Latest news with #UDHR
New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Menstrual health and dignity --aligning policy with rights in India
On the Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28), campaigns and organisations are amplifying efforts to advocate even more vociferously for the adequate redressal of menstrual health challenges. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India has asked the Central Government to frame a model policy on menstrual leave. This is a watershed moment for addressing menstrual health as a fundamental human right rather than 'women's personal issue.' The order comes in light of the millions of menstruators in the country who still face discrimination, manage menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) with inadequate infrastructure and encounter stigma that undermines the constitutional rights. By the Constitution of India, we, as citizens, irrespective of whether an individual is a person with uterus or not, are guaranteed that the State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds including sex (Article 15), Right to Life and Personal Liberty which includes Right to Dignity (Article 21) is also envisaged in the Constitution along with the Right to Education (Article 21 A)- all of which implicitly support menstrual health and hygiene(MHH) rights. However, there are myriads of systemic inequities, including social and cultural taboos and stigma, that undermine these principles. India is a signatory to multiple international human rights frameworks that should protect menstrual rights -- the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which establishes the right to dignity (Article 1), health (Article 25) and education (Article 26), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which India has committed to achieving by menstrual health remains inadequately addressed because there is a stark gap between the Constitutional Rights as well as international obligations India is committed to upholdvis-à-vis lived realities of menstruators on the ground. Reflecting on my campaigning journey of over four years since launching the menstrual awareness and equity campaign, Alharh, in Bhagalpur, Bihar in December 2019, I have seen our humble youth-led initiative steadily grow to reach nearly 4000 people. Yet, even today, the voices from the ground remain dishearteningly similar: a tale of shame and stigma that represents clear violations of fundamental rights. During one of our community events, 'KhullamKhulla Baat Karenge', silence spoke louder than those who actually spoke. Fourteen-year-old Khushi confessed that she kept mum at the event because she was too shy to speak about periods in public. However, she listened. Weeks later, she volunteered at the campaign, mentioning: 'Since that day, I feel compelled to notice the discrimination we face, even within our own homes simply because we menstruate.' Inspired to break taboos within her own home, she deliberately entered her kitchen, a space she was not 'allowed' to enter during her menstrual days and touched the pickle. This small but significant act empowered her tremendously. Nervous yet determined, she also sent pictures of her holding sanitary pads as an attempt to normalize the stigmatized and the unspeakable. This was no small change.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee's immigration dragnet moves the state away from its commitment to human rights
Raquel Bueno, whose husband was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on May 4, wipes her eyes as ICE agents and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers stand by. (Photo: John Partipilo) Seventy-seven years ago, the United States positioned itself as a world leader in human rights. World War II had ended, President Harry Truman sent former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the nascent United Nations where she was elected chair to the UN Commission on Human Rights and the U.S. became one of the first signatories on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Tennessee's recent roundup operations in Nashville's immigrant communities mark the state's shameful turn away from core American values like human rights and constitutional protections. Throughout the first two weeks of May, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) collaborated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in hundreds of traffic stops in Nashville's immigrant communities, apparently racially and ethnically targeting drivers. 'By all appearances, government officials racially and ethnically profiled residents, requested driver's licenses, inquired about tattoos, left cars abandoned on roadways creating traffic hazards, and tore at least one mother from her children,' read a letter signed by all but three of the Davidson County legislative delegation to the heads of Tennessee's Department of Homeland Security and the Highway Patrol. The law enforcement operations have led to around 588 traffic stops and 103 people being detained. Despite information requests from Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Davidson County's lawmakers, state and federal officials have not been forthcoming on who has been detained, where the detainees are, whether they've been officially arrested or charged with a crime, and what will happen to them next. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 'dragnet' in Nashville results in detentions These developments have been concerning to many because, before the Trump era, state and local authorities rarely enforced immigration law. Tennessee's Republican lawmakers put out statements supporting the raids. They are also the ones to thank for making these raids possible, because last year the Republican supermajority passed legislation making it easier for state law enforcement to work hand-in-hand with federal immigration authorities. It's also worth mentioning that, just in April of this year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill that eliminated the Tennessee Human Rights Commission (THRC), which had safeguarded civil rights in the state since 1963. One does not have to be an immigration rights advocate to be concerned about what's happening in our communities. Detaining Tennessee residents for their skin color or for the neighborhood they live in violates their rights as enshrined in both the UDHR and the U.S. Constitution. The UDHR has 30 articles, but a few stand out today: – Article 3: 'Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.' – Article 9: 'No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.' – Article 10: 'Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.' – Article 14: 'Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.' These articles defend all humans from arbitrary arrest, detention, and exile while granting them the right to asylum and due process. Hispanic communities in Nashville are the descendants of families who left Latin America, often fleeing U.S. military intervention, CIA-backed covert operations and disastrous U.S.