Manitoba's Menacing Mental Illnesses--No, but really?

Human rights issues apparently aren’t just strictly defined to brutal regimes and poorly developing nations. In Manitoba, Canada, there have been people with intellectual and stimuli disabilities being holed away in institutions like prisoners rather than being allowed to be in the open and free society, like “normal” people.  People with mental disabilities have long been feared as if it were some sort of contagious leprosy rather than something to be dealt with delicately, and Manitoba has proved to be no different.

However, with human rights groups and activists filing a complaint on behalf of those who were institutionalized rather than familiarized with outer society in 2006, the pressure has been growing more and more on these sorts of institutions. This particular article claims that the decision is part of a mediated settlement between the province and “Community Living Manitoba”, which is a group that has fought to have the institution closed and filed a complaint with the province's human rights commission.

“We didn't close it, but we have started getting people out, and eventually, what the building is used for will change,” said Rose Flaig, the group's executive director. “We're about community living and there is enough social science evidence that says people thrive and contribute and live better lives in the community, so we think that's where people belong.” As aforementioned, the group filed the human rights complaint in 2006, and said institutionalizing people with mental disabilities was “an affront to human dignity” and discriminatory. Some of the residents who have been in these homes have lived there for 30 or more years. While adjusting to “life on the outside” may be difficult, it may prove to be precisely what these people, and society, need. Society has always seemed to feel slightly uneasy around those who are not “normal”, and most claim they do not know how to act. Closing down these institutions would force more interaction and narrow the gap between the supposed “differences” these Canadians have.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/manitoba-settles-human-rights-case-on-intellectual-disabilities/article2249798/

Cuba: Human Rights violations, but did US force that?

“Cuba is one of the few remaining communist nations in the world”, writes Polymic, a global news and politics source. The United States has had a larger impact on Cuba than they ever thought possible, ranging from economic sanctions to human rights issues. Since the USA placed sanctions on economic trade, this forced Cuba into strict authoritarian rule and they continued to crack down on their people as rights became more and more limited.
“Within the past year, Castro has passed two new laws that allow Cubans to make transactions of their own free will without government interference. To create jobs and wealth, the government permitted people to open small businesses in March. But Cubans had no money to start businesses and buy supplies. So the government granted citizens and permanent residents even greater rights. They could buy and sell private property, bequeath property to relatives without restriction, and avoid forfeiting their homes if they abandon the country. Despite implementing two major reforms to liberalize the economy, these policies will not lead to civil and political freedoms.” Not only are people in need of a new lease on life, they are not being entitled any human rights whatsoever. They receive the most basic essentials via rations, and very basic and poor healthcare. There is no room for dreams, creativity, or individuality to flourish, and there is a good chance that Cuba and America will continue to have tension over such issues for quite some time. However, since America placed these sanctions on Cuba, it shouldn’t really come as a shock to anyone that they are hesitant to lift restrictions and work cooperatively with such a “gun-shy” country, if you will. 

http://www.policymic.com/articles/2462/cuba-needs-to-focus-on-human-rights-more-than-economic-freedoms

Clinton Challenges Tibetan Treatment

China is quickly becoming a world superpower and one to be contended with. Everyone knows this and is coming to terms with it, as well as figuring out how to deal with it properly as the U.S. needs to accept they are not “top dog” anymore. However, when concerning human rights and the questionable lack thereof, it is nice to know Hillary Clinton is on top of things. Yesterday, Clinton spoke in front of the Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, with concern for the way Tibetans are being treated and the random disappearances that seem to happening all across China. Things are not progressing as far as human rights are concerned, and though we are a global community that is constantly intertwining and relating to one another, there needs to be dissent where dissent is warranted. The Taiwan News reported that “Clinton said the U.S. was ‘alarmed by recent incidents in Tibet of young people lighting themselves on fire in desperate acts of protest, as well as the continued house arrest of the Chinese lawyer Chen Guang-cheng.”

