NHRC celebrates Foundation Day

The National Human Rights Commission completed 14 years of its existence on 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 relentlessly 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, a Former Chief Justice of India, 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 committed by the Joint Task Force of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu during the hunt for the forest brigand, Verappan. 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. The Report came out with a number of guidelines and recommendations so as to stop the recurrence of another Nithari.
During this period the Commission took cognizance of a number of issues related to human rights violations. 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 stating that necessary amendments had been brought about in their conduct and regulation to implement the guidelines. To add to our achievements, 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 in this regard. 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.
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.
To mark 14 years of its existence, a special function was organized by the Commission at the FICCI, Golden Jubilee Auditorium, New Delhi. The Chief Justice of India, Justice Shri K.G. Balakrishnan, was the Chief Guest at the function. In his address on the occasion Justice Shri Balakrishnan, said that since its inception NHRC had been at the forefront of protection and promotion of human rights of the country and had made significant contributions to bring the human rights approach to legislation, policy and programmes in India. He lauded the Commission's efforts in the field of functioning of mental health institutions. He stressed the need to ensure that globalization did not further perpetuate the gross economic and social inequalities that exist in the country. The Chief Justice asserted that NHRC could provide a level playing field to all the citizens and help in shaping India into a truly global leader.
In his address on the occasion, the NHRC Chairperson, Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu said that the country was facing tough challenges in the task of protection of human rights of the citizens. He said that the issues among others were - terrorism, trafficking in women and children, disappearance of persons, displacement of persons, conflicts, child labour, education, health, custodial death, prisons and disabled. He expressed happiness that although the Commission was a recommending body yet all its recommendations were accepted or implemented by the Central or State governments.
The Chairperson spoke about the different issues, on which the Commission had taken its stand. He said that the Right to Development had been accepted now and the State, Human Rights Institutions and the Civil Society had to work together in this direction. Justice Shri S. Rajendra Babu said that the development process should move away from need based exercise in charity and assistance to one, that creates and sustains genuine entitlements that span all aspects of life - economic, social and cultural as well as civil and political. He said that development with social justice cannot be achieved in the absence of respect for human rights. On this occasion, the Chief Guest Justice Shri K.G. Balakrishnan released four films on different topics - they were on HIV-AIDS-in the perspective of Human Rights; Manual Scavenging; Trafficking in Women and Children and Female Foeticide. He also released NHRC publication on Old Age Pension Scheme.
As the Commission completed 14 years, a cultural evening was also organized on the occasion at the same venue in which NHRC staff presented folk dances, songs and skits.