National Human Rights Commission completes 14 years

The National Human Rights Commission completes 14 years of its existence today i.e October 12, 2007. The Commission came into being under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of September 28, 1993, which was later replaced by the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993 (PHR Act).
Over the past 14 years, the Commission has been trying its best to give a positive meaning and content to the objectives set out in the PHR Act, for better protection of human rights.
The Commission has worked effectively and vigorously all these years to create awareness and sensitize public authorities for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
Since October last year, the Commission witnessed a number of changes. Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu, took over as the fifth Chairperson of the Commission, the Commission held two important Camp Sittings one in Uttar Pradesh and the other in Bihar and intervened on a number of issues.
An important intervention of the Commission was the recommendation of an interim relief of two crore eighty lakh rupees to the victims of atrocities by the Joint Task Force of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu while the forest brigand, Verappan was being chased. Another important intervention of the Commission was related to Nithari Village in Noida, UP, where children were sexually abused and murdered. In the aftermath of the Nithari killings, the Commission constituted a Committee on missing children which presented its report on July 2, 2007, in which a number of guidelines and recommendations were given so as to stop the recurrence of another Nithari.
During this period some important interventions were: the Commission took note of auctioning of Dalit women Panchayat President in Tamil Nadu, starvation deaths in Bundelkhand, fake encounter in Jammu & Kashmir. Some of the important meetings during this period were: on Juvenile Justice System, Manual Scavenging, Review Meeting on Health and a Workshop on Bonded and Child Labour.
The Commission which had been monitoring the Supreme Court guidelines on sexual harassment at workplace called Vishakha guidelines, received compliance report from all the States and Union Territories that necessary amendments had been brought about in their conduct and regulation to implement the guidelines.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed the Commission that it had accepted the Commission's recommendation on Anti-Rabies Vaccine. On the recommendations of the Commission, to have a re-look and work out a methodology to recognize course for Nursing Practitioners, the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Nursing Council of India (NCI) informed the Commission that steps had been taken. The MCI informed that a proposal was there to increase the duration of MBBS course from four and a half to five years with an additional year of compulsory rural attachment. The Commission was informed that doctors would be registered only on completion of rural attachment. The NCI informed the Commission that it had identified fourteen specialities to have Nurse Practitioners, out of which nine syllabi had been finalized till date.
In its endeavour to bring about sea change in the social strata, the Commission made another effort so as to spread awareness on human rights. In this direction, the Commission brought about recommendations on introduction of human rights as a subject at school and college level in the form of two publications.
As we celebrated our Foundation day today, the Commission will release four films on different topics. The films released by the Chief Guest, Justice Shri K. G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India were on HIV-AIDS-in the perspective of Human Rights; Manual Scavenging; Trafficking in Women and Children and Female Foeticide. On this occasion, the Chief Guest also released NHRC publication on Old Age Pension Scheme.

*********
NATIONAL HUMAN