HAITI: UN ESTABLISHES CHILD PROTECTION BODY
Unaccompanied children in Haiti, including orphans and those sent by their parents to live with more affluent relatives or strangers, run a greater risk of being abducted, enslaved, sold or trafficked due to increased insecurity following last month’s devastating earthquake, a group of UN human rights experts warned (2/2/10).
“Protection of children must be at the heart of the relief operation in Haiti,” said the independent experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor slavery, sale of children, trafficking and violence against children.
“Unaccompanied children are particularly vulnerable and it is essential, wherever possible, to register, trace and reunite children with their families,” they added. “During the evacuation efforts, it is imperative to avoid the unnecessary separation of families which may place children at higher risk, aggravate their trauma and distress and hinder their recovery and reintegration.”
The warning was issued by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery Gulnara Shahinian; the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography Najat M’jid Maalla; the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children Joy Ngozi Ezeilo; and the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children Marta Santos Pais.
The group praised the UN’s establishment of a ‘Child Protection Sub-Cluster,’ geared to safeguard children’s rights and prevent violence, abuse and exploitation, and highlighted the efforts of this body to set-up a rapid registration system for unaccompanied children.
“One of their key goals is to register children under five, and older girls, children and youth with mental disabilities or serious injuries, as well as restaveks [those sent by parents to live with others] that have been separated from their ‘employers’. We welcome this vital initiative.”
They also urged international organisations and governments assisting Haitians “to ensure that the work on child protection remains a priority and continues to be properly funded and coordinated under the umbrella of the United Nations.” REPORT: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33650&Cr=haiti&Cr1=
AI CLAIMS PNG POLICE ‘ILLEGALLY EVICTED’ RESIDENTS
Amnesty International has claimed police in Papua New Guinea illegally evicted people living near a mine owned by the world's biggest gold miner, the ABC reported (3/2/10). Last year police conducted an operation to restore law and order around the Porgera gold mine in Enga province.
AI says people were forcibly evicted families from homes near the mine site and 130 buildings were torched. The people had no time to collect their belongings and their food gardens were destroyed.
"There is a need for the Papua New Guinea government to carry out a full investigation, to prosecute those responsible and provide remedies for those affected," Amnesty spokeswoman Shanta Martin said.
PROTECTING LIFE AND DIGNITY IN PLACES OF DETENTION: PHILIPPINES
"Detention visits are the backbone of our operations in the Philippines, a country which has experienced decades of internal armed conflicts," said Jean-Daniel Tauxe, ICRC head of delegation in Manila. "We have seen that the overcrowding of jails and prisons has serious consequences on detainees' living conditions and health.
“Our usual practice of recommending improvements and providing technical support to the detaining authorities was not enough, so we developed a new, complementary strategy. In partnership with government officials and national agencies, we are planning and implementing changes for the benefit of all detainees."
The ICRC has been working with national authorities to address the causes of overcrowding in prisons and jails and its effect on inmates' living conditions and health and in January published an update on ICRC activities in the Philippines in (4/2/10).
Access to safe water, sanitation, health care and acceptable living conditions is a major problem in overcrowded detention facilities. Last year, the ICRC carried out renovation projects benefiting more than 11,000 inmates in 22 jails; supplied medical items and equipment to seven prison infirmaries and provided over 120 detainees needing immediate access to health care with the help they required; provided instruction for over 60 people in internationally recognised standards relating to water, sanitation, hygiene and living conditions generally in jails; and assisted almost 2,000 detainees in four prisons affected by flooding in the aftermath of tropical storm Ondoy.
Concerns about the spread of TB have prompted the ICRC to help implement the national tuberculosis program, involving 30,000 inmates in seven pilot jails and prisons, in cooperation with the national agencies concerned and the World Health Organisation.
In addition to many other activities, ICRC has supported authorities in efforts to promote international humanitarian law.
In a major breakthrough, the Philippine Government signed Republic Act No. 9851, the ‘Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity’, into law in December.
Representatives of military training institutions from South East Asia expanded their knowledge of international humanitarian law by taking part in a regional workshop, hosted in December by the Philippine Military Academy, which brought together 26 participants from 11 countries. Sixteen teams from leading law schools in the Philippines took part in a moot-court competition on international humanitarian law; the winner will represent the country at a regional competition in Hong Kong in March.
