Child rights

The UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims will be observed in Pakistan with a pledge to struggle to eliminate torture from society. Two seminars will be held on this occasion, as well as demonstrations against torture committed by law enforcement agencies, including the armed forces. Human rights activists will urge the government to […]

INR 17, or approximately 30 cents in USD, is what an average poor spends a day in rural India. Their urban friends are no better off either; they have to content with spending INR 27 for seeing a day off. Adjust that amount for the cost of living in urban centres and they are just […]

In India, death has a myriad ways to prey on hapless children and sniff the life out of them. Often, it has rather trustworthy accomplices: the union and state governments. Take but one way it strikes, killing more than a thousand each year. Since 1978, when it first struck, it has never failed to collect […]

India prides itself as a government “of the people, for the people, and by the people”, worthy of praise for being a rare model of democracy in the region. Yet, the government is criticised as the perpetrator of injustice upon the very people whose rights it is to protect. Even though India is a resource-rich […]

“It was in her fate to die this way”, these shameful words were said by a mother after she threw acid on her own daughter. These are the words used commonly by many families in Pakistani society in order to justify their actions and take shelter in this orthodox society. This incident took place in […]

KARACHI, June 13: With similar renewed pledges as of yesteryears to eliminate exploitation of child labour, their empowerment and granting them their due rights, the global Child Labour Day was observed on June 13 (CLD). The world have been observing the day since 2002 after recognised by the United Nation. Every year on June 12, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about allegedly illegal demolition of around 120 houses in Florentino St., Sto. Domingo, Quezon City on April 10-11, 2013. The information sent to the AHRC by Barangay Sto. Domingo Settlers Association through Defend Jobs Philippine asserts that the demolitions were carried out in violation […]

An Open Letter from the AHRC to the President of Sri Lanka: Stop the use of chili by the police during interrogations (The following letter was sent to His Excellency, President Mahinda Rajapaksa) His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa President Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Office of the President Temple Trees 150, Galle Road, Colombo 3, […]

AFAD 15th Anniversary Statement 4 June 2013 – A decade and a half have passed since the founding of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD). Many Asian governments continue the practice of making people disappear while past cases remain unresolved.  While they fail to hold the perpetrators accountable, victims and their families continue to […]

For some time now anti-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiya (Jaamat) activities have been escalating all over Pakistan and particularly in Lahore. The members of Jamaat have been mercilessly tortured and rebuked in public over fake and felonious accusations. They have been threatened physically and mentally tortured and now live in fear of their lives. They have even been harassed […]

Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives – Volume 2 Number 01, just issued Torture is endemic! Every moment of every day torture takes place somewhere in the world which shows us the gravity of the social destruction and disorder. Having a dream for a torture free society is not an illusion but something that is attached […]

(Hong Kong, May 29, 2013) Twenty-three year old Nicolette ‘Nikki” Gamara, whose parents have been laid with fabricated charges, will speak at a public forum tomorrow, May 30 from 7–9pm (please see below for the details of the venue), about the ongoing and systematic practice of fabricating charges against human rights and political activists in […]

The days I spent at the RFK Centre, with those who desired personal liberty and freedom Change cannot be achieved by forcing others to accept the world that you have conceptualized as per your will, desire and imagination, it happens through the attitudes that you improved throughout the work in which you engaged in and […]

The Fundamental Rights case of Ganeshan Nimalaruban was taken before the Supreme Court yesterday. The Bench consisted of: Mohan Peiris CJ, P. A Ratnayake PC J and S Hettige J. In the course of submissions by the petitioner’s lawyers, Chief Justice Mohan Peiris made the following remarks: “When the prison is under siege do you […]

It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that Abdul Waheed Khan projects are continued so that his death will not be in vain On May 13 a well known human rights defender, social activist and educationist was assassinated, allegedly by religious extremists suspected to be members of the Taliban. Mr. Abdul Waheed Khan […]

(Hong Kong, May 8, 2013) The Asian Human Rights Commission on Wednesday condemned ongoing efforts by the courts and police in Burma to thwart prosecution of an influential person accused of abduction and rape of a child. On April 24, the Eastern District Court hearing a charge of rape against U Myint Aung, a businessman […]

Once again violence against the Ahmadi community has erupted in Punjab province. As the election are approaching (May 11) this recent outburst is seen as an attempt to influence the voters to support fundamentalists and right wing parties. On 28th April 2013 supporters of Khatme Nabuwwat (the movement against the Ahmadi sect of Islam) raided […]

Basil Fernando A seven-year-old child, Pushpakumara Wijekoon from Kegalle, went to school as usual and left around 1 pm. He walked to the junction where his father usually picked him up on his cycle to bring him home. As the child did not see his father, he started walking back home. The distance was about […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to inform our readers that police action was taken at the offices of the Association of Global Human Rights and Ethics (AGHE). The police with the help of a magistrate have sealed the office and forcibly removed the staff. The government of Gilgit and Baltistan […]

The news had sprung up from nowhere. All that I had picked up the newspaper for, was to kill some time on that long flight and here it was, tucked away in a small box, staring at me. Reading it had sent a shiver down my spine. No, it was not about some unseen horrors. […]