In India as well as in the Philippines, it is mainly associations who defend economic, social and cultural rights in a situation where public authorities violate these rights on a daily basis.
In order to better explain and defend these rights before the United Nations, Philippine and Indian organizations decided to pool their experiences for a common training session at Bangalore in India, last month, from 4th to 8th May 2009.
These organizations discussed various methods to better defend human rights when addressing political authorities and the media: working out law proposals, lobbying those members of parliament who will support the issue of access to human rights, political pressure through national campaigns, drawing media support, and innovative mode of claims.
The Philippine organization PhiRights also shared its experience of “shadow reporting”. Member countries of the UN must send 5-yearly progress reports to the economic, social and politic rights committee of the UN. However, these reports are from time to time not sent, or incomplete. Fedina, who wishes toparticipate in the drafting of a “shadow report” in India, was able to benefit from the experience of PhilRights, who wrote one of these reports in 2008, with 40 other Philippine organizations
This training session is the first of a long cycle of seminars which is programmed to last 3 years. Three international meetings have been planned: the first has already taken place in April 2008 at Bamako, the second one will take place in Bangalore from 14th to 21st of June 2009, and the third in 2010 in Senegal.
This blackboard summarises the ideas of the different participants. On the left, Prity of the Pwescr (Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Program).
