NCDHR
National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights

   The National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) is a coalition of Dalit Human Rights activists, civil society organizations, journalists, and academics who are committed to ending the caste-based discrimination and “untouchability” practices that deny human rights and dignity to 170 million Indian citizens – one sixth of India’s population.  Established in 1998, NCDHR is a non-party based secular platform centered in Delhi and with offices in 14 states of the country.  NCDHR performs atrocity monitoring, legal interventions, and national and international advocacy to achieve a three-pronged objective: (1) to hold the State accountable for all Human Rights violations committed against Dalits; (2) to sensitize civil society by raising visibility of the Dalit problem; and (3) to render justice to Dalit victims of discrimination and violence.  All of our activities are supported by private contributions; we accept no government funding. 

NCDHR's Origins & Objectives

   In October 1998, seventy-eight Dalit activists and human rights activists from across India, concerned about the frequent atrocities and the blatant lack of implementation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, met in Bangalore to discuss a program of action.  We were anguished that though our nation had just completed her 50th year of independence, and in spite of our Constitutional and International committments to the contrary, the prevalence of "untouchability" continued unabated in many parts of the country.  In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we called for an urgent national campaign to highlight Dalit Human Rights and to uphold that "Dalit Rights are Human Rights."

   The Campaign is an expression of Hope as well as Anguish:  Hope that we Dalits can re-establish our lost humanity, dignity, and security of life; Hope that we Dalits have the capacity to transform our pain and struggle into power for achieving justice, equality, and dignity regardless of caste, gender, religion, race, or ethnicity.  Our efforts are to establish ourselves as daughters and sons of the Indian soil -- and to assert our aspirations for self-governance with Dalit leadership in order to bring about a change of power equations in the economic, cultural, and political orders.

   Dalit movements have been fighting "untouchability," casteism, economic exploitation since the 1920s.  Needless to say, today we are at a crucial juncture where Dalits are voicing their urge for liberation.  On this occasion we fondly remember our great leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and leaders like Jotiba Phule and E.V.R. Periyar who have made historical contributions towards the abolition of the "heinous crime of untouchability" from the face of this country.  We carry on the great march that they lead decades ago.

   It is to be stressed that the Campaign is not an effort to subsume, replace or negate on-going efforts of Dalits and others in various mass movements, people's organizations, labor unions, etc.  Rather, it is an effort to galvanize and martial all these movements into a representative body that can collectively organize, educate, agitate, and demand for an end to untouchability and casteism once and for all in both the government and in civil society.

Earlier Work & Current Focus

   Since its inception in 1998, NCDHR has made major strides in giving visibility to the plight of the Dalit community in South Asia.  NCDHR’s work has been instrumental in bringing the kind of international attention and media coverage which has made many in India and around the world sit up and take notice of the injustice and oppresshion faced by Dalits.   To name just a few, NCHDR has been involved in events such as the World Conference Against Racism in South Africa (‘01), all World Social Forums, the historic 40-day Dalit Swadhikar Rally across India (‘04), the first ever public hearing on “The Situation of the Dalits in India” at the European Parliament in Brussels (Dec ’06), and the first International Conference on the Human Rights of Dalit Women at The Hague (Nov ’06).  The positive results of these efforts include the first-ever recognition of the Dalit Human Rights problem by the United Nations (Aug 2001), the European Union (May ‘07), and the United States Congress (July ‘07), important events which have increased international pressure on the Government of India to address the serious Dalit issues it has up to now paid only lip-service to.  

   With our successes in raising national and international awareness of the Dalit human rights situation, NCDHR’s focus is shifting:  We seek foremost to hold the State responsible for not checking the “impunity” being enjoyed by non-Dalits in the criminal justice administrative system.  Specifically, we challenge the State and its justice delivery mechanism, including the Human Rights institutions that are in place, to actually implement and enforce its constitutional and legislative measures to safeguard, protect and promote the basic human rights of Dalits.

NCDHR currently has chapters in the following 14 states:

Bihar
Delhi
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Karnataka
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Orissa
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Uttar Pradesh

CONTACT US

Phone Number & Mailing Address

NCDHR National Secretariat
8/1, 2nd Floor, South Patel Nagar, New Delhi – 110008
Tel: (+91) 011-25842249 , Fax: 011-25842250

E-mail Contacts

For general questions and information, contact: ncdhr@vsnl.net
To obtain NCDHR publications, reports, and Dalit related posters, contact: dinesh@ncdhr.org
For media-related inquiries and questions/comments regarding Dalits in the News, contact: arun@ncdhr.org
For inquiries related to International Advocacy and/or NCDHR’s Internship Program, contact: raj@ncdhr.org