‘Will focus on racism in terms of gender, intersectionality’, says Kolar native appointed UN special rapporteur

Speaking to IE.com, the 36-year-old explains that she was always interested in exploring the kinds of social exclusion that persist in society, which is one of the main reasons that prompted her to apply for the post. “Many of my family members were part of Dalit movements and I personally have a keen interest in anti-caste and women’s rights movements. My academic thesis also revolved around land and caste issues, and Dalit movements,” Ashwini says.

On her to-do list as a special rapporteur, she says, “My work will be on the lines of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. I am keen to focus on racism in terms of gender and the intersectionality perspective. This is because we always look at racism in a vague space, sometimes forgetting the many layers it comes in, like caste, class and gender.”

“I thought I have an academic understanding of a lot of issues related to caste discrimination, racism, xenophobia, which actually pushed me to apply for the job,” adds the native of Karnataka’s Kolar who pursued her MA thesis in ‘Land and caste question: Case study of land reforms in Karnataka’ from St Joseph’s University in Bengaluru. She also pursued her MPhil and PhD in ‘International dimension of human rights of Dalits in India and Nepal’ from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Ashwini, who is now settled in Bengaluru, says many ‘despise’ her for being an ‘assertive Dalit’. She recalls an incident in August: “Some people from a privileged section of the society threatened me openly when I spoke of reservation and atrocities on Dalits, among other related subjects. My caste identity has always haunted me and I did face backlash even as a teacher when I stressed on an anti-caste narrative.”

Before working as a teacher at St Joseph’s University, Ashwini was with Amnesty International from 2017 to 2018 as a senior campaigner for the business and human rights team where she focused on illegal land acquisition of adivasis. She also co-founded an NGO, Zariya, in 2020 with her friend Mariya Salim that focuses on upholding the rights of Dalit and Muslim women.