Dalit Women

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Dalit women suffer multiple discrimination at the intersection of caste and gender discrimination.

“The reality of Dalit women and girls is one of exclusion and marginalisation … They are often victims of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights violations, including sexual abuse and violence.They are often displaced; pushed into forced and/or bonded labour, prostitution and trafficking.” UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Rashida Manjoo

Multiple discrimination

Dalit women are often trapped in highly patriarchal societies. The severe discrimination they face from being both a Dalit and a woman, makes them a key target of violence and systematically denies them choices and freedoms in all spheres of life. This endemic intersection of gender-and-caste discrimination is the outcome of severely imbalanced social, economic and political power equations.

“The combination of caste and gender makes millions of Dalit women extremely vulnerable to discrimination and violence, including rape” Human Rights Watch

Violence and rape

Dalit women suffer from severe limitations in access to justice and there is widespread impunity in cases where the perpetrator is a member of a dominant caste, above the Dalits in the caste system.Dalit women are therefore considered easy targets for sexual violence and other crimes, because the perpetrators almost always get away with it.

For example, in India, studies show that the conviction rate for rapes against Dalit women is under 2% compared to a conviction rate of 25% in rape cases against all women in India.

“Great, now you have proof that you enjoyed yourself” – the reply of an Indian court judge to a gang raped Dalit woman, upon seeing a video of the rape filmed and distributed by the dominant caste rapists and presented by the woman in court as evidence of the rape.

Denied justice, access to education, health and other services

Sanctioned impunity on behalf of the offenders is a key problem. Police often neglect or deny the Dalit women of their right to seek legal and judicial aid. In many cases, the judiciary fails to enforce the laws that protect Dalit women from discrimination.

Caste and gender discrimination in the delivery of education health care, water, sanitation and other basic services are also major obstacles for Dalit women severely impacting on their welfare and opportunities. This discrimination has been documented repeatedly by UN agencies and major international human rights and development NGOS.

“Non-implementation of legislation and policies and the lack of effective remedies and effectively functioning state institutions, the judiciary and police included, remain major obstacles to eliminating caste-based discrimination” European Parliament 2013 Resolution on Caste

Born into modern slavery and prostitution

Dalit women often work in modern slavery and are key targets for trafficking. They are often used as debt slaves in brick kilns, garment industries and agriculture. 98% of those forced into the dehumanising work of manual scavenging, removing human waste by hand, are also Dalit women. Dalit women may also be born into temple prostitution as ‘Devadasis’ (sex slaves) in India or be branded prostitutes in Nepal due to their caste status.

Fighting back

Dalit women are uniting against one of the world’s most gruesome and effective systems of oppression – the intersection of caste and gender discrimination.

Dalit women movements across the world are growing stronger and are connecting to each other and reaching out to decision-makers and people of the world.

They are asking the international community and people of the world to come together and stand beside them, and to speak up to end the global silence that is allowing this gruesome form of discrimination to persist.

”Let them not rape us every day and murder us. Make the police give us our rights. I will fight for all those who are abused and dead and I hope if my turn comes someone will be there to fight for me.” Manisha, Dalit woman, human rights defender

Palestinians abused in Israeli facility: Rights group

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Palestinians abused in Israeli facility: Rights group

Jerusalem: Israeli human rights groups have alleged abuse of Palestinians in Israel with backing of the state, which include violations like cruel detention conditions in sealed cells, disgraceful hygienic conditions and continuous cuffing of detainees' hands.

The B'Tselem organisation and Hamoked Center for the Defence of the Individual report, based on the testimonies of 121 detainees held in Petah Tikva detention facility of Shin Bet, also claim that the inhuman treatment of the Palestinian detainees has the backing of the state.

The other ways of interrogation includes sleep deprivation, and other methods that harm the detainees physically and mentally.

The Human Rights Groups noted that complaints on the matter have led to no criminal investigations to which the state has reportedly responded by saying that the interrogations were being supervised, and that the court had rejected similar claims in the past. The violations allegedly begin from the moment of the arrest and continue until the detainees transfer from the facility.

As per the report, nine per cent of the witnesses related that the interrogators used physical violence against them in the interrogation room.

"The use of any one of these means, certainly their combined use, constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, and in some instances, torture. All are strictly forbidden under international law and Israeli law," the organisations stressed in their report.

