Economy Instead of Human Rights - No Support for the Victims of India's Economic Boom

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) laments the fact that German chancellor Angela Merkel and numerous German Ministers will visit India without discussing the plight of the 95 million indigenous people on the subcontinent, who suffer under discrimination. "Rather than campaigning solely for German economic interests, the German chancellor should also use this opportunity to advocate for the human rights of the neglected Adivasi," stated Ulrich Delius of the STP's Asia section on Tuesday in Göttingen. "Ignoring the victims of the economic boom would endanger the stability of India's democracy and the nation's position as an economic leader. German companies, too, must act responsibly when they engage in dealings with this emerging nation."

Indigenous peoples in India suffer in particular from the consequences of ruthless quests for resources, energy extraction and the expansion of large-scale plantations and industrial enterprises. Economic relations between Germany and India are expanding steadily. Trade between the two countries rose to 4.5 billion euros in the first quarter of 2011.

According to the STP, the Adivasi are demanding respect for the rights to which they are entitled under the constitution and Indian law. But Indian and international investors as well as regional authorities routinely violate the traditional land rights of the indigenous people, who react with protests and occupations which are most often ended with violence by state security forces.

Furthermore, Maoist Naxalite rebels are increasingly attracting support among the discriminated indigenous communities. This has enabled the Naxalites to expand their influence, including militarily, in recent years. Today they control a majority of the rural areas in central India. Many industrial companies and plantation owners in these regions have to pay "protection money" to the Maoist rebels if they want to continue operating. "If India does not begin at last to take the rights of the Adivasi seriously, the security situation in many rural areas will continue to deteriorate," warned Delius.