Rights and Developing Countries
Human rights are essential to protect humanity and development. Human rights represent rights of an individual, a community or a society. Human rights violation in the current world has its consequences on the offender. There are organizations that fund human rights activists. The need to uphold human right has made governments formulate policies, create institutions, and laws that promote human rights. Developing countries have policies that protect rights of people in the society. India is one of the developing countries that face challenges in relation to human rights. In India, the issue is unique since it has a very large geographical region and thus; has diverse cultures. The country is a democratic nation, permits secular notions and is a sovereign state (Kieran, 2007). India's constitution provides for fundamental human rights. Under the constitution, there is provision for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and this extends to the presence of the three arms of the government that is the executive, the judiciary and the parliament.
The country also provide for the freedom of movement within the region and abroad. Information on human rights from the library congress of the United States implies that India is not of human rights concern even though human rights problems does exist as compared to other countries, for example, Pakistan. According to a report of the year 2010 by the freedom house India was second in terms of political rights and third in relation to civil liberties; thus making the country earn the highest rating in human rights (Geetanjali, 2009). The same report state that India has significant human rights problems. There have been concerns on the lack of accountability on the part of the security forces. There has been reports that human right activist, workers have been tortured, killed, and even their families affected. There have been abusive acts that citizens of these countries have suffered; there are numerous reports of police brutality, torture and extra judicial killings (Puddington, 2009).
Human right came into practice in the year 1948 when the United Nations passed a resolution. There was recognition that all human beings had rights. At the same period, the United Nations endorsed democracy within nations. The endorsement of the human rights by the United Nations did not consider development. This, therefore, became a basis for debate between the communist states and the west. By the end of the cold war and the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union left a mark of western ideas and values. States developed based on their political affiliation. Organizations such as the Amnesty and the human rights watch focused on documenting human rights violation at the civil and the political level (Desai, 2010). This organization does not only focus on human rights violation but cultural, social and economical rights. Western ideas on human rights center on asserting the rights through transparency, accountability duties and responsibilities. This ideology focuses on rights-based approaches.
Moreover, in India, the issue of human rights has undergone many transformations. The practice of 'sati' where it was a custom for widows to self-immolation is outdated in India. There were changes of the law to restrain child marriage. There have been several incidences in India that has promoted human right violation for decades. Reforms on policies in relation to land, family and politics have shaped the human rights movement in the country. There have been calls for reforms of the police force to limit corruption and impunity within states (Spipati, 2001). In the year 2006, India's Supreme Court called for the implementation of reforms in response to human rights violation by the police. Asian centre for human rights: estimate that around four people, in India, die per day in the hands of police. In the year 2009, the high court of Delhi declared a penal cord that outlaws unspecific unnatural sex acts, but it is doing apply to homosexuals in consent.
Transition from Welfare
This model of development is a model originally from the western countries. In this model, poverty is a state of absence of knowledge or public good. In this approach, the state or a non-Governmental organization provide this public commodity. However, millions and billions of dollars poured to such investment has not been a success. The gap between the poor and then rich is always widening. Failures of this model have given rise to a rights-based approach where the poor become right holders instead of charity works (Desai, 2010). The functions of these nongovernmental organizations are to provide frameworks for citizens to overcome barriers, and to give training and tools to promote human rights....
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