A New Human Rights Consciousness
| Author | V. Ramaswamy |
| Published date | 01 March 1991 |
| Date | 01 March 1991 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/016934419100900105 |
| Subject Matter | Part B: Opinions |
NQHR 1 /1991
PART B: OPINIONS
A NEW HUMAN RIGHTS CONSCIOUSNESS
V. Ramaswamy"
I Beyond Civil and Political Rights
In India, particularly following the 1975-77Emergency, there has been an
upsurge of what is referred to here as "civil liberties" and "democratic
rights" activism. There are a number of well-respected organizations
involved in such work. But
if
one
looks at the kinds of issues taken up by
them, the kinds of ideas the leading activists advocate,
one
finds that their
understanding of the term "rights" - human rights - embraces political,
social and economic rights,where these are not seen separately from each
other; that, basically, they are calling for major socio-economic change.
Thus, for instance, such groups have done studies, published reports,
and sometimes taken up public interestlegal action on issues relating to the
exploitation of construction workers on the Asiad project inNew Delhi, or
the Metro (subway) project in Calcutta, on eviction of urban squatters, on
rural land ownership and alienation, on the socio-economic factors
perpetuating poverty and violence against the disprivileged in rural India.'
So, perhaps a holisticview of the concept of human rights issomething one
receives and internalises in this kind of milieu.
As a young studentin Londonin the early eighties, struggling to develop
a clear perspective in the face of the bombardmentby notions of "liberty"
and "freedom", I had chanced upon a slim book:
Persecution:
East and
'.
V. Ramaswamy is a teacher and human rights activist, and lives in Calcutta, India, where
he works with Unnayan, a non-profit advocacy group.
1. Among such reports may be mentioned the written petition to the Supreme Court of
India by the People's Union [or Democratic Rights, New Delhi 1982, in the matter of
working conditions of construction labourers employed in different projects relating to
New Delhi's 1982 Asian Games; Association [or Protection of Democratic Rights,
Calcutta, Calcutta's Metro Workers, Calcutta 1985; People's Union for Civil Uberties,
Bombay, The Shunned and the Shunted, Bombay 1983; People'S Union for Democratic
Rights, New Delhi, Gentlemen Farmers
of
the Terai, New Delhi 1989,
And
Quiet Flows the
Ganga, New Delhi 1983, Behind the Killings in Bihar, New Delhi 1986.
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