Global Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits
Bangkok, Thailand
A member of the Dalit delegation at the WCC assembly in Porto Alegre 2006.A 21-24 March conference in Bangkok, Thailand is to promote international ecumenical solidarity with the ongoing struggle of Dalits for recognition of their dignity and rights.
An estimated 250 million Dalits are living in South Asia today - people who, on the basis of their descent, are regarded as "untouchable" or "polluting" by the societies in which they live.
The Global Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits will bring together approximately one hundred representatives of churches and church-related organizations from all over the world, Indian churches, and members of affected communities. It will provide a forum for an exchange of experiences between Dalits and similarly excluded communities elsewhere, and for articulating theological and ethical responses to their struggles for survival and identity.
Taking place one month prior to an impact review of the United Nations 2001 World Conference Against Racism, the ecumenical event will be convened by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in cooperation with the Christian Conference of Asia.