DETAILS: http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/philippines-update-030210!OpenDocument; Pauline Wall on 61 (0)2 9388 9039; sydney.syd@icrc.org
KARENS AFRAID ‘THEY WILL BE FORCED BACK HOME‘
Thailand has been threatening to force 3,000 ethnic Karen refugees back to Burma starting on February 5, according to Burma Campaign Australia (4/2/10).
The refugees fled to Thailand last June following a military offensive by the Burmese Army in Karen State, Eastern Burma. Although the Thai Government and local authorities have officially stated that they will not force people to return, in practice they are applying significant pressure on the refugees to return, says BCA.
Until now the refugees have been kept in two temporary camps close to the Thailand-Burma border. Many of these refugees have already been forced to flee their homes four or more times.
If forced to return to Burma, the refugees could face possible death, slave labour or forced recruitment as soldiers. The area in Karen State where the refugees would be made to return to has many landmines. The area is now under the control of the DKBA, an organisation allied to the military dictatorship, which has been accused “of committing horrific human rights abuses against civilians, including widespread use of forced labour, executions, torture and mutilations, forced recruitment of soldiers, including child soldiers, theft and extortion,” says BCA.
THE US ‘MUST SPEAK OUT AGAINST CHINA'S OFFENCES’
“One year ago today, China kidnapped my husband,” writes Geng He in the Washington Post (4/2/10). “I don't know where he is. I don't know what is being done to him. The only thing I know is why he disappeared: My husband, Gao Zhisheng, defied Beijing by representing people the government finds threatening. As a leading human rights lawyer in China, he fought for those who had been abused by police, those who had their land stolen by the government and those who were persecuted for their religious beliefs.
“And now my husband is one of those persecuted people he so vigorously defended. Chinese authorities abducted Zhisheng on Feb. 4, 2009. But they did not officially arrest him and won't tell anyone where they've taken him.”
REPORT: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020302916.html?wpisrc=nl_pmopinions
HEARING INTO HOW TO CLOSE GAP ON INCARCERATION RATES
The Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs was due to hold its first public hearing for its inquiry into the high level of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system on February 4.
Australia has one of the highest incarceration rates of Indigenous people in the OECD. Currently Indigenous prisoners comprise 25 per cent of the total prisoner population and in the Northern Territory they are 82 per cent of the prisoner population. The early involvement of young Indigenous people in the criminal justice system puts them at much higher risk of further involvement as adults.
The committee will hear from Dr Jill Guthrie, Research Fellow, at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), and Prof Michael Levy, of the ANU School of Clinical Medicine. Dr Guthrie and Professor Levy are members of the Indigenous Offender Health Research Capacity Building Group which is examining a range of interventions and programs to determine what works for Indigenous juveniles involved in the criminal justice system.
Dr Guthrie and Professor Levy will highlight some of the best practice examples of programs that support the diversion of Indigenous people from juvenile detention centres and discuss with the committee the importance of investing in community and individual development.
“Indigenous juvenile are 28 times more likely to be detained than non-indigenous juveniles – and the detention rate is increasing,” Committee Chairperson Bob Debus stated. “This inquiry is focussing on prevention and early intervention in order to identify strategies to close the gap and assist in reducing the number of Indigenous Australians who become involved in the criminal justice system.’
The inquiry will also identify cross-jurisdictional challenges to the coordination of services for Indigenous youth in the justice system, such as whether preventative programs can be better aligned to advance the health and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous young people.
TERMS OF REFERENCE AND ADVICE ON SUBMISSIONS: www.aph.gov.au/atsia; or Committee Secretariat on 02 6277 4559. BACKGROUND: Committee Secretariat on 02 62774559 or atsia.reps@aph.gov.au
NORTHERN TERRITORY PRISON POPULATION INCLUDES 82% INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Incoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, has welcomed the first public hearing of the House of Representatives Standing Committee inquiry into the high level of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system (4/2/10).
He said the starting Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs inquiry provided an ideal opportunity to put the spotlight on real alternatives to incarceration.
“For too long now we have accepted the over representation of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in our prison and court systems as normal,” he said. “This inquiry could really help to turn the tide by looking into the life-saving and cost-saving potential of approaches such as justice reinvestment which diverts a portion of funds earmarked for imprisonment expenditure to local communities with a high concentration of offenders.”
Mr Gooda said juvenile detention should be the last resort for Indigenous young people who, if locked up, often escalated to a life of adult crime. More money should be spent on prevention, early intervention and diversion instead of automatically reverting to a ‘lock them up’ approach.
