Home / News / Urgent Appeals / GENERAL APPEAL (India): Muslim weavers' community in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh faces starvation and lack of social welfare
 

GENERAL APPEAL (India): Muslim weavers' community in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh faces starvation and lack of social welfare

May 3, 2007

URGENT APPEALS - GENERAL URGENT APPEALS - GENERAL

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal General

4 May 2007
-------------------------------------
UG-003-2007: INDIA: Muslim weavers' community in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh faces starvation and lack of social welfare

INDIA: Denial of right to life; right to food; negligence of state authority; failure of rule of law
-------------------------------------

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner the PVCHR, a human rights organisation based in Uttar Pradesh state, regarding the horrible living conditions of more than 100,000 Muslim weavers in Varanasi city of Uttar Pradesh. It is alleged that the district administration and Varanasi Municipal Corporation have totally been failed to provide basic amenities such as road, sewer, schools, hospitals etc in the densely populated community situated in the middle of the city. It is alleged that most of the weavers have lost their jobs due to depression in weaving industry and their children and families are dying of hunger and hunger oriented malnourishment and illness.

CASE DETAILS:

Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in India, situated on the bank of holy river Ganges. City is mostly inhabited by hindus and Muslims. Hindus are in majority but Muslim population is also more than 1 million. Mulim population is highly concentrated in different areas of the city. Most of the Muslim population is engaged in weaving work of famous Baranasi Sarees.      

Bajardiha is one of the most densely populated areas in Varanasi city. The total population of Bajardiha is more than 100,000 and most of them are weavers and living in appalling condition. In the concerned weavers’ community of Bajardiha there is only one government Primary school for children’s education, there is no hospital, no road, even there is no pavement in the locality. The sewer system does not work there. Everywhere in the area, stagnant and dirty water of sewer can be seen overflowing. The dump of rubbish is spread around the area which is not sanitary safe for the residents. Due to acute poverty and unhygienic conditions many people of this community, including children, are suffering from TB and Asthma. It is alleged that Varanasi Municipal Corporation is also responsible for the plight situation of the residents of Bajardiha.  

Due to breakdown of the economy in the market of Baranasi sarees, weavers' community of Bajardiha have found difficulties to get job and the people are facing imminent problem of starvation. Thousands of weavers have been migrated to other cities leaving their families behind in search of livelihood; many others are involved in menial jobs to feed their families and children. 

In another community called Mirzamurad in Varanasi district named which is hardly 5 kilometers away from Varanasi city. People of neighbouring villages of Mirzamurad have also been engaged in weaving of sarees for last several years. Weavers of this area are also facing the same problem of loss of jobs due to breakdown of market.    

Most of the villagers in the area of Mirzamurad from different villages like Kardhana, Benipur, Mehdiganj, Ganeshpur, Islampur, Amini, Admapur, Mominpur, Kallipur, Chateri, Manapur, Thatara, etc are engaged in the weaving work. At the advent of summer season, weavers of this area were expecting that the market of Baranasi Sarees will gain momentum and with the increase in the sale of Baranasi Sarees they would be able to get job and their income will increase. But the weavers' expectations proved to be mistaken and their hopes to get out of the crisis of acute poverty even for a while seem to be broken.  

Dozens of weavers have already been closed their looms due to fall of demand of Baranasi Sarees and groping the dark in search of their livelihood. It is reported that in the State of Uttar Pradesh election campaign is going on and the candidates from different political parties contesting the election to get elected for State Legislative Assembly and their leaders are spending millions of rupees to win the election by any means but the sufferings of poor workers are not on the agenda of any political parties.    

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Majority of the Muslim community in India is living in acute poverty. Muslims in India have deliberately been deprived of education and jobs in government services. Muslim population in India mostly resides in cities and has been involved in different economic activities to earn their livelihood.

It is ironic to know that Muslim population in India has been facing the negligence and indifferent attitude of Indian ruling authorities and local level administrations since independence of India. It has been the root cause of all sorts of backwardness and poverty among Muslim community. They have been subjected to acute exploitation and for this reason despite of hard labour majority of Muslim population has always been deprived of their essential requirements.

Recently Justice Sachar Committee, which was established to improve economic conditions and social welfare of Muslims and other minorities in India, stated that the conditions of Muslims in India are even worse than that of Dalit. Sachar Committee has also recognized the fact that the Muslim community is deprived of all basic amenities and living in horribly poor conditions.

Amidst assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, it has been reported that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was pledging to implement the Sachar Committee's recommendations for the welfare of Muslims and other minorities. Addressing at the election meeting at Puranpur in Pilibhit, Singh said central government would implement the recommendations made by the Sachar Committee for socio-economic uplift of Muslims.

