Public Awareness

SYRIA:

It is the 21 century and  the issue of Human Right is still a forgotten concept.  There is an urgent need for integration of Human Rights education into our curriculum.  Also, it is vital to start with educating our police and intelligence about the respect of Humanity and human as whole.  We all share some common values and we all have dreams. It is time to raise awareness of promote respect and understanding among us as one nation.

FIJI:

Awareness on human rights is a common objective of many organisations and NGO's in Fiji. The misperceptions and obliviousness that exists among the people in Fiji on their rights challenge the progress of positive reform in the nation's development and the achievement of the MDG's.

Hence this initiative to widen the education, awareness and understanding of people's human rights in Fiji.

Impunity against Accountability and Justice

The war in Sri Lanka came to an end in the Spring of 2009 with serious violations of International Humanitarian Law and gross violations of International Human Rights Law. Since then, the pressure from the international community is mounting on accountability issues and victimized Tamil community is seeking justice. However, the long standing impunity still defending the perpetrators and prevailing as a key obstacle to seek justice and genuine reconciliation in the island nation.  

Access to Information

Child Labor and Primary Education

The public schools in Pakistan are not providing quality education, due to which children from underprivileged families drop out of school and start working in workshops, factories, etc. As a result child labor is increasing and instead of going to school and playing like normal children these childrean are working for more than 12 hours a day. 

Women´s Empowerment

This project is in response of the gender inequality and lack of community participation of women from urban marginalized communities in Guadalajara, Mexico. Women from these communities will learn about their human rights in order to strengthen their capacities and improve their lives and its communities as well.

The community participation of women is a key point for social development in marginalized communities. In that sense, empowered women will take informed decisions in terms of their health, education and local development of their communities, in general.

Indigenous Peoples

KENYA:

Indigenous communities in Kenya face discrimination exhibited by poor policies, legislations and statutory laws that make it hard for them to access their economic, social and political rights. While other dominant communities are actively involved in governance processes, the voice of the indigenous peoples in Kenya is still unheard, as they have not yet recognized their rights as indigenous people. They are disengaged from most aspects of socio-economic and political events that have a direct bearing on their lives. This has resulted into marginalization and violation of their rights, in most cases, without their knowledge, leading to underdevelopment and high levels of poverty amongst others.

 For this to be addressed there is thus a need for an organized way for them to clearly and more purposely engage with the state and other stakeholders mainly through education, information sharing, exchange of ideas and lessons, advocacy, lobbying, and awareness campaigns to increase their awareness hence active participation in decision making processes for better economic and social engagement. 

NICARAGUA

The Rights of the Mayagnas (Sumo) Indigenous Peoples of Nicaragua

By Vera Narvaez-Lanuza

When the iron race of the Spaniard’s seeds

were sown in America’s wombs and grew,

there was a mix of great Castille’s heroic deeds

with an indigenous mountain fortitude, too.[1]

To Columbus by Ruben Dario[2], 1892.

As described by one of most illustrious Nicaraguan poets of the nineteenth and twentieth century in his poem dedicated to Christopher Columbus, the people of Nicaragua have been in a constant uphill struggle against foreign domination, first by Spain, then by Great Britain and furthermore by United States of America. Nicaragua has been a disputed land, its habitants subjugated, discriminated, enslaved, tortured and even exterminated. But its people, who cannot forget the battles of the past and the sacrifices made by those Caciques or Indian chiefs and warriors, still fight in the ongoing struggle for recognition, protection and enforcement of their rights. Nicaragua might be seen as a “bellicose” country, always subjected to international disputes. These disputes are nothing more than expressions of freedom of an oppressed, neglected and impoverished people since the terrible times of the conquest until the present day. For its strategic location for commerce, this country[3] was subject to two European invasions that marked the cultural, social, political and economic situation of the present Nicaragua. The Spaniards in the Pacific and the British in the Atlantic contributed to the creation of new ethnicities, cultures, languages and ideologies that currently prevail in its society. The natives of Nicaragua, before the majority of the population, have been reduced to just minorities that represent the ancient identity of the Nicaraguan people. In this cyber space I will be addressing the problematique of Indigenous peoples’ lands in Nicaragua, especially the demarcation process established by Law No. 445, focusing mainly on “Title Clearance Stage”, which constitutes the last step and the most challenging stage in the demarcation process of indigenous territories in order to ensure the effective protection of indigenous peoples in Nicaragua.

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[1] Darío, Rubén, 1867-1916 [Selections, English & Spanish 2005] Selected Writings/  Ruben Dario; edited with an introduction by Ilan Stavans; translated by Andrew Hurley, Greg Simon and Steven F. White. P.cm.- (Penguin Classics) ISBN: I-4362-950I-7 at page 110.

[2] Ilan Stavans describes Ruben Dario as the Nicaraguan homme de letters and indisputable leader of the Modernista movement that swept Latin America at the end of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth. Ruben Dario characterized himself as: “I am good for nothing else, I believe in God, and I am attracted to mystery. I am befuddled by daydreams and death; I have read many philosophers yet I know not a word of philosophy. I do espouse a certain Epicureanism, of my own sort: let the soul and body enjoy as much as possible on earth, and do everything possible to continue that enjoyment in the next life. Which is to say, je vois la vie en rose.” See Dario, supra note 1, at Introduction.

