why are dalits left out of groups referred to as vulnerable to torture. can we lobby http://www.publishaletter.com/readletter.jsp?plid=28864
Dear Editor:
June 26th has passed and it was International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
The UN Secretary General in his message on this stated has stated that "At a time when the legitimate aspirations of people in many regions of the world for greater freedom, dignity and a better life are too often met with violence and repression, I urge States to respect the fundamental rights of all people. Torture and other forms of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment and punishment, wherever they occur and whatever the circumstances, can never be justified" United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 2011 (http://www.un.org/en/events/torturevictimsday/index.shtml)
But what happens when UN Security Council ignores torture done by state as happened in Sri Lanka (by both the present regime and LTTE)? http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/14/sri-lanka-army-university-training
Is it not just state failure, but also failure of Breton Woods Institutions and WTO that there is growing unrest in Chile with the emergence of unipolar world order? http://www.wardheernews.com/Articles_10/July/25_The_Fallacy_and_Failure_of_Neo-Liberalism.pdf. Is neo liberalism working?
Is growing unrest in India and China just due to failure of Indian state or the world order? There are no international instruments to hold these institutions accountable. The United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) is supposed to be ratified only by the state and not these institutions which indirectly lead to torture through usurping resources of marginalized people http://www.irct.org/what-is-torture/defining-torture.aspx
The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture victims mentions that torture is "intentional infliction of severe mental or physical pain or suffering by or with the consent of the state authorities for a specific purpose.... Anyone can be a victim of torture - children as well as adults, young as well as old, religious as well as atheists, intellectuals and the uneducated alike.
Nobody should be considered immune, although being a member of a particular political, religious, ethnic group or minority can very often set individuals aside as targets for government endorsed violence. Frequent victims include politicians, union leaders, journalists, health professionals, human rights defenders, people in detention or prison, members of ethnic minorities, and student leaders" .
It is a pity that Dalits, sexual and gender minorities, migrant workers, women pushed to engage in male sex selection or abort female fetus and women pushed prostitution are not considered as victims of torture. That is community, household and markets are outside the ambit, when now they are not just under state control, but control in many ways of inter-state institutions. With opening of market the micro finance fiasco in Andhra Pradesh, India which led to suicides of poor women (many dalit) amply illustrates this. The spread of dowry with rise in inequalities and growing consumerism is well documented. The thrust on population control by international agencies without addressing patriarchal norms has led to sex selection of males and female feticide in China, India, Republic of Korea to name a few countries.
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