The Hindu : Rectify the imbalance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 03, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Rectify the imbalance

Sir — The analysis on `Human rights and security' by Neera Chandhoke (Sept. 21) rightly concludes that the state has not taken human rights seriously. Human rights constitute the basic principle of good and benevolent governance. Any violation calls for severe punishment.

It may be noted here that although the original U.N. Charter adopted at the San Francisco conference on June 27, 1945, included a `pledge' by all states to strive for the achievement of human rights and freedom for all, it was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) that defined the content of that obligation as `standards of achievement'. In UDHR, the rights were perceived as an integrated whole of all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. With the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development by the U.N. on December 4, 1986, the process of creating human rights laws has come full circle.Despite the spate of legislation and number of commissions, human rights violation continues unabated in developing countries like India which rank low in the U.N. Human Development Index (HDI). Economic reforms with `globalisation' contributed to the marginalisation of millions in the world. What is needed is a paradigm shift in the process of development and not mere security.

K. Ramamurthi,
Chennai

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

Stories in this Section

A problematic phase

One-off phenomenon

The Cauvery dispute

Leadership in times of terror

Make farming sustainable, equitable

Speaking out of turn

A case of two legitimacies

Talk with Kashmiris

Saving the innocent

Tough laws nedded

Rectify the imbalance

Education & Industry