ghrd Articles & Reports

1. Introduction

Global Human Rights Defence

Global Human Rights Defence (ghrd) is a human rights organisation that commits itself to the protection of human rights and credible human rights reporting. We pursue avenues that have received little to no attention by the general public and news coverage. We have research teams dedicated to difficult topics under the broad umbrella of human rights, such as Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights, or International Justice, and to different regions – East Asia, Southeast Asia and Pacific, Pakistan, Middle East and Europe. As accredited by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), we are also proud of our special United Nations research team that covers the various Human Rights Council sessions and General Assembly sessions.

Rooted in the belief that every human being, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or background, deserves to live a life free from discrimination, oppression, and injustice ghrd’s journey is inspired by the unfading principle that selfless action is the true agent of positive change. Drawing upon the universal principles of empathy and compassion, we tirelessly work towards building bridges, forging alliances, and nurturing a global community where human rights flourish.

Our 4 pillars are:

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4

GHRTV

Global Human Rights TV is ghrd’s media channel that provides factual, independent and consistent news coverage of human rights issues across the globe. Through this, we aim to create awareness among the national and international communities of the ongoing human rights issues happening globally with more emphasis on the violations occurring against members of religious minorities. Moreover, it also aims to inform the audience of ways that they can get involved to help prevent such violations from occurring and also ways that they can help the victims.

2. Call To Action

Through our work, ghrds primary goal is to create positive and tangible change for communities that suffer from human rights abuses using platforms including events at the EU and UN, petitions, protests and media coverage.

Notably, ghrd is announcing a year long campaign titled “Final Call to Pakistan” launching on the 10th of December 2023 (International Human Rights Day). This campaign will involve activities such as protests, petitions and events held across Europe and the world calling for engagement and action on the human rights of minority communities in Pakistan. We urge you to join us in documenting, publishing, educating and pushing for accountability in this matter. 

 

Simultaneously, we are committed to raising awareness about the tragic events of the 1971 Bangladeshi Genocide, a dark chapter in history that demands remembrance and justice. With an unwavering dedication to human rights, we work tirelessly to shed light on the atrocities committed during this period, seeking accountability for the victims and their families. In October 2023, a Side Event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva was hosted by ghrd on this issue. Additionally, there is an active petition on the ghrd website that, with your help, can show world leaders and decision makers that the people demand recognition for this genocide.

3. Our Work

Events

Over the years, ghrd and GHRTV together have issued extensive work on the rights of Hindus across the globe. Below is a recap of some of the key articles and events that shed lilght on the dire situations faced by Hindus in Pakistan, Bangladesh and beyond.

 

ghrd hosts event at the UN Human Rights Council 54th Session to advocate for the recognition of the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/geneva-rights-advocates-call-for-recognising-1971-bangladesh-genocide-by-pakistan-army/articleshow/104215147.cms?from=mdr

 

ghrd Chairman, Dr. Sital speaks at UN Human Rights Council on the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide

https://www.ghrtv.org/ghrd-side-event-at-geneva-mr-sitals-speech

Global Human Rights Defence, a leading human rights organization hosted a conference titled ”The Forgotten Genocide Bangladesh 1971” at the Europeon Union headquarters in Belgium’s Brussels on July 3 2023

https://www.ghrtv.org/global-human-rights-defence-raises-awareness-of-1971-bangladesh-genocide-at-eu-headquarters

 

 

On the 23rd of April, 2022, The Hindu Sindh Foundation held an online event where they discussed the forced conversions of Hindu Girls in Pakistan, specifically in the Sindh Region

https://www.ghrtv.org/hindu-sindh-foundation-event-on-23rd-of-april-2022

 

Global Human Rights Defence joined the World Sindhi Congress in their protest against the atrocities committed against minorities and marginalised groups in Pakistan before the United Nations building in Geneva

https://www.ghrtv.org/world-sindhi-congress-protests-at-the-broken-chair-geneva

 

On 17 March 2022, a group of activists raised their voices against the atrocities against minorities in Pakistan during a protest outside the UN offices in Geneva, Switzerland

https://www.ghrtv.org/ghrd-joins-world-sindhi-congress-in-geneva-1777

 

The Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) organised a seminar on the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan on the 17th of March in the Geneva Press Club, Switzerland

https://www.ghrtv.org/ghrd-speaks-at-baloch-lives-matter-seminar

 

Reports

GHRTV News Coverage

In the Sindh province of Pakistan, another minor Hindu girl, Sohana Kumar Sharma, was violently abducted and forcefully converted at the age of 14.

https://www.ghrtv.org/systemic-injustice-against-minorities-in-pakistan-another-minor-hindu-girl-forcefully-converted

 

In a violent incident, A group of five men vandalized a Hindu Temple in Karachi, the capital of the Sindh province.

https://www.ghrtv.org/radical-muslims-attacked-a-hindu-temple

 

