Dignity News

* 9th Global Linking and Learning Programme

* The Torch of Struggle: People at the Centre for Human Rights

* Dignity Partners in Action for Human Rights Day

Other News

* UN Women Makes History

* Standing-up for the Rights of Migrant Domestic Workers

* Seven Member-States needed for ESC Rights Agreement

* Congo: Victory for Indigenous Rights

* EU Ratifies Disability Rights Convention

Urgent Actions

* France must stop stigmatising Roma

* Stand against Eviction Policy in Cameroon

Announcements

* Call for Participation for the Peoples Summit for Sustainable Development - Rio+20

* Equalinrights: Project Officer

* ESCR-Net: Director

Meetings & Events

* OHCHR Meetings & Events

* World Fisher Peoples Conference 2011

Publications

* Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking

* DIHR New Publication on Legal Aid

*** 9th Global Linking and Learning Programme - From the 1st to the 10th of December 2010, 25 individuals from 20 countries, representing various grassroots, national and international development NGOs, gathered in Malaysia for the Annual Global Linking and Learning Programme. Organised by Dignity International, the programme was themed towards human rights-based development, and on economic, social and cultural rights. The ten-day intensive yet enjoyable learning journey was aimed at equipping participants with knowledge on the key elements of human rights-based development, and to enhance their skills for its practical application.

Global Linking and Learning: Creative Group Processes

“The training gave me in-depth understanding of the challenges of promoting and protecting human rights in different contexts and in different countries. I found the field studies very interesting, and gained different perspectives by talking to those directly involved in those cases.” -Eva Amalathas ( UK)

Besides indoor sessions, the participants went on field trips organised by Dignity’s partners in Malaysia, Pusat KOMAS and JKOAP (Perak Orang Asli Village Network), to Jinjang Longhouse, Kirby Carolina Estate, and Tekir Village in Labu, Negeri Sembilan. Through the visits, they were exposed to the struggles of people living in poverty and facing discrimination, such as the indigenous communities, asylum seekers, migrant workers, and plantation workers.

Group visit with the indigenous community

Dignity’s learning programmes are also designed based on a process of mutual learning, with the participants’ experience and realities as the starting point of their learning process. The non-formal education and learner-centered methodologies which required active participation and in-depth reflection throughout the whole programme have helped strengthen the participants understanding in the key elements of human rights-based development and its application into practical output on ground level.

Group visit to a plantation community

“The training module makes human rights based development understandable for the common people, the grassroots sector who need to know most about how they can relate human rights to their daily lives and how to insert their rights in order to attain development.” –Mercedes L. Angeles (Philippines)

Group dramatisation as part of the learning programme

Besides the knowledge and experience obtained during those ten days, participants also departed with a new network of allies with the will to carry on fighting for the rights of human kind.

“I have learnt a lot during the program and hope to continue the spirit of our batch as we are carrying the torch of struggle for all human rights for all!” –Veerawit Tianchainan (Thailand).

According to Hussein Jalily from Iran, “…it was not only a training programme, because you created a family only in ten days.” With Malaysian’s well-known hospitality when it comes to bonding through food, Seth Lartey from the UK commented, “I arrived with a 38-inch waist and left with a 42-inch waist!”

The organisers would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Oxfam NOVIB for their continuous support for the Annual Global Programme.

*** The Torch of Struggle: People at the Centre for Human Rights - 10 th December marks the annual celebration of “Human Rights Day” to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. Dignity International and its partners continue this practise of celebrating this day through the Torch of Struggle event in different parts of the world.

Dignity International Chairman Ton Waarts lights the Torch of Struggle

Dignity International participants of the 9th Annual Global Linking and Learning Programme, celebrated Human Rights Day 2010 with 130 Malaysian and Singaporean youths from La Salle Centre Ipoh, Malaysia. The youths, comprising of student leaders and young adults, joined the Dignity family in upholding the Torch of Struggle; being reminded and in solidarity with communities around the world who are continuing the fight for their human rights.

Participants lighting the torch of Struggle
with Dignity Executive Director Jerald Joseph

The group then engaged in a forum entitled “Human Rights Demands Action” as a call for young people to be more proactive in championing for human rights. The global participants shared human rights stories, issues, and motivation with the youth; and also sang songs and human rights cheer throughout the occasion. At the end of the day, spirits were high as everyone reaffirmed their commitment and beliefs to human rights.

