Pvchr Work Description

PEOPLE’S VIGILANCE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS WHO WE ARE ABOUT PVCHR PVCHR – People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights - was started in 1996 as a membership based human rights movement in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), one of the most traditional, conservative and segregated regions in India. PVCHR works to ensure basic rights for vulnerable groups in the Indian society, e.g. children, women, Dalits and tribes and to create a human rights culture based on democratic values. PVCHR ideology is inspired by the father of the Dalit movement, Dr. B. D. Ambedkar, who struggled against Brahmanism and the caste hierarchical system prevailing in India. In 1999, PVCHR formed the public charitable trust Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) to monitor and evaluate activities, to operate the bank account and to enable the organisation to have official clearance for receiving foreign grants.

OUR VISION To establish a true, vibrant and fully entrenched democratic society through Jan Mitra concept where there shall be no violation of civil rights granted to a citizen by the state. OUR MISSION to provide basic rights to all, to eliminate situations, which give rise to exploitation of vulnerable and marginalized groups and to start a movement for a people friendly society (Jan Mitra Samaj) through an inter-institutional approach. AWARDS The work of PVCHR was awarded with the Gwangju Human Rights Award 2007. In 2001, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, founder and director of PVCHR, was elected for the Ashoka Fellowship for social entrepreneurship and change maker.

HOW WE WORK Indians society, especially in the rural areas, is still influenced by feudalism and the caste system which continues to determine the political, social, and economic life of the country. Caste based discrimination is practiced in the educational system, in places of work, villages and towns and even in courts of justice. The most heinous impacts of caste based discriminations are starvation and malnutrition. Acute poverty and cases of starvation occur especially in marginalized groups in the Indian society like minority communities, tribes and Dalits. Dalits (often called the “untouchables”) have been engaged in the hardest and most difficult jobs in the Indian society, bearing the brunt of rigid caste-based discrimination in terms of residence, occupation or education. When the national rate of literacy touches 67%, among the Dalits it is a mere 32%. And if at all you are a woman from that community, it is still less at 23%. Only 6% of the Dalits own land, most of them labour in someone else’ field or migrate to the cities. Their standards of living force their children to work as child labourer even in hazardous industries. The severest human rights violations in India, as the widespread use of custodial torture, are closely linked to caste based discrimination. In the context of crime investigation suspects are tortured to enforce confessions. Due to the absence of an independent agency to investigate cases, complaints are often not properly proofed and perpetrators are not prosecuted and punished. The discrimination of women and gender based violence which includes domestic violence, dowry linked violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sex-selective abortion is one of the most relevant human rights issues in India.

OUR WORKING APPROACH • • • • • • • •

accurate investigation and documentation of human rights violations connected with advocacy, publication and networking on a local, national and international level creating models of non violent and democratic communities (People friendly villages, torture-free villages) building up local institutions and supporting them with active human rights networks creating a democratic structure for the ‘voiceless’ to enable them access to the constitutional guarantees of modern India empowering marginalized communities by trainings and access to information promoting a human rights culture linking local and international human rights together linking grass roots activities and international human rights networks and institutions together

OUR ACTIVITIES FROM PRACTICE TO POLITICS The approach in this field of activities is two-fold: to have a strong grassroots organization to work for democratic rights of those in marginalized communities and second, to create the structure and dynamics to receive the assistance of national and international institutions. PVCHR is working on the grass-root level in 45 villages in Uttar Pradesh. In close cooperation with local human rights activists PVCHR documents cases of severe human rights violations in the villages, for example cases of malnutrition and starvation, police torture or unavailable medical treatment. Especially in cases of custodial torture PVCHR is also providing legal aid. To raise public awareness PVCHR alters media as well as national and international human rights net-work and request local authorities to act and to prevent further human rights abuses. Effective advocacy (Urgent Appeals) for every single case can be accomplished by a close cooperation with our key partner, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). In the context of international advocacy along with AHRC, PVCHR achieved the rare distinction of being reported by the UN special rappoteur on Racism and Xenophobia. In the same year three out of four reported cases from India in the report of representative of Secretary General for Human Rights defenders were from PVCHR. The point of departure for our campaigning and political lobbying is always the meticulous analysis of the individual case. Examples for our campaigns from the last years, which were strongly supported by the grass-root movement, are:

• • •

Fair Play Campaign against the use of child labour in Indian Sporting Goods Global March against Child Labour which in effect liberated bonded child labour in many areas Campaign on the rights of weavers and on cases of starvation among the weavers communities

