Archive | India

Human Rights Watch: Vigilante ‘Cow Protection’ Groups Attack Minorities in India

The Indian government should prevent and prosecute mob violence by vigilante groups targeting minorities in the name of so-called cow protection, Human Rights Watch said in a report released in March. The 104-page report, “Violent Cow […]

February 19th, 2019|Access to justice, Human Rights Defenders, India, Violence and atrocities|

Report finds entrenched caste discrimination in India’s criminal justice system

“Criminal Justice in the Shadow of Caste” is a pioneering report looking at the administration of criminal justice in India through a caste lens. The findings reveal discrimination at all levels, including within prisons. […]

January 18th, 2019|Access to justice, India|

EU encouraged to step up action on the issue of caste discrimination in global supply chains

The hearing was chaired by MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, Chair of the subcommittee on human rights. Ramesh Nathan focused his presentation on caste and contemporary slavery in supply chains with a specific focus on the […]

December 1st, 2018|Business, Caste-based slavery, European Union, Human Rights Defenders, India, South Asia|

Dalit human rights defenders attend the EU-NGO Forum

The overarching theme for the 2018 Forum was “Defending universality – Making Human Rights Reality”. 2018 marked the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration, the 25th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action as […]

November 23rd, 2018|European Union, Human Rights Defenders, India, Nepal|

Sanitation worker deaths spark protests demanding an end to manual scavenging in India

The call to action has come from the Safai Kramchari Andolan (SKA), an organization that has been fighting for the rights of manual scavengers and helping them break out of the practice. The protesters […]

September 26th, 2018|Human Rights Defenders, India, Manual Scavenging|

Senior UN official raises concern over the ‘de facto’ rejection of ECOSOC status for IDSN

In his address to the Human Rights Council, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, raised concern over the “repeated deferrals and apparent lack of transparency amounting to a de facto rejection on […]

September 20th, 2018|Human Rights Defenders, India, Political Participation, Uncategorized, United Nations|

MEPs: EU should cancel agreements with India until unjustly jailed human rights defenders are released

The letter from the MEP’s  specifically demands the immediate release of Prof. GN Saibaba, Varavara Rao, Gautam  Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves,  Arun   Ferreira, Surendra Gadling, Prof Shoma Sen, Sudhir Dhawle, Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raul, and Sudha […]

September 18th, 2018|Access to justice, European Union, Human Rights Defenders, India|

India: MRG & IDSN strongly condemn latest arrests of prominent human rights defenders  

‘These and other arbitrary arrests undermine free speech and dissent, which are cornerstones of truly democratic societies,’ emphasises Carl Söderbergh, Director of Policy & Communications at Minority Rights Group International (MRG). ‘India should be […]

August 31st, 2018|Access to justice, Human Rights Defenders, India|

Five female anti-trafficking activists kidnapped and raped in India – EU responds

The statement from EU High Representative and Vice President of the EU Commission, Frederica Mogherini, came as a response to a question from the Member of the European Parliament. The MEP asked for details […]

August 23rd, 2018|Dalit Women, European Union, India, Violence and atrocities|

Women subjected to caste-based attacks in India call on the UN to act

UN human rights officials at the United Nations Human Rights Council side event #DalitWomenFight against Caste-based violence on June 21, 2018, called for immediate efforts to end rampant caste-based violence against women and address a culture […]