Right to food

BANGLADESH: Three persons faced detention in a fabricated case, lodged by illegal-sand-miners, who are being aided by ruling party parliamentarians

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding illegal sand mining in the Meghna River adjacent to the Mayadip and Nunertek islands. There has been an investigation conducted by the government of Bangladesh, following intervention by the Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing of the United Nation, which itself followed the […]

INDIA: 23 tribal children die of malnutrition in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Sahyog, Support in Development about the death of 23 children belonging to Sahariya community, a scheduled tribe, of malnutrition and diseases caused by it within a short span of time. The AHRC has also learnt that the local administration was made well aware […]

INDIA: Too little too late

Statement | India | 10-09-2012

After 17 days of daring to stand in neck-deep water, the villagers who are protesting against the unjust compensation package offered for the Onkareshwar Dam in Madhya Pradesh is yet to receive any guaranteed assurances from their government. Yesterday, the Madhya Pradesh State Government has reportedly agreed to reduce the water level in the reservoir, […]

INDIA: Rights are a mandate, not a concession

Statement | India | 04-09-2012

The ongoing protest by village communities acting against the increase of water level in the Omkareshwar Dam is unique in several aspects. The protest, which has completed 11 days today, is directed against the Madhya Pradesh state government that has failed to adequately rehabilitate those who have lost their land and livelihood to this ‘development’ […]

PHILIPPINES: Floods caused by torrential rains threaten food security of fishermen and urban poor in CALABARZON

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Workers Assistance Center Inc about the floods caused by torrential rains that has imperiled the food security of a vast population in the CALABARZON area of Philippines. Here, the floods affecting more than 3 million people have already taken a toll of 95. […]

PAKISTAN: Malnourishment has become too big an issue to be ignored in Pakistan

Publicly disseminated last September, the National Nutrition Survey reports mass deprivation from adequate nutrition. Along comes another dire news from Save the Children — over 90 percent of infants receive unacceptable diets that threaten both physical and mental development (A Life Free From Hunger, 2012). A recent (draft) report by UNICEF is grim: unacceptably large […]

INDIA: The Independence Day speech they would never deliver!

Article | India | 15-08-2012

There is nothing amiss here. The nation is in celebratory mode and it is celebrating with aplomb. The national flag, the tricolour, is everywhere: being waved in the hands of children, tattooed on the cheeks of enthusiastic youth, flying high on the walls. And, it has, for a change, ensured a full meal to the […]

INDIA: A family denied of their rights faces eviction that may push it to starvation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum) that the family of a single parent Ms. Sarathi Mondal from district Murshidabad in West Bengal is living under the continuous threat of eviction from the authorities without any rehabilitation. Ms. Mondal, who lost her husband long ago and […]

INDIA: BSF torturing of a man pushes his family into starvation and leads to death of his daughter

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum) that the family of Mr. Majim Sardar, a victim of illegal detention and custodial torture, is on the brink of starvation. Mr. Sardar is a tribal man from district of Murshidabad in West Bengal. The victim has already lost […]

INDIA: India needs a comprehensive food security legislation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following open letter from the Secretariat of Right to Food Campaign of India to the Prime Minster of India. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——- An Open Letter from Secretariat of Right to Food Campaign of India forwarded by the […]

INDIA: An ode to ‘lesser’ people’s death

Article | India | 10-07-2012

Avinash Pandey Come June, and Indian media has a welcome break from the dearth of positive news. They do not need to repeat telecast the same scams, neither they are forced to fill their ‘news programs’ with this soap opera or that comedy show running on countless entertainment channels. They get their OB vans chasing […]

INDIA: BSF brutality and technocratic deficiencies leading to hunger are equally criminal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the torture of Mr Ranjan Mondal by five BSF personnel attached to Kaharpara BSF Outpost No. 5 under 105th Battalion of BSF on 5 January 2012 Unlawful arrest, torture, caste-based discrimination and a culture of impunity amongst law enforcement and paramilitary […]

INDIA: Dance of death in the ‘largest democracy’ shames none!

Statement | India | 05-07-2012

Here is the statistics. Nothing less than 14004 farmers committed suicide in 2011 as per the data of the National Crime Records Bureau. That is more than 10.3 per cent of the total number of suicides in India through the year. Factoring the issues like huge underreporting of cases and the practice of never counting […]

PAKISTAN: Keep rivers free movement

The entire globe is experiencing a water crisis and Asia in general and South Asia in particular are no exception to this phenomenon. These regions are marred with complex and multidimensional aspects of water crises. Not only has the availability of water declined but also its quality has been badly affected. A deep probe into […]

NEPAL: Thousands families denied access to safe water in Nepal

Article | Nepal | 13-06-2012

Life like hell in the place like heaven — Mountainous region As a right to food activist for the last five years, I had a dream to travel to the Karnali region, a mountainous area while doing field work. Mugu in the Karnali region is surrounded by nature. Out of the 75 districts in Nepal, […]

NEPAL: Thousands families denied access to safe water in Nepal

Life like hell in the place like heaven — Mountainous region As a right to food activist for the last five years, I had a dream to travel to the Karnali region, a mountainous area while doing field work. Mugu in the Karnali region is surrounded by nature. Out of the 75 districts in Nepal, […]

INDIA: Stop harassing human rights organisations and defenders

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Right to Food Campaign India. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FST-036-2012 May 30, 2012 A Statement from the Right to Food Campaign India, against the continuous harassment and attempts to criminalise the work of Jagrit Adivasi Dalit […]

INDIA: Caste-based discrimination against ‘untouchable’ Ahirwar in Madhya Pradesh

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information concerning caste-based discrimination in the implementation of the Mid-Day-Meal scheme in Maregaon Village of Tehsil Gadarwara, Narshingpur, Madhya Pradesh. The monstrous failure of provincial authorities to distribute such welfare to those most in need is believed to be a reaction to a specific decision […]

INDIA: Student tortured in West Bengal to extort confession

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning another case of police brutality by personnel of Raninagar Police Station, under the captaincy of Sub-Inspector Nilanjan Roy of Raninagar Police Station, against 19-year-old Golam Mujtuba and a few of his friends from Char Majhardiar Village. Such impunity on the part […]

INDIA: An Act to suppress democratic rights

Statement | India | 25-05-2012

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is informed that District Magistrate Barwani in Madhya Pradesh state has issued a “show cause” notice to human rights defender Ms. Madhuri Krishnaswami on 10 May 2012 asking her why actions should not be initiated against her under the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Suraksha Adhiniyam, 1990 (Madhya Pradesh State Security, […]