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…
In July 2024, Simona Torotcoi addressed the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, a subdivision of both the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Economic and Social Council, responsible for the entire organisation’s policy on sustainable development. Simona, a Roma from Romania and currently working with the ERGO Network, is a part of…
The following statement has been issued by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights ‘Leave No One Behind’ is the Central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals which is a priority of India too. The question is, does our action at the national level reflect our commitment to this promise? And…
Paul Divakar, the convener of the Global Forum on Discrimination, has issued a passionate appeal against the increasing dangers of climate change and how it is leaving India’s CDWD with nowhere to go. In a story published by Al Jazeera titled: “‘I’m in hell’: How rising heat is amplifying India’s social divides”, Divakar said the…
EQUALITY and non-discrimination are constitutionally enshrined rights for all citizens of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Yet, a significant population of communities ‘discriminated on work and descent’ (DWD) are the casualties of Modern Slavery and slavery-like practices in South Asia. While most countries have abolished all forms of slavery through national legislations and…
