We believe that the Central Government and the State Governments must do more to fulfil their responsibility to protect Dalit women and girls from sexual violence. Together, we are putting forward the following recommendations.

In October 2017, the hashtag #MeToo went viral, with women and girls across the world sharing their stories of sexual assault and harassment. For those of us working in women’s rights, these stories were sadly not shocking, but for many it was a wake-up call, shining a spotlight on just how endemic sexual violence is around the world.

In June 2021, the Government of Kenya made a valiant decision to end Gender-Based Violence (GBV) including sexual violence by 2026. When making the announcement, Kenya promised to intensify its campaign to end these violations by undertaking a series of 12 bold commitments that would remove the systemic barriers that allow GBV to thrive.

The New York State Attorney General’s investigation of Governor Andrew Cuomo has revealed multiple and repeated allegations of sexual harassment and assault against eleven women, as well as a toxic work environment that has persisted throughout his three terms as governor. Our elected officials pledge to uphold the rule of law and to protect human rights. Governor Cuomo has irrevocably broken this oath and severed the trust of New Yorkers.

It has been more than 26 years now since more than 180 governments, including Kenya, came together and committed to promoting gender equality through the adoption of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Gender Equality. Since then, Kenya has adopted a raft of critical legislations designed to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). These legislations are welcome and have all the hallmarks of a country that is committed to facilitating gender equality.

Activists working at the intersections of gender and caste have long called for action to address the endemic sex and caste discrimination and violence faced by Dalit women. Today marks the start of an online national campaign highlighting the issue of caste-based sexual violence across India. Equality Now is proud to be a part of this campaign to kick start much-needed conversations on this issue and call for action to end caste-based sexual violence, together with the newly formed National Council of Women Leaders, Equality Labs, and Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network.

Working in collaboration with Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network (DHRD-Net), Equality Labs, and Equality Now, NCWL is launching a national campaign running from July 19th to August 31st 2021, which will draw much-needed public attention to how Dalit women and girls are being deliberately subjected to widespread sexual violence and harassment stemming from severe, pervasive and intersectional discrimination tied to their gender, caste and class. Vulnerably positioned at the bottom of these social structures, the socio-economic vulnerability and low political status of Dalit women and girls increases their exposure to human rights violations, while simultaneously reducing their ability to escape...

This submission details concerns relating to access to justice for children and adolescent girls who are survivors of sexual violence, including in the context of harmful practices (child marriages and bride kidnappings) in Georgia