Witness

Nepal’s Defiant Dalit Journalist

A Dalit journalist explores the relationship between caste, land, and abuses of power in Nepal.

Sona Khatik, a young Nepalese journalist, investigates stories on sexual violence against Dalit girls. As she reports on one girl’s death, she reflects upon her own life.

She knows first-hand how violence is entrenched in the lives of Dalit women. But she is not afraid to challenge those in power, hold them to account and bring about change. And in the fight against discrimination, Khatik sees land ownership as a weapon of change.

“Without land, we’ll always be oppressed by the upper castes. All our struggles are connected to the question of land,” she says defiantly.

Nepal’s Defiant Dalit Journalist, by Subina Shrestha.