The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) judged it discriminatory to restrict membership in a fishing village association on the grounds that an applicant was not a descendant of an indigenous resident, and recommended that the head of the association correct the practice.
According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the 30th, a person identified as A moved to a fishing village in 2018. Afterward, A applied to join the fishing village association for a livelihood. However, the application was rejected because the association's bylaws required members to be "descendants of indigenous residents." A filed a petition with the NHRC, saying this was unjust discrimination based on place of origin.
The fishing village association told the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that, as a community organization that manages and operates communal assets such as village fishing rights, it needs to select its members to maintain and operate the community.
The NHRC Committee for Remedy of Discrimination found it to be discrimination. The NHRC viewed that, because a fishing village association is an organization that in effect exclusively exercises property rights with a strong public-interest character—namely village fishing rights—it is inherently public in nature and should set membership qualifications accordingly.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said, "Excluding residents from other regions from eligibility to join a fishing village association solely because they are not descendants of indigenous residents is difficult to see as consistent with public interest and fairness," adding, "Considering that even those who have lived for a long period or have made substantial contributions to the local community are entirely barred from joining, the relevant bylaws lack rationality."