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Year- long Campaign to celebrate 60th Anniversary of UDHR launched

The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Somnath Chatterjee releasing the postage stamp at the National Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day Function, in New Delhi on December 10, 2008.
The Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Shri A. Raja is also seen.

A year-long campaign to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in India commenced with the unveiling of the special logo for 60th Anniversary of UDHR by the President of India and reading out the message of UN Secretary General in the Human Rights Day function organised by the National Human Rights Commission on 10 December 2007.

During the year, the National Human Rights Commission took various initiatives and organized special events to commemorate the anniversary. Details of these are enclosed. On 10th December 2008, NHRC organized a function in New Delhi to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR. Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, was the Chief Guest. The message of the President and that of the UN Secretary-General was read out.  A copy of the Speaker’s speech is also annexed with this message. The function also included the following special activities:
The Speaker, Lok Sabha released a stamp which was brought out by the Department of Posts to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of UDHR The Speaker, Lok Sabha launched the NHRC’s online complaint registration mechanism.

A wall calendar and a desk calendar for 2009 on the theme of Mahatma Gandhi’s approach and vision on human rights were released. Annual Journal of NHRC, both in Hindi and English, booklet of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in eight different languages - Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali and English, a book on proceedings of NHRC workshop on Detention, three bilingual pamphlets in Hindi and English on NHRC's recommendations on right to education, manual scavenging and sanitation and detention were also released. In addition, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the two largest public sector telecom service providers sent short message service (SMS) on human rights to 1,00,00,000 subscribers all over the country. Further, with the support of MEA, NHRC is organizing a “Regional Conference of South Asian Countries on human rights awareness and institutional capacity building” in New Delhi on 24-27 January, 2009.

Keynote Address by Shri Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker, Lok Sabha

Here are the excerpts of the key note address delivered by Sri Somnath Chatterjee during the event.

It is indeed a matter of honour and a privilege for me to have the opportunity to associate myself with the Human Rights Day Function organized by the National Human Rights Commission, specially when we are observing the completion of sixty years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that seeks to extend ‘dignity and justice’ to every citizen all over the world. This provides us all an occasion to ponder the course of action to be adopted when the right to life of millions of people is under threat because of the growing incidents of terrorism taking place in different parts of the world.

Fundamental human rights are universal and inalienable and all people in the world are entitled to enjoy them without discrimination on the ground of race, colour, sex, ethnicity, age, language, religion, national or social origin, disability, property, birth or other status. Life of inherent liberty, equality and dignity can only provide the basic foundation of freedom with justice and peace in the world. It is a matter of utmost concern that disregard and contempt of human rights are being indulged in various areas which outrage the conscience of humankind.

Realizing that democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly sixty years ago, at a time when the two World Wars had ravaged the world and the humanity at large was in despair. The thirty Articles enumerated in the Declaration are comprehensive in nature and lay the foundation to provide a dignified existence to all law-abiding citizens. The uniqueness of the Declaration lies in the fact that it represents a world-wide Charter of Rights which transcend national, religious, cultural and ideological factors.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was neither an international treaty nor an agreement and hence did not impose any legal obligations. It was only after about two decades of its adoption that the Declaration was strengthened with legal force when the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966. Today, these two Covenants, along with the Universal Declaration, constitute the International Bill of Human Rights which, along with various other instruments relating to the rights of vulnerable groups have definitely created world-wide awareness about and concern for human rights.

It was a significant coincidence that around the time when the UN General Assembly was drafting the UDHR, the Constituent Assembly of independent India was deliberating upon the country’s Draft Constitution. It was, therefore, quite natural that the ethos of our national liberation movement and the global community’s concern for human rights were manifested in our Constitution. The Preamble to our Constitution encapsulates the essence of human rights in all its manifestations. Apart from the preambulatory promises for ‘Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity’, the traditional civil and political rights were incorporated as Fundamental Rights in Part-III of our Constitution, while the social, economic and cultural rights were included in Part-IV as the Directive Principles of State Policy.

