Citizens for Justice and Peace
Committed to sustainable relationship with mother earth: Forest Workers On Forest Rights Day, Adivasis and Forest Workers vow to continue their peaceful struggle for forest rights
15-Dec-2021
On the occasion of Forest Rights Day that is being celebrated today, Adivasis, other forest dwellers and forest working people are once again showcasing a strong commitment to ecological sustainability as well as solidarity with other peaceful struggles for human rights. This is very much in line with a unique declaration made by members of…
Tharu Adivasis refuse to give up their struggle for Community Forest Rights They have filed their objections with the district administration
08-Dec-2021
Since 2013, members of the Tharu Adivasi tribe of Dudhwa region, in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) have been awaiting the approval of their community rights claims under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). Procedural delays have kept them deprived of their rights for eight years!…
Sokalo Gond elected new AIUFWP President Trailblazer promises to carry the torch for Adivasi rights to jal, jangal, zameen
04-Dec-2021
Adivasi and forest rights leader Sokalo Gond was elected the new President of All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP) on December 3, 2021 marking the conclusion of the 2nd National Conference of the Union. On Friday, prominent leaders working in the field of defending forest, land and legal rights of Adivasis, other forest-dwelling…
Tharu Adivasis fight against wrongful rejection of land rights claims 8 years on, their struggle persists
29-Nov-2021
With resounding the cries of ‘Jal-Jungle-Zameen’ (water-forests-land), forest dwelling communities belonging to Tharu Adivasi community residing in 20 villages in Dudhwa region of Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, filed their Objections to denial of community land claims with the district administration. These objections come in wake of rejection of their community land rights claims which they…
Tug of war between two ministries, Adivasis rights slip through the cracks MoEF seeking to control autonomy over land and rights that MoTA was given in 2006?
30-Jul-2021
On June 22, 2021, the environment ministry invited consultancy organisations to express interest in preparing a draft comprehensive amendment to the draconian and colonial Indian Forest Act 1927. The government has used this draconian law of colonial origin to weaponise the forest department and control land and produce actually devolved to traditional forest dwellers under the Forest…
Bullets and bureaucracy: Van Gujjars of Shivalik hills are caught in the crosshairs At least 4,000 families of the originally nomadic community have settled in the region that is also home to an Army shooting range
17-Apr-2021
The Van Gujjars of Shivalik forests have a curious dilemma. Should they stay put in the middle of a region that is used by the Army for firing practice, or pack up and leave… and then go where? Should they revert to the nomadic life of their ancestors, or start life afresh on rented land?…
Why does this ‘haat’ run on our forest land? Residents of a Santhal village are demanding that the Khowai Haat be shut down
09-Apr-2021
A haat is the Bengali term for a weekly marketplace, most in rural Bengal. They are more than a mere shopping zone, and often become a hub where locals gather and meet. It is here that area residents who do not really have opportunities to travel far, can interact with customers who often came from far away to get…
Forest Land Claims filed in Chitrakoot: AIUFWP and CJP make history! Claims filed for eight villages, 10 more in the pipeline
23-Mar-2021
Rights of Adivasis and forest-dwelling communities have always been a key focus area for both, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and our partner organisation All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP). We have been supporting these communities, especially their women grassroots leaders, navigate the complex labyrinth of bureaucracy and stake legal claim to…
Our life is linked to the forests we call home: Van Gujjars Receding forest cover and forced 'rehabilitation' is imperiling their existence
20-Feb-2021
They are often hailed as eco warriors, as they take care of the forests, they live next to. For the Van Gujjar community taking the health of the forest is a top priority. But now, their very existence, as a community is in peril, as the forest cover is shrinking across the land, and the…
सूरमा ने दिखाई राह 15 थारू गांवों के सामुदायिक अधिकारों के मिलने का रास्ता हुआ साफ
13-Nov-2020
‘सतत संघर्ष के बल पर मुश्किल से मुश्किल और बड़ी से बड़ी लड़ाई को आसानी से जीता जा सकता है’। लखीमपुर खीरी पलिया कलां के दुधवा टाईगर रिजर्व से लगे गांवों के थारू आदिवासियों ने यह कहावत एक बार फिर सोलह आनै सच साबित कर दिखाई हैं। जी हां, करीब 9 साल पहले 2011 में…