human rights issues in south asia

Along with some of the oldest civilizations in the world, South Asia includes some of its poorest countries. stituation of the countries mentioned below, as well as to other sites Organisations Directory. While countries are entitled to take necessary steps to protect their populations, these must never come at the cost of human rights. The caste system is a strict hierarchical social system based on underlying notions of purity and pollution. Refunds of donations. A selection of links to websites and organizations providing information on human rights issues in the countries of South Asia. Para más información consulte las páginas individuales de cada país de Asia, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre, The Asia-Pacific Forum on National Human Rights Institutions, Asia Pacific Human Rights NGOs Facilitating Team, The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, Human Rights Organizations in Asian countries, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the It is a problem that was noted by the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, who said the practice persists on a visit to the country last May. There is a growing struggle in Asia between authoritarian forces and the people attempting to stand up for human rights and democracy. India has also used the draconian, emergency-era Foreign Contribution Regulation Act to harass NGOs, and cancel or refuse to renew the foreign funding licenses of dozens of organisations without valid reasons. Witnesses. Despite the shift from authoritarian to democratic or semi-democratic forms of government in Asia, human rights abuses are rife. Freedom of expression was curtailed by the authorities in several cases. Disappearances, torture, police abuse... these are too common Human Rights and Security. Restrictive legislation, criminal defamation, abduction, digital surveillance, killings and threats from rising extremism are some of the trends that plagued have freedom of expression in South Asia.   |   As the Taliban and other armed groups seize more territory, punctuating their advances with horrific attacks on civilians, the number of people displaced has risen to record numbers. Southeast Asia has historically not adopted the same definition of human rights that could be found in Western European or North American countries. government power, censorship, and human rights violations. They've all since returned home, but the government hasn't investigated who took them. In the same month, an academic was arrested on the same charge by the Delhi police. This regional forum was aimed at raising awareness about business and human rights issues in South Asia and facilitating the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights … A South Asia Human Rights Mechanism Towards Protection for All South Asia – Human Rights Challenges and Prospects Hosting over one-fourth of the world population, South Asia is home to some of the world’s most ancient civilisations, cultures, religions and languages. The group is particularly interesting as it is completely independent from any state, and acts with the sole intention of promoting awareness on topical human rights issues within Asia. Issues. The writer is Amnesty International's South Asia Director. Weak legal institutions and poorly functioning systems of justice pose challenges to citizens throughout Asia in resolving disputes, enforcing their rights, and accessing benefits to which they are legally entitled. After a gruesome 2015 in Bangladesh, where five secular bloggers were slain in separate attacks, the machete killings continued without any determined action from the government. In Pakistan, even as the UN noted that civilian casualty figures have reached their highest point since records began being compiled in 2009, the UN refugee agency worked with the Pakistani authorities to forcibly return tens of thousands of Afghan refugees. what's going on in Karun Mishra was killed by gunmen in Uttar Pradesh, apparently for reporting on illegal soil mining. The first sign of human rights recognition came in the form of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) put forward by the United Nations. Human Rights Defenders; Women’s Rights; Migrants’ Rights ; LGBTI rights; International Justice; Globalisation & Human Rights; Death Penalty; Terrorism, surveillance and human rights; Advocacy. Civil war, ethnic tension, religious persecution and terrorism are but some of the ailements of this region, as are the abuse of government power, censorship, and human rights violations. Pakistan, not one to be left behind, passed the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act last year, giving the authorities broad and invasive powers to monitor citizens and censor online expression. That the UN is directly complicit in this does not bode well for the rights of refugees in the region. The government is similarly failing to hold people accountable for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions that took place during the conflict. Since then, the 24 members of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions have initiated a range of practical projects to deliver on this commitment. If you know of other links that should Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. The issues of impunity, endemic violence, forced migration and lack of accountability mechanism have been raised in different regional forums and conferences, including through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). In Pakistan, this year began with the suspicious disappearance of four bloggers. The side event will that provide useful information. In Bangladesh, a 22-year-old student, ran afoul of the country's Information and Communications Technology Act for allegedly making “derogatory remarks” about political personalities on Facebook. LGBTI activists, Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims and academics became new targets. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. From the … The civil society working group on a human rights mechanism for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Regional Initiative for a South Asian Like so many other countries who have abandoned refugees over recent years, Pakistan justified its behaviour on grounds of national security. Critical Issues: Access to Justice & Human Rights. Nepal arrested and expelled a Canadian lawyer, Robert Penner, claiming that he was sowing “social discord” through his Twitter account. Repressive laws continue to hinder Sri Lanka's transition out from under the shadow of the decades-long conflict there. In a similar case, two men were arrested in India's Madhya Pradesh under the Information Technology Act for allegedly sharing a satirical image of a Hindu nationalist group. Although Asian states have ratified a large number of international human rights conventions, the violation of human rights and unequal application of and access to the law are common across the region. South Asia region. Rural Development and Human Rights in South Asia, organised by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Human Rights Institute, Lucknow. For all the differences South Asia's countries insist on, they have depressingly similar attitudes when it comes to human rights. Activities online have come under increasing assault. The Inaugural UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights – held in New Delhi, India, on 14-15 March 2019 – brought together over 200 participants representing over 90 organisations from 16 countries. Date: Wednesday, 14 June 2017 Time: 11:00-12:00 Venue: Room XXVII, Palais des Nations, Geneva Freedom of expression continues to be under threat in South Asia. South Korea. However, due to the diverse cultures and varying political structures in Southeast Asia, tackling human rights issues remains a major hurdle for the region. be included here, please let us know. practices in the