Human Rights violations persists in border area: NHRC

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) organized a validation workshop of a study carried out on the Human Rights situation in Border area. The workshop was chaired by Hon. Chairperson of NHRC, Anup Raj Sharma. Highlighting the objective of the workshop, Hon. Member of NHRC, Gobinda Sharma Paudel said that referring a complaint filed by FIAN Nepal with a delegation team of affected communities living in border area in the month of June 2015, NHRC had decided to carry out a detail study of the situation of Human Rights in border area. NHRC had carried out the study within two years of time span and the workshop aimed to validate the findings and recommendations in consultation with concerned stakeholders. NHRC invited FIAN Nepal and the affected communities from the border area along with intellectuals and security personnel where NHRC revealed extreme human rights violation are occurring and the people living in border area compelled to suffer. The study findings explicitly pointed out that the man-made structures like barrages, bunds, affluxes, border security road, national parks, etc. by India as well as lack of effective government mechanisms are the main causes of the violations.

The study focused on rights of nationality, rights of development, rights of freedom, rights of consumers, right to food, right to education and health, right to property along with the condition of peace and security which are violated. Border pillars, which are used for demarcation, are missing in many places which is leading the confrontations among the people of both countries and sometimes leading up to the human casualties. Series of recommendations have also been provided for the governments from local to central by the study. After sharing the findings and recommendations, in an open floor discussion, participants provided their constructive feedback to improve the study results.

With the initiation of NHRC to study the human rights violation situation in the border area and recommend to the concerned governments has given authentic credibility to the issues that FIAN Nepal has been raising from Extra-Territorial States Obligation (ETO) perspective. FIAN Nepal strongly stands against the violation of human rights especially of human right to adequate food and nutrition in any case of inter governmental or extra governmental system. However, Nepal Government is obliged to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of its citizen either it is being violated by other countries. FIAN Nepal expects that when NHRC finalize the study, the recommendations provided to the concerned governments will be strictly implemented so that the people in the border area feel the assurance of their human rights and right to food.