Welcome Address by Mr. Justice S. Rajendra Babu, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission at Human Rights Day function organized by NHRC on 10 December 2008
Today we are observing Human Rights Day. Six decades back on this very day the General Assembly of United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and therefore, it has a special significance. Secretary General of the United Nations set-out a motto for the 60th anniversary of Human Rights Day as "Dignity and Justice for all". This thought is equally well reflected in the ancient lore:
"Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah,
Sarve Bhadrani Pshayantu, Maa Kashchid Dukh Bhaag Bhavet."
[O Lord! Let all beings be happy and healthy. I wish well being to all. Let none suffer from any misery]
This aspect is reflected in the emblem of the National Human Rights Commission. The Constitution of India also speaks of liberty, equality and dignity as well as justice for all. Thus, what is proclaimed by the Secretary General is also a part of our culture and is a legal mandate as envisaged in the Constitution.
On this important day when we are observing the Human Rights Day, Hon'ble Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee has kindly responded to our invitation and is present with us to inaugurate the activities for the day and review the programmes for the year on the 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He is trained as a lawyer but has practiced as an able parliamentarian and is now the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Though traditionally, the Speaker does not speak he does not hesitate to mince words and express his views not only on the floor of the House but elsewhere on various public issues. His views are well known as to as to judicial activism and the balance between various wings of the government including maintenance of the dignity and decorum in the parliamentary system. Men of his calibre are rare and we are fortunate in having him in our midst here and I am beholden to him for the time he has taken out to be with us.
Shri A. Raja, Hon'ble Minister for Communications and Information Technology has been good enough to participate in the Human Rights Day celebrations and particularly he is instrumental in bringing-out a stamp to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I am equally beholden to him for being present on this occasion.
I have great pleasure in welcoming all the distinguished invitees, my esteemed colleagues in the Commission and friends in the media.
On attainment of freedom, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in his famous speech "tryst with destiny" warned us that it is not enough to attain political freedom but it is necessary to be free socially and economically by eradicating hunger, poverty, illiteracy and disease. Though, different governments have been making efforts in this direction by making laws and policy programmes, still we notice that large sections of people are suffering from the scourge adverted to by Panditji. There are large number of people who do not get a square meal and go to sleep hungry. There are women folk in our villages who walk miles to get safe drinking water. Fifty four percent of the children in this country suffer from malnutrition. We still hear of child marriages, honour killings and manual scavenging. The Founding Fathers of the Constitution thought of compulsory free education at the elementary level but still that goal is not reached. There is a wide gap between the policies envisaged either in the law or in the programmes and the people.
This Commission is enjoined with a duty to monitor such programmes and effectively bring them closer to the people concerned and needy. In this context various programmes have been conducted by the Commission to bring awareness and I can set-out at least twenty such consultations, another twenty training programmes and a few dozen seminars and conferences but I need not catalogue each one of them. They range on various topics as food security, right to education, right to health, hygiene and sanitation, custodial justice, rights of women, children or elderly or disabled persons, human right issues of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, right to culture and protection of community assets, right to life and living conditions, right to environment, rights of disabled persons, disaster management, relief of rehabilitation of displaced persons. In order to bring awareness, a specific programme has been taken-up to focus these several issues at the grass-root level, namely, Panchayats in 28 districts in the country, one in each State, with direct interaction with the field level functionaries. In addition, the Commission has been dealing with large number of complaints of more than a lakh per year regarding violations of various types of human rights. A new jurisprudence is being developed by the Commission regarding custodial justice and encounter deaths.
Our country has been a victim of Terrorism and from the year 2004 onwards there have been over 4000 deaths, perhaps just next to Iraq. We affirm our faith in the dictum of United Nations that Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever or by whomsoever committed can never be justified in any instance including as a means to promote or protect human rights.
Apart from holding various programmes, the Commission has been bringing out publications like newsletters, annual journal and booklets on Universal Declaration of Human Rights in different regional languages and proceedings of the Commission on the Workshop on Detention. The Father of the Nation has practically dealt with every aspect of human rights and therefore, this year the theme for our calendar is his sayings on human rights.
Human Rights have a long historical heritage. The principal philosophical foundation of human rights is a belief in the existence of a form of justice valid for all people everywhere. In this form, contemporary doctrine of human rights has come to occupy centre stage in geopolitical affairs. The language of human rights is understood and utilized by many people in very diverse circumstances. Human rights have become indispensable to the contemporary understanding of how human beings should be treated by one another and by national and international bodies.
Human rights are best thought of as a potential moral guarantees for each human being to lead a minimally good life. The extent to which this aspiration has not been realized represents a gross failure by the contemporary world institutions of a morally compelling order based upon human rights.
