Mangalore, February 28: India is the fifth worst country in the world in suppressing human rights, said Justice Micheal F Saldanha, Retired High Court Judge.
He was delivering the presidential address at a national seminar on “Human Rights and Unorganised Labour” organised by Department of Political Science, St Aloysius College, Mangalore, in association with Human Rights Cell and Pathways on Monday at Eric Mathias Hall of St Aloysius College.
He said human rights violation are virtually hundred percent in this country. When India hosted Asian Games in 1982, the percentage of unorganized labourers used was around 72 percent, while in recently held Common Wealth Games it had reached 100, he said.
Prof Valerian Rodrigues, Centre for Political Science, JNU New Delhi said 35 percent of the population in the country has been suffering from extreme poverty. Most of them belong to Scheduled castes, Adivasis, Muslims and Christians, he said.
He said people should know the language of rights. People should not commit 'moral guilt' without seeking any information through Right to Information Act, he said.
He lamented that in a country like India it has still not been possible to constitute an effective human rights agency.
In her introductory speech Rose Veera D'Souza, Chairman of Department of Political Science said that the great social divide in India today is between unorganised labour and the rest in India. This unorganised labour is deeply marked by a specific social identity which invariably happens to be a disadvantaged group. The unorganised labour is mainly drawn from Dalit, minority, Adivasi groups and increasingly comprises of women. One of the pre-conditions of the access of human rights to labour worldwide has been labouring masses themselves coming together in their distinct organization, associations and unions, she said.
Rev Fr Swebert D'Silva, Principal of the College, Rev Dr Stany D'Souza, Vice Principal, Supritha H G Student Coordinator were present.
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