What is Dalit Parliament?

Dalit parliament is a common platform of Dalit activists, sister organizations of political parties and the well wishers or supporters of Dalit rights movement aiming to bring historically prevailed Dalit issues in rigorous discourses and create significant pressure for state bodies.  The practice of Dalit parliament has been initiating since 2001 and it has been conducting every year. Dalits in Nepal has been oppressed economically, socially, culturally and politically from the history long. Despite their significant contribution in national economic development, they are overlooked at the time of power sharing. Due to the initiation of Dalit parliament in Nepal, the concept of Asian Dalit Parliamentarian Forum on Dalit Concern has come into existence. Similarly, model constitution assembly, People SAARC, Poor's Parliament, Parliament on Natural Resources, Youth Parliament are taken into consideration.

Objectives of Dalit Parliament:

• To create mass conscientation among Dalits and other marginalized communities; freed Harawa-Charawa, Haliyas, Kamaiyas and Kamhlaris (Agriculture Bonded Labours) on national and international Human Rights (HR) Instruments.
• To sensitize the policy makers, duty bearers, political parties and other concerned stakeholders for the effective implementation of constitutional and legal provision in relation to the rights of Dalit, women and agriculture bonded labours;  freed Harawa-Charawa, Haliyas, Kamaiyas and Kamhlaris
• To facilitate the role of Dalit elected representatives at local, provincial and federal level for watching the parliamentary process in regard to implement the provisions to the constitution of Nepal related to the socio-economic and political rights of Dalits, women and agriculture bonded labours.

Participants of the Dalit Parliament:

Dalit Parliament will directly target 300 participants representing from Dalits, women and other vulnerable groups; agriculture bonded labours; freed Harawa-Charawa, Haliyas, Kamaiyas and Kamhlaris. Indirectly, it will target all Dalits of communities (13.2% of whole population) in Nepal, 100,000 freed Harawa-Charawa of 8 districts in Madhesh province, more than 19,000 freed Haliyas, 32,000 Kamaiyas and 13,000 Kamhlaris in Nepal.

Historical Background of Dalit Parliament:

The first Dalit parliament was organized in 2001 and it could provide the pressure for the election of constituent assembly in time. Likewise, the second Dalit parliament was held in 2002 and it proclaimed the meaningful peace negotiation and alternative report for constitutional reservation for Dalits. In the same way, the third Dalit parliament was conducted at Dhangadi in 2003 that widely advocated for the emancipation of Haliyas and revolutionary land reform. But the venue of Dalit parliament from the forth Dalit parliament was shifted to Kathmandu and it proclaimed the model constitution of democratic republican Nepal. Similarly, fifth Dalit parliament in Kathmandu proclaimed the federal democratic republican Nepal. In the same way the sixth and seventh Dalit parliament formed shadow constituent assembly through designating Dalit parliament as Dalit constituent assembly to provoke for constitutional national Dalit commission as well as for drafting the forthcoming constitution in Dalit perspective.Similarly, 8th, 9th and 10th Dalit parliament focused on constitution building and 11th Dalit parliament raised the issues for implementing the newly promulgated constitution of Nepal.  

Time, Venue and Date of Dalit Parliament: The program will be held on 17 February, 2024 in Nepal Tourism Board Exhibition Road Opposite the City Hall from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Collaboration and Funding Partners: The Freedom Fund (TFF), The Asia Foundation (TAF), Habitat For Humanity International Nepal and Community Self Reliance Center (CSRC)

The socialist direction of the Nepali Dalit movement

Kathmandu Declaration 2024 issued by

Dalit Parliament

Preamble:

We have issued this Kathmandu Declaration from the Dalit Parliament which was held on 17^th February, 2024 in the presence of the progressive people of the socialist movement in Nepal and around the world with the main slogan; “Another Nepal without caste based discrimination and untouchability is possible, Let us build it.” It would organized in the context of World Social Forum (WSF) Nepal 2024 considering the non-implementation of the human rights provisions of Charter of the United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Declaration of Civil and Political Rights (1966), Declaration of Social, Cultural and Economic Rights (1966), International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ( 1979), Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), International Humanitarian Law (1949), Slavery Convention (1926) for the Dalits and the continued decline in incidents of caste discrimination and untouchability and also remaining steadfast in the implementation of the historic declarations and decisions of the Dalit Parliament since 2000 AD to till now led by Rastriya Dalit Network (RDN) Nepal.

