Showing posts with label human rights watch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human rights watch. Show all posts
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.
Follow me on Twitter: Follow @LylaMarieHudson
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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.
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.
Friday, June 22, 2012
House Bill Puts Immigrant Women at Risk
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Stricter standard of proof for immigrants that have been victimized sexually than what is required for asylum applicants.... sound fishy? Well, just read on for yourself.
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US: House Bill Puts Immigrant Women at Risk
(Washington) –The full US House of Representatives should reject a dangerous version of a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would undermine the law and expose immigrant women and families to abuse, Human Rights Watch said. The House Judiciary Committee on May 8, 2012 approved a version that makes multiple changes to VAWA’s existing provisions addressing immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence.
“Renewing the Violence Against Women Act should take us one step closer to becoming a society in which all women are safe from violence in their homes and on the streets,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee does the opposite. It rejects progress and rolls back protections that have been proven effective in helping women escape abuse.”
VAWA is the primary federal law providing legal protection and services to women, men, and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. It supports victims’ services such as rape crisis centers, temporary housing for domestic violence survivors, and programs to address violence against people with disabilities. Since it was first enacted in 1994, VAWA has included protections to address the particular challenges confronting immigrant victims of violence.
Follow me on Twitter: Follow @LylaMarieHudson
Stricter standard of proof for immigrants that have been victimized sexually than what is required for asylum applicants.... sound fishy? Well, just read on for yourself.
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US: House Bill Puts Immigrant Women at Risk
Committee Vote Undermines Violence Against Women Act
(Washington) –The full US House of Representatives should reject a dangerous version of a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would undermine the law and expose immigrant women and families to abuse, Human Rights Watch said. The House Judiciary Committee on May 8, 2012 approved a version that makes multiple changes to VAWA’s existing provisions addressing immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence.
“Renewing the Violence Against Women Act should take us one step closer to becoming a society in which all women are safe from violence in their homes and on the streets,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee does the opposite. It rejects progress and rolls back protections that have been proven effective in helping women escape abuse.”
VAWA is the primary federal law providing legal protection and services to women, men, and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. It supports victims’ services such as rape crisis centers, temporary housing for domestic violence survivors, and programs to address violence against people with disabilities. Since it was first enacted in 1994, VAWA has included protections to address the particular challenges confronting immigrant victims of violence.
Read more of the full article at the Human Rights Watch.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
US: Female Farmworkers at Risk for Sex Abuse
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Is this how immigrant workers who did not come in legally should be treated? This is a blatant abuse of people who cannot fight back by people who are superior. An abuse of authority, so to say. This article has been taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
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Is this how immigrant workers who did not come in legally should be treated? This is a blatant abuse of people who cannot fight back by people who are superior. An abuse of authority, so to say. This article has been taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
US: Female Farmworkers at Risk for Sex Abuse
by: Grace Meng
Four years ago, "Patricia M." was working in an almond orchard in California. She was 23 years old, had come from Mexico only two years earlier and had no family in the United States. She says the foreman "bothered" her at first, offering her food and drink and telling her he could get her work. This made Patricia uncomfortable, so she always refused. On the end of the third day, the foreman dropped all the other workers off, but he took her to a remote field and raped her.
Patricia told no one. She could not afford to leave the job, and he continued to rape her. She says, "I let him because I didn't want him to hit me. I didn't want to feel pain." She did not consider calling the police. "I was afraid they would put me in jail; I was afraid (they'd) send me to Mexico because I was illegal," Patricia said. "I felt very sad and very alone."
Patricia's story is not uncommon. As Human Rights Watch documents in our new report, "Cultivating Fear," hundreds of thousands of female farmworkers face a high risk of sexual violence and harassment as they grow, pick and pack food in the United States.
Read the full article.
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