By IANS
New Delhi : On the International Human Rights Day Monday, India should pledge to wipe out female foeticide and give a woman her basic right – the right to live – says Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research.
“With such high rates of female foeticides even today, we, as a society must realise this is the right we must focus on first. Every girl child has the right to live and she should be guaranteed that right,” Kumari, who is also the president of Women Power Connect, an NGO working on women empowerment, told IANS.
The International Human Rights Day marks the end of 16 days of activism to eliminate violence against women being observed by the US Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) along with other partner organisations in India.
The event started with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, observed Nov 25.
Ranjana Kumari added that along with other partner organisations, they are planning on a National Shame Day, early next year, to focus on increasing cases of violence against woman in the country.
“Whether it’s Nandigram, Godhra or Guwahati, women have always been the target. And all the while bystanders simply laugh or look on, showing no sympathy whatsoever.
“This attitude is shameful and that’s why we will observe a National Shame Day, next year throughout the country,” Kumari said.
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is organising awareness programmes and events, among which there will be book releases on the subject of human rights.
This year UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will launch a special campaign designed to help people to learn more about their basic rights.
Ban and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour will issue special messages inviting people around the world to create their own public information campaigns.
A campaign logo, fact sheets and posters have been developed to give communities and organisations the inspiration and tools to get their campaigns started.
The human rights day was first observed in 1948 when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was signed in Paris enshrining every individual’s fundamental rights and freedom.