An Overview
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the guarantee of law and therefore, their protection becomes an obligation of those who are
entrusted with the task of their protection. These rights are broadly classified into civil and
political rights on the one hand and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. While the
former are more in the nature of injunction against the authority of the State from encroaching
upon the inalienable freedoms of an individual, the latter are demands on the State to provide
positive conditions to capacitate the individual to exercise the former. The object of both sets of
rights is, to make an individual an effective participant in the affairs of the society. Unless both
sets of rights are available, neither full development of the human personality can be achieved
nor true democracy can be said to exist.
2.6 The Commission, consistent with its mandate, took up issues involving human rights that
are of significance, either suo motu, or when brought to its notice by the civil society, the media,
concerned citizens, or expert advisers. Its primary focus is to strengthen the extension of human
rights to all sections of society, in particular, the vulnerable groups.
2.7 The Commission’s purview covers the entire range of civil and political, as well as economic,
social and cultural rights. Areas facing terrorism and insurgency, custodial death, rape and torture, reform
of the police, prisons, and other institutions such as juvenile homes, mental hospitals and shelters for
women have been given special attention. The Commission has urged the provision of primary health
facilities to ensure maternal and child welfare essential to a life with dignity, basic needs such as drinking
water, food and nutrition, and highlighted fundamental questions of equity and justice to the less privileged,
namely the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the prevention of atrocities perpetrated against
them. Rights of the disabled, access to public services by disabled, displacement of population and
especially of tribals by mega projects, food scarcity and allegation of death by starvation, rights
of the child, rights of women subjected to violence, sexual harassment and discrimination, and
rights of minorities, have been the focus of the Commission’s action on numerous occasions.
2.8 Terrorism and more particularly the counter measures which one takes to meet this menace
is a matter of great concern and relevance today. Terrorism has been the subject of a huge debate
over the years but as yet there is no universally acceptable definition of what is “terrorism”,
against which we have to fight. It is common knowledge that systemic human rights violations
for long periods of time are often the root cause of conflicts and terrorism. When there is tyranny
and wide spread neglect of human rights and people are denied hope of better future, it becomes
a fertile ground for breeding terrorism. The existence of social, economic and political disparities
in a large measure contribute to the eruption of conflicts within the State and beyond. The
importance of promoting Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to contain such conflicts must,
therefore, be realized and appreciated. The protection and promotion of Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights must go hand in hand with protection of Polticial Rights for giving Human
rights a true meaning. The neglect of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights gives rise to conflicts
and emerging forms of terrorism which are threatening the democratic societies worldwide. It
cannot be denied that disillusionment with a society where there is exploitation and massive
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