A Hindu girl that was abducted in the Jhelum district of Pakistan’s Punjab province was rescued.

https://www.ghrtv.org/pakistan-a-hindu-girl-rescued-1-week-after-her-abduction

 

At least 19 civilians have been killed just in 2022 in targeted attacks in Kashmir, including minority Hindus and government employees.

https://www.ghrtv.org/the-start-of-a-new-exodus

 

On 8th June 2022, a mandir located in Korangi area of Karachi, Pakistan was vandalized and looted by a mob of people.

https://www.ghrtv.org/stop-destroying-mandirs-in-pakistan-stop-terrorizing-the-hindu-community

 

On 7th May 2022, 14 year old Chandni was kidnapped from the main road in Block 16, Gulshan e Iqbal Karachi while visiting her grandmother.

https://www.ghrtv.org/hindu-girl-kidnapped-in-karachi

Pakistan officially denounces and opposed the charges made on Yasin Malik by the Delhi High Court and has demanded his release and reunion with his family.

https://www.ghrtv.org/pakistan-denounces-the-conviction-of-top-kasmiri-separatist-by-delhi-high-court

 

How long must minorities in Pakistan suffer as their individual freedoms are suffocated and the constant threat of violence hangs over their heads?

https://www.ghrtv.org/pakistans-state-of-human-rights

Sunita Odh was abducted from her house in Sindh and forcefully converted and married to Ahmed Ali s/o Luqman.

https://www.ghrtv.org/abduction-and-forced-conversion-of-pakistani-gir

 

Thousands of Baloch students from various Pakistani universities organised protests and hunger strikes, and boycotted classes, calling for an end to enforced disappearances of Baloch students across Pakistan.

https://www.ghrtv.org/pakistan-protests-held-by-baloch-students-in-response-to-the-recent-rise-in-enforced-disappearances-across-the-country

 

In Pakistan last week, a bill moved by Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das in the National Assembly seeking to replace the word ‘minority’ in Article 36 of the Constitution and it got a nod from the Standing Committee on Law and Justice

https://www.ghrtv.org/words-wont-help-pakistans-repressed-minorities

 

A wave of fear and anger was seen among Sindh’s Hindu community in Pakistan on 28th February,2022, following the kidnapping of a 14 year old Hindu Minor girl, Miran from Mirpurkhas, Sindh. 

https://www.ghrtv.org/forced-conversions-in-pakistan-continue

Marking International Human Rights Day, the Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) raised their issues concerned with human rights violations of minorities residing in Pakistan.

https://www.ghrtv.org/concern-over-violations-of-human-rights-of-minorities

 

On October 13th, the Parliamentary Commission on Forced Conversions rejected a bill that was prepared by the Ministry of Human Rights. The Bill was defined as “non-Islamic” and will therefore not be submitted to Parliament.

https://www.ghrtv.org/bill-on-forced-conversions-of-non-muslim-girls-rejected

 

On the evening of the 20th of December 2021, extremist Muslim demolished the Hindu Temple Murti in Karachi, Pakistan. 

https://www.ghrtv.org/hindu-temple-murti-demolished

 

Last Sunday, 26th of September 2021, a protest was initiated in London against genocidal activities that are currently happening in Balochistan and Sindhi, provinces in Pakistan.

https://www.ghrtv.org/protest-in-london-against-genocidal-activities-pakistan

 

During an event held at the Sindhi Centre on the Kenton Road in Harrow, England, the Sindhi Baloch Forum (SBF) is holding a Commemoration Reference, in memory of the late Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Balochistan’s first chief minister.

https://www.ghrtv.org/world-sindhi-congress-wsc-event

 

Alam Ram Bheel, a member of the Hindu community, was with his family members when they decided to obtain water form a mosque tap. Some village landlords were not happy with what they were seeing and allegedly tortured the family and held them hostage for “violating the sanctity” of the mosque.

https://www.ghrtv.org/hindu-family-tortured-of-getting-water-from-a-mosque-in-khan-pakistan

 

A Statue of Lord Krishna was broken by a police constable during the Hindu religious event of “Lord Krishna’s Janam Ashtani” in Khipro City of District Sanghar in Sindh.

https://www.ghrtv.org/desecration-of-lord-krishnas-statue

Bherumal Kolhi, a man from the Hindu community was killed in an alleged attack by some members of the Araen community in “Kunri town of Umerkot district”.

https://www.ghrtv.org/a-hindu-man-killed-in-an-attack-in-umerkot-sindh

It is reported by the ghrd sources that a 14-year-old Teekam was allegedly forced to convert to Islam by the local clerics in the Kadhan City of Badin District in Sindh. 

https://www.ghrtv.org/a-14-year-old-hindu-boy-forced-to-convert

 

A video that went viral on the internet shows a Pakistani Hindi beaten up by some police officers in what appears to be a urban area in the Sindh region of Pakistan.