Mr Gooda said juvenile detention should be the last resort for Indigenous young people who, if locked up, often escalated to a life of adult crime. More money should be spent on prevention, early intervention and diversion instead of automatically reverting to a ‘lock them up’ approach.
“Clearly, when we have 25 per cent of the total prisoner population comprising Indigenous peoples and a staggering 82 per cent of the Northern Territory prison population comprising Indigenous people, we need to do things differently.
“Justice reinvestment gives us hope; by reinvesting funds from our existing imprisonment model to preventative programs and community services at the local level where there are acute problems, we have a chance to get in early and address the underlying causes of crime,” he said. DETAILS: Louise McDermott on 0419 258 597.
PACIFIC NATIONS STUDY CARE FOR REFUGEES
FIJI:
Building on Fiji’s long tradition of humane treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees was the focus of a workshop jointly hosted by UNHCR and the Fiji Immigration Department (FID), UNHCR Refugee Newsletter reported (January).
The two-day workshop looked at deepening the understanding among officials of how to identify and act on the protection needs of people seeking international protection, and to provide technical advice on the development of Fiji’s national refugee determination system.
Minister of Defence, National Security and Immigration, Ratu Epeli Gavidi Ganilau, said that, as a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Fiji was keen to play its part in ensuring that those people who are in need of international refugee protection receive it.
“Despite Fiji’s isolated location in the Pacific, we live in a globalised world where people are very much on the move,” the minister noted.
SOLOMON ISLANDS:
Solomon Islands has signed five of the 11 international human rights conventions. One of these, the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention) was adopted by
succession on 25 February 1995 and followed by the signing of the 1967 Protocol on the Status of Refugees on 12 April 1995.
In 2009 UNHCR and the Government of Solomon Islands (GSI) through its Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI) co-facilitated a refugee stakeholder
awareness workshop in Honiara to established basic understanding of key provisions of the
Refugee Convention, an essential first step for the relevant agencies to progress towards implementing the humanitarian purpose of the convention. The GSI with its stakeholders put together a process to guide its work in the development of a legal framework for refugee protection.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
Walpurga Englbrecht, UNHCR Country Representative, Papua New Guinea (PNG) reported the nation is host to some 10,000 West Papuan refugees and 20 non-Melanesian asylum-seekers and refugees. While the different protection regimes applicable to West Papuan and non-Melanesian refugees impact on their possibilities for settlement, so do the living conditions offered in rural and urban settings.
West Papuan refugees have been arriving in PNG since the 1960s, with the largest influx, estimated to be between 12,000 and 15,000 persons, occurring between 1984 and 1986. They originate from all areas of West Papua with the majority coming from Merauke, Mindiptana, Wamena and Jayapura districts. In 2000, another group of 500 West Papuan refugees arrived.
$US477.5M FOR UN REFUGEE AGENCY’S $US3B FUNDING APPEAL FOR 2010
Donors have committed an initial $US477.5 million towards the UN Refugee Agency’s $US3 billion funding appeal for 2010, its largest ever such request and aimed at meeting the basic needs of a growing number of persons under its care, the January UNHCR Refugee Newsletter stated.
The commitments came in December during UNHCR’s annual pledging conference in Geneva, where High Commissioner António Guterres asked donors to fund a $US3.007 billion requirement. The budget is to help more than 34 million refugees, asylum seekers, stateless and internally displaced people in 118 countries.
SEE ALSO: UN & Agencies
UK REJECTS US AND CANADIAN REFUGEES
They hail from the land of the free, the home of the brave, a place where it is said anyone can prosper regardless of colour, creed or religion. But dozens of Americans have tried in recent years to gain asylum in Britain by claiming they were persecuted in their homeland, according to figures released to The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. British Home Office statistics show that between 2004 and 2008, 45 Americans submitted asylum applications to the UK Border Agency, claiming they had fled the US and were unable to go back because they had a well-founded fear of persecution. Fifteen Canadians also applied. All were turned down, reported the Sydney Morning Herald (30/1/10).REPORT: http://www.smh.com.au/world/uk-rejected-refugees-fleeing-us-persecution-20100129-n49s.html
FRANCE REFUSES CITIZENSHIP
The French Government has refused to grant citizenship to a foreign national on the grounds that he forced his wife to wear the full Islamic veil, the BBC reported (3/2/10). The man, whose current nationality was not given, needed citizenship to settle in the country with his French wife.