Even the human rights in the form of group rights, such as the abolition of the practice of untouchability, prohibition of employment of children in factories or mines or in any hazardous conditions, affirmative state action for the advancement of women and children and other vulnerable sections, appointment of National Commissions for the protection of the rights and interests of sections of the population who were perceived to be in need of special protection, found expression in some of our constitutional provisions.

Our official human rights institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Women, the National Commission for Minorities, the State Human Rights Commissions and the Commission for Backward Classes have been playing catalytic role not only in creating people’s awareness of human rights but also in sensitizing our administrative and law-enforcement machineries to human rights. There is no denying that today the human rights movement in our country has got a fillip due to the concern and response shown by all these institutions for the protection and promotion of rights of the vulnerable sections in our society.

Though the autonomous institutions like the independent Judiciary, free Media, the civil society groups and the multi-party system have been making significant contributions towards protecting and promoting human rights in our country, the role played by our legislative institutions, particularly our Parliament in this direction is, indeed, commendable. It has been responsible for putting in place several legislations of far-reaching effect in this regard.

The most significant landmark in our efforts to protect human rights, has been the enactment of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, under which the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the State level Commissions have been established with the mandate to protect, promote, observe and study human rights as specified under the Constitution as also under the International Covenants which have been ratified by India. Vested with the power to take suo motu cognizance of the instances of breach of human rights and also empowered to make judicial enquiries, these Commissions have been engaged in a commendable job in ensuring human rights of the citizens.
The creation of the National Human Rights Commission marked the beginning of a new era of humane governance in India. In fact, the NHRC has received popular recognition as an indispensable institution of governance due to its proactive efforts to maintain the standard of integrity, efficiency and probity in its functioning. Consequently, it now enjoys great moral authority and the responses to its recommendations by the agencies concerned are overwhelming. One of the significant achievements of the NHRC is in spreading human rights
awareness among various sections of society. It has also been playing a supportive role for the country’s Apex Court which has been remitting to the NHRC certain complex issues having serious human rights implications. Being an important corrective institution of governance, the NHRC, no doubt, has set a shining example for other institutions of governance.

Human rights have no meaning if there is no sustainable human development to eliminate poverty, promote human dignity and rights, and provide equal opportunities for all through good governance. This is of particular relevance in the context of the on-going process of globalization and its potential for excluding and marginalizing the weaker sections and people with limited resources. It is essential that efforts to promote human rights must afford protection to all who face exclusion and marginalisation. Development, which encompasses within its fold the social, economic and political milieu, is only possible in the real sense of the term, if poverty is eradicated, which is the biggest threat and challenge for human rights and the single-most debilitating factor that has prevented people from realizing their full potential.

Unfortunately, the fruits of development have failed to reach all our citizens in the same proportion and, as a result, inequality is continuously growing along with the gap between the haves and the have-nots. We must ensure that the fruits of development will reach every section of the people equitably. We need to have vested interest in promoting inclusive democracy in place of diversities – be it religious, cultural or linguistic, reinforced by a commitment to protect their rights and interests against intrusions of all kinds. The rights and opportunities enjoyed by every individual make democracy distinct. But, most disconcertingly, our country now is witnessing a growing tendency to promote sectarianism and divisiveness among our people for narrow sectarian interest which undermines democracy and which will create conditions for the infringement of human rights. Thus, there is an urgent need for making human rights education an integral part of our formal education system at all levels - schools, colleges and Universities, which will help build a universal culture of human rights through imparting knowledge and skills and through moulding attitudes.

One important aspect of human rights is the right to education, which is the most potent mechanism for the advancement of human beings. The Right to Education is also recognized as a human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The realization of this human right can be achieved only through free and compulsory primary education. With the enactment of the Constitution (93rd Amendment) Act, 2002, we in India have made education for the children in the age group of 6 to 14 years a Fundamental Right in the eyes of law, but its actual operationalization is yet to be done through an enabling legislation. It is hoped that with the introduction of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008 in the current Session of Parliament, a long cherished dream of right to education, particularly in the case of children from the weaker sections and disadvantaged groups who are unable to enjoy their human rights, will be fulfilled.

