North Korea's Abuses as told by Yoenmi Park

Yoenmi speaking on her experience (x)

The One Young World Summit of 2014 was held in Dublin, Ireland and concluded on October 18th. The Summit claims is "gathers the brightest young leaders from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections and develop solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues." One particularly bright young woman, Yeonmi Park, told the powerful and harrowing tale of her heart-breaking upbringing in North Korea. The young activist is spreading awareness about the egregious human rights violations by the dictator Kim Jong un's Workers’ Party. Her opening reads: "North Korea is an unnatural country. There is only one channel on TV and there is no internet. We aren't free to sing, say, wear or think what we want. North Korea is the only country in the world that executes people for making unauthorized international phone calls. North Koreans are being terrorized today." The nation is known to conduct public executions,  practice strict censorship, torture criminals and refuse free passage across borders. Yoenmi Park wanted to draw attention to the suffering of North Korean refugees, having been smuggled into China in 2007. Park stated that among many courses of action she'd like to focus on three things. Her instructions for fellow delegates were as follows:  "raise awareness about human crisis in North Korea," "help and support North Korean refugees who are trying to escape for freedom" and "petition China to stop repatriation." 

As illustrated in Yoenmi's speech, North Korea is actively violated Articles 11 through 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The articles outline that "Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty," "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence," "Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution."

Sources

Escaping North Korea in Search of Freedom

How I escaped horrors of life under Kim Jong il

Ferguson a use of Lethal Force

A memorial to Micheal Brown (x)

On August 9th, two young men were walking the streets of suburban Ferguson, Missouri when they were approached by officer Darren Wilson. The moments following this meeting led to the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Brown, a black high school graduate, was shot by white Ferguson police officer Wilson. Circumstances of the shooting have been debated but ultimately Brown was hit by seven bullets from the front and seemingly was kneeling with his hands raised after the first blow to his back, calling out "I don't have a gun. Stop shooting!" Protests and riots erupted in Ferguson after the news of Michael’s death was released and upon knowledge that Brown's body was left for four hours on the busy street. The controversy continued with St. Louis' brutal and militarized response to the civil disobedience, involving tear-gas, excessive physical force and many arrests. Indignation was again induced after the anticipated announcement of Wilson's grand jury hearing. Wilson was not indicted and would face no charges, despite a clear usage of illegal lethal force and instances of tampering with evidence. This instance has rocked the nation and the world, inciting a conversation on race and police brutality in America. Currently, the FBI is looking into civil rights charges against Wilson and an assessment of the Ferguson Police Department.

The lack of an indictment, though deeply disappointing and infuriating, is not much of a surprise considering the astounding lack of retribution for police personnel. Data on fatalities by police force is inadequate and not federally regulated. An LA Times study of 2005 found that in the force only "3 out of 314 cases of alleged excessive force in the prior four years led to criminal charges." It's also a sad fact that black American men are much more likely to be killed during police interactions, for ProPublica reported that “The 1,217 deadly police shootings from 2010 to 2012 captured in the federal data show that blacks, age 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per million, while just 1.47 per million white males in that age range died at the hands of police." 

Darren Wilson has violated the 10th Article within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which reads: "Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him." Brown committed no crime and was not given an opportunity to defend himself in a court of law for Wilson instigated his own version of the death penalty. 

Sources

Police Are Almost Never Indicted

What we known about Michael Brown's shooting

Ferguson Grand Jury Does Not Charge Darren Wilson

Black teens 21 times more likely to be shot by the cops

Indonesian Police's Discriminatory Tests

A cadet telling her application tale (x)

Female police cadets in Indonesia must jump through the standard hoops of becoming an official officer, but unlike their male counterparts they must pass a particularly unscrupulous margin. Applicants report having to undergo a painful virginity test in order to be placed on the force. Indonesia's Chief Police Regulation No. 5/2009 requires that all women in training must first fulfill an “obstetrics and gynecology” exam to gauge their physical health. In 2010, the head of police personnel decreed that virginity testing would be abolished but this prerequisite is still mentioned on the official police recruitment site, and policewomen widely report having had to withstand the traumatic test.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has been ratified by Indonesia, states that “virginity tests" are "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." The ICCPR  denounces this practice so as “to protect both the dignity and the physical and mental integrity of the individual.” It can also be said of this practice that "Because men are not subjected to virginity testing, the practice constitutes discrimination against women as it has the effect or purpose of denying women on a basis of equality with men the right to work as police officers." These notions resemble those in Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that finds "Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment," and is augmented by the caveat in Article 2 which states that "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as...sex."

