The South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR) is a South Asia-focused human rights organization based in Kathmandu whose mission is to "promote respect for universal standards of human rights with emphasis on universality and interdependence of human rights." They view human rights as interlinked with peace and democracy, and their broader program encompasses all these concerns. SAFHR aims to be a forum for dialog between regional human rights organizations and activists.

SAFHR was created in 1990 as an outcome of the December 1990 Third World Congress on Human Rights in New Delhi. At this congress representatives from over fifty NGO's recognized the need for a regional perspective on South Asian human rights issues. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is an organisation of South Asian nations, founded in December 1985 by Ziaur Rahman and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh,...

 (SAARC) had been created in 1985 for similar purposes, but SAARC was an intra-government organization, and had not focused on human rights issues.

Activities

SAFHR has a number of education programs, including a Peace Studies course and workshops on refuge and minority rights. They have a library of over a thousand books focusing on South Asian issues available to researchers.

SAFHR has published several books, including Reduced To Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab

Reduced to Ashes (book)

Reduced To Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab is the report of the Committee for Coordination on Disappearances in Punjab , authored by Ram Narayan Kumar, Amrik Singh, Ashok Agrwaal and Jaskaran Kaur. The report focuses on human rights violations committed by the Punjab Police during...

. SAFHR staff write focused reports and working papers on various topics, and issue topical E-Briefs. They were the publisher of Refugee Watch from 1998 through 2004.

Partners and Associates

The Council of SAFHR consists of representatives of roughly 40 partner organizations.

South Asian Region:

• Pakistan Human Rights Commission (Lahore)
• Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research
• Pakistan Peace Coalition (Karachi)
• Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy
• National Peace Council (Colombo)
• Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies
  Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies
  Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies was established in Sri Lanka in April 1997 to serve a membership and has since become a national service provider in the non-profit sector....
  
   (Colombo)
• International Centre for Ethnic Studies (Colombo)
• Informal Sector Service Centre (Kathmandu)
• Him-Rights (Kathmandu)
• Human Rights Organisation (Kathmandu)
• The Other Media (New Delhi)
• South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (New Delhi)
• Campaign Committee of Indigenous Peoples (New Delhi)
• Peoples' Watch Tamilnadu (Madurai)
• Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights (Kohima, India)
• Committee for Initiative on Kashmir (New Delhi)
• ODHIKAR (Dhaka)
• Ain-O-Salish Kendra (Dhaka)
• Legal Aids Centre (Dhaka)
• Hotline Bangladesh (Dhaka)
• Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group (Calcutta)
• Association of Human Rights Activists (Bhutan)
• Research and Development Collective (Bangladesh)
• Young Lawyers for Human Rights (Kathmandu)
• DrukYul Mimang Mangtsoi Tshokpa
• Forum for Protection of Human Rights (Kathmandu)
• Human Rights Organisation of Bhutan
• Jammu & Kashmir Federation of Civil Society Organisation
• Community Trust Fund (Colombo)
• Indian Centre for Human Rights & Law (Mumbai)
• Naga Mother Association (Kohima, Nagaland)
• Naga Women's Union of Manipur (Imphal, Manipur)

International:

• Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung
  Friedrich Naumann Foundation
  The Friedrich Naumann Foundation is a German foundation for liberal politics, related to the Free Democratic Party. Established in 1958 by Theodor Heuss, the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, it promotes individual freedom and liberalism.The Foundation follows the ideals of the...
  
   (New Delhi)
• Forum on Early Warning and Early Response
  Forum on Early Warning and Early Response
  - The Forum on Early Warning and Early Response :The Forum on Early Warning and Early Response was established in 1997 as a non-profit and in response to the Rwandan genocide...
  
   (London)
• Asian Human Rights Commission
  Asian Human Rights Commission
  The Asian Human Rights Commission is an independent, non-governmental body, which seeks to promote greater awareness and realisation of human rights in the Asian region, and to mobilise Asian and international public opinion to obtain relief and redress for the victims of human rights violations...
  
   (Hong Kong)
• Asia Human Rights Alert Net
• Co-existence Initiative (New York)
• Network Harvard University-Women Waging Peace (Cambridge)
• Minority Rights Group International
  Minority Rights Group International
  Minority Rights Group International is an organisation founded with the objective of promoting respect for the human rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples around the world...
  
  (London)
• CERAS (Montreal)

External links

• South Asia Forum for Human Rights (official website)