nations of South Asia. This was the seventh of a series of third world seminars organised by the ICJ, the previous ones being in Dar-e … countries. The UN South Asia Forum is aimed at raising awareness about business and human rights issues in South Asia and facilitating implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), including through National Action Plans. Regionally, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) comprises NGOs from South and Southeast Asia.116 Civil society networks are precursors throughout the region. Addressing grave human rights violations; torture and disappearances; South Asian standards for parliamentary and electoral processes; Socio-economic rights: Promotion, Protection and Enforcement (Rights of Marginalized) Engagement with SAARC and strengthening Citizens’ Voice; Women, Peace and Security; Border Issues (Fred Dufour / AFP Photo) Human rights are fundamental to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, or religion. And it's a principle the Indian authorities abandoned in Jammu and Kashmir last year, where authorities imposed curfews across the valley and security forces deployed excessive and unnecessary force against protestors, even blinding hundreds of young people with the use of inherently indiscriminate pellet shotguns. Permissions Instead of replicating each other's failures on human rights in a race to the bottom, South Asia's countries might want to focus their rivalries instead on who can provide a better future for their people – where each country is distinguished by the value it puts on human dignity. South Asia: Southeast Asia | Security: Politics ... ASEAN has proved weak and ineffective at dealing with human rights issues. The UDHR had only 51 states worldwide ratify its existence (those who were members of the United Nations); many of the Southeast … Privacy Policy Bibliography of Bhuddhism and Human Rights, Asia Pacific: Human Rights and Development, Links from the Asia Human Rights Commission. United Nations; European Union; African Union; Other regional organisations; Litigation; Press; Home [english] Region Asia South Korea. Instead of replicating each other's failures on human rights in a race to the bottom, South Asia's countries might want to focus their rivalries instead on who can provide a better future for their people – where each country is distinguished by the value it puts on human dignity, Turkey: Failure to free Osman Kavala makes mockery of Erdogan’s Human Rights Action Plan, States break silence to condemn Egypt’s abuses at UN rights body, Ten years on justice for Syrians more important than ever. Leading columnist Cyril Almeida was subject to a travel ban by the government for writing an article on tensions between the civilian government and the military. Despite commitments to deliver on accountability for alleged crimes under international law, the authorities made frequent use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), despite the government's 2015 pledge to repeal it. This declaration, however, was not binding and therefore not enforced. Tamils suspected of links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued to be detained under the PTA, which permits extended administrative detention and piles the burden of proof onto the detainee alleging torture or other ill-treatment. More than 1.5 million people now languish in overcrowded camps, where they go without adequate food and water in freezing temperatures. In 2016, according to the Pakistani Press Foundation, two journalists were killed, 16 injured and one abducted. Human Rights in Southeast Asia: The Search for Regional Norms The aftermath of the financial crisis of 1997 saw the redoubling of efforts by both non-government and government actors in Southeast Asia to open the way for human rights to become a central concern of … Pacific, The South The returns breached the international principle of non-refoulement: people cannot be sent to a country where they are at risk of serious human rights abuses. Women's rights News Filter By Country afghanistan africa asia australia bangladesh bhutan burma-myanmar cambodia china east-asia east-timor egypt hong-kong india indonesia iran israel japan kyrgyzstan laos libya malaysia maldives middle-east mongolia nepal new-zealand pakistan philippines saudi-arabia singapore south-asia south-east-asia south-korea sri-lanka sudan syria taiwan thailand … In Afghanistan, the conflict has been widening. The following pages contain links to reports on the human rights NHRIs have also been playing an important role to advocate for human rights protection and promotion. Your choice regarding cookies on this site Across the Asia Pacific, national human rights institutions (NHRIs) work closely with disabled peoples' organisations, government, employers and other groups to build understanding of disability issues and to address the structural barriers that lie at the heart of discrimination. South Asian Human Rights mechanism for just South Asia. The humanitarian catastrophe is set to worsen as the world turns its back on Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers. In India, home to a lively media, two journalists were also killed last year. South Asia Forum for Human Rights; South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre; South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre: Online Resources; Amnesty International Reports UN rights body should increase attention to Covid abuses, China, Ethiopia Item 2 - General Debate on the High Commissioner's Report March 2, 2021 Dispatches South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was created in 1985 as a socio-economic grouping with its main rationale to "promote the well-being" of the people of South Asia through regional cultural and economic cooperation. You can use this tool to change your cookie settings. Our work analyzes developments in international human rights standards as well as challenges in ensuring compliance with these principles. Scarcely has it been more dangerous to be a blogger or a journalist in South Asia. Over the past year, as Amnesty International documents in its Annual Report, civil society organisations have been harassed and shut down, journalists have been targeted, crude colonial-era laws have been unleashed against government critics, new laws have been invoked against critics online, and brutal practices have endured in areas afflicted by conflict. Join the Human Rights in Asia Mailing List and keep abreast of For decades, she exemplified the struggles of millions in South Asia. The Honorable Robert A. Destro Assistant Secretary Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor U.S. Department of State. If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) was founded in 1984 and continues to be an active, outspoken group who intend to promote human rights throughout Asia. the region! The government alleged that the refugee camps hosted armed groups. Across South Asia and South East Asia, our mem-bers have been working with stakeholders in the garment industry to build human rights … An outdated sedition law was used to target three students at Jawaharlal Nehru University in February for allegedly raising “anti-national” slogans. The majority of people suffering from caste discrimination are Dalits (or „outcastes‟) living in South Asia. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) was founded in 1984 by a prominent group of jurists and human rights activists in Asia. Panel I The Honorable Alice G. Wells Acting Assistant Secretary Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs U.S. Department of State. The case of Zeenat Shahzadi, who was abducted on her way to work in August 2015, remained unsolved. Civil war, ethnic tension, religious persecution and terrorism While the problem is at levels lower than during Sri Lanka's conflict, impunity still prevails for both old and new cases.

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