India

Our work in India

Throughout our more than 30 years of support to Indian civil society we have seen Indian civil society demonstrate exceptional ability to overcome barriers and challenges that are present in the local systems of deeply rooted structural discrimination. With this experience and understanding, we aim to support initiatives that address intersectional issues experienced by women and marginalised groups in South India. For this reason, we apply a strategic priority of supporting women-led organisations that focus on the rights of women from marginalised backgrounds. Another focus is on the access to labour rights of these groups and against discrimination in the workplace.

Since the 1990s, the NHRF has supported organisations in India. Since 2002, India has been a NHRF priority country and women have been central in our support to human rights work from the beginning. The NHRF supports organisations who fight for the rights of marginalised groups, and labour rights, and who work on the community level with initiatives that engage and organise historically vulnerable and stigmatised groups.

Currently, we support 10 grantee partners (14 projects) in India located in the southern Indian states.

Prioritised thematic areas:

Community-led initiatives against discrimination, inequality and marginalisation

Protecting the right to defend rights, with a focus on women leadership

Our impact

At the NHRF, we collect big and small success stories from our grantee partners to show the impact they are able to make at various levels. Two of the stories from our grantee partners in India are described below.

The advocacy work of grantee partner Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers Welfare Trust (TNDWWT) has led to important victories for the rights of domestic workers. The organisation strengthened cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, the State Human Rights Commission and the State Women’s Commission, which contributed significantly to the drafting of a bill for domestic workers, and the government’s review of the minimum wage for domestic workers.

Through the work of our grantee partner Munnade Social Organisaiton, 30 dedicated worker leaders are dynamically involved in various worker collectives. These leaders play a pivotal role by proactively initiating efforts to identify and rectify issues that may arise within the workplace, their own residences, or in the broader community. By establishing a direct line of communication, they facilitate a supportive environment for those facing difficulties. In addition to their individualised efforts, these worker leaders contribute significantly to the collective strength of workers’ groups.

News

Women at Work Seminar 2024

Our second regional seminar as part of our Women at Work programme took place in November 2024 in Negombo, Sri Lanka. Find the impressions and highlights from the seminar in this article.

Raising voices against human rights violations related to the mining industry

Communities in Asia, Latin America, and other parts of the world, are under constant pressure from the mining industry, which often undermines indigenous communities and threatens their livelihood. The NHRF has grantee partners in different continents working with communities affected by this and shares their perspectives and experiences in this article.

Compilation of case stories from our grantee partner in India

Our Indian grantee partner, the Tamil Nadu Workers' Welfare Trust has developed a compilation of case stories from domestic workers, with whom the organisation works. As stated in the Editors' Note: "These stories are a testament to resilience and survival".