North Korea's Human Rights Violations

Rebecca Hauser/human rights/Feb. 1. 2008 12:15am/Current event blog

North Korea has been accused again of inhumane practices. A U.N. special reporter has been updating the world on this issue for quite some time. North Korea is a well known communist country with very strict laws. However, some laws are more enforced than others. There is a national law against permitting torture, yet this is exactly what is seen throughout the country everyday. Public executions are becoming a very common tool used to help scare and intimidate the masses. Along with this, the conditions in the prisons are beyond unlivable and the oppression on the dissidents is getting worse. When native people try to escape the country and then sent back, they are imprisoned, tortured, and executed.

This situation is beyond grave. Human rights in North Korea have been in questions for many years now. After all this time, no improvement has been seen. Instead of addressing the true problems and funding the solution adequately, the government’s money is being allocated to the military and elite. This, to me, is a prime example of the “haves” vs. “have nots.” The heads of the country and elitists have more than they will ever need and continue to spend money on things that are far from necessary. Meanwhile, the “regular” people of the country are encountering problems that are so overwhelming, that many are not able to survive.

While I believe that many people are aware of the situation in North Korea, I do not feel that enough of the world knows! If they did, how could this possibly still be going on? I do not think that it is the place of the United States to butt in and take control, I do feel that something should be done. But by who? This I am unsure of.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/WireStory?id=4153370@page=1