Hidden and Normalized Inequality and Violence: The Realities of Women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent

Across the world, women from communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD)—including Dalit, Quilombola, Haratine, and Roma women—continue to face extreme, multidimensional, and often invisible forms of gender-based violence. Despite decades of international commitments, the violence they face remains under-reported, under-researched, and absent from global policy dialogues.

The new UN Women Policy Paper on Women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent provides the first-ever UN system guidance to understand and address the structural, gendered, and systemic violence affecting these communities. This side event will showcase lived experiences, evidence, and grassroots strategies from CDWD women leaders and will highlight policy gaps in national, regional, and global responses to gender-based violence.