-led financial sanctions on their nations of origin. For these communities to be targeted again, this time on U.S. soil, is the height of cruelty. The Constitution is even more explicit in the protections it offers to all persons residing in the U.S. Racial and ethnic profiling violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits discrimination based on race. THP claimed their operations with ICE were justified because they were '…public safety operation[s] that targeted areas of suspected gang activity with a history of serious traffic crashes.' But even if that were true, the Equal Protection Clause prohibits racial discrimination even in communities with high crime rates. Quoting D.C.-based legislative attorney April J. Anderson, 'The Equal Protection Clause's prohibition on intentional racial discrimination remains true even if members of a given race are responsible for more crimes in a particular neighborhood or commit more crimes of a certain type. Even if the evidence showed that police relied on racial profiling out of a perhaps ill-conceived notion that it helped fight crime, the Equal Protection Clause prohibits intentionally relying on race in policing, no matter the underlying rationale for the policy.' The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure and requires individual justification for law enforcement actions. The word 'individual' is the key word there, as dragnets, roundups, and other group-focused law enforcement operations have often been successfully challenged as Fourth Amendment violations. Again quoting Anderson, 'It [the Fourth Amendment] does not specifically prohibit racial profiling, but courts would not consider stops and searches based solely on a subject's race to be reasonable seizures because police have identified no individualized reason for suspicion.' Racial profiling and ethnically motivated law enforcement actions have a long, gruesome history in the U.S.. Yet from the 'Show me your papers' scandal in Maricopa County, Arizona to the Stop and Frisk policy in New York City, landmark court decisions were made, justice prevailed, and the protections offered by the Constitution were again held aloft as the supreme law of the land. Tennessee is at a turning point. Will it ally itself with a presidential administration that, as recently as May 9, floated suspending habeas corpus? Recent events suggest Tennessee officials want to play ball with the Trump Administration. Tennesseans need to remind elected officials they work for us, not the feds, because if constitutional protections don't apply to the most vulnerable of us, then they don't apply to any of us. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
45 kidnapping cases a day, rights panel seeks report from top cop in Haryana
Gurgaon: An average of more than 45 people disappear each day across the state. Alarmed at the high number of cases of missing persons, kidnappings and homicides across Haryana — over 4,100 individuals went missing in the first quarter of 2025 alone — Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has directed its director (investigation) to seek a detailed report from the director general of police (DGP). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The DGP has been given eight weeks to submit the report. The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on July 31. The report must outline the status of all missing, kidnapping and murder cases from 2021 to 2025, including age-specific data, progress of investigations and preventive measures undertaken by the authorities, an HHRC official said. Taking a suo moto cognizance, a full bench — comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia — in its order recently said, "The failure of prompt and effective action by law enforcement agencies fosters an environment where organised crime flourishes, posing grave threats to societal peace and the rule of law." HHRC's protocol, information and public relations officer Dr Puneet Arora said that based on the facts presented before it, the commission considers this a matter requiring urgent intervention, administrative review and accountability. "The inability of law enforcement agencies to respond promptly and effectively facilitates the rise of organised criminal activities, leading to a climate of fear and lawlessness," the commission said. More than 1,000 cases of kidnapping were registered during the same period, alongside a notable rise in incidents of murder and culpable homicide compared to previous years. The commission observed the situation prima facie indicates a grave violation of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life, personal liberty, safety and legal protection as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and relevant provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The surge in such crimes suggests a failure by the state to uphold rights enshrined in UDHR Articles 3 (Right to life, liberty, and security), 7 (Equality before the law), 9 (Freedom from arbitrary detention), and 12 (Protection of family life and privacy). Families of the missing endure intense psychological distress, exacerbated by the uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones, the commission said. "Even when individuals are eventually found, reintegration into normal life remains a significant challenge for both the victims and their families," it said.