However, the situation of the Muslim weavers in Varanasi district is hopeless and they have responded that it is only election stunt to attract the Muslim voters. They say that at the time of elections leaders are used to make mere verbal promises and once when election is over no leader turns back to take notice of them.    

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the concerned authorities listed below and urge them to immediately intervene in the situation. Please write to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in particular so that immediate attention is brought into this matter and to those families that require urgent help.

Sample letter:

Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav
Chief Minister
Chief Minister's Secretariat, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91-522-2230002/2239234
Email: csup@up.nic.in

Dear Sir,

INDIA: Muslim weavers' community deprived of essential amenities of their life dying of starvation in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Name of the victims: Muslim residents of Bajardiha, Varanasi city and the residents of Mirzamurad, Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh
Place of the incidents: 1. Kardhana, Benipur, Mehdiganj, Ganeshpur, Islampur, Amini, Admapur, Mominpur, Kallipur, Chateri, Manapur, Thatara, etc in Mirzamurad area of Varanasi district.

I am writing to express my concern regarding the horrible living conditions of more than 100,000 Muslim weavers in Varanasi city of Uttar Pradesh. I am informed that the district administration and Varanasi Municipal Corporation have failed to provide basic amenities in the densely populated community situated in the middle of the city.

According to the information I have received, more than 100,000 weavers of Bajardiha area situated in the middle of Varanasi city are living in appalling conditions. I am informed that the weaver community of this area is not provided schools, road, clean water, sewer and other basic amenities and dying of starvation and illness caused by poverty and unhygienic living conditions.  

I am also informed that in the villages in Mirzamurad area in Varanasi district, people who engage in weaving of Baranasi sarees for last several years are also facing the same problem of loss of jobs due to breakdown of market. I am also informed that the dozens of weavers have already been closed their looms due to fall of demand of Baranasi Sarees and groping the dark in search of their livelihood.

I am also informed that yet after several media reported about the appalling conditions of weavers, Varanasi State Government did not take appropriate actions to ensure the right to food of weavers' community of Varanasi district. 

To best of my knowledge, the states have obligation to implement the right to adequate food enshrined in the ICESCR in domestic level under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). In the General Comment No. 12 for the right to adequate food (Article 11 of the ICESCR), the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights clearly defined about the meaning of the states' obligation that "[T]he obligation to fulfil (facilitate) means the State must pro-actively engage in activities intended to strengthen people's access to and utilization of resources and means to ensure their livelihood, including food security" [E/C.12/1999/5, 12 May 1999, para. 15].

I am aware that India is a state party to the ICESCR. I therefore urge the Indian authorities to fulfil their obligation as a state party to the covenant and take immediate action in ensuring to respect, protect and fulfill the right to adequate food of the people in Bajardiha and Mirzamurad in Varanasi city. I also urge you to take appropriate measures to implement social security schemes to ensure right to food of especially the weavers and other marginalized communities in the concerned area.

Finally, I urge your immediate action to conduct independent investigation into the alleged negligence of the officials of district administration and Varanasi Municipal Corporation authorities, and any other concerned state officers, with a view to holding them liable for the breach of obligations to the people in the area into providing basic amenities and to ensure their right to food.

I trust that you will immediately take an action in this case.

Yours sincerely,

------------------

PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR LETTER TO:

1. Mr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister's Office
Room number 152, South Block
New Delhi
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 23016857

2. The Special Commissioner
Samya – Centre for Equity Studies
Secretariat of the Commissioners
R – 38A, South Extension – II
New Delhi – 110049
INDIA
Tele Fax: 91-11-51642147
Email: commissioners@vsnl.net

3. The District Magistrate
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: 91 5422501450

4. Ms. Mayawati
Member of Parliament
13-A, Mall Avenue, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Email: mayawati@sansad.nic.in

5. The Secretariat
The Right to Food Campaign – India
Q - 21-B, Top Floor, Jungpura Extn.
New Delhi – 110014
INDIA

6. The Country Director
World Food Programme
2 Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar,
New Delhi 110057
INDIA
Fax: +91-11-26150019

7. The Regional Director
World Food Programme
Unit No. 2, 7th Floor, Wave Place Building
55 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Patumwan
Bangkok 10330
THAILAND
Fax: +66-2-6554413

8. Mr. Jean Zeigler
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
c/o Mr. Carlos Villan Duran
Room 4-066, OHCHR, Palais Wilson,
Rue des Paquis 52, Geneva
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9300
Fax: +41 22 9179010

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal General
Document ID :
UG-003-2007
Countries :
Issues :
Document Actions
Share |
Subscribe to our Mailing List
Follow AHRC
Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.