The philosophical basis of human rights has been subjected to consistent criticism. While the debate between supporters and opponents of human rights remain unresolved, the general case for human rights remains a morally powerful one. Arguably, the most compelling motivation for existence of man rests upon the exercise of imagination. Try imagining a world without human rights.
"Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah,
Sarve Bhadrani Pshayantu, Maa Kashchid Dukh Bhaag Bhavet."
[O Lord! Let all beings be happy and healthy. I wish well being to all. Let none suffer from any misery]
This aspect is reflected in the emblem of the National Human Rights Commission. The Constitution of India also speaks of liberty, equality and dignity as well as justice for all. Thus, what is proclaimed by the Secretary General is also a part of our culture and is a legal mandate as envisaged in the Constitution.
On this important day when we are observing the Human Rights Day, Hon'ble Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee has kindly responded to our invitation and is present with us to inaugurate the activities for the day and review the programmes for the year on the 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He is trained as a lawyer but has practiced as an able parliamentarian and is now the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Though traditionally, the Speaker does not speak he does not hesitate to mince words and express his views not only on the floor of the House but elsewhere on various public issues. His views are well known as to as to judicial activism and the balance between various wings of the government including maintenance of the dignity and decorum in the parliamentary system. Men of his calibre are rare and we are fortunate in having him in our midst here and I am beholden to him for the time he has taken out to be with us.
Shri A. Raja, Hon'ble Minister for Communications and Information Technology has been good enough to participate in the Human Rights Day celebrations and particularly he is instrumental in bringing-out a stamp to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I am equally beholden to him for being present on this occasion.
I have great pleasure in welcoming all the distinguished invitees, my esteemed colleagues in the Commission and friends in the media.
On attainment of freedom, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in his famous speech "tryst with destiny" warned us that it is not enough to attain political freedom but it is necessary to be free socially and economically by eradicating hunger, poverty, illiteracy and disease. Though, different governments have been making efforts in this direction by making laws and policy programmes, still we notice that large sections of people are suffering from the scourge adverted to by Panditji. There are large number of people who do not get a square meal and go to sleep hungry. There are women folk in our villages who walk miles to get safe drinking water. Fifty four percent of the children in this country suffer from malnutrition. We still hear of child marriages, honour killings and manual scavenging. The Founding Fathers of the Constitution thought of compulsory free education at the elementary level but still that goal is not reached. There is a wide gap between the policies envisaged either in the law or in the programmes and the people.
This Commission is enjoined with a duty to monitor such programmes and effectively bring them closer to the people concerned and needy. In this context various programmes have been conducted by the Commission to bring awareness and I can set-out at least twenty such consultations, another twenty training programmes and a few dozen seminars and conferences but I need not catalogue each one of them. They range on various topics as food security, right to education, right to health, hygiene and sanitation, custodial justice, rights of women, children or elderly or disabled persons, human right issues of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, right to culture and protection of community assets, right to life and living conditions, right to environment, rights of disabled persons, disaster management, relief of rehabilitation of displaced persons. In order to bring awareness, a specific programme has been taken-up to focus these several issues at the grass-root level, namely, Panchayats in 28 districts in the country, one in each State, with direct interaction with the field level functionaries. In addition, the Commission has been dealing with large number of complaints of more than a lakh per year regarding violations of various types of human rights. A new jurisprudence is being developed by the Commission regarding custodial justice and encounter deaths.
Our country has been a victim of Terrorism and from the year 2004 onwards there have been over 4000 deaths, perhaps just next to Iraq. We affirm our faith in the dictum of United Nations that Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever or by whomsoever committed can never be justified in any instance including as a means to promote or protect human rights.
Apart from holding various programmes, the Commission has been bringing out publications like newsletters, annual journal and booklets on Universal Declaration of Human Rights in different regional languages and proceedings of the Commission on the Workshop on Detention. The Father of the Nation has practically dealt with every aspect of human rights and therefore, this year the theme for our calendar is his sayings on human rights.
Human Rights have a long historical heritage. The principal philosophical foundation of human rights is a belief in the existence of a form of justice valid for all people everywhere. In this form, contemporary doctrine of human rights has come to occupy centre stage in geopolitical affairs. The language of human rights is understood and utilized by many people in very diverse circumstances. Human rights have become indispensable to the contemporary understanding of how human beings should be treated by one another and by national and international bodies.
Human rights are best thought of as a potential moral guarantees for each human being to lead a minimally good life. The extent to which this aspiration has not been realized represents a gross failure by the contemporary world institutions of a morally compelling order based upon human rights.
The philosophical basis of human rights has been subjected to consistent criticism. While the debate between supporters and opponents of human rights remain unresolved, the general case for human rights remains a morally powerful one. Arguably, the most compelling motivation for existence of man rests upon the exercise of imagination. Try imagining a world without human rights.