Eighth Regional Annual Meeting

Strengthening FoRB in South Asia: Role of Civil Societies

As members of the South Asia Forum on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), we stand united in recognising the essential role of human rights in addressing systemic crises and injustices. The right to freedom of religion or belief is not just a principle to aspire to but a tool that empowers individuals and communities to break down harmful stereotypes, challenge oppression, and pave the way for a future built on dignity, inclusion, and equality.

From the members’ sharing, it is evident that South Asia continues to face significant challenges when it comes to securing freedom of religion or belief. Attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh and India are on the rise, with women, Dalits, Persons with Disabilities, and gender and sexual minorities suffering the major brunt of such attacks. It is also noted that draconian laws such as the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, anti-conversion laws in India and Nepal, the authoritarian and military rule in Myanmar, with the State actors being the primary violators of FoRB, the rise of religious nationalism, and weaponisation of technology and social media exacerbate the
situation for religious and ethnic minorities.

Religious minorities, women, and stateless populations frequently bear the brunt of violations against FoRB, often finding themselves marginalised or subjected to violence. The core aim was laid powerful and vivid on the powerful resistance against the unjust structures that oppress the religious minorities, vulnerable, especially the Dalits and the women, in a non-violent way where one religion could voice out for ‘other’ religion’s freedom of practice, so that society not just transforms to tolerance, instead proceeds towards acceptance. By tackling these intersecting challenges, we aim to amplify the global demand for stronger commitments from State actors to uphold and protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief.

The urgency is apparent: FoRB must move from aspiration to action. We call upon governments, civil society, and international organisations to prioritise this fundamental right and integrate it into their human rights agendas, benefiting all. Against this context,
We, the members and participants of SAFFoRB recognise and affirm that:

• Values such as pluralism, acceptance, inclusion, and respect for all humans of all religions and beliefs are to be upheld, promoted and protected.
• Laws that are divisive, anti-minority, anti-marginalized, and limiting the freedom and equality of individuals to live up to their full potential are to be condemned and redressed.

We commit to implementing/working towards the following action plans:

• Protecting the most marginalised in our contexts who have no social or/and financial capital
• We must hold institutions and those in positions accountable when we witness violations of FoRB and the denial of equality, liberty, and solidarity.
• Document FoRB violation cases to ensure there is no erasure of evidence
• Developing knowledge and awareness-raising programmes for young people.
• Building safe spaces for victims/survivors of violations against FoRB to voice concerns.
• Engage with policy-making through networking with human rights defenders
• Develop policies at the organisational level that include women, religious minorities, gender and sexual minorities, Persons with Disabilities, etc., in the decision-making process.
• Reinterpreting religious texts from the perspective of Pluralism, Gender and Feminism, Dalit and Liberation theology based on the need of the context.