Thirteen of the 121 detainees reported of sleep deprivation which lasted more than 24 hours, thirty six percent of the detainees said they were humiliated and cursed by their investigators, 56 percent reported of threats, and 9 percent said they were treated violently, it said.

Many of the detainees reported that the interrogators used family members as a means of pressure - thirty six percent of the witnesses mentioned curses, threats, or acts of extortion regarding family members.

In one case, a 63-year-old widow was held in the facility so that members of her family could see her suffering while under detention, the report claims.

Two days later, the woman was released without any charges brought against her, it says. Most of the detention cells are underground, or were perceived thus by the witnesses, while the interrogation rooms, by contrast, are above ground and have windows enabling the detainee to know if it is day or night, it further added.

Those interviewed stated that an electric bulb lights the cell 24 hours a day, and the detainee is unable to change its intensity or turn it off.

This creates severe distress and causes eye pain, headaches, and vision problems, the Human Rights Groups said.

The report's authors also reveal harsh hygiene conditions saying, "One-person cells had a squat toilet that reeked, the mattresses and blankets were filthy, the detainees were not given the means to clean the cell, except in isolated cases and following insistent demand".

"35 per cent of the detainees were not provided a change of clothes for long periods and, in some cases, even during their entire stay in the facility. 27 per cent of the witnesses were not allowed to shower", they alleged.

B'Tselem and Hamoked have no doubt that "the handling and treatment of the detainees, as revealed in the report, are consistent with the philosophy of interrogation that seeks to break the detainees by causing shock and fear, detaching the detainees from things to which they are normally accustomed, and by severely depriving them of sensory stimuli, movement, and human contact".

Other components of this philosophy are physical weakness by means of sleep deprivation, reduction in food intake, exposure to cold and heat, and pain, the primary source of the pain being forced prolonged sitting in rigid bodily positions, the report argued.

"This philosophy is described in CIA interrogation manuals of the 1960s and 1980s, which were used to guide interrogators in tyrannical regimes in Latin America.

The result of the use of these methods, as stated in the manuals, is psychological regression and a detainee who becomes putty in the hands of the interrogator," it added.

The organisations also claimed that the treatment of the Palestinian detainees, as described in the report, receives the backing of the Israeli State.

Since 2001, Palestinians interrogated by Israel Security Authorities agents have filed 645 complaints to the Ministry of Justice regarding the manner in which they were interrogated, but not one of the complaints led to a criminal investigation against the interrogator.

"The State of Israel attempts to justify the severe infringement of the detainee's rights by claiming the actions are necessary to thwart serious acts of terrorism. This claim does not warrant violation of the absolute prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment," the report states.

"Furthermore, Israel's attempts to divert the public debate to what it refers to as the 'ticking-bomb dilemma' is artificial," the organisations say, explaining that "most of the Palestinians who gave testimonies for the purpose of the report were not suspected of serious offenses, in comparison to the scale of offenses allegedly committed by Palestinians who are brought before military courts in the occupied territories".

Newly married woman raped and murdered

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Newly married woman raped and murdered

BANGALORE: A 24-year-old software engineer was found raped and murdered in an apartment in BTM Layout II Stage on Monday evening. Mico Layout police said her throat was slit with a knife. The deceased has been identified as Malarvelli from Tirunelveli. 

Police suspect the incident occurred around 4.30pm and 5 pm. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment which possibly indicate that the victim knew the assailant. 

Joint commissioner of police (crime) Alok Kumar said Malarvelli was married to Balasubramanyam, a software engineer with Capgemini company, in August. She was working with TVS company as a software engineer before the wedding, after which she quit her job. They moved into the apartment only in September. 

The incident came to light when Malarvelli's cousin tried calling her and learnt that her cellphone was switched off. Worried, her cousin rushed to her house and found her murdered. 

Police said they have found certain clues that point a finger at an old acquaintance of Malarvelli. They said the assailant will be nabbed soon. 

DGP (south-east) BNS Reddy said a grilled door guarded the main door, hence a forced entry would have been impossible. They also found that Malarvelli had not only let in the assailant, but had also offered juice to the person. The assailant had also brought her a gift, which strengthens teh police suspicion that the assailant was well acquainted with the victim.