Human Rights in India

Human rights, rights that belong to an individual or group of individuals simply for being human, or as a consequence of inherent human vulnerability, or because they are requisite to the possibility of a just society. Whatever their theoretical justification, human rights refer to a wide continuum of values or capabilities thought to enhance human agency or protect human interests and declared to be universal in character, in some sense equally claimed for all human beings, present and future. It is a common observation that human beings everywhere require the realization of diverse values or capabilities to ensure their individual and collective well-being. It also is a common observation that this requirement-whether conceived or expressed as a moral or a legal demand-is often painfully frustrated by social as well as natural forces, resulting in exploitation, oppression, persecution, and other forms of deprivation.

Anju Soni, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Deemed University, has been visiting Bastar for over 15 years. She is author of many books, including Science in the Service of Human Rights and Visiting Distinguished Professor of International Law and Policy.

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