The Forum in Action: Panelists Bringing Stories of Human Rights struggle
from around the world

Inspired by the youths’ enthusiasm, Dignity International and CARE Palestine made a joint contribution of USD 1,500 to La Salle Centre to start a human rights resource centre for youth.

This was followed by a torch of struggle celebration with the urban poor community of Kampung Kampung DBI, Ipoh where the local NGO Alaigal and the community people also reaffirmed their struggle for human rights.

Long live human rights! Moto Umewaka!

*** Dignity Partners in Action for Human Rights Day

YUVA: Youth for Unity & Voluntary Action

The organisation adopted the issue of social security during the Human Rights Week campaign, with the aim to collect 2 lakh (200,000) signatures from Maharashtra to the national network to demand for comprehensive social security. YUVA included educating the community about human rights through posters and small meetings, alongside its campaign to demand social security for informal workers.

YUVA organises a demand for social security for informal workers
as a part of its Human Rights Day campaign

Pastoralists Development Network of Kenya (PDNK)

From the 8 th to 10 th of December, PDNK jointly organised the annual Kenya Pastoralists Week with other organisations in the region. They also sought partnership with the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOCHR) for possibilities of support, in order to facilitate grassroots community representatives to grace the marking of United Nations Human Rights Day on the 10 th of December through a march in Nairobi which culminated into a conference within the city.

Pastoralists Development Network of Kenya (PDNK)

Nairobi Peoples’ Settlements Network (NPSN)

As part of this year’s campaign, NPSN teamed up with other movements and delivered a petition for injustice on evictions to the Chief Justice and other government offices.

NPSN teamed up with other movements and delivered a petition
for injustice on evictions to the Chief Justice of Kenya

Four Regions Slum Network (FRSN)

To commemorate Human Rights Day, the organisation held a march and rally in Bangkok with 200 members, demanding for fulfilment of basic human rights of the urban poor.

FRSN rally in Bangkok for Human Rights Day

Ekta Parishad

On the 10 th of December, Ekta Parishad, a social movement using non-violent methodology in India held a People’s Consultation in Central India, which focused on raising voices for the land and livelihood rights of the Sahariya Tribe, a primitive tribe in North Central India. With the goal of gathering 5,000 community leaders for this event, the organisation also submitted a mass resolution to the Prime Minister and President of India.

*** UN Women Makes History - The United Nations made history on 1 January 2011 as UN Women, the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, has officially begun its work. This ambitious new organization consolidates and scales up UN actions to achieve gender equality, offering the promise of accelerated progress in realizing the rights of women worldwide.

Formally known as the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women emerged from agreement by UN Member States — backed by strong advocacy from the global women’s movement — that more must be done so women can claim equal rights and opportunities.

“UN Women will significantly boost UN efforts to promote gender equality, expand opportunity and tackle discrimination around the globe,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “This is a time of great promise,” said UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet, formerly President of Chile. “We have a historic opportunity to accelerate the achievement of what champions of gender equality have worked towards for years.”

UN Women was created by a UN General Assembly resolution in July 2010, becoming fully operational on 1 January 2011. It merges and builds on four parts of the UN system:

As a global champion for women, UN Women will work with UN Member States to agree on international standards for gender equality, and help countries implement those standards. It will assist other UN agencies engaged with a broad spectrum of development issues to integrate gender equality priorities in their activities. Carrying out its programmes, UN Women will also work closely with civil society partners.

Gender equality is a basic human right and has enormous socio-economic ramifications. Empowering women fuels thriving economies, for example, spurring productivity and growth.

Many countries have made significant progress in advancing women’s standing, but gender discrimination remains deeply entrenched in every society. Women continue to suffer extreme forms of violence, and are locked out of many economic opportunities. Only low numbers participate in politics.

The United Nations has consistently supported progress in addressing these shortfalls but has faced hindrances including inadequate funding. A minimum of US$500 million has been set as the annual operating budget for UN Women.

To visit the UN Women website, CLICK HERE>>>

Source: UN Women

*** Standing-up for the Rights of Migrant Domestic Workers - Over the past few decades the ranks of domestic workers, those people employed in private homes, has increasingly been filled by migrants, overwhelmingly women and girls. The rights of these millions of migrant domestic workers are very often violated, starting in their countries of origin, continuing through the transit points to the host country and including the employers who contract their labour.

