PEOPLE’S VIGILANCE COMMITTEE ON

HUMAN RIGHTS

WHO WE ARE

ABOUT PVCHR

PVCHR – People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights - was started in 1996 as a

membership based human rights movement in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), one of the
most traditional, conservative and segregated regions in India.

PVCHR works to ensure basic rights for vulnerable groups in the Indian society, e.g.
children, women, Dalits and tribes and to create a human rights culture based on
democratic values. PVCHR ideology is inspired by the father of the Dalit movement,
Dr. B. D. Ambedkar, who struggled against Brahmanism and the caste hierarchical
system prevailing in India.

In 1999, PVCHR formed the public charitable trust Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) to monitor
and evaluate activities, to operate the bank account and to enable the organisation to
have official clearance for receiving foreign grants.

OUR VISION
To establish a true, vibrant and fully entrenched democratic society through
Jan Mitra concept where there shall be no violation of civil rights granted to a citizen
by the state.

OUR MISSION
to provide basic rights to all, to eliminate situations, which give rise to exploit-
ation of vulnerable and marginalized groups and to start a movement for a people
friendly society (Jan Mitra Samaj) through an inter-institutional approach.

AWARDS

The work of PVCHR was awarded with the Gwangju Human Rights Award 2007.
In 2001, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, founder and director of PVCHR, was elected for the
Ashoka Fellowship for social entrepreneurship and change maker.
HOW WE WORK

Indians society, especially in the rural areas, is still influenced by feudalism and the
caste system which continues to determine the political, social, and economic life of
the country. Caste based discrimination is practiced in the educational system, in
places of work, villages and towns and even in courts of justice. The most heinous
impacts of caste based discriminations are starvation and malnutrition. Acute poverty
and cases of starvation occur especially in marginalized groups in the Indian society
like minority communities, tribes and Dalits.

Dalits (often called the “untouchables”) have been engaged in the hardest and most
difficult jobs in the Indian society, bearing the brunt of rigid caste-based discrimination
in terms of residence, occupation or education. When the national rate of literacy
touches 67%, among the Dalits it is a mere 32%. And if at all you are a woman from
that community, it is still less at 23%. Only 6% of the Dalits own land, most of them
labour in someone else’ field or migrate to the cities. Their standards of living force
their children to work as child labourer even in hazardous industries.

The severest human rights violations in India, as the widespread use of custodial tor-
ture, are closely linked to caste based discrimination. In the context of crime investig-
ation suspects are tortured to enforce confessions. Due to the absence of an inde-
pendent agency to investigate cases, complaints are often not properly proofed and
perpetrators are not prosecuted and punished. The discrimination of women and
gender based violence which includes domestic violence, dowry linked violence,
sexual assault, sexual harassment and sex-selective abortion is one of the most rel-
evant human rights issues in India.

OUR WORKING APPROACH

• accurate investigation and documentation of human rights violations connec-

ted with advocacy, publication and networking on a local, national and interna-
tional level
• creating models of non violent and democratic communities (People friendly
villages, torture-free villages)
• building up local institutions and supporting them with active human rights net-
works
• creating a democratic structure for the ‘voiceless’ to enable them access to the
constitutional guarantees of modern India
• empowering marginalized communities by trainings and access to information
• promoting a human rights culture
• linking local and international human rights together
• linking grass roots activities and international human rights networks and insti-
tutions together
OUR ACTIVITIES

FROM PRACTICE TO POLITICS

The approach in this field of activities is two-fold: to have a strong grassroots

organization to work for democratic rights of those in marginalized communities and
second, to create the structure and dynamics to receive the assistance of national
and international institutions.

PVCHR is working on the grass-root level in 45 villages in Uttar Pradesh. In close

cooperation with local human rights activists PVCHR documents cases of severe
human rights violations in the
villages, for example cases of
malnutrition and starvation,
police torture or unavailable
medical treatment. Especially in
cases of custodial torture
PVCHR is also providing legal
aid. To raise public awareness
PVCHR alters media as well as
national and international hu-
man rights net-work and request
local authorities to act and to
prevent further human rights
abuses.

Effective advocacy (Urgent

Appeals) for every single case can be accomplished by a close cooperation with our
key partner, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). In the context of
international advocacy along with AHRC, PVCHR achieved the rare distinction of
being reported by the UN special rappoteur on Racism and Xenophobia. In the same
year three out of four reported cases from India in the report of representative of
Secretary General for Human Rights defenders were from PVCHR.

The point of departure for our campaigning and political lobbying is always the metic-
ulous analysis of the indi-
vidual case.

