Human Rights Defenders

Strengthening Atrocity Act

Your contribution matters for Human Rights Advocacy especially for atrocities

project Summary

  • Project aims to support fellows who are following up the Prevention of Atrocity Act cases and also expects them to record the progress made towards implementation of the act by all relevant implementing authorities, agencies and stakeholders. 

  • The project is dependent on people’s contribution. All the plans are tentative and flexible and depend largely upon funding. 

  • The scope of the project is expected to magnify within the year. 

The background

The constitution of India guarantees equality, liberty and fraternity and yet even after 70 years we witness heinous caste crimes and atrocities. It has been observed that these atrocities are on rise and were at pick in lockdown implemented to prevent spread of COVID-19 pandemic. 

At this backdrop, we believe strengthening schedule castes and scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities (PoA)  Act 1989 and PoA rules through legislative developments, implementation of existing provisions and monitoring the implementation can help in preventing caste atrocities and also in delivering justice. The project was designed specifically to strengthen the PoA.

"If you ask me, my ideal would be the society based on liberty, equality and fraternity. An ideal society should be mobile and full of channels of conveying a change taking place in one part to other parts."
babasahebambedkar10
Dr babasaheb ambedkar
FOUNDING FATHER OF MODERN INDIA (M.A., PH.D., M.SC., D.SC., BARRISTER-AT-LAW, L.L.D., D.LITT)

Primary Objectives of the Project

  • Facilitate effective implementation of provisions available in PoA: 
    The act provides strong and clear provisions to safeguard basic human rights of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The project aspires to prohibit discriminatory practices imposed upon oppressed castes and indigenous communities by following up individual cases registered under Prevention of Atrocities (PoA)  Act . 
  • Monitor the Implementation of the PoA:
    The Act itself has provided space for civil society organisations to monitor the implementation of the provisions. At present, the provision is largely under utilized. Current project aspires to use this space by documenting the cases, reviewing monitoring mechanisms to reinforce them through available means.

Action Plans

Broadly project has following activities:

  1. Support and follow up of Individual Cases including the paralegal assistance.
  2. Collecting data of cases registered under PoA, collecting data related to various provisions of PoA, analysing this data and representing to strengthen the act. 
  3. Strengthening the monitoring mechanisms provided by the act through following up with monitoring authorities including honorable District Magistrate, honorable Superintendent of Police, honorable Concerned Court, honorable Commissioner of Social Welfare, honorable Chief Minister, honorable Nodal Officer (to be appointed as per provisions of the act and rules) and any such monitoring authority. 

The Budget

Project Cost and Funding:

  1. The project seeks to engage 5 Human Rights Defenders exclusively working for strengthening the PoA. These HRD are supposed to receive honorarium of Rs. 10,000/- per month. They will be coordinated by 1 Human Rights Activist who is supposed to receive honorarium of Rs. 20,000/- per month. The HRA will be responsible for overall management of the project.
  2. Further activity cost is supposed to be covered by these HRDs on their own through various means. 
  3. Project relies on community based funding raised through regular and assured contribution by concerned individuals.

SR nO

RESOURCES

uNIT

UNIT AMOUNT

uNIT tIME

tOTAL

1

Human Rights Activist (Coordinator)

1

20,000.00

12

240,000.00

2

Human Rights Defenders

5

10,000.00

12

600,000.00

3

Travelling

6

2000.00

12

144,000.00

4

Miscellaneous

16,000.00

Grand Total

1,000,000.00

Why is there a need for this action plan?

The marginalized sections of society have faith in justice system initiated by constitution. But realisation of justice is very complicated affair due to prevalence of caste system. In this regard statement by Dr. Ambedkar speaks for itself:

“…The third circumstance which adds to the helplessness of the Untouchables is the impossibility for the Untouchables to obtain any protection from the police or justice from the courts. The police are drawn from the ranks of caste Hindus. The Magistracy is drawn from the ranks of caste Hindus. The police and the magistracy are the kith and kin of caste Hindus. They share the sentiments and the prejudices of caste Hindus against the Untouchables. If an Untouchable goes to a police officer with a complaint against caste Hindus instead of receiving protection he will receive abuse. Either he will be driven away without his complaint being recorded or, if it is recorded, it is recorded falsely to provide a way of escape to “touchable” aggressors. If he accuses his offenders before a Magistrate the fate of the proceedings can be foretold. He will never get “touchable” witnesses because of the conspiracy of the villagers. If witnesses are untouchables the Magistrate will not accept their testimony as they are seen as the interested party and not independent witnesses. If the witnesses are independent, the Magistrate acquits the accused by saying that the Untouchable complainant did not strike him as a truthful witness. He can do this fearlessly because he knows full well that the higher tribunal will not reverse his finding because of the well-established rule which says that an appellate court should not disturb the finding of a Magistrate based upon the testimony of a witness whose demeanor he observed…”

Ref: Essay on Untouchables and Untouchability: Political Chapter 3 ‘Held at Bay’ written by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

Your contribution can help better the lives of our Bahujan communities.

We urge you to donate a minimum of Rs. 100/- per month. While we assure transparency and accountability for the compassionate step you are taking through this donation. A small monetary contribution is huge collective support to our own people.

Charity Registration
Manuski Trust was registered with the Charity Commissioner, Pune, under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 with a registration No: E/4967/Pune on 28th July 2007 for social and educational work.

FCRA
The Manuski Trust is registered with FCRA Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, India (Registration No. 083930592), to enable it to received donations from outside India.

Get in touch

Need more information or guidance. Just fill in the form and our representative will soon get in touch with you.

Alternatively you can drop a email at: info@manuski.in 
or call us at:
+91 99678 83973
+91 86555 99435

    Complete Name*:
    Email*:
    Mobile:
    Location (Mention your City-State)*:
    How would you like to support us?
    FinanciallyVolunteeringLegal SupportOther Ways

    Verify that you are Human!

    captcha