Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is committed to ensuring inclusive and peaceful societies. It seeks to establish strong and accountable institutions and access justice for everyone. The criminal justice system and other governance structures tasked with guaranteeing human rights, security, and law and order should be transparent and effective. In India, the judiciary is overstrained by an enormous backlog of cases that requires urgent intervention. Also, there are numerous cases of violence and insecurity. Adopting SDG 16 is the right direction towards attaining inclusivity and peace by 2030.
As of early 2021, the judiciary system was overburdened, with around 73,000 pending cases in the Supreme Court and about 44 million in other courts(Deb). Consequently, the country has embarked on major reforms, including infrastructure development, Pragati Platform, and a public grievance redressal system. The SDG has other subthemes, including the rule of law, peace, equal representation in all organizations, and anti-corruption. It also provides a framework for measuring progress through several indicators related to governance. The institution-focused development initiatives involve a negotiation process; hence countries like India demand it is managed on a national level.
Poverty and inequality are dominant features in the Indian social structure. Like most countries, the gap between the upper class continuous to broaden. Nonetheless, the law treats everyone equally regardless of their background. The underprivileged fail to access justice and safeguard their rights and interests. For example, Dalits is a marginalized community in India that most members can afford court and advocate fees and a meal (Prema, Sundar, Rajavenkatesan 441). Their situation makes it impossible for them to access justice. Besides, the system is marred by the blatant disregard of the law frequent human rights abuse attributed to corruption by the police, courts, and prisons.
Additionally, the country has reported a significant number of wanton violence and deaths in recent years. The United Nations is keen on restoring peaceful coexistence among its members. It is has indicated that omen face the disproportional effect of armed conflict due to their unequal status (Srinivasan, 473). Women in countries like India are often targeted to symbolize superiority and humiliate rival men. Besides, the armed conflict has adversely affected the country’s economy. Therefore, it is vital to protect women from violence as a humanitarian obligation and economic interest.
The Indian government is focused on implementing the SDG’s framework and individual targets. First, it has spearheaded the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme to advance and fortify the Panchayati Raj system in the country, more so the rurql regions. It will offer training and support to leaders at the basic level. The second initiative entails providing opportunities to talented individuals. They will have exposure and a chance to compete at the highest levels in the process. Thirdly, the government has initiated several projects relating to technology in areas of communication, land, judiciary, law enforcement, and other operations to ensure effectiveness. Generally, the country is determined to promote the rule of law and provide access to justice for its citizens. Nonetheless, the law has been proposed and amended to allow access to information and strengthen institutions, albeit gradually.
India needs to be on the right path to achieve the 16th SDG by intensifying inclusivity and peace by 2030. It is dedicated to eradicating all forms of violence and promoting the independence of the judiciary. It should address issues like corruption, a weak judiciary, and insecurity which are the primary impendent to the actualization of the goal. This is possible by promoting the rule of law, transparency, and accountability and stamping out discrimination in governance. The government should persistently curtail violence, devoid of political muzzling, and strengthen all institutions.
Works cited
Deb, Sandipan. “44 Million Pending Court Cases: How Did We Get Here?” Moneycontrol, Money Control, https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/features/44-million-pending-court-cases-how-did-we-get-here-7792511.html.
Prema, E., Sundar, Shyam and Rajavenkatesan, P.R.L. “Access to Justice for Marginalized Dalit People in India: Analyzing the Challenges in Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Law and Human Rights 2021 (ICLHR 2021), vol.592,2021
Srinivasan, Rajamanickam “Handbook of Research on Military Expenditure on Economic and Political Resources.” Advances in Public Policy and Administration, 2018, pp.472-494 https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-4778-5.
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