India: human rights or Asian values?

India is one of the most Western-oriented countries in the Eastern part of the world. Its economy is ‘booming business’ and because of this India - together with countries like China and Brazil - demands a fully fedged place next to the Western countries of the G8. India also has many commercial relations with the West and many companies have moved their businesses to India, because of the low labour costs. Human rights are still violated in India on different levels; people are being tortured by the police, members of lower castes are being subjected to miserable conditions and children have to work to raise the family income. Because of the relations with the West, the Indian conception of human rights –so called Asian values- is subjected to Western values and is changing in different ways in order to adapt to the West. In what ways do the relations with Western countries affect the state of mind about human rights in India? In what ways are so-called Asian values being replaced by Western, liberal values to achieve an international, standardized process of human rights?

Mr. Chakma is the director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) and will speak on the matter of human rights in India. He will talk about the status of human rights, due to the recent economical decline. More fundamentally, he will discuss the influence of the Western conception of human rights on the Indian – Asian - values and its changing status.

Speaker: Suhas Chakma

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