Asha Kowtal

Asha Kowtal is an activist and expert in the field of Dalit women’s rights. She is currently the General Secretary of the Dalit Women’s Rights movement in India, called the All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM),[1] which is part of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights.[2] She is also a convenor and part of the steering committee of WinG-India,[3] a network advancing leadership of women from the north-eastern part of India, and involving Dalit and tribal communities in governance at all levels with the aim of challenging exploitative structures and enabling a society with gender equality.[4][5]

Asha Kowtal
NationalityIndian
Known forActivist for Dalit women's rights

Professional qualifications

Kowtal holds a master's degree in social work and has held various positions with donor agencies, working in the development sector with a focus on the rights of India’s marginalised women.[6][7][8]

Professional career

Under Kowtal's leadership, AIDMAM has organised multiple activities, including a National Tribunal on Justice for Dalit Women, which came out with a report on violence against Dalit women after sittings held on 30 September and 1 October 2013.[9]

Kowtal and AIDMAM have also organised a national conference to discuss the specific needs of Dalit women, titled "Reframing Budgets for Dalit Women in India", training programs on International Human Rights Mechanisms and Dalit women self-respect marches across key Indian states, such as the Dalit Mahila Swabhiman Yatra.[10] She has also organised North American tour as Dalit Women Self Respect March, around 16 cities of north America in 2015.[11]

Asha has been involved in creation of Dalit History Month. Its goal is to share the contributions to history from Dalits around the world.[12]

Kowtal was also a speaker at the UN Women and European Union 'National Conference on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment' in New Delhi. She also spoke at the April 2014 Women in the World Summit in New York on the mass mobilisation of Dalit women through self-respect marches. She has been a regular speaker at various United Nations events.

References
  1. "Asha Kowtal" (PDF). Idsn.org. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  2. "Welcome to NCDHR Team member — ADRF Documents". Ncdhr.org.in. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  3. "Steering Committee | WING". Wing-india.org. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  4. "All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch -AIDMAM". Allindiadalitmahilaadhikarmanch.blogspot.in. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  5. "Social and Gender Justice: All India Dalit MahilaAdhikarManch (AIDMAM) : Annual REport 2013-14" (PDF). Esango.un.org. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  6. "National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights". Ncdhr.org.in. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  7. "National Conference: Reframing Budgets for Dalit Women in India" (PDF). Dalitweb.org. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  8. "Report : National Tribunal Violence Against Dalit Women in India" (PDF). Ncdhr.org.in\accessdate=2016-06-02. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  9. "'A conspiracy of silence against Dalit victims'". The Hindu. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  10. "Dalit Mahila Swabhiman Yatra — ADRF Documents". Ncdhr.org.in. Archived from the original on 15 October 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  11. "Welcome". Endcasteapartheid. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  12. timeline. "Dalit History Month". www.tiki-toki.com. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

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