Human Rights in a Developing Society
Contents: Preface. 1. Human rights -- concept and values/Asok Kumar Mukhopadhyay. 2. Public law of human rights/V.R. Kirshna Iyer. 3. Self-descriptive communities - an alternative to contextualist discourse of human rights/Prasenjit Biswas and C. Upendra. 4. Human rights --evolution, issues and challenges/M.R. Biju. 5. Human rights education for empowerment/Vinod Teckchandani. 6. Human rights under globalisation/Ninan Koshy. 7. Human rights of the Indian poor - reasons for the poor reach/Subhash C. Sharma. 8. Empowering women by safeguarding their human rights - international standards and Indian law/Amita Agarwal. 9. Prevention of custodial violence in the police process/Jacob Punnoose. 10. Constitutional position of human rights in India/Gokulesh Sharma. 11. Rights of the Scheduled Tribes--policies and strategies/Meenakshi Hooja. 12. Problem of working children/B.P. Tiwari. 13. Girl child labour in Raksha Industry/Hiteshkumar N. Patel. 14. Problems and perspectives of girl child labour in Tamil Nadu/Godsen Mohandoss. Select bibliography. Index.
"The concept of human rights has assumed importance globally during the past few decades. Ever since the proclamation of universal declaration of human rights, the term human rights has gained currency and has become a crucial element of philosophical, social and political debates. While there is increasingly widespread concern for universal respect and observance of human rights, gross violation of internationally recognized norms continue unabated in almost all parts of the globe. Countless people around the world suffer from hunger, disease and lack of opportunity, and they are being denied the enjoyment of the most basic economic, social and cultural rights.
In a developing society like India, where around fifty percent of the population is living below the poverty line and around seventy percent of the population is illiterate and a large number of men and women are living a life of degradation and destitution, misery and suffering, this subject assumes much greater importance. A number of the fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in the Indian constitution have remained on paper and this compels many to rethink about India\'s commitment and seriousness for these issues. There is a wide gap between rhetoric and reality and sometimes human rights appear more or less a myth in India.
Against this background, this anthology of articles contributed by renowned academicians, jurists, and experienced administrators embodies critical analysis of various aspects of human rights, both in theoretical and practical terms, and makes valuable suggestions for uplifting human rights awareness in India. The volume contains in-depth and illuminating discussions on wide ranging issues and areas of human rights, viz., public law of human rights, impact of globalization on human rights, police and human rights, human rights and self-descriptive communities, human rights and empowerment, child labour and human rights, constitutional position of human rights and tribal development and human rights." (jacket)
