GENEVA – India was urged to take a tougher stance against sexual violence and religious discrimination and ratify the Torture Convention as it scraped human rights records at the United Nations on Thursday.
New Delhi claims it appreciates the role played by human rights defenders and said it would only impose the death penalty in “the rarest cases” when it heard criticism from other countries at the UN Human Rights Council. .
“India condemns all forms of torture and maintains a nonviolent stance against arbitrary detention, torture, rape or sexual violence,” India’s Attorney General Tushar Mehta told the council. rice field.
New Delhi has signed but not ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
India was facing a universal periodic review that all 193 UN Member States must undergo every four years.
“We recommend that India curtail its broad application of the Tort (Prevention) Act and similar laws against human rights activists, journalists and religious minorities,” said Michele, the council’s U.S. ambassador. Taylor said.
“Despite legal protections, discrimination and violence based on gender and religion persist. The application of anti-terrorism laws has led to lengthy detentions of human rights defenders and activists,” she added. .
Canada called on India to protect religious freedom by investigating all acts of sexual violence and investigating religious violence “including against Muslims”.
Nepal said New Delhi should “strengthen efforts to combat discrimination and violence against women and girls.”
British Ambassador Simon Manley called on India to “ensure that existing laws against child labour, human trafficking and forced labor are fully implemented”.
China similarly said India should “take measures to combat human trafficking” and pursue gender equality. AFPMore
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/india-urged-at-un-to-crack-down-on-sexual-violence India calls for crackdown on sexual violence at UN