The National Federation of Dalit Women (NFDW) was begun as an idea in 1993 by Ruth Manorama when she helped organize a hearing in Bangalore on the topic of violence against Dalit women.
[2] Later at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, NFDW participated, with Manorama being the group's representative.
[4] In 2001, NFDW with Manorama, participated in the World Conference Against Racism, where they "translated and discussed caste discrimination in a manner that seemed to amplify its global resonance.
"[5] In 2006, NFDW, along with the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) held the first national conference on violence against Dalit women in the city of New Delhi.
[6][7] NFDW works with local and regional Dalit women's groups to share issues and concerns with one another.