HUMAN RIGHTS Citizen Matters

Why the NHRC recognition for sex workers makes us especially happy

October 22, 2020 Santoshee Gulabkali Mishra

After a Citizen Matters article highlighted the plight of women in sex work during the pandemic, the National Network of Sex Workers pursued the matter more rigorously.

Why COVID-19 presents the perfect opportunity to make the lives of our household helpers better

June 18, 2020 Sariya Ali

Drawing upon learnings from her research project involving domestic workers in Delhi, the writer says this is a great time to take the first important step towards formalising their employment.

When life returns to normal, will our domestic workers finally get their due?

May 7, 2020 Bhargavi S Rao

This pandemic has taught us the value of a work force that cities have largely taken for granted. As the lockdown is lifted in a few zones, it is time to introspect and ensure just and humane employment for domestic workers.

Coronavirus may go, but issues faced by migrant workers will remain

April 2, 2020 Harsha Raj Gatty

Interstate migrant workers form the backbone of the local economy, yet they have long been a faceless, voiceless community suffering due to hopelessly inadequate social security and class discrimination. The human crisis created by the coronavirus outbreak and resulting lockdown is just the manifestation of these deep-rooted issues.

Little relief for these migrant labourers as they stare at a long, hard struggle ahead

March 28, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

Caught between the devil and the deep sea, migrant workers in the Kausambi area of NCR, which falls in UP, face a stark choice: stay put and starve or get home somehow, which for most is 700 km away.

Families fight for fair rehabilitation after Kolkata’s decades-old Tallah basti is demolished

February 15, 2020 Smita Khator/PARI

Families evicted from Tallah basti in north Kolkata to make way for bridge repairs find themselves in temporary transit sheds, far removed from the lives they were leading. Their main demand is proper rehabilitation – a permanent place to live from where they won’t be thrown out.

How released female prisoners in Kolkata are trying to build a new life

January 14, 2020 Gurvinder Singh

Shunned by families, often deeply scarred and traumatised by experiences in prison and ostracised by society at large, women convicts can rarely expect a normal life in the city after release. These cases from Kolkata, facilitated by state and NGOs, however raise hope.

What is Section 144 and why is it being used against protesters across the nation?

December 21, 2019 Revathi Siva Kumar

Over the past one year, public assemblies and movement in cities have been restricted on multiple occasions by invoking Section 144 of the CrPC. Now that the same is being used to stall protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, a look at what the law actually says.

Explained: Should you read the CAA in conjunction with the proposed NRC?

December 17, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

With the Citizenship Amendment Act passed and the looming possibility of a nationwide NRC, the country is on the boil. Is the CAA really discriminatory? What does it say about Indian Muslims? Is it linked with the NRC, and is it right to conflate the two? Know the facts and decide for yourself.

Delhi fire tragedy a grim reminder of the city’s 32000+ child labourers

December 12, 2019 Oommen C Kurian

Between 2011 and 2017, child workers under the age of 14 increased from a little over 2000 to 32,330 — 41% of them Dalit and 55% Muslim. Now with the recent fire at Anaj Mandi claiming several such young lives, will the Delhi government sit up and act on this mounting problem?

Why many migrant waste-pickers stayed back in Srinagar despite fears and uncertainty

December 11, 2019 Abid Bashir Wani

Hospitable, caring and offering opportunities for a decent living — that is how most of them see the city. Thus, despite the tension and reports of attacks on non-Kashmiris in the days following the abrogation of Article 370, they decided to stay put. And they have not regretted it.

“Home is the safest place”: Pune transwomen recount experiences in public spaces

December 9, 2019 Amla Pisharody

On Trans Remembrance Day, Pune’s transwomen gathered to remember those who lost their lives to transphobia, and shared tales of the stigma, bullying, harassment and fear that they face everyday.

The trail from a blocked sewer to the local wine shop

November 18, 2019 C S Sharada Prasad

The local bar is where they are often to be found, relieving the stress of their inhuman toil — India’s sewer workers, who do the unclean work that a ‘swachh’ India relies on. This World Toilet Day, we bring you some of their stories from Hyderabad.

Srinagar: Where abnormalcy is the new normal

November 12, 2019 Revathi Siva Kumar

A 11-member fact-finding team recently visited Srinagar among other places in Kashmir, and saw a ghost town in place of the picturesque, vibrant city that once was. The clampdown on essential services, mobility, communication and trade has made life in this ‘paradise’ an ordeal.

How you can lend a helping hand to Kashmiris in your city

August 21, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

Many Kashmiris across the country, especially students away from home, are struggling to cope with the consequences of the communication blackout; they need assistance, and not just financial. Here’s how we can stand with them at this hour.