THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING VULNERABILITIES AND ATROCITIES AGAINST DALIT WOMEN

Abstract

Dalit women are positioned at the bottom of India’s caste, class and gender hierarchies. They experience endemic and political power equations. Women are often seen as a symbol of a community’s prestige and this is equally true of the Dalit community. Therefore, an outsider violating the honour of their women signals the powerlessness of the Dalits to protect their womenfolk. And there are people who will not tolerate any assertion by Dalit women and are ready to suppress them and/or their voice at all costs. Incidentally, this phenomenon also poses a major challenge for the empowerment of Dalit women, who are not able to speak out against the atrocities committed against them. The majority of Dalit women are landless labourers and scavengers in rural areas.