India’s human rights record has taken a turn for the worse, says a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The World Report 2013, which was released on Thursday, says though the country made progress in some areas, such as child abuse, it has failed in protecting basic civil right rights, sexual violence against women, and holding public officials accountable for abuses.
Mentioning the “global revulsion” over the Delhi gang-rape incident, HRW said the Indian leadership should bring about long overdue reforms to criminalise sexual assaults against women, and called for enforcing laws and holding accountable officials who do not discharge their duties in a sensitive way.
The 665-page report assessed the progress on human rights during the past year in over 90 countries, including an analysis of the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
The report made special mention of reported incidents of abuses by security forces. “The Government did not revoke the abusive Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which provides effective immunity to soldiers who commit serious rights violations. In 2013, legislation to prevent torture in custody and hold torturers accountable was once again not enacted,’ HRW said in a release.
On civil rights, the report flayed the Government for using a colonial-era sedition law and other legislation to silence critics on a range of issues, such as the Maoist insurgency and protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
It also noted “new restrictions on internet freedom arising in part from concerns about the use of social media to organise protests.
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at HRW, said in the release that while top Government officials frequently pointed to India’s vibrant and independent civil society as a sign of a thriving democracy, the Government had been increasingly using draconian laws to silence dissent.
On the positive side, the report noted passage of a new law to protect children from sexual abuse and move to extend the ban on employment of children under 14 in many hazardous industries, among others.
While appreciating India’s support for several United Nations resolutions, especially with regard to human rights in Sri Lanka and Syria, Ganguly said “India can and should improve the human rights situation at home while speaking out firmly on behalf of the oppressed abroad.”