Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday called for striking a balance in approach towards the rights of victims of human rights violation and those found guilty of such violation.
She said there was an urgent need for a change in outlook in order to protect the rights of women and children.
Addressing a function organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to mark Human Rights Day, Ms. Mahajan said India has a long tradition of giving importance not only to human beings but also to all living beings in the universe, who were inter-dependent and lived in harmony.
The Speaker said protection and promotion of human rights is not the responsibility of the NHRC or government bodies alone.
“It will not be sufficient to talk of human rights just on a particular day. We must become mutually sensitive towards each other’s rights and duties for all times.”
Ms. Mahajan praised the NHRC’s interventions for promoting and protecting human rights through various activities, camp sittings, awareness programmes and visits to jails.
“Human Rights 365”The function drew attention towards the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted and proclaimed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1948. This year’s theme, “Human Rights 365”, carries the idea that every day is a human rights day and everybody at all times is entitled to all human rights.
NHRC Chairman Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said governments must make certain that policies and programmes devised by them have a strong human rights component to ensure a truly beneficial and equitable utilisation of national and human resources.
The Commission has registered 98,136 fresh cases with action having being completed in 92,292 of them in 2013-14, Justice Balakrishnan added.
It also recommended payment of interim relief in 443 cases amounting to Rs.15.19 crore during the period.