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Haryana human rights body seeks report on spike in abductions
Gurugram: Alarmed by the sharp spike in the number of missing people and kidnapping cases across Haryana, the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken suo moto cognizance of the matter and issued a notice to the state's top police officer, officials aware of the development said. The HHRC has asked its director (investigation) to obtain a detailed report from the Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Singh Kapur (Haryana). The report must provide the status of missing persons, kidnappings, and homicide cases from 2021 to 2025, including age-wise data, investigative progress, and steps taken for prevention. The DGP has been given eight weeks to submit the report. The commission's action follows a news report published on April 22 highlighting that over 4,100 people had gone missing in the first quarter of 2025 alone—an average of more than 45 people each day. More than 1,000 kidnapping cases were also registered during the same period, alongside a surge in incidents of murder and culpable homicide. Terming the figures, a serious breach of public safety, the commission—comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia—stated that the situation amounts to prima facie violations of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life, liberty, and personal security under Article 21 of the Constitution and Articles 3, 7, 9, and 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). 'The increasing number of unresolved disappearances and rising cases of violence clearly indicate a lapse in the preventive and investigative responsibilities of the state,' the commission observed. It also emphasised the profound emotional trauma endured by families, especially those who live in the dark about whether their missing loved ones are alive or dead. HHRC's protocol and public relations officer Dr Puneet Arora, said that the commission had noticed that missing people—especially women, children and economically vulnerable individuals—are at heightened risk of exploitation, including human trafficking, bonded labour, sexual abuse, and even illegal organ trade. Many disappearances, it noted, later turn out to be heinous crimes such as ransom killings or homicides. 'Failure to act promptly facilitates the spread of organised crime and severely undermines the rule of law,' he said. 'The numbers don't just reflect crime—they represent families torn apart, children missing, and citizens losing faith in the system meant to protect them. This is no longer just a policing issue—it is a human rights emergency,' said Dr Arora. The commission has listed the matter for further hearing on July 31, 2025.
Borneo Post
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Suhakam calls for National Harmony Act to address racism, discrimination
According to Suhakam, the report serves as a timely reminder that, despite 68 years of independence, racism and racial discrimination remain deeply embedded in the country's institutions, public discourse and societal attitudes. – Malay Mail photo KUCHING (May 4): The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has urged the government to introduce a National Harmony Act to foster mutual respect, promote inclusivity and protect all communities from hate speech, incitement and discrimination. This call follows the publication of the Malaysia Racism Report 2024 by Pusat Komas, a Malaysian civil society organisation, in March this year. The report provides valuable insights into the ongoing challenges of racism and racial discrimination in the country. According to Suhakam, the report serves as a timely reminder that, despite 68 years of independence, racism and racial discrimination remain deeply embedded in the country's institutions, public discourse and societal attitudes. 'It is both important and urgent to address the growing concerns surrounding racial harmony and discrimination in Malaysia,' said the commission in a statement today. Suhakam said this call serves as both a salutary reminder and a call to action for all Malaysians to unite in addressing the persistent issues of racism and discrimination. This aligns with with its mandate to promote awareness and advocate for human rights. Malaysia, it noted, is a nation built on diversity, and its multicultural and multi-religious heritage is not a weakness but a strength – one that must be nurtured with understanding, mutual respect and a shared commitment to equality. Suhakam further pointed out that racial harmony is not merely a national aspiration but an essential foundation for national unity, sustainable development and happiness. The commission pledged to remain steadfast in its stance that racism – whether institutional, cultural or interpersonal – has no place in modern Malaysia. It cautioned that racial discrimination breeds inequality, resentment and division, undermining the dignity of individuals and communities while eroding the social fabric that binds the nation. Suhakam cited Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, which declares that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law, regardless of race or religion. Additionally, Article 12 further reinforces the right to equality by affirming non-discrimination in any educational institution maintained by a public authority, thereby fostering an environment where every citizen has equal access to education. 'These constitutional guarantees are reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), to which Malaysia is committed, to the extent that its provisions are consistent with the Federal Constitution. 'Article 1 of the UDHR states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,' it said. Suhakam called for sustained commitment from all sectors of society – government, civil society, political leaders, media practitioners, educators and ordinary Malaysians. It emphasised that everyone has a role in rejecting hate speech and divisive rhetoric, upholding inclusive values and promoting policies that enhance equality and justice. As such, Suhakam urged all stakeholders to continue engaging in constructive dialogue, implementing educational and policy reforms and cultivating empathy and understanding across communities. 'By doing so, we can lay the groundwork for a more just, equitable and united Malaysia,' the commission added. discrimination lead National Harmony Act racism suhakam
