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| ANNUAL REPORT |
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| NEPAL / DALITS |
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Despite having no modern day legal or religious legitimacy, caste and caste discrimination continues to exist in South Asia and particularly in Nepal, where Dalits are still considered untouchable and excluded from mainstream development. The Dalit Welfare Organisation, a non-government organisation (NGO) exists to change that - with its programme of human rights advocacy and supporting programmes of economic, social and political empowerment of the Dalit community in Nepal.
Caste, the placement of individuals and groups in the social hierarchy based on occupation, social group or cultural heritage, is not a new phenomenon and nor is caste or caste discrimination unique to Nepal or South Asia. But that caste discrimination continues to exist in Nepal and that it largely excludes Dalits from education and health service and condemns them to a life of absolute poverty, unable to benefit from sustainable economic development is a problem
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Nepal Population (source, International Labor Organisation "Dalits and Labor in Nepal", 2005)
| Geography |
Population |
Percentage within Dalits |
Percentage Total Population of Nepal |
| Hill and Mountain Dalits |
1843302 |
63.24% |
8.11% |
| Terai Dalits |
898146 |
30.81% |
3.95% |
| Unidentified Dalits |
173401 |
5.95% |
0.76% |
| Total Dalits |
2914849 |
100% |
12.82% |
| Total Population of Nepal |
22736934 |
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100% |
Untouchability
Untouchability manifests itself today in Dalits exclusion from many religious temples and cultural events and communal water taps. Many will avoid stepping in the shadow of a Dalit and Dalits are often segregated outside of village boundaries.
And yet there is nothing untouchable about people who happen to be labeled Dalit.
It is beyond question a violation (abuse) of basic human rights that such exclusion, segregation and discrimination continues to exist.
Social, Economic & Political Disempowerment
- Dalit literacy rate is 42.84% versus a national average 48.19% in the 2001 census1 and as low as 21% of Terai Dalits versus 74% of Terai upper caste groups2.
- 76% of Terai Dalits aged 6 years and above have never attended school versus national average 44%3.
- 41% of Grade 1 enrolled Dalits fail to complete the primary education cycle through Grade 54.
- Dalits have low relative enrolment in lower and high secondary education (7.8% / 5.11% of enrolled children)5
- Only 2% of primary school teachers are Dalit1
- 54% of Dalits are landless6.
- (1999) annual per capita income US$64.33 versus US$102.52 for upper castes7.
- Dalits account for only 3.8% of total employment in development sectors (NGOs, INGOs, bi-lateral and multi lateral) and far less in government sectors8.
- National average female life expectancy 58.9 years, but for Dalit women it is only 48.3 years9.
1International Labor Organisation "Dalits and Labor in Nepal", 2005
2UN Common Country Assessment, 2007
3Bennett, 2006
4UNICEF, Dalits in India and Nepal, 2007
5District Profile of Nepal 2007/2008
62001 Census
7ILO 2005, source Gurung et al 1999, adjusted for current exchange rate (US$1 = Rs65.00)
8Poudel Upendra "Is There Room Enough…?" 2004.
9MSNepal, 2003
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