Awareness on human rights needs improvement, says panel member

Awareness on human rights needs improvement, says panel member

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Dec 11, 2015: C.G. Hungund, member of the State Human Rights Commission, said on Dec 10, Thursday that besides being conscious of their rights, people should also respect and protect the rights of others around. He was speaking at a meet to mark "World Human Rights Day",  organised by the district administration and the District Legal Services Authority.

 Hungund said that the 12th century saint and social reformer Basaveswara had said that people should treat others just as they wanted others to treat them. Even the Buddha and Swami Vivekananda too had emphasised on the need for human and moral values.

After the Second World War, the United Nations Organisation adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

“Human rights are inalienable rights. Human rights have been incorporated in the Indian Constitution as fundamental rights,” he said.

When the poor people could not afford to fight court cases for the violation of their human rights, institutions such as the State Human Rights Commission came to their aid. Government officials wielded enormous powers.

They should be empathetic to the people who approached them for help. Though technology had progressed rapidly, the feeling towards fellow human beings was declining. This trend had to be reversed, he said.

Though the pledge of Human Rights Day was administered in English,  Hungund said that he would take steps to see that the pledge was translated into Kannada and was administered in Kannada next year.

Shivashankar B. Amarannavar, District and Sessions Judge, said that while protecting their rights, people should not violate the rights of others. 

K. Channabasappa, Additional Deputy Commissioner;  DC Dr R. Vishal,  Priyanka Mary Francis, Chief Executive Officer of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat; Dayananda K., president of Udupi Bar Association, were present.