Even after centuries of experiments with democracy which is based on universal franchise, liberty and equality, women continue to be discriminated all over the world and are subject to many forms of human rights violations. Crimes against women which are increasing exponentially are, in fact, crimes against humanity. Our Constitution confers on men and women equal rights and opportunities in political, social and economic spheres and it is essential that all steps should be taken to facilitate women’s empowerment in real terms, apart from reservation of seats in our higher representative bodies.

Another area of concern is the continued violation of the rights of children, particularly those belonging to the vulnerable sections of our society, who are often subjected to sexual abuse, torture, violence, deprivation, denial and bonded labour. Exploitation of children for extracting labour and the malnutrition experienced by sizeable sections among them are grim realities of our society, for which it is essential that extant laws should be vigorously implemented with new enactments as may be required to ensure the comprehensive protection of the rights of children against exploitation and for enjoyment of their childhood.

Friends, for quite some time we have been passing through deeply troubled times with the pervasive threat of terrorism casting its menacing shadow on our efforts to promote and protect human rights. India has been repeatedly targeted and the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai was only yet another grim reminder of the gravity of the threat we are facing. Today, the spectre of terrorism, which is a natural enemy of human rights, is haunting the people globally. Terrorism anywhere hinders development and results in a grave violation of human rights. It is not merely a heinous criminal act, it is an assault on democracy and civilized society. Needless to say, targeting innocent and defenceless people is the most reprehensible act and violation of a human being’s basic right to life and security.

In a constitutional democracy such as ours, the Judiciary is an important organ of the State for the enforcement of rights and realization of relief through remedial jurisprudence. Of late, there has been a great trend of vigorous legal activism in certain areas concerning human rights. There are many instances where the Judiciary played a catalytic role in its quest for justice which resulted in a vast expansion of the frontiers of public law and formulation of multi-dimensional legal strategies, including public interest litigations for providing access to justice.
However, one should ponder as to how many people can afford to have or have easy access to Courts. Further, delayed justice strikes at the root of human rights, specially in the case of the underprivileged and vulnerable sections of society. The Supreme Court has frequently held that fair and speedy trial is an integral part of fundamental rights of the citizens to 'equal protection of law'. Delayed justice is essentially denial of justice to the litigants. It is, therefore, essential that the Judiciary strive for expeditious delivery of justice and also make available easy and inexpensive justice to the citizens.

The human rights movement in India has come a long way and a number of human rights centered-legislations have been enacted during the last six decades, which all should be sincerely implemented. In India, the human rights challenges that need to be addressed very urgently lie in the areas of child care, child labour, child education, child abuse, bonded labour, trafficking in women, the protection of minorities and weaker sections of society and even environmental rights. Unless respect for fundamental human rights remain a bed-rock on which governance is based, no progress is possible in the real sense of the term, as development can be sustained only through due respect for human rights. The Media and the civil society organizations should play a very important role in creating human rights awareness and in bringing violation of human rights to the fore for remedial action.

The international community’s quest for human development has received tremendous impetus with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) emanating from the historic Millennium Declaration adopted by 189 countries at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000. In fact, human rights and MDGs have much in common. They share guiding principles such as participation, empowerment and national ownership; they serve as tools for reporting processes that can hold governments responsible and accountable; and most fundamentally, they share the ultimate objective of promoting human well-being and honouring the inherent dignity of all people. All national and international efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals must, therefore, be made in conformity with the objective of realizing human rights without any discrimination whatsoever.

Friends, democracy, development and respect for human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Protecting democratic values, maintaining the Rule of Law and, at the same time, promoting the human rights are the most fundamental requirements of a civilized existence, which remain the inalienable goals of any democracy. Though we have succeeded in establishing the largest democracy in the world, we have not yet been able to fully realize and protect the rights of our citizens which are essential prerequisites for our democracy to flourish. The need of the hour is to develop a culture of respect for human rights at every level of governance and civil society in the country.