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At the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Govind Singh Rathore, Founder of Sambhali Trust, highlighted the urgent challenges faced by asylum-seeking women and girls, calling for stronger global action and gender-responsive policies.
Speaking during General Debate 5 at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Rathore drew attention to the heightened risks faced by displaced women and girls, including violence, exploitation, and disruption of education and livelihoods. He underscored the need for immediate human rights interventions to address these vulnerabilities. Rathore also showcased the work of Sambhali Trust, which provides safe spaces, education, counselling, and livelihood opportunities to affected women and girls. He emphasised the importance of grassroots organisations in delivering on-the-ground support to vulnerable communities. In his address, Rathore commended India's efforts in supporting displaced and asylum-seeking populations, particularly from Pakistan. He noted initiatives such as access to basic services, identity documentation, and inclusion in education and healthcare systems. Calling for collective global responsibility, Rathore urged countries to adopt gender-responsive asylum frameworks, expand access to essential services, and strengthen support for local organisations. He stressed that ensuring safety, dignity, and opportunity for asylum-seeking women and girls must remain a global priority. Earlier, Tasha Mauricette Stoppler from the Sambhali Trust, during the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, in her oral statement, highlighted the urgent need to safeguard minority rights, stating that equality, social cohesion, and sustainable peace remain unattainable without inclusive protections for vulnerable communities. Stoppler highlighted that minorities across the world continue to face systemic discrimination in access to education, livelihoods, housing, and justice. These inequalities, she noted, leave them disproportionately exposed to marginalisation, exclusion, and violence. Drawing from grassroots experience in Rajasthan, Stoppler shared insights from Sambhali Trust's work with women and girls belonging to marginalised and minority communities. She emphasised that the organisation witnesses daily how structural barriers shape lives and limit opportunities. Through interventions such as education programmes, psychosocial support, safe shelters, and livelihood centres, Sambhali Trust seeks to rebuild confidence and restore dignity among these women. (ANI)
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