The Role of Dalit Civil Society in Combatting Caste-Based Discrimination

Abstract

An estimated 260 million Dalits continue to face caste-based discrimination and practices of untouchability. According to available census figures of Dalits in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, the Dalit population from these three countries alone totals 215 million. Bhutan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka also have Dalits but they do not recognize caste on their census.1 Lastly, the Dalit diaspora from these South Asian countries makes up a significant portion of the global Dalit population. In spite of the legal ban on caste-based discrimination and the practices of untouchability, Dalits continue to face prejudice on the basis of their birth in the lowest caste.