The world’s largest democracy has “significant human-rights problems,” according to Human Rights Watch. Despite a vibrant media, an active civil society and a respected judiciary, India last year failed to curb custodial killings, stop torture and abuse by police, or implement policies that protect vulnerable communities like the Dalits and Adivasis. The report also notes that India’s security forces continue to appear immune from prosecution and that new state controls over foreign funding of NGOs have led to restrictions on legitimate efforts to protect human rights.
Human Rights Under Threat: Five Not-So-Usual Suspects
Human Rights Watch this week released its 2012 World Report. The 676-page write-up covers some of the biggest stories of the year, including China’s crackdown on dissent, ongoing attacks on civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the international community's ambivalent response to the Arab Spring. But it also spotlights some lesser-known stories from places that profess to protect human rights. Here are five important examples