IDSN Dalit Rights Delegation Visit to Brussels (June 2025)

The IDSN Dalit Rights Delegation Visit to Brussels in June 2025 brought together six human rights defenders from marginalized caste communities across South Asia for a weeklong advocacy campaign. The delegation comprised Dharsika Sivapragasam (Human Development Organization, Sri Lanka), Swapon Das (DALIT Khulna, Bangladesh), Sushil BK (Dalit NGO Federation and DHR Nepal), Mary James Gill (Centre for Law and Justice, Pakistan), and representatives from the National Dalit Christian Watch (India) and the Esther Foundation/NFDW (India).

Over the course of the week, delegates met systematically with officials from the EU External Action Service (EEAS), Members and staff of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and international NGOs. The meetings were strategically designed to strengthen European Union engagement on caste-based discrimination, enhance monitoring and dialogue mechanisms, and ensure that the rights of marginalized caste communities remain a priority across EU human rights and development policies.

The delegation's advocacy work emphasized the continuing human rights challenges faced by Dalit communities, with particular attention to intersecting forms of discrimination experienced by Dalit women. Delegates described the visit as highly impactful and empowering, noting that it provided a rare opportunity for grassroots and community-based concerns to be conveyed directly to influential EU policymakers and international stakeholders. The engagement contributed to a broader European Parliament conversation on the need for stepped-up consultations with Dalit communities and the adoption of comprehensive EU policies addressing intersectional discrimination based on work and descent.