Recognising the rampant exploitation of these people, the UN committee responsible for protecting migrant workers has pointed out there are very few explicit references to domestic work in most existing national and international law. At its most recent session in Geneva, the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families approved a General Comment which describes in great detail the plight of many migrant domestic workers and recommends a range of social and legal actions to shore up their personal and working lives.

In an address to the Committee, senior human rights official, Craig Mokhiber said migrant domestic workers had been “long neglected as a human rights issue”.

He described “their vulnerability due to their often undocumented status and irregular nature of their work, their treatment as criminals under many jurisdictions, and the high risk of sexual violence to which they are sometimes exposed.”

In its General Comment, the Committee says the problems for migrant domestic workers start right at the recruitment stage when they frequently fall prey to corrupt and illegal employment agents. Women and girls are particularly at risk of physical and sexual abuse by these intermediaries while transiting through foreign countries.

On arrival in their host countries the problems for migrant domestic workers often multiply: many of them are saddled with huge debts; they find themselves without legal papers and with no jobs; employers frequently withhold their passports; many are prevented from moving freely outside the house in which they work; their working hours are often ill-defined and very long, with very few days off; salaries are sometimes non-existent and often are low and paid erratically; their living conditions are unsanitary and degrading; they have no social security protection; and many suffer psychological, physical and sexual abuse and harassment.

The Committee found labour laws at national level “often ignore or explicitly exclude domestic work and workers in ways that contribute to exploitative labour practices and limit avenues for legal redress in cases of violations.”

To overcome these widespread and very serious abuses of millions of domestic migrant workers, the Committee, in its General Comment, has made a number of recommendations: States should agree on standard employment contracts; there needs to be regular reporting on domestic workers flows; recruiters should be regulated; conditions for domestic workers should be subject to national regulation; social security and health services should be made available; it is essential they have the right to organize collective bargaining; and States should ensure migrant domestic workers have access to justice and remedies in case of violations.

The General Comment agreed by the Committee will be circulated to all Member States for use as a guide to the appropriate measures required to guarantee the rights of domestic workers. At its last session, the Committee also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant workers and Members of their Families, adopted by the General Assembly in December, 1990.

Deputy High Commissioner Kyung-Wha Kang speaking at an event in Geneva to mark the anniversary said the Convention is one of the core UN human rights treaties providing standards for domestic policies and law that recognize the specific vulnerabilities of migrants.

Noting that migration is a priority area for the UN Human Rights Office, Kang called on all Member States who have not yet done so to ratify the Convention. “Migration touches nearly all countries of the world,” she said, “whether as sending, receiving or transit countries, or increasingly as all three.”

“Migration continues to grow in number because it is an essential driving force for the present and future development of many countries. Historical experience shows that migration policy – and the contribution of migration to development – will only be viable and sustainable when firmly founded upon human rights.” Kang said.

Source: OHCHR

*** Seven Member-States needed for ESC Rights Agreement - The Optional Protocol introduces a complaint mechanism that allows victims of human rights violations, such as violations of the right to health, education, food, and housing, to address the United Nations in the case of not receiving relief in their own countries. After Ecuador, Mongolia and Spain, at least seven further States need to ratify the Protocol for it to go into effect.

By ratifying the Protocol, governments demonstrate that they are willing to empower those who suffer from hunger and malnutrition, so that they can demand accountability from their representatives regarding the realisation of their human rights.

To read more CLICK HERE>>>

Source: FIAN

*** Congo: Victory for Indigenous Rights - An independent United Nations human rights expert today welcomed a new law recently adopted in the Republic of Congo, calling it a “significant” step in ensuring the rights of indigenous peoples.

“This law is the first of its kind on the African continent, and it provides an important example of a good practice in the region for the recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples,” James Anaya, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said in a statement.

“This marks a significant step in recognising and protecting the rights of marginalised indigenous peoples of the country, including groups such as the Baaka, Mbendjele, Mikaya, Luma, Gyeli, Twa and Babongo, which collectively have been known as Pygmies,” he added.

Mr. Anaya commended the Republic of Congo for its adoption on 30 December of the law, and voiced his hope that all measures to ensure that it is carried out will be taken soon.

