How Dalit People Are Overcoming Discrimination in India

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as untouchable: higher caste people will not touch a Dalit or anything that has come in physical contact with them as they are considered to be sub-human.

Despite constitutional abolishment of caste-based discrimination and untouchability, oppression of Dalits, who are viewed as being too low to even be part of the caste system, is one of the most repelling but enduring realities of the Indian countryside. By many accounts, they are the largest social group in the world suffering discrimination, based entirely on the happenstance of their birth and lineage and sanctioned by both social and religious traditions.

Navsarjan Trust works predominantly with Dalits and marginalized communities in rural Gujarat, India, where the practice of untouchability is strong. The organization also works with Dalits in urban areas and with communities outside the Hindu caste hierarchy (such as Christian and Islamic communities) who are victims of discrimination. Navsarjan is active in around 3,000 Gujarat villages, has won major victories in and out of court, and is a powerful force in fighting caste-based discrimination and other human rights abuses.

At a recent lecture, Navsarjan Trust founder Martin Macwan spoke about his work. Listen above.