KL Report
London
Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights has welcomed the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan E M?ndez, presented today which called for an international debate on abuses in health-care settings that may cross a threshold of maltreatment equivalent to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Dr Syed Nazir Gilani secretary general JKCHR has said that “the ground-breaking report analyses all forms of abuse labeled as ‘health-care treatment’ which try to be premised or justified by health-care policies. It also identifies the scope of state’s obligations to regulate, control and supervise health-care practices with a view to preventing maltreatment under any pretext and the policies that promote these practices and existing protection gaps.”
JKCHR secretary general has demanded that state and private medical care policies in Jammu and Kashmir need to be looked at to find out that there is no “Medical care that causes severe suffering for no justifiable reason and can be considered cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” and “if there is state involvement and specific intent, it is torture,” and should end.
Dr Syed Nazir Gilani has asked the civil society in Kashmir to consider the report in particular the areas of compulsory detention for medical conditions, reproductive rights violations, denial of pain treatment, persons with psychosocial disabilities, and marginalized groups.
It is first report that categorizes the abuses in health-care settings as torture and ill-treatment. “We have to make our contribution by highlighting the positive obligations that J & K state has to prevent, prosecute and redress such violations”, JKCHR Secretary General has said.