“Effective implementation of the law will require a strong and concerted effort by government authorities at all levels, especially in light of the extreme circumstances of disadvantage that indigenous peoples in Congo still face,” he noted.

Mr. Anaya, who visited the country in November 2010, will release his report on the situation of indigenous peoples in the Republic of Congo later this year.

Like all Special Rapporteurs, he works in an independent and unpaid capacity and reports to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.

News Tracker: past stories on this issue

UNICEF hails new law on rights for indigenous children in Republic of Congo

Source: UN News Centre

*** EU Ratifies Disability Rights Convention - The European Union's ratification of the major international treaty on disability rights is a significant milestone in the global effort to promote the rights of people with disabilities. The EU officially joined the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on December 23, 2010, becoming the first intergovernmental organisation to sign on to any human rights treaty and take on its binding obligations.

"The EU ratification of the Disability Rights Convention sends a clear message that disability rights are a priority in the region and worldwide," said Shantha Rau Barriga, disability rights researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch. "All EU members and future members should now ratify the treaty and align their laws and practices with its standards."

The Disability Rights Convention, which entered into force in May 2008, is the first international human rights treaty specifically related to the rights of people with disabilities. By ratifying the treaty, countries pledge to uphold non-discrimination and other protections and to provide people with disabilities services they need to participate fully in society. The convention has been ratified by 96 countries as well as the European Union.

In addition to joining the Disability Rights Convention, the EU is in the process of joining the European Convention on Human Rights, administered by a separate intergovernmental organisation, the Council of Europe.

Joining the Disability Rights Convention obliges EU institutions, including the European Commission, Parliament, Council, and Court of Justice, to uphold disability rights. But it does not automatically make the convention binding in individual EU member states. That requires separate ratification by each country.

Eleven of the 27 EU members have yet to ratify the convention, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania, although all have signed. Among European countries seeking EU membership, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey have ratified the convention, while Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, and Kosovo have not.

Joining the convention is only one step towards securing the rights of persons with disabilities. Research by Human Rights Watch and European disability rights organisations has shown that people with disabilities throughout Europe, including those in countries that have joined the treaty, face a number of barriers to full realisation of their rights.

"The EU should ensure that all member states join and implement the convention and set an example by fully respecting the rights of people with disabilities," Barriga said. "In its discussions with other countries, the EU needs to push for stronger legislation, better policies, and more inclusive programmes."

The EU first committed to join the Disability Rights Convention by signing the treaty in March 2007. On December 2, 2010, the Council of the European Union, a body composed of representatives from each member state, removed the last legal barrier to joining the treaty by agreeing on a code of conduct that will regulate member state interaction with the European Commission concerning the Disability Rights Convention.

Source: Human Rights Watch

*** France must stop Stigmatising Roma - Hundreds of marginalised Romanian and Bulgarian Roma families in France face being left without adequate shelter this winter as they face an ongoing threat of eviction from their camps. Anti-Roma sentiment and discriminatory practices by French public officials have been widespread and have intensified during 2010.

In July, President Nicolas Sarkozy referred to ‘irregular’ Roma camps as “sources of illegal trafficking, profoundly degrading living conditions, [and] exploitation of children for the purposes of begging, prostitution and criminality”. At a ministerial meeting, he ordered the dismantling of such sites “to proceed within… three months” and called for legislative reforms to speed the process of removing Roma from France.

On 5 August, the French Ministry of the Interior issued a policy circular to all local authorities, targeting Roma camps as a “priority” to be dismantled. The 5 August circular followed earlier instructions issued jointly by the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Immigration, which laid out specific steps for local authorities and law enforcement to (i) dismantle illegal camps, (ii) identify inhabitants who were not French and who do not have regular immigration status, (iii) identify violations of public order, and (iv) then take measures to remove such inhabitants from France. Following public outcry about the discriminatory effect of targeting an ethnic group for a programme of evictions, the Ministry withdrew the 5 August circular which specifically targeted Roma, and replaced it, on 13 September, with an order to dismantle “all ‘illegal camps’” on French territory.

Even though the specifically discriminatory language of the 5 August circular has been withdrawn, the various existing policy instructions and circulars issued in 2010 appear, when taken together, to devote considerable effort to identifying illegal camps, dismantling them, and expelling their inhabitants from France where possible. These measures, when put into practice, appear to disproportionately target Roma from Romania and Bulgaria.

