Statement for UN Forum on Minority Issues 29 November 2011 Honorable chairperson, Independent Expert on Minority Issues United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Distinguished Delegates Firstly l would like to thank you very much for granting me an opportunity to speak in the important forum on minority issues on behalf of my community and lam also grateful to Minority rights groups International and OHCHR for providing the invitation. My name is Anita Bishankha. l am from Nepal and belong to Dalit community i.e. so-called untouchables. I have been working in a National NGO named as Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organization (NNDSWO) as a project Coordinator. NNDSWO is a first registered organization to work for Rights of Dalit and to combat caste based discrimination and Untouchabiltiy in Nepal. Dalits in Nepal are socio-culturally oppressed and economically and politically backward. They are occupational caste groups having particular traditional occupation like shoemaking, tailoring, iron work and gold work. They are placed at the bottom of caste hierarchy and were treated as untouchables or so called lower caste because of their involvement in impure work. Dalit covers 20 % of the total population and Dalit women are half of it. They are marginalized as they have been facing discrimination on the basis of caste, gender and poverty. Women of Dalit community are deprived from a substantial amount of socio-cultural and economic activities through the denial of entry into the public temples, basic services, no access to common resources, to choose a spouse and/or social relationships, participation, as well as forced labor, dominance, atrocities, social boycott, attitudinal untouchability and discrimination. They have been victimized because of intercaste marriage and accused of witchcraft. They have less access to justice. Moreover, within Dalit women the situation of Terai Dalit women and Badi is even more vulnerable. Due to poverty and illiteracy they have less access to economic opportunities. They have less representation in the decision making process and politics. The Constituent Assembly Election was able to elect 22 female Constituent Assembly members out of 197 female CA members which is historical achievement in the history however it is not enough. The most prevalent and burning problems that need immediate attention is intercaste marriage Le the right to marriage and choice of spouse.. There is an increase in incidents of violence against intercaste married couples. According to a study of the media conducted by our organization in 2010-2011 19 news were