[3] The Republic of Nicaragua is bound on the north by Honduras, on the south by Costa Rica, on the east by the Caribbean Sea and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Nicaragua is a tropical country located between 11 and 17 north latitude. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and covers an area of 130,000 Sq. Km. considered the largest area of arable land in the region with 12.1 million acres, of which 8.9 million area ideal for agriculture and 3.2 million for cattle ranching. Lago de Nicaragua (Lake Nicaragua), a large freshwater lake, borders the Pacific Ocean, Low mountains and hills, covered whit pine separate the populated west from the eastern half of the country. The east is covered with woodlands (along the coast) and tropical rain forests. In fact, one third of the country is forested. Natural resources include gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and timber. Permanent Mission of Nicaragua to the OAS Updated: 8 May 2008, available at <http://www.oas.org/children/members/Education%20&%20Culture/description_of_nicaragua.html>

 Nicaragua and its people....

 North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua....... Bilwi... Puerto Cabeza

 Awas Tingni Community.... North Atlantic Coast

 Mayagna (Sumo) Children playing in the river.....

Mayagna (Sumo) Children at School.

 Estanzuela Waterfalls,,,, Pacific side..Esteli, Nicaragua

 Mayagna child..... in Awas Tingni...

North Atlantic Coast Jungle... Nicaragua

 Rama Indigenous People along the "Rio San Juan" Saint John River (border with Costa Rica) South Atlantic Coast.

Rosita-Bonanza- Central side of Nicaragua

Watch our documentary trailer: "Awas Tingni"

Visit our web-page if you would like to volunteer:      

http://www.volunteerintern.com/

Vera Narvaez-Lanuza
Indigenous Peoples Researcher
LL.M. in Intercultural Human Rights Candidate 2010-2011
Saint Thomas University, School of Law
Miami Gardens, FL, USA
vnarvaezlanuza@stu.edu

http://www.volunteerintern.com/

Guyana

Migrant Education and Human Rights Awareness

There are many challenges to be faced regarding immigrant issues in modern day Greece. Immigrant policies are either deficient or non-applicable, or even non-existent. One of the problems immigrants and their children face is access to quality education. Usually, immigrant students don't have the same opportunities to access quality education, participate and perform as well as their native peers. Moreover, immigrants who enter the labour market do not have sufficient awareness of their rights regarding wage rates, health care, proper documentation and other issues. As members of a civil society we need to address those issues for the promotion of social cohesion and justice.   

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, family violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV), has been broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, friends or cohabitation.

A stop must be put to domestic violence affecting women in all its forms. This includes rape and sexual violence, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, crimes in the name of honour, trafficking and sexual exploitation of women.

It is disheartening that men that the women know or are in a close relationship with mostly commit these heinous crimes against them.

African women, for example, are precious members of society; they are hardworking, committed and beautiful.

Violence against women, especially in our part of the world, is serious and sometimes people keep silent about it.

Indeed, domestic violence continues to persist in many parts of Africa, and remains one of the most heinous and preventable human rights abuses.

These kinds of violence cause physical damage, ranging from death in extreme cases to miscarriage, broken limbs, cuts and bruises.

In the same vein, women also suffer scarring and physical disability and sexual offences that expose them to the risk of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and forced pregnancies.

It's sad to learn that such violence can also cause lasting psychological damage to women.

The law must continue to take its course on the perpetrators of violence against women. Such violence has often gone unreported and, until recently, there was across Africa few supporting pieces of legislation or official practices that could be used to challenge it.

Its true to say that several states had signed and/or ratified international conventions and treaties, such as the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) or the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, but these had not been incorporated into domestic law in many countries.

The protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa was ratified by many, but the challenge is the implementation in some states.

Our states need to take measures to address not only violence against women, but also other aspects of women's rights in public or private life, in peacetime and during conflicts.

This must include marital rape and other forms of forced or unwanted sex.

All forms of violence deprive women of their ability to achieve their full potential by threatening their safety and freedom.

Significant achievements have been made in many African countries to address the issue, including The Gambia but more need to be done, especially in the areas of rape and other forms of domestic violence.

This struggle calls for concerted efforts, and thus the need for the support of all and sundry.

Ethiopia: High international legitimacy of the current government Vs. Domestic crises of human rights

It is the strong belief of everyone that a government is the ultimate responsible body to shepherd the real enforcement of human rights for its citizen and every human being on the territory of the country. Even though the power of executive and particularly that of the Prime Minister is unlimited (no term limit for the PM), Ethiopia has a constitution enacted in 1994 that recognized individual and collective human rights. Recalling the grave brutality and systematic violation of human rights taking place in different parts of Ethiopia (Gambella Region killings, University students, intellectuals, business people of Oromo people killings and imprisonment, systematic discrimination and marginalization based on ethnic and race, religion, etc), killings of people in the 2005 national election, it has become an exacerbating situation to see poor  people unrepresented before the court of law. Justice has become a luxurious commodity afforded by the few rich and ethnic group only. Very recently, the ruling party has made a statute that fully prohibited International Civil Society Organizations to work on advocacy in any part of the country. As a result, the poor and marginalized part of the society have been trapped in the middle of repression with no any attention from international community. For example, in the largest region of Ethiopia, i.e. Oromia region, more than million cases are brought before the court but end up with miscarriage of justice. The same problem exists in different region of the country.