There appears to be a theme here, right? There is a large social issue, acknowledged widely by the Chinese population, that something needs to be done concerning human rights and the treatment of Tibetans. Monks and nuns have died in alarming numbers in the recent months, many of whom have claimed their lives in distress and dismay at the current situation. However, the Chinese government is obviously on the defense and claims that they are only out to protect “the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese citizens.”

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1755966

Catholic University being Sued over Muslim rights

It is difficult to draw the line sometimes. It can be blurred, the limitations can be vague, and the question can be, well, questionable. This is the case recently as a professor at George Washington University is up in arms over the potential threat to the Muslim community at the University. The Washington Post stated, of the university,

 “While the school has an official group for Jewish law students, a Muslim undergraduate profiled in a Washington Post article last year said he was told that he could not create a group dedicated to Muslim worship.”

GWU is a Catholic based University located in Washington, D.C., a highly diverse and multicultural area of the United States. Professor John Banzhaf is also Muslim, and claims that there are blatant abuses of Human Rights in the way of worship at this institution. However, as he has filed dozen of Human Rights complaints before, and there are no real complaints from any of the students in the Muslim community of oppression at GWU, everyone is having a difficult time deciphering the validity of this professor’s claims. This brings up the question of whether or not the professor’s claims should be taken into account, as it is not seen as a social problem due to not being a forefront issue for a majority of the population, or even the Muslim population for that matter. Robert Tuttle, another professor, has his concentration is in the separation of church and state. Tuttle stated that “Banzhaf’s complaints were not likely to be successful if it’s read the way other courts have read other human right’s exemptions”. Although one may rally for the change, it seems to take far more than one to make it an issue to be reckoned with.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/cu-sued-over-muslim-worship/2011/10/27/gIQAidsMNM_story.html

Down With Gadhafi: But at Who's Hands?

Would the people of Libya rather see their former brutal dictator in the courts, or would they rather have him murdered with no chance of reprieve? This answer is irrelevant now, as Moammar Gadhafi is now dead. He was murdered Thursday as rebellion leaders stormed the 42-year long ruler’s hometown of Sirte. U.N. officials claim that this needs to be further investigated, however, because it is uncertain as to whether or not Gadhafi was murdered during the capture or afterwards. There were cell phone videos taken of the bloodied and beaten Gadhafi, and Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called them both “very disturbing”. The Washington Post states that the U.N. Human Rights Council established an independent panel earlier this year to investigate abuses in Libya, and Colville said it would likely examine the circumstances of the 69-year-old leader’s death. The question at hand truly deals with the legal aspect of the murder, regardless of how destitute and ruthless Gadhafi’s regime was.
Colville claims that “you can’t just chuck law out of the window”, and also that “Killing someone outside a judicial procedure, even in countries where there is the death penalty, is outside the rule of law”. Although Gadhafi was the indirect murderer of countless lives, the U.N. still seems to feel he deserved to go to trial, as that very basic idea of having the right to a fair trial still stands, regardless of a person’s moral composure. From a sociological perspective, this poses a serious threat to the idea that human rights has validity. If someone’s life can be taken at the hands of a group, expecting no repercussions, many things become “fair game”, so to speak. I feel Gadhafi fully deserved to be punished to the fullest, but perhaps after the people of Libya were given their “cathartic trial”, where many of them could have been given the chance to speak when they had been forced to be silent for so long.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/un-rights-office-urges-probe-into-death-of-libyas-gadhafi/2011/10/21/gIQAnW9i2L_story.html

