Constitutionalism in South Asia: Democracy and Human Rights Interface

South Asia is a home of 22 percent of the world population. Ironically, unfathomable despite richness in natural resources, cultures, traditions or civilizations of deeply rooted humanity, and scenic beauty, arts and prospect of great transformation of lives, South Asia is also a home of 43 percent poor people of the world. Over last some decades, as described by reports from national governments and world organizations like Asian Development Bank and World Banks,  South Asia is said to have well established on a high economic growth path, with strong and improving macroeconomic fundamentals. In statistics, the over description may be true. The life of people in actuality is, however, different; South Asia remains the most impoverished region in the world in terms of income as well as human development indicators, such as health and education".  Even today, the region inhabits 47 percent of the world's illiterate population aged 15 years and above (up to 59 years).  Over 71 percent of the South Asians live in rural areas with abundance of young population. The aging population is increasing rapidly, due to constant rise on the average life expectancy, but without social changes such as improved living conditions, better nutrition, gains in wealth and access to health services. Obviously, the problem of unhealthy aging is well manifested. Demographic, Economic, and Health Profiles of South Asia has experienced average annual 6 percent GDP growth in the last 20 years, despite prolonged conflicts and political instability. Though the economic growth rate is supposedly inclining, the region is known to have the largest absolute number of poor in the world'.  An estimated 437 million people live below 1.25 US dollar a day. It is disheartening to say that 237 million people in South Asia live at risk of dying before the age of 40 years. Furthermore, it is a fact that 867 million people in the region do not have access to basic sanitation and more than 300 million people are living undernourished. The significance of the recent economic growth for vast poor rural people is thus widely suspected looking from the perspective of massive inhuman conditions crippling the huge of population of human being in the region.

 

 

Download Full Article