Destination Risk Register

India is a multiparty, federal, parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislature: The president, elected by an electoral college composed of the state assemblies and parliament, is the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. The constitution gives the country’s 28 states and nine union territories a high degree of autonomy and primary responsibility for law and order. Observers considered the parliamentary elections, which included more than 600 million voters, to be free and fair, but there were reports of isolated instances of violence. Despite government efforts to address abuses and corruption, a lack of accountability for official misconduct persisted at all levels of government, contributing to widespread impunity. Investigations and prosecutions of individual cases took place, but lax enforcement, a shortage of trained police officers, and an overburdened and underresourced court system contributed to a low number of convictions.

The overall score indicates that serious violations of human rights happen in this country. Compliance with human rights standards cannot be assumed. High caution should be exercised. Relevant risks for the tourism sector are, e.g.:

• Forced and compulsory labor, incl. child and bonded labor
• Government corruption
• Lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence