http://www.dalits.org/CurrentEvents.html

> "We are human beings and we want to live as human beings
> in this country. We need all your solidarity and support
> in this endeavor," so exclaimed Mr. Maruthapandi (see
> Dalit Profiles of Courage) to the over 300 delegates from
> India and around the world who gathered in Delhi from 1-4
> March 2001 to participate in the Global Conference
> Against Caste Discrimination, organised by the National
> Campaign on Dalit Human Rights jointly with other
> national, regional and international organisations.

> Describing how he was prevented, sometimes violently,
> from running for six consecutive elections in his native
> village in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Maruthapandi sounded a
> clarion call to the Indian nation and international
> community exhorting them to stand with the over 260
> million Dalits of South Asia in their endeavor to
> overcome caste discrimination. His call was also a
> caution to those who would seek to silence their voices
> in speaking out against this discrimination and exposing
> it to the conscience of the human rights and world
> community. Specifically, Mr. Maruthapandi was urging the
> international community to take up the cause of the Dalit
> peoples of the world to the forthcoming UN World
> Conference Against Racism to be held in South Africa in
> September 2001.

Members from at least 29 different organisations
participated in the meeting.

The arguments of the Government of India why casteism
should *not* be discussed at the WCAR, and counterarguments,
are presented at:

 http://www.dalits.org/CasteRaceandWCAR.html

Other WCAR related sites.

WCAR official UN site:
 http://www.un.org/WCAR/

WCAR NGO forum:
 http://www.racism.org.za/index.html

Indymedia plans to cover WCAR:
 http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-sa

An indymedia "feature" on WCAR:
 http://la.indymedia.org/

Call for International Day of Action Against Racism (IDAAR 2001)
on 31 August 2001:
 http://sydney.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=4726