Kerala panel of civil society organisations proposed

Thiruvananthapuram: The All India Network of NGOs and Individuals (AiNNI), working with national and state human rights institutions, has proposed a state committee of civil society organisations and individuals that can play a pivotal role in assisting and guiding excluded communities to identify and file cases with national or state human rights institutions and public interest litigation with other law enforcement agencies. AiNNI is an umbrella organisation that engages in monitoring and strengthening the functioning of national and state human rights institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights in the country.

V. B. Ajayakumar, who was part of the deliberations, said they had planned a full meeting of civil rights organisations in December. The state has ten other commissions besides the Human Rights Commission. Paris Principle lists out inclusiveness, plurality and independence as key elements for national level human rights commissions. "However, the problem is that most of them are not inclusive," he said.  "For example, apart from the SC/ST commission, no others have Dalit members. The same is the case with women who have only representation in women rights commission. Moreover, there is a need for commissions to safeguard the interest of marginalised communities like transgenders."

Procedures are not followed in the appointments in such commissions which are done on a political basis, he feels. As a result, they echoed the views of their political masters.  "This was evident from the silence of the state commission in the Hadiya case and also the national commission echoing the political stand of the Union government," he said. "It was in such a situation civil society organisations have to step in to ensure that the commissions safeguard their credibility."