimination to prevent Dalits from participating in

political processes

Use of sexual violence against Dalit women as a way to suppress an entire

community

Denial of access to justice; caste bias in the police and judiciary means virtual

impunity for crimes against Dalits

Untouchable:Denied Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Restrictions on occupation; assignment of the most menial, dirty and

dangerous jobs as defined by the caste hierarchy

Forced and bonded labour; a high number of Dalits enslaved

De facto prohibition of access to and ownership of land

Widespread poverty

Limited access to and poor quality of education.

Caste can be defined as a hereditary andhierarchic system of social grouping disting-

uished by degrees of purity, social status, and

exclusiveness. Those who fall outside the caste

system are considered impure and thus

polluting to other caste groups. They are seen

as untouchables.

Dalit means broken people. This is the name

the untouchables have chosen for themselves

to signify a growing movement of empower-

ment.

Caste-based discrimination is one of the most

serious human rights problems in the world

today, affecting approximately 260 million1

people worldwide; the majority live in South

Asia with 167 million in India alone.

Caste discrimination takes many forms and often involves untouchability

practices. Caste-based discrimination and related practices constitute a gross

violation of fundamental human rights, denying victims their human dignity

and equality.

1. Human Rights Watch, Caste Discrimination, a Global Concern, 2001

Dalit Posters

Documents

Transcript of Dalit Posters