This Dalit Parliament,

With respect to the 16th edition of the World Social Forum, which is being held recently with the main slogan "Another world is possible.” the first time in Nepal from 15^th to 19^th February 2024 with the involvement of 1252 organizations and groups from 92 countries around the world which have organized more than 400 programs in large and small, based on 13 main themes with the participation of thousands of people,

Demanding to re-evaluate policies, rules, plans, implementation levels and all other processes related to issues connected to world economy and politics, based on the political, economic and social characteristics of the laborer Dalit community, today's global economic crisis, epidemic crisis and climate crisis and class, regional, gender and drawing the serious attention of governments around the world to caste based discrimination and untouchability, this Dalit Parliament expresses solidarity with the issues to human rights and social justice expressed through the World Social Forum with the aim of creating pressure on the state to address the issues related to laborer Dalits around the world,

We would like to express our serious concern on behalf of all the Dalits of Nepal and the laborer community around the world by passing resolutions of public importance regarding the 21-point demands put forward by the Joint Political Dalit Struggle Committee, the 16-points resolution on Dalits passed by the National Assembly of Nepal, the study report on the situation of freed Kamaiya, Kamalari, Haliya and Harawa-Charawa 2078, the rehabilitation procedure and action plan for Kamaiya workers (Kamaiya, Kamalari, Halia and Harawa-Charawa) and related to forced labor (prohibition and rehabilitation).

Before the world community:

1. We demand to be critical about the negative effects created by the accepted policies and structures, to create alternative thoughts and ideas and to create a new world order and corresponding policy-structures by expressing solidarity with the collective intervention of social movements and civil organizations around the world against all kinds ofdiscrimination and violence, multilateral poverty, extreme inequality, racial untouchability and discrimination based on apartheid, gender discrimination, sexuality and sexuality, caused by imperialism, neoliberalism, globalized financial capitalism, climate crisis.
2. We invite you to keep humanity, freedom, self-respect and prosperity in the highest place in the world as profiteers are amassing wealth by selling the global crisis itself in today's capitalism, Internal migration from rural to urban areas is now moving from poor countries to developed countries. As wealth, technology and power are concentrated in the hands of the limited people of the world,
3. We invite you to take care of the global crisis due to the genocide of the Israel-Hamas war from the Russia-Ukraine war to the judicial world as the right-wing extremist forces are under various pretexts to undermine the democratic process, society and the interests of the world by increasing militarization, refugee problems, migration and unemployment, wars and conflicts to fulfill their vested interests.
4. We invite you to unite for the restoration of the rights of marginalized communities, including farmers, workers, women, Dalits, tribals, Muslims, youth, people with disabilities, gender and sexual minorities, and citizens affected by the epidemic, who have been deprived of the negative effects created by the policies and structures adopted by today's world system.
5. The impact of climate change created by development that has adversely affected the environment has been severe in poor countries today. It is clear in front of us that the citizens of poor countries are getting into trouble through various means, but the limited amount of corporate houses are being built when rich countries are over-centralizing resources, means and opportunities due to exploitation, oppression and hegemonic policies. Therefore, we invite you to proceed in a planned manner for envisioning a new world order with human dignity based on equality and social justice, accessible to all.
6. We request the governments around the world to formulate policies in favor of the laborer Dalit community through positive debate about the effects of discrimination based on race, descent and birth, caste system and caste system, discrimination based on color, deprivation, climate change, disaster and inequality on Dalit and marginalized communities.
7. We request the World Social Forum to prepare a strategy with a concrete plan of struggle for the achievement of the desired peaceful world with justice, equality, freedom and human dignity, preparing a clear blueprint for its governance, economy, social system and the quality of life of the citizens.
8. A total of 15.1%  of people in Nepal are still below the poverty line. In other words, 45 million people are still in need of food and shelter those who earn less than USD 1.90 per day. Another 1.5 million people are without access to electricity. According to a food security survey conducted in 2016, a total of 4.6 million people are still vulnerable to food security in Nepal. There are still about 1 million children in menial labor. 40% of citizens still do not have access to health services. Every year 1 million people go to India and other countries in search of work. There is unemployment in the country, there is no equitable development, ethnic and regional differences are strong, corruption is rampant, the state has not become just, inclusive and democratic. In such a situation, a just and prosperous Nepal and a democratic, equitable, inclusive, corruption-free Nepal where no one is hungry, no one is naked, no one is homeless, everyone gets a job, no one is left behind on the basis of caste, religion, caste, gender, region, freedom for all. In this regars, we request you to declare your commitment to the world community to resolve to restore self-respect.
9. We demand to pass  the protocol or declaration on Dalits through the United Nations in order to open up the collective identity of the communities including Dalits who are victims of caste discrimination around the world.

