NHRC SHRCs can share best practices and collaborate in many areas NHRC chief

New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The NHRC and state-level rights panels can share best practices and collaborate in some areas such as ensuring rights of workers engaged in cleaning septic tanks and proper functioning of drug de-addiction centres, officials said.
    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday held a national conference here of SHRCs, Special Rapporteurs and Monitors on advancing human rights.
    The NHRC in a statement also said that the commission and the state bodies can also collaborate on rehabilitation of those displaced due to the impact of climate change.
    NHRC chairperson justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra during the conference said that SHRCs (state human rights commissions) can play a significant role in ensuring the implementation of NHRC advisories and other judicial orders by pursuing them with state authorities.
    They need to own up the various NHRC advisories which have been prepared after wide consultations with experts and stakeholders on various issues concerning the rights of some vulnerable sections of society, the NHRC chief said.
    He also said that the NHRC may explore the option of hosting joint seminars and conferences with SHRCs, besides, the training of staff.
    Mishra also invited suggestions from SHRCs on the areas in which they can collaborate with the NHRC, particularly in matters where there are gaps in the legal provisions and implementation thereof.
    The NHRC chairperson said the SHRCs also need to have exposure to international forums and participate in conferences and workshops organised by global human rights bodies. Their presence at such forums can enhance the understanding of human rights mechanisms in India, he said.
    He also said that governments do respect the intent of the commission's interventions and recommendations. All that is required to "pursue the matters with them", the NHRC chief said.
    In this context, he cited the example of the Bihar government deciding to compensate the victims of hooch tragedies since 2016 after the NHRC's intervention. However, he reiterated that joining of HRCnet portal of the commission by SHRCs is key to eradicating the duplication of interventions, the situation of contradictory directions and the wastage of human resources.
    Mishra also said there is a need to increase coordination between Special Monitors and Special Rapporteurs of the NHRC with SHRCs.
    Special Rapporteurs and Monitors visit several places in states for on-the-spot assessment of human rights situations particularly with regard to prisons, shelter homes, mental healthcare institutions, observation homes, hospitals, juvenile justice homes, old age homes, and various government establishments.
    SHRC teams also visit such places and they can coordinate with the NHRC's Monitors and Rapporteurs to ensure more effective implementation of the legal provisions, social welfare schemes, and NHRC advisories in close coordination with their respective state authorities, the NHRC said in a statement.
    Mishra also said that the NHRC and SHRCs, despite being independent of each other, can still work in tandem to ameliorate the cause of various human rights across the country.
    He said that the NHRC and SHRCs are the product of the Protection of Human Rights Act, and the SHRCs are equally important institutions for the protection of human rights.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)