Political Science 5 Marks Question

All citizens may be granted equal rights but all may not be able to equally exercise them due to following factors:

• Socio-economic inequality that prevents equality of opportunity.
• Lack of accessibility to legal remedies.
• Lack of awareness of rights.
• Corruption in the government apparatus that prevents the delivery of services covered under these rights.

The consequences of these factors can be seen in the following examples:

• Every child has right to education but some children are not sent to school due to gender bias and poverty and therefore are engaged in child labour.
• Many women are not aware that physical and mental torture by their husband comes under domestic violence. Therefore, they are not able to seek legal remedies.

In a democratic state like India, we have right to freedom of movement. The citizens have the right to reside and settle in any part of India.

• Migration takes place from time to time in cities, regions or nation.
• If jobs and medical facilities and facilities provided by state are limited along with natural resources it may restrict entry of outsiders even in the case of fellow citizens.
• Many similar struggles also have taken place in different parts of the world, i.e. Mumbai for Mumbaikars, etc.

These migrants are supportive to the local economy in the following manners:

• Slum dwellers contribute to the economy through their labours as hawkers, petty traders, plumbers, workers, mechanics, petty traders, etc.
• Migrants perform and do necessary and useful works often at low wages.
• Small business, i.e. tailoring, textile printing, etc. can also be developed in slum areas.

The movement in India regarding the rights of lesbians and gays to express and lead a normal life demanded the decriminalisation of homosexuality by the state that was considered to be a crime. Delhi high court has decriminalised homosexuality but still the movement is on as it has not yet gained the legal approval.
Narmada Bachao Andolan is an environmental as well as human rights movement. The movement is against increasing the height of the dam. The increase in the height of the dam will flood the area and residents will get displaced. The movement is to force the government to decrease the height of the dam and pay proper compensation to the people and assure rehabilitation for them.
Both the above mentioned movements are still going on for the human rights of people. The first movement was for freedom of expression, right to security and normal life as Indian citizens. The second movement focused on the right to shelter, food, employment and security of the people as citizens of India.

“Democratic citizenship is a project rather than an accomplished fact even in countries like India” as in democratic countries people are still far behind in fully enjoying the rights associated with democratic citizenship.

• In the context of India, equality of rights is ensured for all citizens by the Constitution, but does not always translate on the ground.
• Socio-economic inequality is a major factor preventing the access of all citizens to basic rights.
• Citizens have the right to move and work freely anywhere within the territory, they have the right to enjoy basic facilities that are needed to survive and lead a healthy life but migrants are exempted from these rights as Indian citizens at some places.
• Besides migrants other citizens are not able to enjoy the rights fully. Girl children are not able to enjoy the basic right of education. Many poor children are forcefully engaged in child labour though these children have got certain fundamental rights in democratic India but they are not able to enjoy it.
• The issue of dual citizenship for people who reside outside the country is also a matter of debate and shows the dynamic nature of the concept of citizenship.

Therefore, it can be said that democratic citizenship is a project that has still to meet its goal rather than having accomplished it.

Citizenship has been defined as a full and equal membership of a political community, i.e. a political identity to an individual by its state. In a contemporary world, states provide a collective political identity to their members as well as certain rights.Following rights can be enjoyed by a citizen in a democratic state:

1. A support and protection from state to travel anywhere in the state.
2. Some political rights to vote, to contest elections, to hold public offices, etc.
3. Civil rights like freedom and speech and expression.
4. Socio-economic rights, i.e. equal opportunities, right to education, right to minimum wage, etc. Besides the exercise of certain rights, the citizens are supposed to fulfill some obligations also towards state and.

Its fellow citizens which are as follows:

1. Citizenship involves some obligations towards state and its fellow citizens.
2. These obligations are the outcomes of considerations to be inheritors and trustees of culture and natural resources of the country.
3. These obligations do not include only the legal obligations provided by the state but these expect some moral obligations to participate, contribute and to share the life of community, etc.

The following are some of the problems faced by refugees:

• Refugees are not treated well by the local residents of the place.
• They are considered as a burden on the local economy.
• The local residents feel that refugees are snatching their job opportunities in that area.
• The refugees are held responsible for spreading diseases, crime and polluting the area as they mostly live in slums and tents.
• They are constrained to do useful and necessary work but at low wages.
• Refugees face the problem of shelter, food and lack of employment.
• Refugees are exempted from the rights that are given by the state to its people like enjoying the right of minimum standard of living and security.
• Thus, they are often exploited by the police and other local residents on grounds of the rights that they lack as a member of that state.

Global citizenship would be beneficial to refugees as it will be easier to deal with problems that extend across national boundaries and require cooperation of other states.
It would also help refugees and stateless people by providing them basic rights and solutions to their problems so that they can lead a normal life.