Filipino Rebel Children: Falsified and Fabricated

What happens when humans are used as ammunition, whether to gain leverage politically or otherwise? This is precisely what happened to a number of Filipino children this past week, as their own government tagged them as rebels. “Human Rights Watch said it had investigated three of six cases involving 12 children and found evidence the military fabricated accounts of their involvement with the rebels”, said Asian HRW deputy director Elaine Pearson. Not only is this defacing upon the children’s families and reputations, but also shatters the idea that they have any rights at all when their government is using them to propel themselves to a higher status of power. These children were no child warriors, and in fact were supposed to be in the hands of social welfare services. Not only does this raise questions about the goings-on with child soldiering in underdeveloped areas like this, but it also makes one wonder how much information like this is being falsified. Also, does a great enough percentage of the Filipino people find this to be a social problem, and what options are there for them to correct the atrocities that could be happening under their noses? Human Rights Watch is calling the Philippine government out, saying that “there should be an end put to these despicable practices, and the officers involved should be heavily investigated”. When a country is torn by war and insurgency, it proves difficult to decipher the truth about the way people are being treated, or even what their thoughts and opinions are on these issues. Regardless, the fabrication of these children being soldiers is not only a sign of clear abuse, but of unrest within the government as well, which should be causing deep and grave concern for everyone, indeed making this a very large social problem.




http://arabnews.com/world/article516766.ece

Remembering Anna: Russia's Struggle with Free Speech Continues

Basic human rights are often taken for granted, such as the right to education, shelter, and freedom from persecution. However, what happens when those rights become more complex, such as freedom of the press, and a person’s right to have their opinion and not have to pay for it too. Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist and human rights activist, was mysteriously murdered this week five years ago. As people all over Europe were commemorating and mourning this tragic anniversary, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg was being questioned about that case, as well as about other “high-profile murder investigations and key human rights issues in Russia”. When murders are occurring because journalists are too informed and are merely trying to deliver the truth, it raises a lot of eyebrows about the stability and reliability of human rights in a place where silencing comes in the form of permanence to an activist, a writer, and a good Samaritan. Politkovskaya was thought to have been commenting on Checkyna, a republic within Russia where people are constantly being misplaced or are just vanishing altogether, and perhaps someone felt she knew too much and was sharing that information that could be detrimental to their schemes. While the Council of Europe Human Rights is consistently looking into humanitarian and human rights efforts in these areas, only so much policing can be done when there exists an air of fear and resilience that seems to be permeating everywhere in Eastern Europe.

http://www.rferl.org/content/interview_hammarberg_human_rights_russia/24352673.html

The Song of Syria: Suppressed and Silenced.

Has Syria lost all its legitimacy? Is it a regime too brutal, too far gone to be saved? According to CNN Syria is at a loss as of late, and although opposition is quickly rising up, over 3,000 lives have been lost in light of the recent government crackdowns. Sadly, this number may be much lower than the actual figure, because a lot of international journalism is restricted in many parts of this violent country. Food is scarce and water is running dry as people are frantically searching for a different answer. An answer did come to them in the form of a song, however, by Syrian American artist Malek Jandali. Jandali wrote a beautiful song called “Watani Ana” about his beloved homeland, saying nothing more than:

“I am my homeland, and my homeland is me,
The fire in my heart burns with love for you,
Oh my homeland, when will I see you free?
When the sun rises with virtue in your sky,
When the pen writes of loyalty and love,
When the land is watered with the blood
Of Martyrs and the brave,
And all people shout,
Freedom to mankind, freedom to mankind!”

These lyrics are felt universally by Syrians, Jandali told CNN, but apparently not for all. Days after he performed Watani Ana at a protest, his parents’ home was ransacked, and his 72 year-old mother and father were beaten relentlessly and told “Let this be a lesson to you. Your son needs to know how to behave, he is making fun of us.” It is widely believed this was an act by the government, expressing their contempt for the dissent Jandali was exhibiting, but the government always attributes these acts to extremist gangs. The fact that such a peaceful and optimistic song is being oppressed is both shocking and terrifying. It brings up many questions of what rights, if any, are being utilized by Syrians.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAKZ-Avn4I

Kazakhstan's Education: No Child Left Behind?

