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A program unit of Centre
for Promotion of Social Concerns

Our Story

2016
  • Mr. Henri Tiphagne wins 8th human rights award by Amnesty International Germany. He becomes the 1st Indian to receive this award.

  • Government of India refuses to renew People’s Watch’s FCRA license. The matter is sub judice.

2015
  • Fact Finding and legal intervention in killing of Tamil labourers by the Andhra Pradesh Special Task Force

  • Intervention in Madras High Court challenging the TN-SHRC order to ban the use of words 'Human Rights' in
    organisation titles Celebration of 20 Years of People's Watch

2014

License to receive foreign grants restored after order of the Delhi High Court

2013

Minimal activities carried as grants continued to be suspended

2012
  • License to receive foreign grants suspended by the Government of India

  • Mr. Henri Tiphagne appointed as the Chair of FORUM-ASIA

2011
  • AINNI released and submitted a Shadow Report on the NHRC to the Sub Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the International Coordination Committee on NHRIs on the 21 January 2011

  • The UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, marked her first country visit to India from 10--20 January 2011. Mr. Henri Tiphagne accompanied her through out the visit and People's Watch along with WGHR and HRDA, organised six regional consultations between the Special Rapporteur and a wide range of human rights defenders

2010
  • Formation of Human Rights Defenders Alert – India (HRDA)

  • Formation of All India Network of NGOs and Individuals Working with National and State Human Rights Institutions (AiNNI)

  • National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, with the assistance of IHRE and People's Watch, conducted  a Public Hearing on the implementation of the Right to Education Act.

  • Mr. Henri Tiphagne appointed Special Representative for the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights

2009

 

  • Initiated a joint-campaign to highlight systematic violations committed against Tamils by the Sri Lankan government and demanded an impartial and independent international inquiry

  • First Human Rights Defenders' State Conferenceorganised

  • First National Conference on Human Rights Education in Bhubaneshwar

  • Began the initiative to rehabilitate De-notified Tribes in Tamil Nadu

  • Published Guidebook for Human Rights Defenders

2008
  • Signature campaign jointly organized with the demands to stop the war at Sri Lanka and to avoid war with Pakistan

  • First National Advisory Committee of IHRE meeting held in New Delhi

  • Initiated the process of developing IHRE modules in Braille

  • Human rights clubs initiated in ADW schools in Tamil Nadu

2007
  • Publishing 'Combating the phenomenon of 'Encounter' Deaths'

  • National level monitoring of torture and campaign to end torture initiated

  • Handbook on torture published in 8 languages (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Bengali)

  • A dynamic web based database of 604 districts to ease and speed up access to justice for the common public created

2006
  • Launching of National Project on Preventing Torture in 10 states across India

  • The name of the organization changed from People's Watch-TamilNadu to People's Watch

  • Acknowledging the contribution of IHRE in Human Rights Education,the National Human Rights Commission nominatedDr.VasanthiDevi

  • Chairperson of IHRE, to be a Member of NHRC Task Force on Human Rights Education in Schools

  • The National Human Rights Commission has nominated Mr. Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, to be a Member of the NHRC NGO Core Committee

  • Tamil Nadu Government announced compensation of 20 lakhs to 12 special task forcevictims

  • Citizen for Human Rights Cells initiated in Tamil Nadu

2005
  • Initiation of Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Coordination -TN & Pondicherry with the state secretariat being placed at People's Watch

  • Initiation of the Tsunami Legal Action Committee with the State Secretariat being placed at People's Watch

  • Launching of a national program of human rights education in 10 states

  • Facilitated the special task force victims' meetings with the Prime Minister, the Home Ministerand the NHRC demanding the release of the Justice Sadhasiva Panel Report

  • Training for lawyers in Tamil Nadu in collaboration with the Bar Council through 6 programs covering over 1000 lawyers

  • Separate buildings for two Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims in Mettur and Madurai

  • Manitha Urimai Kangani becomes monthly publication

2004
  • Program to combat Torture with AHRC (Hong Kong),OMCT (Geneva),CHRI (New Delhi) and HRLN (New Delhi)

  • Human rights education training programs for political parties, medical and media professionals initiated

  • Provided immediate relief to 20,000 families, mostly
    dalits affected by tsunami

2003
  • Dalit Human Rights Monitoring initiated in 12 states

  • 10 District level HR Awareness Conferences all over Tamil Nadu

  • First human rights defenders conference held at Madurai

  • Release of books on “Statements” by the special tasks force victims before the NHRC appointed Justice Sadhashiva Panel of Inquiry

2002
  • Initiation of a Helpline

  • Human rights education extended to Tamil Nadu Adi-DravidarWelfare &Government Tribal Residential Schools

  • First South Asian training program on Human Rights

2001
  • First Summer camp for human rights victims' children and educational assistance to 32 children

  • Mr. Henri Tiphagne became a member of the NGO Core Group of National Human Rights Commission

2000
  • Introduction of human rights education in colleges

  • Formally initiating the Institute of Human Rights Education

1998
  • Program on Human Rights Intervention was initiated

  • Played a pivotal role towards the initiation of the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR)

  • Intervention in the Mysore TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act, 1987) cases on behalf of 108 victims

1997
  • Introduction of Human Rights Education in 9 schools in Chennai.

  • Release of People's Watch's first Tamil magazine, exclusively on Human Rights: "ManithaUrimaiKangani".

1996
  • Professional monitoring of human rights violations was started for the first time inTamil Nadu.

  • First annual report on Human Rights violations in Tamil Nadu.

1995

People's Watch Tamil Nadu was established on Dec. 10, 1995



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