Child Labor in Gold Mines in Mali

The Human Rights Watch reported on April, 18, 2013 that the Malian government should take immediate action to address child labor in mining. The Human Rights Watch is said to have published an in-depth report on the issue in December 2011 but authorities have been denying these incidents ever since. The field research was conducted in artisanal gold mines in Kenieba and Kolondieba circles in which they interviewed more than 150 people. Children between the ages of 6 and 17 is said to have done work such as; digging pits, worked underground in unstable mines, carried and crushed heavy ore, and used toxic mercury to extract gold. In the research carried out there was also photographic evidence that showed the children working in these mines but officials from the ministries of Mining questioned these evidence. The Human Rights Watch is said to not be the only organization that have document the issue of child labor in Mali’s gold mines.

            This child labor issue is a direct violation of Human rights and therefore has put a lot of pressure on the government of Mali to do something about this issue. Child labor seems to be major issue in many develop countries and there have been  many groups that have tried to put an end to it but, this issue still exist in these countries. This issue may never end because of the many factors that influence these situation but, the Human Rights Watch is calling attention to this issue in the hope of putting an end to it.  

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/18/mali-end-child-labor-gold-mines 

"Hamas failing to investigate the slaying of seven Palestinians who were dragged through the streets of Gaza"

In November, 2012 the corpse of Ribhi Badawi was dragged through the streets of Gaza City by a motorcycle as Hamas gunmen fired into the air. It was a story that shocked the world, his crime was said to be collaborating with Israel to pinpoint Hamas targets but the charge wasn’t true. Badawi, 37, had spent the last four years in a Hamas prison under armed guard. He was tortured for seven months into confessing that he was working for Israel. Badawi’s wife told the news that they burned (him) and broke his jaw and teeth. It was also said that he was hanged for 45 days by his arms and legs to make him confess. She says that she currently has a diary that her husband wrote detailing all the things that they did to him while in custody.

 Human Rights Watch says Gaza authorities have done nothing to address the murders. No investigations have been carried out in regards to this particular incident and therefore have raised a lot of concern about how the Justice system works in Gaza. These types of incidents seem to be occurring more often without anyone being held accountable for them or without any kind of justifiable process.

These types of incidents are not uncommon in parts of the Middle East but it does gain international attention when they occur and the Human rights group believes that there should be something done about it. This kind of action is a violation of human’s right and therefore needs to be address. 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/human-rights-watch-slams-hamas-rulers-failing-investigate-slaying-palestinians-article-1.1313708 

1:47PM, 4/12/2013, Sandrene Nelson

Gender Segregation Now Mandatory in Gaza Schools

As reported by the Associated Press on April 2, 2013, Gaza boys and girls in middle and high school will be breaking the law if they study side by side. A new legislation put in place mandates gender segregation in schools from age nine. This type of rule might seem harsh to majority of the Western world but is not unusual in parts of the Arab and Muslim world. Hamas has been running Gaza since its violent takeover of the crowded coastal territory in 2007. This government has issued a series of rules such as restricting women or requiring them to cover up in the traditional Islamic dress of long robes and headscarves. The Center for Women's Legal Research and Consulting says that “The bill is based on a culture of discrimination against women, by reinforcing gender separation which takes our society back to ancient times when there was no respect for women's rights and women were eliminated from public life”. The new law that was approved on Monday will have major effects on four private schools that have boys and girls studying together into middle or high school; this includes three Christian-run schools and the American International School, with a total enrollment of 3,500.

            To think about this might seem ridiculous to us as Americans because we are so used to being surrounded by both boys and girls in a school setting. This type of rule all goes back to fact that women are treated as minorities in those societies. I consider myself very fortunate to have the choice to decide who I want to study with. 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/gender-segregation-now-mandatory-gaza-schools-18864343#.UVuisVdq6So 

1:15am, 4/5/2013, Sandrene Nelson. 

Homosexuality prosecutions in Cameroon

Cameroon, a country that is said has strong laws against Homosexuality have been in the news lately because these cases have said to become a bigger issue. The Human Rights Watch found that at least 28 people have been prosecuted for same-sex conduct in Cameroon since 2010. Most of these cases are said to be a violation of one’s human rights which includes; torture, forced confessions, denial of access to legal counsel, and discriminatory treatment by law enforcement and judicial officials. Cameroon’s penal code punishes “sexual relations between persons of the same sex” for up to five years in prison. Another shocking issue to most of these cases is the fact that individuals are convicted based on little or no evidence at all. Most Cameroonians face jail tome solely because they are suspected of being gay or lesbian. In one particular case, two young transgender people in Yaoundé were arrested, a judge said their choice of alcoholic beverage – Bailey’s liqueur, which the judge regarded as a “woman’s drink”, constituted proof of their homosexuality. Cameroon which is a member of the Commonwealth, penal code is said to be a violation of international human rights. Alice Nkom, president of Alternatives-Cameron, Association for the Defense of Gays and Lesbians (ADEFHO) says that the government and courts need to recognize that when it comes to Cameroon’s international human rights commitments, they cannot pick and choose on the basis of personal biases.

            Cameroon is just one of many countries that strongly oppose same sex marriages and as Americans we should be thankful for the type of country we live in. As we have seen in lessons that we have covered earlier, homosexuality is something that is becoming more accepting to most Americans but in other countries it is not tolerated by any means. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/cameroon-gay-suspects-torture-report_n_2926160.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/03/21/cameroon-rights-abuses-homosexuality-prosecutions.

1:54Pm, 3/22/2013, Sandrene Nelson