Statement by India under Agenda Item 3 : Interactive Dialogue with
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences at the 44th Session of the Human Rights Council
(30 June – 21 July 2020) delivered by Mr. S. Senthil Kumar,
First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India (Geneva, 07 July 2020)
Madam Vice-President,
1. We thank the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of the report. Media is the Fourth Estate that supports and sustains a healthy democratic framework of governance. As such, journalists play a crucial role in fostering transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs while being the vigilant watchdogs of civil liberties. India has consistently held the view that protection of journalists in all situations is the foremost responsibility of every state.
- It’s a matter of concern that female journalists have been increasingly subjected to all forms of gender-based violence including from the organizations they are working in. Acts of reprisals, intimidation, threat of violence towards them aimed at stopping their works particularly for highlighting injustices are unacceptable.
Madam Vice-President,
- We stand committed to ensuring a safe working environment for all including female journalists and have enacted laws for combating all forms of violence against women. Our government has taken cognizance of the need for gender specific measures for the protection of women journalists. The Press Council of India (PCI) works towards ensuring safety of journalists and monitors cases filed on the issues of threats, attacks as well as killings of journalists.
- We also understand that digital technologies have thrown up new forms of violence against women journalists. This calls for innovative ways and ingenuity to bring the perpetrators to justice. We are of the view that enhancing the capacity of the law enforcement agencies through appropriate training, strengthening key national institutions with adequate resource particularly on new and emerging challenges would go a long way in addressing issues related to gender-based violence against women journalists.
Our full statement will be uploaded in the extranet.
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Thank you, Madam Vice-President.
