Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network-Udupi (HB)

Udupi, Oct 17: District Bharatiya Human Rights Committee, Udupi organized a day long workshop on human rights at Ravindra Kala Mantapa, MGM College here on Friday October 16.

Meera Saksena, chairman of Karnataka State Human Rights inaugurated the workshop.

Saksena after being honoured by the committee said, "People do not have sufficient knowledge about human rights. There is a need for the public to internalize them in order to change mentally. In reality nearly 50% of women including children do not get social justice. Every child has a right to education".

"In some cases parents misuse their children’s basic rights. They enjoy sending their children to work", she added.

She also questioned the existence of equality and asked, "Where is equality for children? Do they receive proper education?"

"Even government offices lack basic facilities like toilets, water, ramps, escalators reception and so on. No one is ready to take up the responsibility towards protecting the rights of transgenders even though they too are part of society. The commission receives lots of complaints on police atrocities towards common people as well as towards transgenders".

"A person is not a transgender out of choice, yet society has a bad image about them. They have more sexual desires than normal people. They are also entitled to human rights. Even prisoners have their own rights", she stressed.

"The government and NGOs must join hands in creating awareness among the public. Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are the top districts in the state in literacy. Communal clashes are still present in the coastal region".

Meera informed that human rights is the basic infrastructure required by a human being to lead a respectful life.

"A qualified beneficiary has the right to enjoy government facilities. The commission has received 52,000 complaints from 2007–2015. 38,000 cases have been disposed so far".

She further added that parents have a social responsibility towards bringing up their children with good character and to teach them about human rights according to their capacity to understand.

Meera Saksena quoted, "We cannot say that we can prevent all injustice but we can work towards bringing it under control".

Jayakar Shetty, Indrali director of Badagubettu Credit Co-operative Society welcomed the gathering.

Robert D’Souza, national president of Bharatiya Human Rights Committee, Srinivasa Gowda, state president of BHRC, Ratnakar Indrali, district chief secretary, Chandrika Shetty, PRO, Uday Kumar Shetty Inna, district committee president and others were present.