Human Rights Day observed by the National Human Rights Commission

In commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948, the National Human Rights Commission today observed the Human Rights Day. H.E. Dr. K.R. Narayanan, the President of India, was the Chief Guest on the occasion.

The President has called for a shift in the priority of human rights perspective to focus on the deprived and the excluded. He said that the 20th century would be remembered as the century of war and violence interspersed by struggles of human rights. Ordinary and deprived people, women and excluded groups, and other sections of society exploited for centuries had now been awakened and were demanding their rights as human beings.

The President said that the weaker sections of society suffered the most from the human rights failures in economic, social and cultural areas, which were at the route of serious social and economic problems being faced by our society. The effective way to solve such problems and ensure civilized existence of the people was to guarantee human rights of the weaker sections of society in full measure. He called upon all to remember and reiterate that women’s rights were human rights. Women were now themselves launching movements to realize their human rights. Formation of self-help groups by women for economic empowerment, their large scale participation in the campaign for right to information and their active involvement in decision making bodies such as Panchayats through the provisions of affirmative action in our Constitution were heart warming examples of women’s movement for their human rights.

Dr. K.R. Narayanan said that the scope of human rights had been expanded by judicial interpretational of the fundamental rights including the right life, which in its expanded form now encapsulated the right to health, right to clean air and right to education. The recent judicial intervention to identify the poor so that surplus food grains reached them through various schemes was yet another example of vindication of the human rights of the economically deprived sections of our society by our law courts. These positive and historic developments were encouraging for the long-suffering people.

The President felt that it was by sensitizing the people as well as those in authority `that we can inculcate the values as well as practice of human rights in society. We need to build up a human rights conscience in every individual and in society as a whole in order to realize the noble objectives enshrined in our constitution to secure to all our citizens “Justice, social, economic and political; Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; and Equality of Status and Opportunity”.’

Dr. K.R. Narayanan said that the vast number of cases on human rights violations that came before NHRC was an indication of the emerging consciousness of the people about their human rights and their fervent hope that the National Human Rights Commission could meet out justice to them. He also added that, to further enlarge and empower the Commission and ensure its independence for effective action, NHRC’s suggestion that the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 be amended to allow the Commission to make its annual reports public in case the government did not lay them in Parliament within three months of their submission, needs to be considered seriously. The President appreciated and applauded the various vital steps that had been taken by this Commission in according top priority to preventive measures for safeguarding human rights and championing the human rights of the deprived.

Justice J.S. Verma, Chairperson of NHRC, emphasized the need for human dignity and human rights as embodied in our Constitution. He stressed upon the need for ensuring all human right for all which was also the motto of the National Human Rights Commission. He said that human rights were consistent with the rule of law. In the new millennium, global and national inequities were very high. Discrimination and poverty were the main scourges. Eighty per cent of the total wealth of all nations was enjoyed by one-fifth of the world population. The aim should be to bridge this gap and ensure all the third generation, human rights including civil and political rights, economic and social rights.

Speaking about the autonomy of the National Human Rights Commission, the Chairperson said that this autonomy was necessary for the credibility of NHRC and thus the credibility of the nation. This operational and functional autonomy could not be compromised at any cost and the Commission time and again did have to assert its autonomy and put forth its independent view. The Chairperson reiterated the Commission’s recommendation for the amendment of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. He said that though the amendments had been sent to the Government in March 2000, either because of bureaucratic wrangles or political lack of will, nothing has been done till date.

The Director of the United National Information Centre, Mr. Feodor Starcevic read out the message of the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, on the occasion of Human Rights Day. In his message, the Secretary General has said, “widespread violations of human rights in any State are a danger signal. They warn us that conflict is on the horizon. Only if we heed this warning, and take early action to uphold human rights, can we save the people of that State – and often its neighbours, too - from the scourge of war”.

On the occasion, the President of India inaugurated the Complaint Management System (CMS) module of NHRC for assistance to complainants. The CMS will help the Commission to track any particular case, monitor its status identify the bottlenecks and meet the information needs of the complainant. This module will be available on the web site of the Commission enabling any complainant to check the status of his/her complaint in NHRC from any part of the world.

The President also released a Poster of Mahatma Gandhi with his quotation `It has always been a misery to me how men can feel themselves honour by the humiliation of their fellow-beings’.