Working Group for Women and Land Ownership, WGWLO is taking the lead in organizing five parallel sessions in collaboration with ILC Asia, Landesa and Womanity Foundation at the India Land & Development Conference, 2025 being held from 18-20th November 2025 at Ahmedabad Management Association in Ahmedabad. These sessions aim to critically reflect on the journey of women’s land rights (WLR) in India, by examining the intersections of gender, caste, class, religion, ethnicity, occupation and age. This reflection will help to address the gaps in feminist land right discourses. WGWLO and HDRC are taking the lead in organising this parallel session “ Land, Life and Livelihoods: Dialogue with Dalit and De-Notified Tribes” to bring together the voices of Dalit, De-notified tribes and excluded communities especially women.. This session will bring together the voices of Dalit, De Notified Tribes (DNT) and landless communities, especially women from these communities, highlighting the often overlooked agendas, issues and challenges which they face. These challenges include, limited access to land and other resources, marginalisation and exclusion from the broader development narrative, economic empowerment that neglect their unique needs and gaps in implementation of land laws and policies. The Context The Dalit community and De Notified tribes (DNTs) , particularly women, face significant challenges in accessing and using agricultural land and other types of land in India. The Indian Constitution provides protections for Dalits, DNTs and women from these communities, including equal rights to property and land. Laws such as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and policies like the National Land Reforms Policy aim to address land inequality and promote social justice. Despite these laws and policies, implementation gaps and lack of awareness about rights hinder the realization of land rights among Dalit, DNTs and women from these communities. Despite constitutional protections and laws enabling joint pattas or tenancy rights, the reality on the ground remains grim.

Many Dalit and DNT families lack formal identification documents and land titles, making it difficult for them to access government services and benefits. DNTs labeled as “criminal tribes” under the British colonial era Criminal Tribes Act 1871 continue to face social stigma due to their historical labelling even after the act was repealed in 1952. Social injustices and forced displacement have led to the loss of ancestral lands, pushing DNTs into poverty and vulnerability and further marginalizing them from mainstream society. Dominant castes often seize land reserved for Dalits, further restricting their access to this important resource. Limited access to land and other resources perpetuates poverty and marginalization among Dalits.

Dalit and DNT women face intersecting forms of discrimination based on their caste, class, and gender, aggravating their marginalization. Social and cultural norms, lack of awareness about their rights, and limited access to education and financial resources hinder their ability to access land. They often lack the authority and power to make decisions within their households and communities, limiting their ability to access and manage land. Women from these communities face violence and harassment from dominant castes and even within their own families when trying to assert their land rights. Without access to land, women are often forced into low-wage labor, limiting their economic opportunities and autonomy. The panel brings together grassroots leaders, researchers, practitioners and ecosystem actors from across India, to explore how these communities navigate marginalization, assert agency, and carve out spaces of inclusion and resilience. It will explore how access to resources affects social justice, gender equity and ecological stability. By highlighting lived experiences, grounded struggles and successes, it will provide deeper understanding on the complex issues surrounding resource rights and social justice and to identify opportunities for collaborative action. 

Objectives The key objectives of holding these sessions are to: 

1. Explore the relationship of Dalit women and those from denotified tribes with land and commons. 

2. Understand the factors that strengthen or weaken their right to land and commons. 

3. Listen to their challenges, how they face them and their hopes for the future 

4. Learn how ecosystem actors (government, civil society, donors, and researchers) can better support their land rights.

Expected Outcomes 

This session will provide a platform to engage directly with Dalit, De-notified tribes and landless communities, especially women, to understand their lived realities, strategies of negotiation, aspirations for change and visions for the future. By centering their voices, the session will shed light on the key issues and challenges faced by this community especially women and promote a more inclusive approach to development. It will lead to effective implementation of laws and policies along with accountability mechanisms that can help address land equality and promote social justice. The dialogues will be compiled into a Collective Outcome Document for ILDC 2025, outlining key insights and recommendations to support the land rights of these communities. This document will serve as a guide for policymakers, donors, researchers, and civil society actors to develop a clear plan for the next decade.