The “World Report 2024” by Human Rights Watch provides an in-depth look at the human rights situation in India, highlighting several key concerns.
- Freedom of Expression: The report notes that Indian authorities have intensified efforts to suppress civil society, independent journalists, and political opponents. This includes the use of politically motivated charges, defamation cases against opposition leaders, and raids on media outlets critical of the government. For instance, the office of the news website NewsClick and homes of several journalists were raided under allegations of receiving illegal foreign funds. Additionally, prominent opposition leader Rahul Gandhi faced defamation charges in what was described as a politically motivated case, which was later suspended by the Supreme Court(HRW).
- Rights of Women and Girls: The report discusses the ongoing struggle for women’s rights in India, including delays in investigating allegations of sexual abuse against a member of parliament. It also highlights the recent law to reserve one-third of the seats in the lower house of parliament and state legislative assemblies for women. However, the implementation of this law may take several years as it depends on the completion of the next census and redrawing of constituency boundaries(HRW).
- Children’s Rights: There are significant concerns regarding children’s rights, especially with the exposure of personal data of nearly 600,000 students and over a million teachers via a government-owned education app. The report also highlights the risk of exclusion from education, child marriage, and child labor, particularly for children from marginalized communities(HRW).
- Disability Rights: Advocates have raised concerns about the lack of progress in deinstitutionalizing people with disabilities, citing poor conditions in government-run institutions(HRW).
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: The Supreme Court of India declined to legalize same-sex marriages, but it accepted the government’s proposal to set up a panel to consider granting some benefits associated with marriage to same-sex couples(HRW).
- Other Issues: The report also mentions continued manual scavenging, which is officially banned but still practiced, often affecting marginalized communities. Additionally, there are concerns about data privacy, internet shutdowns, and the impact of the new personal data protection law, which grants the government broad surveillance powers(HRW).
These highlights reflect a range of ongoing human rights challenges in India. For more detailed information, you can read the full report on the Human Rights Watch website.
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