Dalit women are standing up against an ancient system of discrimination
Two advocates explain and challenge the caste system that has deemed hundreds of millions of Indians untouchables.
Manjula Pradeep remembers the bullying and discrimination she faced in elementary school. Her father tried to spare her the suffering by changing the family’s surname but his efforts only made the abuse worse. They were Dalits and there was no way of hiding it. Beginning in her adolescent years, Pradeep was a victim of sexual assault and other forms of violence. “All of these experiences made me strong as a person, but I also decided to do something in my life. I wanted to channelize my anger with something positive, with a long-standing impact on the lives of my community…” says Pradeep in the story she recorded for I Defend Rights.
Dalits are literally outcasts, men and women who were not born into the four castes that comprise the system of stratification that has determined the social position of Indians for around 3,000 years. Manjula Pradeep and her fellow Dalit Activist Asha Kowtal explain the inequities of the caste system:
Audio: “The class system is historically one of the oldest forms of discrimination in the world. More than 200 million people called as Dalits, the so-called Untouchables, are affected by the caste system. They are discriminated, excluded, treated as defiled and impure due to their caste. I come from one of such castes.”
Among the segregated, Pradeep explains, women are the most vulnerable of all. They experience brutal oppression at the intersection of class, gender, and religious values. But they are the ones leading the march towards justice and dignity for the Dalit. Pradeep and Kowtal both see women as the driving force behind the fight against the caste system.
Audio: “Strong women leaders like me face the brunt of masculinity and are being harassed from all sides, but I know that we have to gain the power to stand up not for our rights, but also for the rights of other women in our community.” →
Pradeep and Kowtal believe women can lead the march towards dignity and justice. But, as Pradeep explains, a strong human rights movement will only be achieved by embracing diversity.
Audio: “Whenever and wherever there are instances of violence, people across movements should condemn, protest, and provide support to affected people regardless of their faith, gender, caste, class, and ethnicity.” →
The challenges are enormous but so is the resolve of these women. There is no doubt in Kowtal’s mind that the movement is headed in the right direction.
Audio: “(…) the dream that we have to end caste-based violence, and actually have a world that is free for all, where each of us can enjoy freedom, dignity and human rights will be a reality.”
Manjula Pradeep is the Founder of Wayve Foundation, an organization that works with Indian youth to bridge the boundaries of caste, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. Listen to her voice here.
Asha Kowtal is the General Secretary of the National Dalit Women’s movement — All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM). Listen to her voice here:
I Defend Rights, an initiative of the Norwegian Human Rights Fund and Memria, is a growing archive of hundreds of personal accounts from human rights defenders around the world.
