Leiden University Student Repository

Lobenstein, Job van (2023)

Freedom to Change or Not to Change: Anti-Conversion Laws in India and Their Interaction with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

This paper explores the interaction of anti-conversion laws in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Haryana, and Karnataka in India with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. NGOs like Open Doors are concerned about possible violations of human rights by these anti-conversion laws. By utilising primary sources such as the written anti-conversion laws and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and examining them through different perspectives provided by secondary sources, this study demonstrates that anti-conversion laws in India both directly and indirectly comply with and violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, depending on the perspective taken. As this paper has established, adopting Western perspectives on human rights reveals the majority of violations against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, alternative viewpoints can also unveil instances where anti...Show moreThis paper explores the interaction of anti-conversion laws in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Haryana, and Karnataka in India with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. NGOs like Open Doors are concerned about possible violations of human rights by these anti-conversion laws. By utilising primary sources such as the written anti-conversion laws and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and examining them through different perspectives provided by secondary sources, this study demonstrates that anti-conversion laws in India both directly and indirectly comply with and violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, depending on the perspective taken. As this paper has established, adopting Western perspectives on human rights reveals the majority of violations against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, alternative viewpoints can also unveil instances where anti-conversion laws align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Show less

Religion

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Anti-conversion laws

India

Freedom of Religion

Hindutva

Author

Lobenstein, Job van

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

South and South East Asia

Supervisors

Blezer, H.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en