News
October 17, 2019
Shelter City guest Dilip presents the Chakma community to students
On the 14th of October, Dilip, currently a guest of Shelter City The Hague, presented his work as human rights defender to students aged 12-15 at the Alfdrink college in Zoetermeer.
Dilip has been working to protect the rights of the Chakma community in India. During his presentations, he explained how the Chakma community became one of India’s minority indigenous groups. He also explained the structural discrimination that Chakmas suffer, being denied education and targeted by local criminal groups.
When asked why he got involved in defending human rights, Dilip shared his personal story. He had to flee his village at a young age because most of it was burned down. He then worked hard to become a lawyer and improve the situation of his community.
The students were very good listeners and seemed engaged in Dilip’s story, asking good questions and approaching him after the talks.
We at Shelter City believe that it is important to educate young people on human rights and how to fight for change. This is why we are working on a project called Shelter City School that we will launch in 2020. It aims at making students engage with human rights defenders and become more aware of human rights issues in today’s society.