When dealing with human rights, a lot of cynical or merely apathetic
people tend to hide behind the “survival of the fittest” theory, that
the strongest and most deserving will survive, while the rest of the
unfortunate shall merely perish, and for the better of society to that
end. This makes us have to again answer the question, “What are our
most basic human rights?” Are they merely food and shelter, are they
access to medical care, to education, to freedom from any persecution?
While a lot of these questions are open ended, and subject to
perception, I am a firm believer that every person, regardless of
their strength or what they can contribute, should be given a fair
chance at survival. What they do with that chance is up to them, and
we cannot affect whether or not they pander it away or use it for
something positive and beneficial. Also, who do these burdens and
responsibilities fall upon? Is the lack of a human’s rights to things
the rest of us enjoy a social problem, or is it something left to
their own to solve? A social problem must be acknowledged as an issue
with a solution, and it must affect a lot of people. The analysis of
human rights also presents a problem for sociology, in which cultural
relativism and the fact-value distinction has largely destroyed the
classical tradition of natural-law for rights discourse. This
fundamental theory in universal rights was prominent in the works of
Marx, Durkheim and Weber. With education being one of the most crucial
things a society can do to advance, it makes sense that is should also
be an inalienable right universally. The UN recently decided to step
in in Kazakhstan, where they told officials that more emphasis needed
to be placed on education so no one is left behind, “particularly
those belonging to vulnerable groups such as persons with
disabilities, refugees or migrants.” Officials were placing much
needed stress upon the fact that, with Kazakhstan’s recent growth
economically and politically, education needed to be the next and most
important improvement for the nation, as literacy numbers are still
low and children with disabilities still have no real access to
educational programs that will enable them to progress and succeed.
Children without disabilities have only recently been integrated into
the educational system, and the UN is calling for an end to the
segregation between the handicapped and the able bodied children.
“Whenever their physical conditions permit, the integration of these
children in regular schools is crucial not only to ensure their right
to education, but also to promote their full integration into society
as a whole” said Mr. Singh,  the official reporter on the right to
education in Kazakhstan.

http://www.washingtonbanglaradio.com/content/93334511-kazakhstan-should-invest-more-education-un

September 23, 2011

LGBTI Refugees in Uganda

Uganda, where an infamously draconian “Kill the Gays” bill was

introduced in the last session of parliament, where last year a local

newspaper published the names and photos of 100 alleged homosexuals

under the headline “Hang Them”, where current law criminalizes same

sex acts, where many police officers were viewed as a source of

persecution against LGBTI persons rather than protection, where

homophobic violence is committed by civilians with perceived impunity,

where LGBTI persons are commonly discriminated against in seeking

housing as well as unemployment. This must force us to wonder why, of

all places, would gay refugees flee to Uganda as they have been as of

late? The fact that they do offers a lot of dismal information about

the fate of the LGBTI community in Eastern Africa and other parts of

the world. Refugees are at a stark lack of options, whether they are

gay or not. All refugees are victims of religious, political, or

racial persecution and have often been forced to flee their homes.

Fortunately, some attention is being paid to this situation on behalf

of the US State Department, as they have spoken out about the

“unaddressed needs” of refugees who face persecution due to their

sexual orientation or gender identity. The State Department has spoken

out on behalf of these needs for refugees, improving their access to

protection and better rights. Having been treated as subhuman for so

long, it has been overdue for the refugees of the Ugandan and Eastern

African LGBTI to be entitled to basic human rights.

www.bbc.co.uk/lgbti_uganda

 September 16, 2011

The Right to Religion: In the Wake of 9/11

I recently watched a CNN Special with Soledad O'Brien, focusing on a small town in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Upon the weekend of commemorating 9/11, I found it appropriate to watch this special that was dealing with intense opposition to the building of an Islamic mosque and community center in the small town. People were outraged that these "Muslims" were being allowed such a large plot of land to have something that should be a basic human right: the right to worship in a safe place. These Muslims had been in this community for decades, and were both neighbors and co-workers, as well as friends to the people interviewed in the special. They were the target of hate crimes, and the ignorance of these people in Murfreesboro nearly derailed the entire construction of the new Mosque.