FROM POLITICS TO PRACTICE - THE MODEL OF JAN MITRA VILLAGE To translate policy into practice, The “Jan Mitra Rickshaw Bank Project” is implemented according to the concept of micro-credits. 100 Rickshaws are provided to Rickshaw-drivers who commit to pay back a daily amount of 25 Rs., but unlike to the current situation the Rickshaws will change in the ownership of the drivers after a period of 2 years. PVCHR is facilitating the provision of education in these villages, reactivating defunct primary schools, encouraging education of girls and promoting non-formal education. Further activities are focused on organisational development of vulnerable groups and the implementation of village committees. In each Jan Mitra village a community centre has been established, forming the basis for the project activities. People are also provided with community-based counselling. One of the core activities in the model villages are the Folk schools. In community meetings people can give testimonies about their suffering and receive support from the group. Issues of the Folk schools are conflicts with the village head or experiences of torture. Special forums for women are also organized. Here the main problems discussed are mostly health related, and sometimes also related to dowry issues. The statements of the villagers are recorded and their demands are forwarded to administration and governments.

COOPERATION PROJECTS JAN MITRA RICKSHAW BANK PROJECT With the support of the America India Foundation and the Punjab National Bank PVCHR has started the “Jan Mitra Rickshaw Bank Project”. In the city of Varanasi 30.000 Rickshaw drivers are working, most of them rent the rickshaw for 25 Rs. per day. Due to their meagre income they are completely dependent from the rickshaw owners and their arbitrariness. The “Jan Mitra Rickshaw Bank Project” is implemented according to the concept of microcredits. 100 Rickshaws are provided to Rickshaw-drivers who commit to pay back a daily amount of 25 Rs. but unlike to the current situation the Rickshaws will change in the ownership of the drivers after a period of 2 years. NATIONAL PROJECT ON PREVENTING TORTURE IN INDIA PVCHR acts as partner in this EU-supported national project which is implemented by People’s Watch Tamil Nadu. The aim of the project is to initiate and model a national campaign for the prevention of torture in India, with a deliberate focus on torture practices employed by police and will be carried out in 10 states. Project activities are the documentation of individual torture cases, monitoring, trainings for different professional groups and a national awareness campaign.

PEOPLE OUR PARTNERS AND NETWORKS We are linked with a multitude of organizations, student unions, trade unions, and grass-root level NGOs. PVCHR is a key partner of AHRC in India and the two organisations have worked on the following issues: Hunger Free campaign, Urgent Appeals, interns with AHRC and training on research and documentation. PVCHR is also working in close cooperation with other national and international human rights organisations like Asian Centre for Human Rights, Human Rights Law Network, Voice of People or Human Rights Alert. OUR TEAM Our team consists of full time employees, staff employed on a yearly basis or as per the requirement of the project with specific terms of reference and consultants, whose expertise are hired. Human rights activists in 45 villages are working as volunteers with PVCHR.

OUR SUPPORTERS “PVCHR does wonderful work under very difficult circumstances. We are proud to be associated with you –India & the World need more of such Workers. Justice Zakaria Mohd. Yacoob , Sitting Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa & Chancellor of Durban – Westville “On some occasion I am wearing the T-shirt you gave me for the purpose that people should ask me whose face is it showing. Then I tell them in a country far away from our own there are people like Safdar Hashmi and Dr. Lenin who were and who are fighting for things worth fighting for and we too should work for a better world.” Otto Tausig, Austrian Film Actor “The World needs great voices like those of PVCHR shouting for Human Dignity” Dominique Lapierre (Author-Freedom at Midnight & City of Joy) & social activist

FINANCIAL INFORMATION Our work is funded by membership fees and own donations. Furthermore, PVCHR has received funding from a range of donors including HIVOS, SIDA, Action Aid, Tata, Misereor and the American Indian Foundation. Name of Organisation/NGO: Jan Mitra Nyas Name of Bank: UCO Bank Branch Location: Pandeypur Varanasi Address: Pandeypur Varanai, Uttar Pradesh India Account No.: 1170 IFSC Code: ECBA0000034.

CONTACT US:

PVCHR Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi (Director) SA4/2A, Daulatpur, Varanasi - 221002 , (India) Tel: +91-99 355 99 333 [email protected] www.pvchr.org Please visit: http://www.universalrights.net/heroes/display.php3?id=101 www.pvchr.org www.youtube.com/pvchrindia www.pvchr.blogspot.com www.sapf.blogspot.com www.antiwto.blogspot.com www.rtfcup.blogspot.com www.dalitwomen.blogspot.com www.lenin-shruti.blogspot.com