Sources

Indonesia: Virginity Tests for Female Police

Tanzania to evict the Masai

Two Masai members herding cattle (x)

It was last spring that Prime Minister of Tanzania Mizengo Pinda was able to dismiss a proposal that limited pasture of the native Masai people. Unfortunately, officials are once again attempting to instate this harmful policy. If the proposal is approved a piece of land bordering the Serengeti national park will be utilized as a “wildlife corridor.” The 1,500 sq km area will be sold to the Ortelo Business Corporation and be used for safaris and commercial hunting. The corridor falls on the Loliondo district and local people estimate it will "directly or indirectly affect the livelihoods of 80,000 people" and surely evict 30,000. These people being the Masai whose pastoral and nomadic life will be compromised if they lose this essential grazing land. Tanzanian government asks the Masai to be out before the year's end and has offered compensation of 1 billion shillings to be funneled into socio-economic development projects. There is no payback for the destruction of ancestral heritage, particularly of a people where 90% rely on cattle for an income that allows them to afford food, clothes, and school fees. Masai members who partake in this anti-corridor activism have reported threats to their life by potential government personnel. 

The Tanzanian government is in clear violation of the rights of it's people. Looking to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it is evident that Article 17 has been overlooked for it states that "Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others" and "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property." 

Sources

Tanzania accused of backtracking

Will Tanzania sell Masai homelands?

Ensuring Marriage Equality

The World's Worst Places to Be Gay (x)

Takepart has created the above info-graphic outlining the "World's Worst Places to Be Gay." Of 196 nations on the planet, 79 have deemed homosexuality illegal. The scope of how states treat same-gender relations is varied. Some governments posses laws that are discriminatory and limiting whereas other nation's policies can seriously endanger their LGBT citizens. The map depicts four types of treatments by the state and these include: "Red: Countries where homosexuality can lead to imprisonment," "Yellow: Countries where there are some anti-gay laws that don't allow same-sex marriage," "Green: Countries that have a type of legal marriage, union or partnership. In some places it's recognize but not performed" and "Countries where same-sex marriage is legal." A red nation would be Nigeria for in some regions a person who is found to engage in same-sex relations can be stoned to death. A less extreme version of this queerphobic injustice would be in a yellow nation like Chile where civil unions are accepted but same-sex couples cannot adopt children or in the green area of the United States where some states don't recognize same-sex marriages and couples can't receive tax benefits.  Takepart quotes Kaleidoscope Trust's Alistair Stewart who finds “The struggle for even basic human rights for LGBT people—freedom of association, freedom from violence—becomes harder to achieve when the opponents can point to something like gay marriage…and make the argument that ‘if we give these people even the most basic of human rights, next they’ll be asking to get married in our churches."

 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights indirectly addresses queer individuals in Articles 2 and 16 which state "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind" and "Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution."

Sources

The World's Worst Places to Be Gay

Burkina Faso: Power to the People

Burkina Faso residents march through Ouagadouga with spatulas (x)

Blaise Compaore had been President of Burkina Faso for nearly 27 years when the former military leader decided to extend him term. Residents of the African nation took to the streets of Ouagadougou, the capital, to defy this potential parliamentary measure. The unrest was violent and involved protesting at governmental edifices, setting fire to parliament and ransacking local television. Parliament dissolved on Thursday, October 30th and Compaore resigned. Under marital law Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida took power, despite backlash from citizens. Burkina Faso is now facing pressure to return to civilian rule or face sanctions by the African Union and other Western allies. A charter was created that outlines a 90-member parliament, and proposes a special college to elect a transitional president. Talks between Zida and opposition leaders produced this interim government whereas military officials and Compaore's political allies were not permitted to take part. Presidential and legislative elections are expected to take place in 2015.

 This shake up of Burkina Faso governance is demonstrative of Article 21 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 21 outlines the tenets of civilian rule such as "Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives," and "The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."

Sources

Protests force out Burkina president

Burkina Faso talks

Children in Poverty Increases

UNICEF's Report Card Banner (x)

UNICEF, the branch of the United Nations concerned with the welfare of children, released a report October 28th relating to child poverty. The press release, an Innocenti Report entitled "Card 12, Children of the Recession," found that since 2008 more than 2.6 million children entered poverty than left poverty. Researchers looked at levels of child poverty and the population of NEET (not in education, employment or training) children ages 15 to 24. Fourty one countries were ranked and "a majority...pivoted sharply from budget stimulus to budget cuts, with negative impact on children." UNICEF faults a decrease in household income and a lack of social protection policies during the Great Recession for this rise in impoverished youth.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights illustrates the necessity to prevent unfortunate trends such as this. The statement attests that "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services" and contends that "Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance."

Sources
Unicef Press Release