Immigration Minister Eric Besson said this was being refused because he was depriving his wife of the liberty to come and go with her face uncovered. Last week, a parliamentary committee proposed a partial ban on full veils. It also recommended that anyone showing visible signs of "radical religious practice" be refused residence permits and citizenship. REPORT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8494860.stm
GREENS BACK TERROR REVIEW TRANSPARENCY
The Australian Greens have welcomed Coalition support for amendments to strengthen the reporting obligations and functions of the National Security Legislation Monitor (3/2/10).
The Senate passed legislation establishing the office to undertake “the long overdue task of reviewing the complex and draconian array of anti-terrorism laws,” a Greens media release stated.
"The government had proposed that the only reporting obligations of this office should be through sanitised annual reports edited by the Prime Minister's Department. The Australian Greens strongly disagreed, and succeeded in passing amendments to provide for direct annual reporting to Parliament, as well as for the publication of reports on specific investigations," said Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.
"The Senate has agreed that the public has a right to know whether or not the terror laws are necessary, proportional and effective. If the Monitor is to be truly independent, we need to hear that directly from the office established to ask these questions, not via the PM's office.
"I look forward to the government agreeing to these amendments in the House of Representatives so that this office can finally get to work," Senator Ludlam said. DETAILS: Fernando de Freitas on 0417 174 302.
The Australian Greens have welcomed Coalition support for amendments to strengthen the reporting obligations and functions of the National Security Legislation Monitor (3/2/10).
The Senate passed legislation establishing the office to undertake “the long overdue task of reviewing the complex and draconian array of anti-terrorism laws,” a Greens media release stated.
"The government had proposed that the only reporting obligations of this office should be through sanitised annual reports edited by the Prime Minister's Department. The Australian Greens strongly disagreed, and succeeded in passing amendments to provide for direct annual reporting to Parliament, as well as for the publication of reports on specific investigations," said Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.
"The Senate has agreed that the public has a right to know whether or not the terror laws are necessary, proportional and effective. If the Monitor is to be truly independent, we need to hear that directly from the office established to ask these questions, not via the PM's office.
"I look forward to the government agreeing to these amendments in the House of Representatives so that this office can finally get to work," Senator Ludlam said. DETAILS: Fernando de Freitas on 0417 174 302.
SYMPATHY FOR PLIGHT FOR MS SUFFERER: GREENS
The Greens have expressed deep sympathy for the plight of the MS sufferer who wants only to be known as ‘Jill’, and said her plight again calls attention to parliaments around Australia regularly putting the issue of voluntary euthanasia in the "too hard basket." Jill's wish to have a dignified death was reported in The West Australian (3/2/10).
"We call again on WA members of Parliament to turn their attention to the issue of whether the state should respect people's right to determine their own fate when the quality of their lives becomes as eroded as Jill's has become," said the Greens' Robin Chapple. DETAILS: Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263.
"We call again on WA members of Parliament to turn their attention to the issue of whether the state should respect people's right to determine their own fate when the quality of their lives becomes as eroded as Jill's has become," said the Greens' Robin Chapple. DETAILS: Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN ‘COSTS AUSTRALIA OVER $700 MILLION’
Australia's ban on same-sex marriage costs the Australian economy over $700 million, according to figures released recently by Australian Marriage Equality (AME). Using a simple formula developed by economists in the United States, AME has multiplied the average cost of weddings in Australia with the percentage of Australia's same-sex couples who would marry if they had the choice.
The last Census indicated that there are at least 50,000 same-sex couples, however the Bureau of Statistics admits that the actual figure would higher than that due to the way information is recorded.
Not so Private Lives, a recent national study conducted at the University of Queensland , showed that at least 53 per cent of these couples would marry if they could. The ABS in 2007 calculated the average cost of a wedding at $28,000 (although recent studies have the figure as high as $49,000). When you pull these figures together you get an amount of $742,000,000. DETAILS: Alex Greenwich on 0421316335.
POD RIGHTS, A SERIES OF PODCASTS, LOOKS INTO HUMAN RIGHTS
Today the Australian Human Rights Commission has released instalment 1 of its first series of Pod Rights, a series of podcasts that will look at and delve into important issues in the human rights world.
The first Pod Rights pod cast features Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, reflecting with Tom Calma about his term as both Social Justice Commissioner and as the former Race Discrimination Commissioner.
There will be 12 instalments in the first series of Pod Rights. A new instalment of Pod Rights will appear on the Australian Human Rights Commission website every second Monday, beginning on February 1.