How has The Gambia progressed in recognising CDWD rights: UPR Fact sheets

How has The Gambia progressed in recognising CDWD rights: UPR Fact sheets

The Gambia continues to grapple with deeply rooted caste and descent-based discrimination (DWD), a pervasive issue affecting marginalized communities across the country. Despite national and international commitments to eradicate such discrimination, systemic inequalities persist, particularly in education, gender equality, political representation, and protection from violence. Communities identified as “slave castes” face widespread stigma and exclusion-especially…

Testimonial – Meeting with a Blacksmith from the Tuareg community in Niger

Testimonial – Meeting with a Blacksmith from the Tuareg community in Niger

Editor’s note: Across West Africa, several ethnic groups, including the Tuareg, Wolof, Mandinka, Bambara, Fulani, Soninké, Hausa, and Zarma, maintain rigid social hierarchies often described as caste systems. In these societies, the ‘nobles’ are regarded as freeborn, while ‘slaves,’ descendants of captive slaves and the slave trade, continue to face discrimination and remain vulnerable to…

How can CDWD contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals? Here’s how

How can CDWD contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals? Here’s how

Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) refers to a form of social stratification and exclusion prevalent in many societies worldwide. CDWD primarily manifests in societies where individuals are categorised into hierarchical groups based on their ancestry, occupation, or birth, often referred to as castes or descent-based groups. Affecting over 270 million people worldwide, which…

Fight against caste-based discrimination in The Gambia: A tale of repression of and resistance by the Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent

Fight against caste-based discrimination in The Gambia: A tale of repression of and resistance by the Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent

In the long-standing resistance against a socially stratified society in the West Africa region, and particularly in the Upper River Region (URR) of The Gambia, a legal case and the following High Court judgement brought to light the persistence of caste practices and associated discrimination based on work and descent in the region.  Case Citation:…