About Dalit Dignity & Justice Center (DDJC)

The Dalit Dignity & Justice Center (DDJC) was established on 9 October 2023 by the Prayas Jan Utthan Samiti (PJUS) to advance access to justice, constitutional rights and dignity for communities facing caste-based discrimination, violence and social and economic exclusion.

DDJC works at the intersection of law, human rights, social justice and grassroots action. We believe that justice is meaningful only when people can understand their rights, access institutions without fear, and receive fair and dignified treatment from the systems meant to protect them.

For many marginalized communities, the formal justice system remains difficult to navigate. Survivors and families may have to move repeatedly between police stations, government offices, lawyers and courts, often without adequate information, legal representation or institutional support.

A lack of legal knowledge, weak institutional accountability, delayed investigations and social discrimination can prevent victims from securing justice. The consequences extend beyond an individual case, affecting families, livelihoods, dignity and entire communities.

DDJC works to bridge this gap. We provide legal assistance, strengthen community legal awareness, document violations, support survivors and engage with institutions to make justice systems more accessible and accountable.

Our work also helps marginalized communities access government welfare schemes and constitutional entitlements, recognizing that access to justice is inseparable from access to social and economic rights.

DDJC is rooted in Bundelkhand, a semi-arid and historically drought-prone region spread across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The region is characterized by rain-dependent agriculture, water stress, degraded natural resources and recurring drought. Government and disaster-management assessments identify several Bundelkhand districts, including Jalaun, Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Mahoba, as severely vulnerable to drought.

Climate variability, crop losses and livelihood insecurity have also contributed to seasonal and distress migration. These environmental vulnerabilities intersect with deep social inequalities. Around 25% of Bundelkhand's population has been identified as Dalit/Scheduled Caste, while historical assessments have found more than one-third of rural households living below the poverty line.

Climate stress does not affect everyone equally. Landlessness, insecure livelihoods, caste discrimination and limited access to public resources can leave Dalit and other marginalised communities particularly exposed to drought, livelihood loss and displacement. Women experience these vulnerabilities in distinct and often intensified ways. Caste and gender discrimination can restrict women's control over land, income, mobility, education and public institutions. Women from Dalit and other marginalised communities may also face heightened risks of violence, exploitation and exclusion while having fewer resources to seek legal remedies. For DDJC, therefore, climate justice, gender justice, caste equality and access to justice are interconnected concerns.