Before the Government of Nepal:

10. We demand to arrange at least 20% constitutional scientific reservation on the basis of Dalit population in all bodies including representative, constitutional and other administrative areas of the state of Nepal. Also, we demand to implement the policy of "reservation within the reservation" for the protection, empowerment and development of Madhesi, Newari and Karnali Dalits, Badi and Dalit women within the Dalit community.
11. We demand for the revolutionary land reform package including reforms in the traditional agricultural system to solve all the issues related to the land of Dalits, and an appropriate policy  should be formulated to ensure ownership of the land by Dalits and effective implementation by implementing the recommendations of the High Level Land Rights Commission.
12. We demand to amend the constitution to ensure proportional representation of the Dalit community at the local, provincial and federal level to create a 'integrated law on Dalits' accordingly and According to the principle of proportional inclusiveness provided in the Constitution of Nepal, to form a 'Dalit  Development Authority' for the overall development of the Dalit community according to the principle of proportional inclusiveness provided in the Constitution of Nepal.
13. We demand that Dalit women participate in every field and make a constitutional and legal arrangement for 50% scientific reservation for common women and 20% of that for Dalit women.
14. It is demanded to plan and implement the overall development of the Badi community in order to put an end to the political, economic and socio-cultural oppression of the Badi community according to the agreement between the Badi rights movement and the government.
15. We demands that a separate Dalit cell should established in all police offices on the issue of untouchability and discrimination by arranging the sufficient  budget to address cases of public humiliation, rape, murder, violence, beatings, public blockades and boycotts against the Dalit community due to caste-related untouchability and discrimination through the fast-track method based on the zero-tolerance policy and to effectively implement the Caste-related Untouchability and Discrimination (Crimes and Punishments) Act-2068.
16. We demand that the branch offices should be opened in all provinces, Dalit Development Divisions in all ministries at federal and Province level and 'Dalit Development Branches' at all local municipalities for the overall development and empowerment of the Dalit community by making the National Dalit Commission powerful with sufficient resources, as per the provision in the Constitution of Nepal.
17. We demand to upgrade the Bijeshwori Social Development Hostel in Kathmandu as a central hostel for logistic arrangement of women  and for arranging hostels for Dalit community students in the main cities of all provinces in Nepal.
18. It is demanded to establish a 'Multi-Purpose Skills and Arts Technical School' to protect and promote the skill and profession of Dalits since the skills, arts and abilities of the Dalit community are the property of the state and the manpower is experienced  as engineers.
19. Even though the end of feudalism has been declared in Nepali society, the Dalit population affected by Khalo-practice, Doli-practice, Haliya-practice, Harawa-Charawa-practice, which are the remnants of feudalism, are demanded to be rehabilitated immediately and arrange for self-sufficient production with alternative employment.
20. We invite for people's movements to unite against the extreme right-wing and populist forces that are dominating the Nepali politics and creating unnecessary confusion in the society and leading to regression and weakening the socialist movement.
21. We demand to pass and implement the Report of the Study Committee on the Situation of Freed  Kamaiya, Kamalari, Haliya and Harwa-Charawa 2078 formed by Nepal Government Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Rehabilitation procedure and action plan for Kamaiya workers (Kamaiya, Kamlari, Halia and Harawa-Charawa) and forced labor (prohibition and rehabilitation Bill 2079 immediately.
22. We demand that the Untouchabilioty freed day should be declared as Dalit Rights Day and the decade from 2024 to 2034 should be declared as 'Dalit Rights Decade' by strongly condemning all kinds of casteism, caste discrimination and untouchability based on caste, recognizing that any kind of discrimination based on caste and untouchability are scientifically wrong, socially reprehensible and dangerous and punishable from legal point of view.
23. We request to provide land to landless squatters where they are living and using at least 2 kattha for housing and 8 kattha for farming according to the formation order of the National Land Commission, when starting the work for landless squatters, to give first priority to the landless squatters, while collecting and verifying the data of the landless squatters, defining the landless squatters as a special community, defining the landless squatters as a special community as much as possible in the place.
24. We demand to establish of a labor bank to implement the slogan of one working family, one job, and the establishment of a labor welfare fund for the sustainability of agricultural laborers
25. The Dalit Parliament held on the third day of the World Social Forum would like its gratitude to all the speakers for attending the Dalit Parliament from home and abroad for expressing their important views as important speakers.