Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: The Government of India has published a draft of the National Report for input from civil society ahead of its second Universal Periodic Review in May.
In response to the request from the Indian government for comments on its provisional national report for the upcoming review, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), acting as the Secretariat of the Peoples Forum for UPR (PF for UPR), has issued a report titled “India’s Draft Universal Periodic Report-II: A Case of Forced Marriage?”
State avoiding proper consultation
ACHR sees the interest of the Government in the NGOs' participation as a way of avoiding national consultations with civil society, and claims that the national report does not reflect the reality of human rights breaches.
The coalition of NGOs hope that the State will take into consideration its recommendations for revisions in its final report.
Children's rights issues
In assessing India's draft report, ACHR highlight several issues pertinent to children's rights that the State has not taken proper steps to rectify. Major thematic issues relating to children's rights include:
- Education (such as military occupation of schools and improper facilities)
- Health (particularly rampant female infanticide)
- Violations of minority children's rights
CRIN has extracted all references to children's rights from ACHR's report (attached above).
Read the the complete version of India's draft report, here.
India's upcoming review
India is among fourteen States due to have their human rights records reviewed for the second time during the 13th session of the UPR (21 May - 4 June).
A guide for NGOs
With the UPR entering its second cycle of reviews, which will see States examined on the steps they have taken to implement the accepted recommendations from the first cycle (and on any changes in the situation of human rights since the first review), more and more NGOs are starting to monitor implementation progress (read the various mid-term reports submitted by NGOs). ACHR's report is another example of how to monitor the progress being made by States.
Further Information
- Read CRIN's report on India's 2008 review
- Read CRIN's guide to using the UPR
- Read about information and advocacy opportunities
pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/ACHR Response to India's Draft UPR Report II-1.pdf