Concerns about discrimination against Roma in France have been raised by numerous international bodies and NGOs, including the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the European Commission and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg.

To read more and take action CLICK HERE>>>

Source: Amnesty International

*** Stand against Eviction Policy in Cameroon - What seems to be an ongoing program of forced evictions and demolitions is unrelenting in Cameroon. Most recently, between 22 and 26 November 2010, the Pre-Sessional Working Group of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights held its meeting in order to compile a list of questions to present to the government of Cameroon in November 2011, when the Committee will examine the periodic report of Cameroon concerning its implementation of the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Just when the working group consulted the parallel report on the housing situation presented by the authors of this press release, new evictions took place in Deido neighborhood, in Douala.

During the year 2010 about to end, the two main cities of Cameroon, Yaoundé (the political capital) and Douala (the economic capital) have been increasingly subject to forced evictions and demolitions, sometimes forcing people into inhumane conditions. Early this year, Yaounde’s Messa-Lissouck and Mfandena districts were demolished between February and March.

In Douala, local residents of the Bois des Singes neighborhood have received a notice asking them to leave the area in June. In the districts of Vita Road, Bassa-Kongui, Newtown Aéroport and the Railway Properties of Bessengué and Bonaberi, authorities are currently demolishing some homes, while others are awaiting destruction. Since 5 November, the eviction of 20 families in the PK 10 district in Douala also became imminent.

To read the press release, click here. To join in the HIC campaign, CLICK HERE>>>

Source: Habitat International Coalition

*** Call for Participation for the Peoples Summit for Sustainable Development - Rio+20 - The Brazilian Civil Society Facilitating Committee for Rio+20, which congregates different networks and non-governmental organisations and Brazilian social movements from different areas, including environmentalists, rural and urban workers, women, youth, popular movements, entrepreneurs of solidarity economy, among others, calls civil society organisations and social and popular movements from all across the world to join the process that will lead to the autonomous and plural event, the Peoples Summit for Sustainable Development – Rio+20, in May 2012, which will take place together with the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD 2012), also called Rio+20. [see more]

*** Equalinrights: Project Officer – Human Rights-based Development and Gender Equality Practice . A new opportunity for a conscientious person with a drive for capacity building, innovative learning and sharing practice within the field of human rights-based development and gender equality has arisen at Equalinrights.

The post is related to a new project for integrating human rights-based and gender equality approaches into the development practice of NGOs and entails a combination of training and documentation of practice. Face-to-face and online training will be used to meet the needs of the individual learners. This will require the development of new training materials, as well as the contextualisation and adaptation of existing materials. Documentation of practice will be done by the learners, and the post-holder will be required to synthesise, edit and compile written work for dissemination and sharing. The post-holder is also expected to pursue his or her own research interest in relation to the project.

Click here for a detailed job description and person specification.

*** ESCR-Net: Director - ESCR-Net seeks a Director to provide strategic guidance, management and leadership to expand the Network's capacity and substantive work; to guide the process to relocate the Network's Secretariat to a global South country; and to lead the Network in its new period of growth. To read more about this position CLICK HERE>>>

Source: ESCR-Net

*** World Fisher Peoples Conference 2011 – The World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) will be held 27 – 30 April 2011, in Karachi, and hosted by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum. For forthcoming details, please CLICK HERE>>>

Source: PFF

*** OHCHR Meetings –

*** Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking – Commentary. Download here in PDF format. Release date: November 2010

Source: OHCHR

*** DIHR New Publication on Legal Aid - The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) launched the the new book ‘Legal Aid – International experiences and promising practices for legal aid providers’ on Wednesday the 12 January 2011.

The publication explains the connection between provision of legal aid services and the realisation of human rights guarantees through a series of thematic and country-specific articles, drawn from experiences of authors from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

The book launch took place in DCISM’s auditorium on Strandgade 71, Christianshavn, Denmark.

For more information CLICK HERE>>>

Source: DIHR

This is a monthly electronic news bulletin of 'Dignity International: All Human Rights for All'. Dignity International does not accredit, validate or substantiate any information posted by members to this news bulletin. The validity and accuracy of any information is the responsibility of the originator.

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