Peoples Vigilance Committee for Human Rights and Dignity: Danish Institute against Tortures Project against torture

and organized violence - Analysis

The project aiming to eradicate torture and organized violence, uses its strongest tool, Testimonial therapy to heal and empower to strengthen the individual and the community to fight against and prevent caste based violence, police torture, gender discrimination, domestic violence etc. Parallel to Testimonial therapy, legal support, medical assistance and meta- legal intervention is done. The follow up of the above assistance is done by organizing Honor ceremonies and folk school that consolidate the experience of fighting injustice by learning to express freely and take collective action. The barefoot workers who come forward to uphold and strengthen the learnings of the community voluntarily, reflects the deep impact of the multi dimensional intervention done under the project. On the basis of the surveys done under the Testimonial Therapy between July 2010 and June 2012, we come to see the nature of torture and organized violence that we are working to eliminate. 45 % of the victims are women

Percentage of victims belonging to different communities

1% 4% 5% Upper Caste 33% Other Backward Caste Scheduled Caste 57% Scheduled Tribe Others

Literacy levels of TOV victims

3% 0% 2% 5% 9% Illetrate Primary school Middle school High school 23% 58% Inter mediate Graduation Other

Religion of Victims
0% 0% 4% 9% Hindu Bhuddhist Muslim Christian Atheist 87%

Occupations
Number of persons in diff. occupations Other Private Govrn/Political Trade Animal rearing Farmers Landless labourers Home makers Unemployed 34 4 2 5 14 31 33 96 112

Perpetrators of Violence

31%

Police Secret department Army 61% Prison officials Others

3% 3% 2%

Kinds of Human Rights Violations

No. of diff. kinds of Human rights violations 237

124

39 1 Physical torture Pschychological Sexual torture torture Death in custody 6 Other

The above graphs clearly show that 95 % of the victims who were given testimonial therapy belong to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Castes. Majority of the victims are illiterate who are thus taken advantage of by the perpetrators who in majority are the police. Along with physical torture Most of the victims of torture experience psychological torture for whom testimonial therapy is the best healing process. As 45% of the victims are women who due to culture and tradition are restrained to share their sufferings and pain, find an outlet to speak out loud the suffering they went

through and in the process find the courage to accuse the perpetrator of injustice than sitting silent which is the predominant culture. Follow up of testimonial therapy On analyzing the total Meta legal assistance given to the victims of torture and organized violence, of 5 blocks (Badagaon and Pindra block of Varanasi district, Tanda block of Ambedkar Nagar district, Roberstganj block of Sonebhadra district of Uttar Pradesh and Domchach block of Koderma district in Jharkhand state of India), between July 2010 and June 2012, the findings are shown in the graphs below:

Total Model Blocks 2010-12 Total cases - 186

21%

District Govt. Authority State Govt & Commission

62%

17% National Govt. & and Commission

Model blocks 2010-12 Total- 186 cases

Total Petitions Response to Petition
241

83 10 District Govt. Authority

65 11 State Govt & Commission

75

National Govt. & and Commission

Petitions and their response

Petitions and their response 389

96

Total petitions Total response to petitions

Blocks Total- 186 cases

35 30 25 25 20 15 10 5 0 Police S.P. D.M. Medical DPO / CMO Others 6 8 4 8 32

Number of petitions filed at the District Government Authorities

Blocks Meta Legal Intervention

Number of petitions filed at the State Government and State Commissions
36

19 7 3 DGP Others SHRC Others

Blocks- Meta legal Intervention

Number of petitions filed at the Central government and National Commissions
180

40 13 NHRC NCW NCSC 2 NCM 2 Others 4 National Govt Authority

According to the data we see that of the total petitions filed at the district, state and National levels, only 25% of them have received response from the governments and human rights commissions. The above quantitative analysis shows that the National Human Rights Commissions inefficiency in responding to the petitions requires a reawakening. In spite of such a percentage we have seen that the psycho legal efforts have had an empowering impact on the victims and the communities as they were central in the process of the follow up. The communities in the 50 model villages are constructing a new culture which is driven by knowledge and spirit to deal effectively with any human rights violations and prevent any potential unrest by cultivating embracing attitudes.