Human Rights

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) involves a peer review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years. The UPR is one of the key mechanisms to remind States of their responsibility to fully respect and implement all human rights.. EQUATIONS and ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) submitted this report as a part of the stakeholders inputs to the process. The key concerns raised in the submission is that India needs to ratify the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour (No. 182) and The Minimum Age Convention (No.138).Other recommendations include the need for the domestic legal framework to be brought in line with international standards to better provide legal protection for children throughout the country, as current laws fail to provide adequate definitions of child prostitution, child pornography and child trafficking and do not appropriately criminalise activities committed by offenders in relation to those crimes.

We condemn the inhuman and illegal eviction and demolition at Hampi Bazaar: Hampi has been more than just a collection of ruins scattered in a magnificent landscape. It is part of the historical and ancient city of Vijayanagara, which has survived as a living site. Here visitors experience the dynamism and colour of a vibrant bazaar. Today the Hampi Bazaar is facing a crisis, with it having been illegally demolished. Eviction notices were issued a few hours before the demolition, giving no time and opportunity for people to respond and react to the notices. Neither alternate housing nor clear guidelines for conducting business were issued prior to the eviction. The fallout of this demolition has been that many families, some with small children and some with aged people have been pushed on to the streets, do not have a place to live, and livelihoods have been affected.

This study sheds light on the legal bases of the new world trade order, documents the progress of liberalization in the tourism sector, names its risks and makes proposals for reform. It takes account of sectarian problems in developing countries in general and the Indian experience with tourism in particular. Reform proposals are drawn up on the much elaborated key issues regarding the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), human rights violations and optimal implementation of the WTO-OMC’s commitment of sustainable development. The study contains project findings that aim to facilitate constructive international debate.