SPREADING HUMAN RIGHTS
ACROSS A SUBCONTINENT

India faces a broad range of human rights challenges.

Some 24 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line. Institutionalized discrimination persists through the caste system and is also directed against women and religious minorities.

At the heart of the Church-sponsored Social Betterment initiatives is the conviction that what begins with one voice can spread across an entire population through grassroots action, and nowhere is this more true than in India. Since 2009, Youth for Human Rights India has grown to a network of more than 160 chapters and educators, and YHR’s social networking site has thousands of members of all ages from across the country.

In partnership with organizations such as the nonprofit Jyoti Foundation, YHR India has sponsored human rights education for thousands of students and police cadets and generated more than 10,000 online requests for materials. Ten thousand police cadets have received training using YHRI’s educational materials.

“Ensuring protection of human rights is an integral part of our duty in the Indian National Army. So while we ensure that no human rights violations take place during our operations, we were uncertain how to provide tangible benefits to the extremely poor people in this area. That is when I came to know about the remarkable campaign that your organization is running. After receiving more information on the subject of human rights in the form of information booklets, DVDs and pamphlets, I have been driven to actively take up the cause of human rights and spread the noble message far and wide.” —‍Military Commanding Officer, India

With Youth for Human Rights materials distributed nationwide, YHR India and its partners delivered seminars to 20,000 people over two years. These efforts inspired “Walks for Human Rights” in 30 Indian cities, drawing attention to the need for global human rights education.