Awareness and safety training for casteless women

In Nepal, Dalits, or non-caste people, often live outside the society. They do not have the same access to health care, education, decent work or justice. Dalit women have to face multiple discrimination, as they are in a weaker position due to their gender, castelessness and poverty.

KIOS has funded the work of the Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO Nepal) with casteless women. FEDO’s goal is for women to begin to understand and demand their  rights.

With the support of KIOS, 500 Dalit women and other people in a vulnerable position received training about their rights and how to defend them and demand accountability from the authorities.

In the district covered by KIOS support, FEDO documented more than 80 cases where the human rights of Dalit women had been violated. The cases were related to, for example, accusations of witchcraft, discrimination based on caste or gender, rape, forced marriages or domestic violence.

About 150 grassroots Dalit women’s human rights defenders gathered by FEDO received security training so that they know how to better consider security risks when defending women’s rights.