Caste-based discrimination

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the International Dalit Solidarity Network. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from the International Dalit Solidarity Network forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission We, over hundred Dalit activists and social movement leaders from the caste affected countries of Bangladesh, […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Committee against Torture at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- 1. The Committee considered the combined third and fourth periodic report of Sri Lanka (CAT/C/LKA/3-4) at its 1030th and 1033rd meetings, […]

In what appears to be an ‘absolutely normal’ practice in India, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, Ms Mayawati, has declared, that one of her ministers, accused of having raped a girl, is not guilty. The chief minister also declared, that there would be no investigation against the minister. The incident of rape of […]

Baburam Bhattarai Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Nepal Singh Durbar P.O. Box: 43312 Kathmandu Nepal Tel: +977 1 421 1000 Fax: +977 1 421 1086 Email: info@opmcm.gov.np Dear Prime Minister: NEPAL: Government should prioritize Dalits’ food security During the month of the World Food Day (October 16) and the International […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Nervazhi, a human rights organisation working in Kerala, concerning the case of police assault upon a tribal woman. It is reported that Mrs Paru, aged 65 years went to the Malakkapara Police Station concerning a complaint Paru had filed at the station of […]

At 5 pm Indian standard time today (14 October), the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Ms Mayawati, will inaugurate a park in Noida, that Mayawati claims is a Dalit memorial to symbolise Dalit liberation and power in India. Noida is close to New Delhi, the national capital. It is reported that the park, constructed at […]

A summary of a presentation made to the Vigil India Movement, Bangalore by the Asian Human Rights Commission Each generation has its own challenges. Not long ago the great challenge was to dispel the foreign invader and to claim our land as our own. Today we face a far different challenge, which is, to become […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from Compass Direct News, written by Asif Aqeel. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- Asif Aqeel The often unseen or unrecognized abuses suffered by Christians at Pakistan’s lowest level of society – street sweepers – have come into sharp focus this year. While […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) takes exception to the information that the government of Nepal has asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in writing to halt investigations it had undertaken into allegations of gross human rights violations dating back to the time of the conflict. The AHRC is seriously concerned by this additional […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned from field research that the Gandharva community is facing hunger and food insecurity. In 1993 Gandharva, a nomadic Dalit community was provided a piece of land from the Commission for Resolving Problem with Landless People (Sukumbasi Samasya Samadhan Aayog) without legal title. In October 2010, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the information that 83 Dalit families of Ranapada village have been deprived of their food security by non-Dalits from about 54 neighboring villages. It is reported that the reason for the aggressive discrimination against the Bauri families (Dalits) is because three women from Bauri community […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Jagaran Media Center “Overcoming racism compels us to address public policies and private attitudes that perpetuate it.” Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the occasion of the 2011 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Every year since 1966, 21 March […]

Sofie Rordam Sri Lankan citizens are protected against torture and arbitrary arrest in sections 11, 12 and 13 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. In addition Sri Lanka has ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Cruel and Inhuman Treatment in 1994. While the legislation is there, the effectuation is not. The gap between […]

We hope that wishing for a happy new year in Sri Lanka is not just mere wishful thinking. We wish: 1. That Rizana Nafeek, facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia, will be released as soon as possible. This wish can become true only if the Sri Lankan government makes all the diplomatic efforts to […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year. In all countries of Asia, this Christmas and new year will be celebrated in very difficult conditions. We extend our wishes to all families who are struggling in the midst of these difficulties to fight for their rights. We particularly […]

The ghoulish killings of two Dalit girls in Moradabad, an industrial town not far away from the national capital Delhi, is yet another reminder of almost everyday recurrence of attacks on Dalit communities in India. They encompass, also the grim truth of the complete failure of the Indian state in containing, leave aside eradicating, violence […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from International Dalit Solidarity Network. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from International Dalit Solidarity Network forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission In the run up to human rights day 2010 Dalit activists have been mobilising through marches and awareness […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)  regrets to inform you that Ms. Pushpa Karki, a teacher who was fired in 2008 after having spoken against discriminatory practices which persisted in her school, has still not received any justice. For sixteen months, she has not received any relief or help. The persistence of caste-based […]

*Avinash Pandey     Britain, in a major victory for the movement against caste based discrimination and atrocities, can soon declare caste prejudice unlawful under laws against racial discrimination becoming the first country of the world to do so. The development was imminent in the wake of the fact that the House of Lords had […]

Nepal’s politics is reeling under frequent changes but the alarming governmental lethargy regarding the issue of caste-based discrimination seems to be a constant, barely affected by the evolution of the political scene. As the major parties now aspire to lead the government it is time for them to properly address the issue of Dalits, which, […]