Examples for our campaigns

from the last years, which
were strongly supported by
the grass-root movement,
are:
 • Fair Play Campaign against the use of child labour in Indian Sporting Goods
• Global March against Child Labour which in effect liberated bonded child la-
bour in many areas
• Campaign on the rights of weavers and on cases of starvation among the
weavers communities

FROM POLITICS TO PRACTICE - THE MODEL OF JAN MITRA VILLAGE

To translate policy into practice, The “Jan Mitra Rickshaw Bank Project” is implemen-
ted according to the concept of micro-credits. 100 Rickshaws are provided to Rick-
shaw-drivers who commit to pay back a daily amount of 25 Rs., but unlike to the cur-
rent situation the Rickshaws will change in the ownership of the drivers after a period
of 2 years.

PVCHR is facilitating the provision of education in these villages, reactivating defunct

primary schools, encouraging education of girls and promoting non-formal education.
Further activities are focused
on organisational development
of vulnerable groups and the
implementation of village
committees.

In each Jan Mitra village a

community centre has been
established, forming the basis
for the project activities.
People are also provided with
community-based counselling.

One of the core activities in the

model villages are the Folk
schools. In community
meetings people can give testimonies about their suffering and receive support from
the group. Issues of the Folk schools are conflicts with the village head or
experiences of torture. Special forums for women are also organized. Here the main
problems discussed are mostly health related, and sometimes also related to dowry
issues. The statements of the villagers are recorded and their demands are
forwarded to administration and governments.
COOPERATION PROJECTS

JAN MITRA RICKSHAW BANK PROJECT

With the support of the America India Foundation and the Punjab National Bank PV-
CHR has started the “Jan Mitra Rickshaw Bank Project”. In the city of Varanasi
30.000 Rickshaw drivers are working,
most of them rent the rickshaw for 25
Rs. per day. Due to their meagre in-
come they are completely dependent
from the rickshaw owners and their
arbitrariness. The “Jan Mitra Rick-
shaw Bank Project” is implemented
according to the concept of micro-
credits. 100 Rickshaws are provided
to Rickshaw-drivers who commit to
pay back a daily amount of 25 Rs. but
unlike to the current situation the
Rickshaws will change in the owner-
ship of the drivers after a period of 2
years.

NATIONAL PROJECT ON PREVENTING TORTURE IN INDIA

PVCHR acts as partner in this EU-supported national project which is implemented

by People’s Watch Tamil Nadu. The aim of the project is to initiate and model a na-
tional campaign for the prevention of torture in India, with a deliberate focus on tor-
ture practices employed by police and will be carried out in 10 states. Project activit-
ies are the documentation of individual torture cases, monitoring, trainings for differ-
ent professional groups and a national awareness campaign.

PEOPLE

OUR PARTNERS AND NETWORKS

We are linked with a multitude of organizations, student unions, trade unions, and
grass-root level NGOs. PVCHR is a key partner of AHRC in India and the two organ-
isations have worked on the following issues: Hunger Free campaign, Urgent Ap-
peals, interns with AHRC and training on research and documentation. PVCHR is
also working in close cooperation with other national and international human rights
organisations like Asian Centre for Human Rights, Human Rights Law Network, Voice
of People or Human Rights Alert.

OUR TEAM

Our team consists of full time employees, staff employed on a yearly basis or as per
the requirement of the project with specific terms of reference and consultants,
whose expertise are hired. Human rights activists in 45 villages are working as volun-
teers with PVCHR.
OUR SUPPORTERS

“PVCHR does wonderful work under very difficult circumstances. We are proud to be
associated with you –India & the World need more of such Workers.
Justice Zakaria Mohd. Yacoob , Sitting Judge of the Constitutional Court of
South Africa & Chancellor of Durban – Westville

“On some occasion I am wearing the T-shirt you gave me for the purpose that
people should ask me whose face is it showing. Then I tell them in a country far away
from our own there are people like Safdar Hashmi and Dr. Lenin who were and who
are fighting for things worth fighting for and we too should work for a better world.”
Otto Tausig, Austrian Film Actor

“The World needs great voices like those of PVCHR shouting for Human Dignity”
Dominique Lapierre (Author-Freedom at Midnight & City of Joy) & social activ-
ist

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Our work is funded by membership fees and own donations. Furthermore, PVCHR
has received funding from a range of donors including HIVOS, SIDA, Action Aid, Tata,
Misereor and the American Indian Foundation.

Name of Organisation/NGO: Jan Mitra Nyas

Name of Bank: UCO Bank
Branch Location: Pandeypur Varanasi
Address: Pandeypur Varanai, Uttar Pradesh India
Account No.: 1170
IFSC Code: ECBA0000034.

CONTACT US:

PVCHR
Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi (Director)
SA4/2A, Daulatpur,
Varanasi - 221002 , (India)
Tel: +91-99 355 99 333
pvchr@yahoo.com
www.pvchr.org
Please visit:
http://www.universalrights.net/heroes/display.php3?id=101
www.pvchr.org
www.youtube.com/pvchrindia
www.pvchr.blogspot.com
www.sapf.blogspot.com
www.antiwto.blogspot.com
www.rtfcup.blogspot.com
www.dalitwomen.blogspot.com
www.lenin-shruti.blogspot.com