Statement by India at the 29th Session of the Human Rights Council on 'Agenda Item 9: Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Geneva, 29 June 2015 Statement by India at the 29th Session of the Human Rights Council on 'Agenda Item 9: Interactive D..

Statement by India at the 29th Session of the Human Rights Council on 'Agenda Item 9: Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Geneva, 29 June 2015

Permanent Mission of India

Geneva

Human Rights Council – 29th Session

(June 15-July 03, 2015)

Agenda Item 9: Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

STATEMENT BY INDIA

 

Thank you Mr. President,

1. We thank the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance Mr. MutumaRuteere for his report highlighting the persistence of contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination through racial and ethnic profiling in many countries.  We sharewith SR’s concerns that racial profiling as well as profiling based on religion, ethnicity and national origin continue to plague nations. It is unfortunate that racial profiling as a tool for determining an individual’s antecedents as a persistent and pervasive issue among the law enforcement agencies continue to prevail in spite of the monitoring mechanisms established under international human rights law and, this needs to be curbed.

 

2.  Profiling undermines public safety and strains police-community trust.  We agree with the SR that if the law enforcement agencies target on the basis of race, religion or national origin rather than behaviour, crime fighting is less effective and communities distrust of the law enforcement agencies grows. Focussing on race, ethnicity, national origin or religion as a proxy for criminal behaviour has always failed as a means to protect the society from criminal activity.

 

3.  As the nation which has been in the forefront of the international fight against racism and racial discrimination, India is deeply concerned over the recrudescence of racism, xenophobia and exclusion in the world over the last few years.

 

4.  Conscious of the destructive impact that racism and racial discrimination can have on the society, leaders of India’s freedom struggle ensured that the Constitution of India even in its Preamble enshrined the basic value of equality.  Indian constitution expressly prohibits discrimination on account of race, religion, caste, creed or sex.  These principles are further strengthened by our comprehensive legal framework with independent and impartial judiciary, a secular pluralistic polity and a vibrant civil society.

 

5.  Racist attitude survive and flourish when the gap between the haves and have not’s becomes as glaring as it has done today.  Economic deprivation also fuels the onslaught of bigotry and culminates chauvinism thereby reducing the space for diversity, pluralism and tolerance.

 

6.  We support Special Rapporteur’s call for a multi-faceted approach to combat the use of racial and ethnic profiling by the law enforcement agencies, including through adoption of relevant legislations laws combined with action at national levels based on strategies elaborated through national action plans.

 

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