Thursday, June 28, 2012
Rio + 20 missed an opportunity to bolster human rights
A further update on the Rio +20 summit on human rights. Once again, this article has been taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
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Rio + 20 Missed an Opportunity to Bolster Human Rights
Business, government and development agencies should combat discrimination, which can drive poverty and conflict
"They come every day … four or five cars usually – 20 to 60 soldiers. They say, 'We need this land for sugar, so you shouldn't be here' … We say, 'We don't want [sugar]', but that is not the right answer. They hit us or they take us to jail."
These are the words of a Mursi man, an indigenous pastoralist in southern Ethiopia, describing to Human Rights Watch how he and his community have been forced to move from the Lower Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia to make way for sugar plantations.
The rights of these indigenous people to be consulted and give their free, prior and informed consent before relocation were cast aside. Instead, local government and security forces carried out arbitrary arrests and detentions, used physical violence, and seized or destroyed the property of indigenous communities. More forced evictions in the Omo Valley are threatened in the near future.
In a speech in Jinka, the capital of the South Omo region, in January 2011, Meles Zenawi, the prime minister, said: "Even though this area [the Lower Omo] is known as backward in terms of civilization, it will become an example of rapid development." This is just one example of a government misusing development goals as an excuse for sacrificing human rights.
View the rest of the story here.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
US: End Abortion Ban for Military Women
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US: End Abortion Ban for Military Women
Senate Committee to Consider Insurance Coverage for Rape, Incest Victims
(Washington, DC) – The US government should allow US servicewomen who are rape survivors to make their own decisions about their pregnancies. On May 24, 2012, the US Senate Armed Services Committee will consider a proposal under a military funding bill that would end the ban on military insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape and incest.
“It is outrageous that US servicewomen enduring sexual assault while serving their country are also kept from making decisions about their pregnancies,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Senate has an opportunity to end this double injustice by revoking the health insurance ban on abortions in cases of rape.”
US law prohibits the armed forces from providing health coverage for abortion except in cases in which the life of the pregnant woman is in danger. This policy diverges from other federal health insurance programs such as Medicaid, which include exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.
Read the full article at the Human Rights Watch website.
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US: End Abortion Ban for Military Women
Senate Committee to Consider Insurance Coverage for Rape, Incest Victims
(Washington, DC) – The US government should allow US servicewomen who are rape survivors to make their own decisions about their pregnancies. On May 24, 2012, the US Senate Armed Services Committee will consider a proposal under a military funding bill that would end the ban on military insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape and incest.
“It is outrageous that US servicewomen enduring sexual assault while serving their country are also kept from making decisions about their pregnancies,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Senate has an opportunity to end this double injustice by revoking the health insurance ban on abortions in cases of rape.”
US law prohibits the armed forces from providing health coverage for abortion except in cases in which the life of the pregnant woman is in danger. This policy diverges from other federal health insurance programs such as Medicaid, which include exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.
Read the full article at the Human Rights Watch website.
Monday, June 25, 2012
US: Immigrants at Risk After Mixed Supreme Court Ruling on Arizona Law
This is about human and immigrant rights, but this will involve women immigrants as well in the United States. This is taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
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US: Immigrants at Risk After Mixed Supreme Court Ruling on Arizona Law
Congress Should Enact Immigration Reform that Protects Rights
(Washington, DC) – The US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold part of Arizona’s immigrant law puts immigrant families in Arizona and other states at greater risk of abuse from local authorities, Human Rights Watch said today.
The June 25, 2012 ruling in Arizona v. United States overturned several sections of the Arizona law, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, commonly known as SB 1070, stating that they are pre-empted by federal law. But it left intact a section requiring police to attempt to verify a person’s immigration status if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the individual is in the country without authorization.
“The Supreme Court ruling opens the door to anti-immigrant abuses we’ve seen in other states with similar laws,” said Grace Meng, US researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Read the whole story here.
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US: Immigrants at Risk After Mixed Supreme Court Ruling on Arizona Law
Congress Should Enact Immigration Reform that Protects Rights
(Washington, DC) – The US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold part of Arizona’s immigrant law puts immigrant families in Arizona and other states at greater risk of abuse from local authorities, Human Rights Watch said today.
The June 25, 2012 ruling in Arizona v. United States overturned several sections of the Arizona law, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, commonly known as SB 1070, stating that they are pre-empted by federal law. But it left intact a section requiring police to attempt to verify a person’s immigration status if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the individual is in the country without authorization.
“The Supreme Court ruling opens the door to anti-immigrant abuses we’ve seen in other states with similar laws,” said Grace Meng, US researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Read the whole story here.
What Empowerment 4 Women is All About
To my visitors, you're all probably wondering what this new blog of mine is all about. The thing is, I'm here to hopefully raise awareness on issues concerning and involving women all over the world. My aim is not to be too much of an activist, but rather... I want to help disseminate information for women to arm themselves with as they fight for their rights.
Hmm... what is my focus? It's basically human rights. We cannot touch on women's rights without touching on human rights in general. Most of my posts here would be about issues concerning women, but some issues regarding children's rights, gay rights and perhaps animal rights if I find the issue overwhelming or enveloping. But most of the time you'll see reposts of articles published in human rights organizations such as Legal Voice, Human Rights Watch and many others.
So, I hope you'll support me in my endeavor and look out with me for the rights of women worldwide as well as women, children, gays and animals.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Philippines: Anti-Women Discrimination Bill passed in Senate
Here's something from the Philippines that I dug up from my neighbors who have relatives in the country. It seems they've passed a bill last December promising to end discrimination against women in the country.
Written by: Jose Rodel Clapano of the Philippine Star.
Original article can be found here.
MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada lauded yesterday the approval on second reading of the bill that seeks to end job discrimination against women.
