Democracies across the world are defined by the virtue of the right to protest. Yet, in India, that fancies itself as the largest democracy of the world, the governments are seen to be chipping off that very right by raising the bogey of public inconvenience. They have mobilised people, mostly their party members, to evenContinue Reading INDIA: The Bogey of Public Inconvenience to Snatch the Right To Protest
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – HUNGER ALERT PROGRAMME Hunger Alert Case: AHRC-HAC-004-2017 3 November 2017 —————————————————— INDIA: Authorities demolish 100s of houses in Kathputali Colony, resulting in death of infant ISSUES: Labour rights; land rights; poverty & adequate standard of living; right to food; right to redress; threats and intimidation; violence against women —————————————————— DearContinue Reading INDIA: Authorities demolish 100s of houses in Kathputali Colony, resulting in death of infant
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – HUNGER ALERT PROGRAMME Hunger Alert Case: AHRC-HAC-003-2016 29 November 2016 —————————————————— INDIA: Paddy crop failure hits Nuapada farmers hard ISSUES: Indigenous people; institutional reform; labour rights; land rights; poverty & adequate standard of living; right to food; right to redress —————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) hasContinue Reading INDIA: Paddy crop failure hits Nuapada farmers hard
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – HUNGER ALERT PROGRAMME Hunger Alert Case: AHRC-HAC-002-2016 30 September 2016 —————————————————— INDIA: Their house demolished, poor family exposed to the elements ISSUES: Right to food; inhuman and degrading treatment; corruption; impunity; rule of law, forced evictions. —————————————————— Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from localContinue Reading INDIA: Their house demolished, poor family exposed to the elements
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – HUNGER ALERT PROGRAMME Hunger Alert Case: AHRC-HAC-001-2016 22 July 2016 —————————————————— INDIA: Another starvation death at Dumchipara Tea Garden ISSUES: Right to food; inhuman and degrading treatment; corruption; impunity; rule of law —————————————————— Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM about yet another starvationContinue Reading INDIA: Another starvation death at Dumchipara Tea Garden
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding 75 bonded labourers working in a brick kiln in Bangalore who were released on 16th and 17th, September. The AHRC has released a hunger alert case urging the administration of Balangir district as well as of Bangalore city to secure redress for the labourers and the children. The civil groups in Orissa who have been trying to get the bonded labourers released from the brick kiln worked closely with the relevant officials who raised the issue of redress for the victims. Forty out of 75 labourers are children. The six month-old son of Ashok, one of the bonded labourers is currently hospitalised for medical care. The AHRC further urges the state government to take legal action against the brick kiln owner and to pr ovide rehabilitation for all victims. Read more about INDIA: 75 bonded labourers including 40 children were released …
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a mother and her six month old child are currently facing food and health insecurity caused by bonded labour. The family living in the Balangir district of Orissa regularly migrated to Bangalore for the last two years to earn their daily food by working in a brick kiln. They did not have any resources to survive in the village. The mother lost her first daughter in 2008 due to lack of medical care. She currently faces a similar situation that may cause serious illness to her son and herself as the brick kiln owner allegedly does not provide adequate food and health care. Despite the passage of more than ten days since the husband managed to flee from the brick kiln to make a complaint to the district administration, the family has yet to get any help. There are two other families working in the same brick kiln as bonded labourers, which are legally banned in India. The food insecurity in Balangir has been driving the poor in the village to bonded labour. Read more about INDIA: A Mother and her six month old child face food and health insecurity under bonded labour …
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform that an impoverished villager died on July 25, 2010. The family had been suffering from lack of food and could not afford to take the deceased to the hospital before he died. After the extreme situation of the family was reported (AHRC-HAG-001-2009), the government authority denied that they were living in hunger and poverty. Following his death the provincial government donated 25 kilograms of rice, and sand for the deceased’s burial. The family testified that they hardly manage adequate food and exist on rice and bananas. Read more about UPDATE (Philippines): A villager died due to lack of food and access to medical treatment due to extreme poverty …
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received further information regarding the elderly suffering from food and health insecurity in Northern Bangladesh, which was initially reported in case (AHRC-HAG-002-2010). Four elderly have been denied their right to adequate food and health care, despite being eligible to receive benefits from the social security programs aiming to ensure food and health security in Bangladesh. All are landless, suffer from a range of health problems, and have no fixed source of income. They are reduced to begging because of the lack of the necessary funds to secure relief cards. It is alleged that corruption is involved because there is evidence that relief cards are only allocated to those who pay sufficient bribes to the officials. Read more about BANGLADESH: Extremely poor elderly are denied their right to life with dignity, deprived of food and health security in Gaibandha district …
