December 10 is celebrated as the Human Rights Day every year across the globe. This particular day was chosen after the United Nations General Assembly adopted and proclaimed on December 10, 1948, the first global enunciation of human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on December 4, 1950, when the General Assembly declared resolution 423(V) and invited all member states and interested organisations to celebrate the day as they deemed fit.On this day at the UN headquarters in NewYork City, the day is marked by high-levelpolitical conferences and meetings, culturalevents and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues. Apart from this, on this day, the five-yearly United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights and Nobel Peace Prize are awarded. Many government and nongovernment organizations, including socialorganizations, working in the field of human rights conduct special events to celebrate the day.

Since 1945, the UN has been involved in promotion and protection of human rights across the globe. It was only after World War II that the world body’s founding nations resolved that war horrors should not be repeated. Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls for respect for human rights and human dignity. From time to time, the UN has taken up rights violations issue like the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi, providing succour to victims of natural calamities in Haiti or Pakistan.

There have been many world leaders who are known for violating human rights and the most popular among them is the former Chilean president/dictator Augusto Pinochet. The irony was that the dictator died of a heart attack on December 10, 2006, at the age of 91. Coming to our own country, the situation of human rights is very complex as per the large size and diversity. India’s Constitution provides for Fundamental Rights that include freedom of religion, speech and movement with some restrictions.

In newspapers, there have been reports of some Dalit members being victimised orharassed. Even though there are some human rights problems, India is considered safe as compared to concerns taken up in other South Asian nations. In 2006, in a report prepared by Freedom house, India enjoys a freedom rating of 2 in political rights and 3 in civilliberties.The country’s apex court delivering a verdict in the Prakash Singh vs. Union of India case in 2006, ordered the Centre and State governments to initiate police reforms following the rising number of custodial deaths. It is widely believed that the police torture innocent people to extract confession to shield some influential people or solve cases. Apparently, in the country nearly 800 people die in police custody.

Another human rights violation that comes to the fore in the country is by the Defence personnel. There have been cases of torture and abuse surfacing from Jammu and Kashmir.Human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have criticised human rights abuses in Kashmir.In this state, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) grants the military wide powers of arrest, the right to shoot to kill, and to occupy or destroy property in counter in surgency operations.

To work and protect the rights of people, many are coming forward to equip themselves with the relevant knowledge. Among the most prominent institute conducting a course in Human Rights is the Indian Society of International Law (ISIL). It conducts a oneyear postgraduate diploma course in human rights, international humanitarian law and refugee law. This course has the support of National Human Rights Commission, the ICRC and UNHCR. According to Dr D. S. Mohil of ISIL, the PGD course is the first of its kind in South Asia which joins the three distinct legal regimes into one that would help protect the individual and promote respect for human dignity.

After arming themselves with the relevant qualification, the Human Rights activists can take up jobs in NGOs to highlight their issues or bring them relief. They can take up issues relating to education, freedom, inequality,health, aid and growth, ethics and others.Some of the groups, the activists work for are Women, Children, Minorities, Refugees,Prisoners, bonded labourers and others.If one is serious in speaking up for others then just visit http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/index.htm to know more about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Some of the other websites are: The Human Rights Research Center: http://www.hrusa.org/default.htm, Human Rights Watch:http://www.hrw.org/, Women’s Human
Rights: http://www.whrnet. org/, Action Without Borders: http://www. idealist.org.

Institutes offering courses in Human Rights:Certificate Course
* Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
* National Law School of India University,

Bangalore
* S.N.D.T. Womens University, Mumbai
* Stella Maris College, Chennai
* Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi

Degree Course
* Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
* Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
* Sri Venkatesswara University, Tirupati
* Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam
* Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

Diploma Course
* University of Mumbai, Mumbai
* Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi
* Universityof Madras, Chennai
* H.P. University, Simla
* University of Kashmir, Srinagar
* Indian Law Institute, New Delhi