This briefing was created by the CSO FfD Mechanism for activists and advocates who are interested in getting involved in or learning more about how global economic governance relates to different sectoral and/or local and national struggles in Asia – including feminist movements, food sovereignty and land rights movements, climate justice activists, youth and student movements, human rights advocates, and more.
What difference can wealth taxes make for gender justice in Asia?
This briefing explains how wealth taxes can be used as a tool to fight inequalities and achieve gender justice aims and highlights the potential impact such measures would have by pointing to examples in India and Indonesia among other Asian countries.
The Dalit and Adivasi Budget Analysis (DABA) provides a thorough analysis of the Union Budget and examines the budget allocation for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. In 2023, the findings were particularly concerning and newsworthy, as numerous government schemes intended to support these groups have had reduced allocations, while many general schemes are counted as part of the budget for these groups, although they are not directly targeted to them.
Contrary to the commitment to end manual scavenging, no funds were allocated for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers under the self-employment scheme, the scholarship programme for children of people engaged in manual scavenging has been dropped, and the National Safai Karmachari Finance and Development Corporation received a negligible allocation.
This report, by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights provides insight into the lived realities and stories of women and girl sanitation workers in two states in India (Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra). Their voices often go unheard and their lives made invisible due to the stigma attached to their work. Based on a combination of a literature review and focus group discussions with women and girl , the report helps the reader to understand the issues and challenges of daily life from their lens, and the hurdles they face in accessing their rights and entitlements. The report also provides an analysis of existing schemes and budget allocation for sanitation workers and the gaps that must be addressed by the government and society at large.
This report compiles an overview of findings from consultations carried out by Aksi! with women in 10 cities across Indonesia between November 2021 and January 2022. The report sheds light on the issues of gender and economic inequality faced by women at the forefront of these issues as expressed and analysed by the women themselves. It is hoped that by reading this report, stakeholders can see the situation of women from their own perspective, understand their challenges and their aspirations for change, and then develop joint efforts to help them, their families and communities deal with the situations of inequality and injustice they face.
The report is only available in Bahasa Indonesia.
Or view the online flipbook version here.
Gender Responsive Budgeting has emerged as critical tool for incorporating a gender perspective into India’s overall planning and budgeting. But are India’s budgets responsive to Dalit women’s needs? NCDHR analyses whether India’s budgets in 2019-2023 have been successful in reaching the most marginalised women after two decades of gender responsive budgeting. The report also proposes changes that the union government can make to make its gender responsive budgeting more inclusive of Dalit women.
Modern slavery is the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of people through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means for the purpose of exploitation. The victim under modern slavery is, therefore, confronted with threats, violence and abuse of power. Modern slavery occurs in different situations in which a victim is severely exploited for the gain of the perpetrator, either personal or commercial. It can take various forms such as bonded labour/debt bondage, forced labour, forced child labour, sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, domestic servitude and unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers.
‘Discrimination based on work and descent’ (DWD) is the UN terminology for caste discrimination. It affects over 260 million people globally, it has its roots in the centuries-old caste system of India and is prevalent in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Indian diaspora, owing to shared histories, borders and people.
The briefing demonstrates the links between caste-based discrimination and forms of modern slavery in South Asia, including the practice of forced labour in the form of manual scavenging and presents recommendations for policy-makers at various levels.
The undervaluation of care and care work is reflected in the gross imbalances and gaps in national budgets and lack of publicly funded care services, support systems for care workers, and physical and social infrastructures needed to reduce and redistribute care work. Care – caring for families, communities, and society as a whole – is an essential need and function of any society; it is not “just a woman’s responsibility,” but the collective responsibility of society.
The Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) advances a comprehensive agenda for tax and gender justice that takes into account the multiple and intersecting layers of discrimination that women in Asia face. The issue brief explains how burdensome Value-added tax (VAT), Goods and Services tax (GST) and Excise tax are to women and all unpaid care workers and has become imperative to advance our five (5) calls and demands.
This report by Aksi! provides an analysis of the social reality of economic inequalities faced by women in Indonesai and the impact of policies and programmes intended to tackle this.
The report is only available in Bahasa Indonesia.
Or view the ‘Online Flipbook’ version here.
This briefing was developed by the Civil Society FfD (Financing for Development) Mechanism (led by SID). The briefing connects the national and international when it comes to tax policies and broader domestic resource mobilization strategies, highlighting how shaping decision-making on global economic governance at the UN has the potential to transform our global economic systems to reduce inequalities within and between countries and make them work for people and the planet.
The briefing is part of the Civil Society FfD Mechanism’s broader toolkit introducing the Financing for Development (FfD) process. This is intended to to make navigating the FfD process and its interrelated domains more accessible for a non-technical audience.
The briefing is available in English, French, and Spanish.