https://www.ghrtv.org/pakistani-hindu-beaten-by-the-police-in-sindh-pakistan

 

Miscreants vandalized a Hindu temple and broke the idol of Lord Krishana during a religious function held to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna at Khipro in Sanghar district of Sindh province of Pakistan

https://www.ghrtv.org/hindu-idol-vandalised-in-pakistan

Lata Sumaddaer, a theatre and media studies lecturer at Tejgaon College in Dhaka, alleged that she was assaulted and threatened by a police officer for wearing a bindi, a red dot applied between the eyebrows on the forehead used in the Hindu culture.

https://www.ghrtv.org/bangladeshi-women-harassed-by-cop-for-wearing-bindi

 

Hindu communities have been attacked by Muslims despite the total consensus of the government to celebrate Durga Puja.

https://www.ghrtv.org/violence-against-hindu-caused-the-death-of-two-people

 

During the Hindu celebration of Durga Puja happened in Bangladesh on the 14th of October, Hindu temples were attacked by a mob.

https://www.ghrtv.org/violence-and-civil-tension-during-the-durga-puja-celebration-in-bangladesh

 

On 7th August 2021 at around 5 pm few hundreds of people attacked a Hindu village at Shiyali, Rupsha Upazila in Khuna district with sharp weapons.

https://www.ghrtv.org/ghrd-bangladesh-reo-protests-against-human-rights-violations-against-hindus

 

Violence perpetrated by Islamists in Bangladesh opposing the visit of PM Narendra Modi had backing from outlawed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) which in the past had strong links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.

https://www.ghrtv.org/pro-pakistan-jamaat-e-islami-responsible-for-vandalizing-in-bangladesh

 

Bangladesh marked the International Genocide Day and demanded official apology from Pakistan for the Genocide of 1971 

https://www.ghrtv.org/bangladesh-observed-international-genocide-day

Related News

The causes of hate crimes, abuse and human rights violations against Hindus do not just affect the Hindu community. Legal instruments such as blasphemy, hate crimes such as forced conversion and social biases including sexism impact society on a local, national and international level. In order to obtain Justice for Hindus, ghrd unwaveringly advocates for the upholding of human rights for all. GHRTV has covered such examples of intersectional violence as indicated below.

On allegations of blasphemy, large mobs from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party burned hundreds of Churches, and houses of christians across Pakistan

https://www.ghrtv.org/large-mobs-destroy-churches-over-blasphemy-claims-in-pakistan

 

A Chinese engineer working on a construction project in Pakistan has been accused of blasphemy against Islam by other workers and is now under police custody.

https://www.ghrtv.org/chinese-national-charged-with-blasphemy-in-pakistan

 

U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which he outlined issues regarding democracy and human rights in Pakistan.

https://www.ghrtv.org/us-congressman-has-published-concerns-regarding-human-rights-and-democracy-in-pakistan

Recently, a young Christian girl, Anita Emmanuel, 17, from Bahawalpur escaped her kidnapper after a year of captivity and was reunited with her family.

https://www.ghrtv.org/young-christian-girl-escaped-her-kidnapper-after-a-year

 

A Christian woman in Pakistan and her five children were recently reported to have been driven into hiding after being given the choice to convert to Islam or face execution.

https://www.ghrtv.org/a-christian-woman-in-pakistan-was-forced-into-hiding-after-being-given-the-option-of-converting-to-islam-or-execution

 

On March 29th, 2022 a teacher and two students were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of a colleague after accusing her of blasphemy.

https://www.ghrtv.org/women-murdered-for-alleged-blasphemy-teacher-and-two-students-arrested

The Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP) slammed the forced conversions of underage girls through criminal means and demanded for the federal and provincial governments to devise uniform policies that will ensure the protection of religious minorities.

https://www.ghrtv.org/call-to-devise-policies-for-protection-of-religious-minorities

 

Tulsi Gabbard talks about the atrocities committed on Hindu & other religious minorities in Bangladesh.

https://www.ghrtv.org/tulsi-gabbard-talks-about-the-atrocities-committed-on-hindu-other-religious-minorities-in-bangladesh

 

High Commissioner Report on Sri Lanka, the 1st Meeting, 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.

https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1g/k1gsynrpsh

Conclusion

The situation that Hindus face worldwide is known to many within the community but few outside of it. At ghrd, we consistently strive to attain justice and closure for victims of crimes, particularly minorities such as Hindus. In today’s world, this goal may seem like a challenging one. However, as the community unites as one, our voices get amplified thus raising awareness on issues such as the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide and the 1990s Kashmir Genocide. With your help and partnership, ghrd can continue doing this work by presenting the facts and evidence to international bodies such as the UN and EU in order to gain recognition for Hindus. We urge you to join us in our campaigns and efforts through documentation of evidence, educating the world and advocating for justice.

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