Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society
The Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) is a coalition of campaign, research and advocacy organisations based in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Since its foundation in 2000, JKCCS has conducted ground-breaking human rights investigations, published rigorously researched human rights reports and litigated human rights cases. The organization has given voice to otherwise unheard victims of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir through non-violent mobilization and advocacy. JKCCS also advocates for the rights of victims of enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, torture, extra-judicial executions, sexual violence, unmarked/mass graves and seeks impartial investigations into all cases of human rights abuses, prosecution of perpetrators and justice/reparations to victims of conflict. The organisation’s research is considered to be authoritative by scholars, international civil society and the United Nations’ human rights experts, who have cited JKCCS’ work in their own reports on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Human rights defenders in India face a diverse range of attacks and harassment for their wor defending the rights of others, including killings, torture, ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, smear campaigns, and judicial harassment. People defending the rights of marginalised communities are targeted by state and non-state actors alike. Armed groups and private companies also target HRDs and community leaders for work related to economic development projects and their impact on the local communities or the environment. HRDs have also been labelled as "insurgents" or “Naxalites” (Maoists), in an attempt to discredit their work and justify their targeting.
