SAMABESHI Foundation (SF)

Dalit people are stigmatized as ‘polluted’, ‘impure’, and ‘untouchable’. Dalit women are further stigmatized because of their gender, and Dalit women from the Muslim Madheshi communities are perhaps some of the most marginalized individuals in the country. Literacy levels among Dalit women in Nepal are as low as 3.2% and they own almost no cultivable land. Women from these communities face multiple forms of violence, including institutional violence through religious customs, physical and sexual violence in the form of gang rapes, and domestic violence from their partners. The 2017 local election in Nepal saw Dalit communities elected to leadership positions for the first time, providing a window of opportunity for bringing about real change to the community.

Samabeshi Foundation is registered in Kathmandu, Nepal and is a rights-based movement working to eliminate caste-based untouchability for a more inclusive Nepal. Since its establishment in 2003, it has campaigned for several legal reforms to eliminate caste-based discrimination. The Samabeshi Foundation seeks our support in conducting research to understand the state and impact of Dalit women’s representation in federal and provincial assemblies and their roles in peacebuilding. Through focus group discussions and key informant interviews the research would provide recommendations for changes in laws, polices and programmes in Nepal.