India asked to accept UN recommendations on human rights

September 4, 2012: A human rights watch dog has suggested India to accept the recommendations of United Nations’ (UN) member states to address the country’s most serious human rights problems.

“The Indian government should make a serious effort to carry out these recommendations instead of simply pointing to existing legislation or policies,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. She said that the country needs a strong commitment to transparency and accountability to protect human rights.

The wide-ranging recommendations call upon India to ratify multinational treaties against torture and enforced disappearances, repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, impose a moratorium on the death penalty. The recommendations also include introduction of an anti-discrimination law and protection of the rights of women, children, dalits, tribal groups, religious minorities, and other groups at risk.

During the September 2012 session of the UN Human Rights Council, India will submit its responses to the 169 recommendations. UN’s member states had given the recommendations at its Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR is the mechanism to examine the human rights records of all 192 UN member states.

It provides an opportunity for each state, every four years, to explain what actions it has taken to improve respect for human rights in its own country. Each country’s UPR has a final document with conclusions and recommendations.

India’s first review was in 2008, but only a few of the recommendations were properly carried out.