Estrada, principal author of Senate Bill 429 or “An Act Expanding the Prohibited Acts of Discrimination Against Women on account of Sex, Gender, Age, Race, Ethnic Origin, Religion or Beliefs, Disability or Other Status,” said the bill‘s approval was timed with the celebration of Women’s Week.
Presidential Proclamation 224 of 1988 declares the first week of March as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day.
Senate Bill 429 seeks to declare unlawful giving preference to a male employee over a female employee, whether through notices, announcements, or advertisements for employment and apprenticeship or in the actual recruitment.
Favoring a male employee over a female employee with respect to promotion, assignment, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants on account of sex or gender, is also prohibited under the proposed measure.
Also prohibited acts under the bill are the payment of a lesser remuneration, including wage, salary or fringe benefits to a female employee; dismissing a woman employee in favor of a male employee or having a retrenchment policy that retains men over women; and demoting or subjecting a woman employee to any other form of discrimination.
Senate Bill 429 also seeks to amend Article 137 of the Labor Code to expand prohibited acts of discrimination against women.
It shall also be unlawful for any employer to dismiss, discharge or prejudice a woman employee merely by reason of her marriage and her childcare responsibilities.
Violations shall be meted with a penalty of imprisonment of at least two years and a fine of not less than P50,000.
“The Philippine Constitution, specifically in Section 14, Article 2 explicitly stipulates the fundamental equality between women and men, recognizing the women’s role in nation building. This appreciation of the role and rights of women is further reinforced in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women which our government ratified,” Estrada said.
This is old news, I guess, but I haven't come across it earlier.
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Anti-women discrimination bill passed in SenateWritten by: Jose Rodel Clapano of the Philippine Star.
Original article can be found here.
MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada lauded yesterday the approval on second reading of the bill that seeks to end job discrimination against women.
Estrada, principal author of Senate Bill 429 or “An Act Expanding the Prohibited Acts of Discrimination Against Women on account of Sex, Gender, Age, Race, Ethnic Origin, Religion or Beliefs, Disability or Other Status,” said the bill‘s approval was timed with the celebration of Women’s Week.
Presidential Proclamation 224 of 1988 declares the first week of March as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day.
Senate Bill 429 seeks to declare unlawful giving preference to a male employee over a female employee, whether through notices, announcements, or advertisements for employment and apprenticeship or in the actual recruitment.
Favoring a male employee over a female employee with respect to promotion, assignment, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants on account of sex or gender, is also prohibited under the proposed measure.
Also prohibited acts under the bill are the payment of a lesser remuneration, including wage, salary or fringe benefits to a female employee; dismissing a woman employee in favor of a male employee or having a retrenchment policy that retains men over women; and demoting or subjecting a woman employee to any other form of discrimination.
Senate Bill 429 also seeks to amend Article 137 of the Labor Code to expand prohibited acts of discrimination against women.
It shall also be unlawful for any employer to dismiss, discharge or prejudice a woman employee merely by reason of her marriage and her childcare responsibilities.
Violations shall be meted with a penalty of imprisonment of at least two years and a fine of not less than P50,000.
“The Philippine Constitution, specifically in Section 14, Article 2 explicitly stipulates the fundamental equality between women and men, recognizing the women’s role in nation building. This appreciation of the role and rights of women is further reinforced in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women which our government ratified,” Estrada said.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Rio+20 Outcome Document Undermined by Human Rights Opponents -
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Rio+20 outcome document undermined by human rights opponents
Global economic troubles are being matched by a recession in human rights with worryingly minimal commitments coming out of the United Nations Rio+20 conference on Sustainable Development, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Center for International Environment Law (CIEL) said today on the close of the conference.
Rio+20 aimed to renew political commitments to sustainable development that were made at the original conference 20 years ago, through assessing progress and implementation gaps and discussing new and emerging issues.
“The G77 countries, the Holy See, and Canada formed a shameful alliance against making a commitment to human rights, on occasion aided by the US,” said Jan Egeland, deputy executive director at Human Rights Watch. “Despite opposition, rights language has survived in the outcome document – but it does not go far enough.”
The Holy See led the charge against sexual and reproductive rights, with support of the G77, an organization of developing countries. The participating countries emphasized the need for universal access to reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health and the integration of reproductive health in national strategies and programs in the outcome document. But express reproductive rights language was deleted.
Read the full article at Amnesty International.
Let's Help a Woman Activist in Guatemala
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URGENT ACTION
ANTI-MINING ACTIVIST SHOT, WOUNDED
A Guatemalan anti-mining activist was shot on 13 June in the town of San José del Golfo, in the department of Guatemala. Other local mining activists may also be at risk.
On 13 June, at around 6.30pm, Yolanda Oquelí was driving home after taking part in a protest outside a mine site in San José del Golfo, in the department of Guatemala, about 35km from the centre of the capital, Guatemala City. As she approached her house, two men on a motorbike cut across her path and fired at her with a pistol. Yolanda Oquelí was hit by a bullet which lodged close to her liver. Three other bullets hit her vehicle. According to local press, a .38 pistol was used in the attack. Yolanda Oquelí is in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Yolanda Oquelí is an activist and leader of the organization Northern Front of the Metropolitan Area (Frente Norte del Área Metropolitana, FRENAM) which has been protesting against the negative effects of a mining project in her community. The mine site is known as El Tambor and covers parts of the municipalities of San Jose del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampic. A protest has been maintained outside the entrance to the mine since March 2012. Those opposing the mine claim that it will pollute the water supply, and that local communities were not consulted about its potential impact.
The mine is operated by Exploraciones Mineras de Guatemala, S.A. (EXMIGUA), a local wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canadian company Radius Gold Inc.
Read the full Call to Action here.
Read the full Call to Action here.
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