I found the special to be both upsetting and informative. I did not realize ignorance was still so rampant in America, despite the fact that I do come from a small town where it is in abundance. I suppose that goes to show it doesn't just stop there, it extends to all races and creeds, as well as socioeconomic status, across the board. It was an awful feeling having to watch the Muslims of Murfreesboro endure so much hatred and pain, simply for wanting to practice their religion in a more conducive space. I also found it informative in the sense that, although it was difficult to watch at times, the people of Murfreesboro in opposition to the mosque were not merely stupid, they were intolerant and uninformed as well. It was a classic example of misquoting documents meant to be interpreted, not taken literally (i.e. the Constitution). People have been cowering behind the false pretense that things are "unconstitutional" for decades, which brings an interesting point to light. Our forefathers and authors of the Constitution were not clairvoyant, and had no idea the events that would be taking place in today's society. They lived in the age of the Anglo-Saxon male and the musket, and were progressive for their time in the thought that everyone should have the ability to practice religion freely. The people of Murfreesboro are hiding behind Christianity, claiming it to be the way of the United States, when it is clearly stated in the constitution that they so dearly loved to quote,

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The Muslim community of Murfreesboro is a well-established one, and has been there for decades. Why is it, that after 10 years, people are still using "Muslim" as a synonym for "Terrorist?" It is both ignorant and shameful to use these words interchangeably. Religious extremists exist in every religion, whether it is one of the "Big 3" or a smaller sect, and on the same token there are people who believe in only the good while casting out the bad. Some Muslims interpret the Sharia differently, just as the bible is open to interpretation by Christians and Jews. I, being a person without faith of any kind, find it wonderful when people use their religions for the betterment of humankind, rather than using it as a weapon against your peers and members of your communities. After all, doesn't the bible say "Thou shalt love thy neighbor"?

What kind of view of America is this perpetuating to the rest of the civilized world? Are we ready to fight over anything, or are we willing to put preconceived notions aside to work together in pursuit of a solution, rather than another problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRlqz3e9OrA

Libyan Terror Unveiled, Brings Question of Rights to Surface

Human rights can all be chalked up to perception. What do WE think is of basic necessity to every human being? Is it the right to choose who rules you by having the power to vote? Is it education, is it healthcare, is it basic food and shelter? In my opinion, every human being should be given a firm and sound foundation upon which to build success. Some people, born of privilege, begin a 100-meter race 50 meters ahead from the very beginning, while the rest of us commence from the start. Others, however, start 50 yards behind and can barely ever catch up, if they are even given the opportunity to do so. Human rights should be an issue on everyone's minds, regardless of how directly or indirectly if affects us. In Libya, American action seemed to have been far too late for many who experienced the traumatic horrors that come with a corrupt ruler in a time of turmoil.
  
 "A US-based human rights watchdog yesterday said that the Gaddafi
regime forced civilians to act as human shields, and placed children
on Libyan tanks to deter NATO airstrikes.
   Physicians for Human Rights said it had also found evidence of a
pattern of murders, rapes “disappearances” and other apparent war
crimes during an investigation in the city of Misurata in June."

This is something which we should be paying attention to. When there are helpless people, children even, being put in the way of danger, having their most basic rights infringed upon, help should be sent swiftly and without hesitation. However, one must consider the double
edged sword this presents to any nation willing to put their armed forces into harm's way for something that may not yield more than casualties for them. This is a point of contention with which I could understand the time being taken to think strategically, but if we Americans are going to boast superiority and military strength which is unparalleled, perhaps we should be focusing more on acting like a world superhero rather than a world superpower.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/human-rights-spotlight-libyas-human-rights-atrocities/2011/03/29/gIQAxZA3tJ_blog.html