Ironically, the view of Western countries with regard to the democratic and political system of Ethiopia makes the situation more unhealthy.  The real problem and systematic violation of human rights on the ground needs to be brought to the attention of international community. The world community is advised to be aware of the fact that the government of Ethiopia should not only fool and make a trick of human rights by only showing a "good and paper tiger" document/constitution that has no value beyond the literature.  There is no way that individual person can bring a complaint before international human rights forum (Human Rights Treaty based Committee) because of the fact that the country has not recognized the competence of those forum and didn't sign an addition protocols of the important international instruments. More commitment is expected from human rights activists and advocates to mobilize the situation. So, it is logical to start with at least some sort of project that is easily manageable and feasible to achieve a certain goal. For instance, establishing an independent system of Public Defender (PD) can be a glimmer of hope for the delivery of justice in Ethiopia.

Issues Identified by UN Human Rights Bodies and International NGOs

Areas of concern noted recently by UN human rights treaty bodies and international NGOs include the following:

Ø  Widespread use of torture and ill-treatment of suspects in police custody, especially to extract confessions or information to be used in criminal proceedings, and lack of legal safeguards for detainees;

Ø  Abuses in prisons, including the high number of deaths in custody;

Ø  The extended use of all forms of administrative detention, including “re-education through labour” (laodong jiaoyang), without charge, trial or review;

Ø  The existence of secret detention facilities, including “black jails”, to detain petitioners and human rights defenders;

Ø  The broad application of the 1988 Law on the Preservation of State Secrets, which severely undermines the availability of information about torture, criminal justice and related issues;

Ø  Harassment and violence against defense lawyers, petitioners and human rights defenders by unaccountable personnel alleged to be hired by State authorities;

Ø  Targeted torture, ill-treatment and disappearances directed against national, ethnic, religious minorities and other vulnerable groups in China, among them Tibetans, Uighurs, and Falun Gong practitioners;

Ø  The lack of legislation on violence against women that also provides access to justice and means of support for victims and punishment of perpetrators;[1]

Ø  The use of Chinese as the only teaching language in minority autonomous regions, especially in secondary and higher education;[2]

Ø  Tight control over internet by blocking certain human rights-related and social connection websites and filtering internet content based on specified words and topics;[3]

Ø  Strict sanction of members of unregistered religious organizations, which are considered illegal and even as “evil cults”, e.g. Falun Gong;[4]

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[1] Concluding comments of the Committee against Torture: China, 2008.

[2] Concluding comments of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: China, 2009.

[3] Amnesty International Report 2008: Human Rights in People’s Republic of China.

[4] Human Rights Watch World Report 2009/2010.

Human Right Problem in Cambodia

After decades of war, Cambodia is moving slowly, whether forward or backward I can't say. Every day in the newspaper, there are news about domestic violence, rap human trafficking, land grabbing...etc. Ｉgrew up in the Phnom Penh city, the capital, with inequality and massive violation of human rights. Once a very famous film star got shot to death. The police couldn't find the murderer because everyone believe that the assacination was backed by a powerful official or maybe his wife. In Cambodia, freedom of speech is limited or you will get shot down like Chea Vichea who was a greatest union leader of all Garment Workers. Later on 2 men are arrested, there are enough victims to prove that they are innocent. A documentary about this case " Who Killed Chea Vichea" was made, but were forbidden in any place in Cambodia. Lots of people got displaced because their land were taken away by businessmen who are close to the high ranking officials.

It is a problem of freedom of speech. But if we tackle down, it is more of the problem of human right awareness. Some people do not know about their right and their strength. Some people know but they don't know where is the resources and how to get help. The government is so powerful and controlling the system. We can't make a revolution in one day. People are the force of change. This is the best way for this change. As a college student I am still learning myself, but there are something I really want to share and will do for my country. I will do more research about Human Right organizations and maybe try to work with them. I will create a project targetting youth about the empowerment and Human Right next summer.　

Full Citizenship Rights in Egypt: Equality before the law

There is a lot to work on in Egypt after the revolution. Unfortunately not all Egyptians are equal before the Egyptian law. Women and persons who belong to religious minorities are deeply affected by injustices in the laws and customs.
Until this very moment women are not allowed to be judges. Perpetrators of honor killings get a reduced punishment in the Egyptian law and they are not treated as perpetrators of murder. Women charged with adultery get a punishment that is more than what a man would get if charged with the same crime. Non-Muslim women have to apply Islamic Shariaa Law in inheritance issues which means half what a man gets.

Copts and other religious minorities are not allowed to freely build their worship places. They are not allowed to hold certain public positions.

To tackle the problem a campaign towards full citizenship rights and equality before the law for all Egyptians should take place. One aspect of that will be workshops and training programs about a rights based approach to citizenship.