Efforts to combat discrimination against India’s lower castes, religious minorities and women must begin in the classroom, with children holding the key to ending deep-rooted prejudices, a human rights campaigner said.
According to the Amnesty International’s annual report for 2015-16, gender and caste based discrimination and violence has “remained pervasive” in India, with increasing censorship and attacks on freedom of expression over the last year.
“Equality has to be taught in classrooms. We have to invest in fostering values of human rights,” said lawyer and human rights activist Henri Tiphagne.
Tiphagne, founder of the non-profit group People’s Watch, which documents human rights violations in India and provides legal assistance to victims, is drafting a curriculum to teach primary school children ideas about human rights through games.
In a programme first developed by People’s Watch in 1997, human rights was integrated in the teaching of English, maths and science in schools in 18 Indian states. Around half a million children are now being taught about rights and discrimination in their classrooms.
“It’s a good sign because 20 years back, human rights was a bad word. It had a negative connotation,” said Tiphagne, who lives in Madurai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
India today has numerous laws to protect the rights of individuals with more than 100 institutions monitoring various facets of human rights across the country.
“And yet the violations are increasing and getting more sophisticated. Even in case of torture, the beatings are done in such a way that the evidence is lost or reduced,” he said.
“But the biggest casualty in recent years has been the attacks on freedom of association, assembly and expression.”
In 2015, charities came together to oppose the use of an opaque, “draconian” law on foreign funding by the Indian government to muzzle criticism of initiatives such as industrial projects affecting the poor and the environment.
“There is a clampdown on civil society but there is no question of giving up. And we need young people to take this struggle forward,” said Tiphagne, who this year won Amnesty International Germany’s 8th Human Rights Award.
“For that they need to understand the essence of equality in everyday life, starting from kindergarten.”
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)