About Us
South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM) is a programme unit of Manasa Centre for Development and Social Action. The name MANASA is the abbreviation of a statement in Kannada, which means, “Towards a Just and Humane Society”.
MANASA is committed as an organisation to promote and defend human rights, affirm gender justice, assert the validity of plural cultures and secular ethos in the society. The vision of the organisation is translated into action as Human Rights Education to strengthen the civil society and to monitor human rights violations, especially on the underprivileged sections of our society.
MANASA is conscious about the politics of language, especially those that disempower women and perpetuate patriarchal society. Also emphasis is given on the rights of the child, rights of the dalits and tribals and the rights of other minority communities.
Our Vision
Making Human Rights A Household Concept
Empowering the marginalised
Our Mission
SICHREM's mission is to empower marginalized communities, including dalits, tribals, women, children, and minorities, to protect their rights and live with dignity.
We achieve this through education, monitoring, and mobilizing civil society for collective action. Our efforts are focused on preventing human rights violations, promoting a culture of human rights, restoring violated rights, advocating for human rights, campaigning for human rights, providing education and training on human rights, mobilizing resources to support human rights, and offering support and solidarity to human rights activists and NGOs.
Our Objectives
SICHREM seeks to empower the disempowered groups of dalits, tribals, women, children and minorities to protect their individual and collective rights for a dignified life, through education, monitoring and mobilising civil society for concerted action.
Our Team
Our team is dedicated to empowering marginalized communities and promoting a culture of human rights. We achieve this through education, monitoring, and mobilizing civil society for collective action.
Founder
Mathews Philip
He played an active role as the General Secretary of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in Karnataka from 1993 to 1996, and founded SICHREM in 1995, along with other civil rights activists.
Mathews Philip holds a Masters degree in Social Work from Loyolla College, Trivandrum, and has worked with various non-governmental organizations, where he developed a passion for promoting and protecting human rights. He played an active role as the General Secretary of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in Karnataka from 1993 to 1996, and founded SICHREM in 1995, along with other civil rights activists.
SICHREM is engaged in a variety of activities, including constitutional rights education in over 400 schools in Karnataka and Kerala, monitoring human rights violations, providing legal aid to victims, advocacy work, and coordination with various campaigns. Mathews has been instrumental in launching the Karnataka Chapter of the Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) and is currently serving as its National Convener.
Mathews has held several leadership positions, such as Director of Childline in Kolar District, General Secretary of Transparency International - Karnataka Chapter, and was selected by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to monitor the implementation of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. He is currently a member of the NGO core team of the National Human Rights Commission and has over 30 years of experience as a trainer, educator, and defender of human rights.
Executive Director
Margaret Sampath
Through SICHREM’s initiatives of promoting Human Rights Education at schools, Margaret has been actively involved in about 700 schools in the States of Karnataka & Kerala.
Margaret Sampath, after obtaining a degree in Engineering and working for a decade in the corporate sector, felt a strong desire to do something in the voluntary sector. Her search for a good NGO led her to SICHREM, where she has honed her skills as a trainer in areas such as Human Rights, Women’s Rights, Child Rights, and more. She regularly participates in training programs and workshops organized by SICHREM and government departments for government officials, the police academy, and others.
Through SICHREM’s initiatives of promoting Human Rights Education at schools, Margaret has been actively involved in about 700 schools in the States of Karnataka & Kerala. She is also engaged in monitoring the status of human rights in South India, undertaking fact-finding missions for cases of human rights violations.
Some of her notable achievements include publishing a book on the impact of Human Rights Education in schools called "Yashogathe," monitoring the implementation of RTE in Bangalore schools as designated by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and serving as a member of several committees related to domestic violence, sexual harassment, and child marriage. She is also a state coordinator of the National Alliance of Peoples Movement and a member of Forum Asia in Bangkok. In 2008, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program on U.S. Foreign Policy and Human Rights.
Board Members
Koshy Mathew
President
Lincy Pramod
Treasurer
Prasanna Kumar
Member
Geetha Menon
Member
Lucy Kumar
Member
Mercy Kappan
Member
Prof. Dr. D. Jeevan Kumar
Member
Sweety Kalanjali
Member