By Arshiya Ghose
“Seldom, our society realizes or cares to realize the trauma, agony and pain which the members of Transgender community undergo, nor appreciates the innate feelings of the members of the Transgender community, especially of those whose mind and body disown their biological sex.” In April 2014 the Supreme Court of India passed a path-breaking judgment, National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) v. Union of India and Others.[1] By granting constitutional rights and freedoms to transgender persons, the Court recognized the diverse gender identities by breaking the binary gender construct of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ that had prevailed in Indian laws till date. A Division Bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and A.K. Sikri pronounced this judgment. By Aishwarya Srivastava
“For inmates with disabilities who are routinely denied their mental or physical needs, incarceration can be a nightmarish fight for survival.”[1] President Obama marked the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26 with a public statement supporting the act, while acknowledging that its aim of equality is far from realized. Last year, he had said that “despite the gains we have made, independence and freedom from discrimination remain out of reach for too many individuals with disabilities.” Possibly no group of people understands this so deeply as prisoners.[2] By Saahil Khare and Mudit Nigam
The conflict in Sri Lanka has been one of the greatest offenders of Human Rights. It would be right to say that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)[1] and the Sri Lankan Government are major violators of human rights across the world. Extending over a period of 25 years, the civil war has caused severe hardship to those residing in Sri Lanka, with an estimated 80,000–100,000 people killed during its course.[2] During conflicts such as this, a large number of people lose their lives. However this is not the only atrocity committed during such civil wars. Both sides have committed extraordinary acts of cruelty that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Instances of suicide bombing around the world are constantly playing with the lives of civilians in order to gain the Government’s attention. Such acts of the LTTE has gotten them banned by the Unites States as well as other institutes such as, the European Union in 2006[3] with the European Union re-imposing it in March 2015.[4] The civil war in the country has given them a wider opportunity to violate human rights. By Ayushi Sharma
This year the world witnessed Saudi Arabia's first nation-wide municipal elections inclusive of women voters. In accordance with national Saudi Arabia law, all 'citizens' have the right to vote. By definition women and men are citizens of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, a restriction of women’s voting right is contrary to the country's election law, which does not explicitly ban women from voting. However, women are subject to ample restrictions in the country including political restrains. By Raghavi Viswanath and Niharika Shukla
In 2015, the South African government announced that it had reached universal enrolment in primary education.[1] However, the reality is a far cry from that. Half a million children with disabilities have been shut out of the education system in South Africa.[2] A 94 page Human Rights Watch report Complicit in Exclusion: South Africa’s Failure to Guarantee Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities revealed that children with disabilities in South Africa face discrimination in receiving school education.[3] By Surbhi Sharma
The events of 16th December, 2012 changed the way people looked at child criminals. The heinousness of the crime forced people to step out and demand justice. Many argued that the juvenile involved should not be let out easy under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000[1] and should be tried under normal penal laws. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014[2] was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 12, 2014 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and has been a hot topic of debate amongst lawyers, child activists etc. The proposed amendment finds its significance in light of the increasing crimes committed by children in the age group of 16-18 years and growing concern that the current provisions and system under the Act are ill equipped to tackle child offenders within this bracket. The data collected by the National Crime Records Bureau establishes that crimes by children in the age group of 16-18 years have increased especially in certain categories of heinous offences.[3] The Bill seeks to treat juvenile delinquents on the same pedestal as adult criminal when it comes to heinous crimes, which is defined in the Bill. There are many issues involved with this sort of treatment including infringement of the provisions of the Constitution[4], international obligations of India under the UN Convention on Rights of Child[5] and disregarding the special situation of child delinquents. |
About वाणी“To deny one their human rights is to challenge their very existence.” - Nelson Mandela Archives
March 2016
|