By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 10: Marking International Human Rights Day 2025, the Meghalaya People’s Human Rights Council (MPHRC) said the year’s global theme, ‘Our Everyday Essentials’, underscored how fundamental rights remain central to daily life, even as many citizens in the state continue to face entrenched discrimination, exclusion and systemic rights violations.
The Council stated that these realities stand in sharp contrast to the ideals of freedom, equality and justice embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
In its statement, the Council asserted that human rights conditions in Meghalaya remain a matter of concern despite repeated commitments from authorities. It noted that large sections of the population still experience inequalities that undermine the promise of inclusive governance.
MPHRC chairman Dino DG Dympep was quoted as saying that the organisation had reiterated its calls for the government, as the primary duty bearer, to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of indigenous communities.
He said indigenous people in Meghalaya continued to face rising threats of land dispossession, criminalisation and violence, adding that rapid expansion of extractive industries and interest in critical minerals, including uranium, reflected a state-led push for strategic resources that often proceeded without respecting the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
The Council also said that respect for human rights formed a necessary foundation for development, and pointed out that the state’s aspiration of becoming a Rs 10-billion economy by 2028 remained distant.
According to MPHRC, despite ongoing government initiatives, basic necessities were still out of reach for many, while community participation in key development decisions had shrunk. It stated that such exclusion undermined the principles of rights-based development and the larger goal of improving the well-being of all residents.
Dympep further said that the right to the highest attainable standard of health was fundamental, adding that health outcomes must not only improve but must do so in a manner that is equitable.
The Council cited serious concerns about Meghalaya’s primary healthcare system, stating that about 42.3% of the population remained outside the coverage of essential health services. Rising cases of medical negligence in both government and private institutions, it said, represented breaches of duty that could fall within criminal negligence and amounted to violations of human rights.
As the state observed Human Rights Day, the Council reiterated that every individual and every indigenous community was entitled to the full spectrum of rights enshrined in the UDHR, and that the responsibility to safeguard these rights was shared by all.
The MPHRC urged the government to meet its obligations by recognising human rights universally, including the collective rights of indigenous people, ensuring FPIC in all development activities, ending criminalisation of citizens and human rights defenders, guaranteeing access to justice and accountability for violators, enabling meaningful participation at all levels of governance and creating an environment that protects and strengthens civil society engagement in development processes.
