सव
भव तु सिखनः
ु
face. They o en experience difficul es related to
their mental health.
7.14.2 On 22 February 2023, an Open House Discus- sion
on Human Rights of Indian Seafarers was held. The
mee ng was chaired by Dr. Dnyaneshwar M.
Mulay, Hon'ble Member, NHRC, and representaves of DG Shipping, and Ministry of Port Shipping
and Waterways; Overseas Employments and
Protectorate General of Emigrants, Ministry of
External Affairs and other domain experts from
governmental and non-governmental organisaons a ended the said mee ng. Agendas for the
mee ng included, Abandonment and Imprisonment of Indian Seafarers: Role of the Ministry,
Government of India and Shipowners in protec ng
the Rights of Seafarers; and Life of Women at Sea;
and Mental Health of Seafarers. Sugges ons
emerged during the discussions included :
• Awareness and campaign programmes should
be ini ated in order to enhance the par cipaon of women in the mari me industry.
Moreover, sensi sa on programmes may also
be conducted for seafarers to eradicate the
issues of harassment of women on ships.
• Awareness about the Mental Health of
seafarers should be spread among all seafarers
and there should be a dedicated well-being
officer in every recrui ng agency to address the
issues faced by the seafarers when they are
sailing.
• A set of guidelines may be issued by the Office
of Protector General of Emigrants (PGE) to all
the embassies about handling the bodies of
deceased in case of death of seafarers at High
Sea.
• A set of guidelines or an advisory may be
prepared in collabora on of DG Shipping,
Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways and
the Office of PGE for the members of the
missions for ensuring safety of seafarers.
• Necessary steps may be taken for revising the
Course Module on Gender Sensi sa on under
the training programme.
Chapter 7 - Thematic Areas
• A comprehensive handbook for the Rights of
Seafarers' may be developed which can be
distributed to all the seafarers by the
recrui ng agencies/ companies prior to their
departure from India.
7.15 Culture and Human Rights
7.15.1 The Na onal Human Rights Commission organised two-days Na onal Conference on Human
Rights in Indian Culture and Philosophy in collabora on with Indira Gandhi Na onal Centre for Arts
(IGNCA) on 30 June and 01 July 2022. The conference was inaugurated by Shri R. K. Singh Hon'ble
Union Minister of Power, New and Renewable
Energy in presence of jus ce Shri Arun Mishra,
Hon'ble Chairperson; Hon'ble Members of the
Commission; Secretary General of the Commission; and Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, President, Board
of Trustee, IGNCA.
7.15.2 In the two days Na onal Conference, the concept
of human rights in Indian culture and philosophy
was discussed to evolve with a new narra ve and
construct of human rights based on Indian
philosophy and values and to trigger- ing a predominant feeling that a series of such dialogues is
necessary to be organised to study, understand
and discuss the rich Indian heritage of art, culture
and philosophy nurturing humanity to highlight its
contribu on to the global civiliza on, and sustain
those prac ces juxtaposing with the reali es of
changing mes. This Na onal Conference also
marked the beginning of a discourse which ignited
a thought process to understand, assimilate and
take forward the rich tradi ons of Indian art,
culture and philosophy for sustainable concept of
human rights, and the philosophy of Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam.
7.16 Business and Human Rights
7.16.1 The Commission is of the view that Na onal
Human Rights Ins tu ons (NHRIs) can contribute
to the promo on and protec on of human rights
within the corporate sector through, among other
things, monitoring and repor ng on human rights
71