communications, Author at Franciscans International

On June 14, on the side of the 35th session of the Human Rights Council, Franciscans International – represented by its Advocacy Deputy Director, Mr Budi Tjahjono-the Geneva Climate Change Consultation Group (GeCCco) and other organisations held an event discussing the impact of climate change on the rights of the child.

Within this context, Mr Benjamin Schachter, a Human Rights Officer with the Office of The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) presented a study focusing on the relationship between climate change and the enjoyment of the rights of the child.

The Analytical Study, commissioned by the Human Rights Council Resolution 32/33, found that “Children are disproportionately impacted by climate change due to their unique metabolism, physiology and developmental needs”. It also highlighted how “the negative impacts of climate change, including the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, changing precipitation patterns, food and water shortages, and the increased transmission of communicable diseases, threaten the enjoyment by children of their rights to health, life, food, water and sanitation, education, housing, culture, and development, among others”.

As for other categories of people, climate change heightens existing social and economic inequalities especially for those more vulnerable-like young children, children on the move, alone, ill or with disabilities.

The study also put forward some recommendations. For example, it suggested to ensure that children’s rights considerations are integrated in climate, disaster risk reduction and development policies and actions, as well as to empower children to participate in climate policymaking. The recommendations also pointed out the need to collect disaggregated data on climate change and children’s rights, and to mobilise adequate resources to fund effective climate action and remedies that benefit children.

Ms Mirela Shuteriqi, Communications Specialist at UNICEF Office in Geneva, showed her support for the study and findings stressing the duty we have, as international community, to address this issue. She also highlighted several UNICEF projects, such as in Zambia, where youth engagement was effectively supported and 200 children acted as climate change ambassadors.

Mr Sébastien Duyck, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), also concurred with the findings highlighting the overall lack of discussion on the topic at the UNFCCC level and urged states to increase their ambition in terms of mitigation action.

Mr Yves Lador, representative of Earthjustice in Geneva, concluded the debate underscoring the importance of a truly holistic approach in dealing with climate-related issues.

Indigenous peoples and groups worldwide are experiencing violent human rights violations. They are being increasingly marginalised as land is being taken away from them and their access to basic rights such as health and education is shrinking. Many of them are being excluded from participating in policy decisions that affect them, thus deprived from their rights to free, prior and informed consent. At the core of these violations against indigenous peoples is the denial of self-determination, which has been acknowledged as essential to the exercise of all other human rights.

Every year, the United Nations holds the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which offers indigenous peoples and groups the opportunity to voice their concerns with member states. This year’s forum, “Indigenous Peoples: Conflict, Peace, and Resolution,” held from May 9-20, addressed the participation of indigenous people representatives and institutions in UN meetings in which issues that affect them are being discussed.

On the second day of the Foum, May 10th, speakers gathered to take stock of progress made in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In this context, Franciscans International, Vivat International, and Passionists International delivered an oral statement, noting that mining activities in Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines had not only been destructive for the environment, but had also marginalized and excluded indigenous peoples from their territories. Furthermore, land-grabbing had allowed for the massive expansion of palm oil plantations in Borneo and West Papua, Indonesia, both by transnational and national corporations through concessions provided by national and local governments, in violation of the right to free, prior and informed consent. The statement also highlighted the violation of the human rights of activists, environmentalists and human rights defenders who had been targeted and subjected to intimidation.

Many other participants pointed to government and business actions that had resulted in the plundering and destruction of natural resources. Speakers urged the Forum to monitor and ensure the implementation of the Declaration and called on governments to repeal oppressive laws and practices that encroached on the fundamental rights of indigenous communities and peoples.

The lack of respect for the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers, and indigenous people in Thailand remains concerning. The country is now recognised as a global centre for human trafficking: it is a country of destination, origin, or transition for many men, women, and children, many of whom are subjected to forced labour. An estimated 450,000 stateless people live in its territory, including many Rohingya people, who have fled persecution in Myanmar.

Thailand was reviewed on May 11th 2016, by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), in Geneva. This was Thailand’s second UPR review. In collaboration with the Marist International Solidarity Foundation (FMSI), Franciscans International (FI) prepared a joint submission, based on information shared by human rights defenders in the country with whom FI and FMSI partner regularly. The report highlighted key human rights violations with regards to asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers, indigenous peoples, minorities, and victims of trafficking.

In addition to preparing the submission, FI joined partners in hosting a conference at the United Nations during which members of Thai civil society were able to give first hand information about the violence and lack of protection suffered from human rights defenders. They shared stories of disappearances and killings of human rights defenders with no real investigation from the authorities, forced evictions of indigenous people living in forests, and growing harassment of those who express disagreement with the government. Panelists noted that more than ten countries called for Thailand to ensure concrete measures to protect human rights defenders; and underlined the importance for Thai authorities to ensure the implementation of these measures.

Participants of the conference released a statement reflecting on the UPR and making further recommendations for the Thai government regarding the implementation of measures to protect human rights defenders.

People with albinism face particularly difficult stigma in Tanzania, as local beliefs have cemented the perception that they are unnatural or cursed individuals. They are rejected by their families, avoided by their peers, and discriminated against, from school yards to court rooms. In many cases, people with albinism have suffered violent mutilations at the hands of traditional leaders who lead people to believe this puts an end to their “magical properties.” Although the Tanzanian government has taken action to put an end to such violence, ritual killings continue, highlighting that more robust measures need to be taken in terms of protecting the victims and persecuting the perpetrators.

Franciscans International (FI) and partners Edmund Rice International and the Marist International Solidarity Foundation, used the process of Tanzania’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on May 9, 2016 to document and share the alarming information about the plight of people with albinism, and propose recommendations to the government, in a joint submission.

The submission also addresses continuing difficulties for marginalised populations to access quality education, high infant and maternal mortality rates, and concerning issues around child labour and the sexual abuse of children. FI has been working with partners in Tanzania since the country’s first UPR in 2012, monitoring the implementation of the recommendations accepted by the Government, and preparing for the second UPR by lobbying member states and gathering information for the submission. In July 2015, FI and partners organised a national consultation in Arusha, to share information and organise for the UPR.

Several official recommendations were made to the Tanzanian delegation at the UPR session, around education, health, and child labour, reflecting FI and partners’ concerns. A remarkable 27 recommendations were made around the issue of albinism and harmful practices, indicating global concern over the plight of this population in Tanzania. FI and its partners in the country will continue monitoring how the Government implements these recommendations, and will be working with local human rights defenders to keep the government accountable to its commitments.

The International Board of Directors of Franciscans International (FI) held its semi-annual meeting at the Geneva office of FI from April 22-25, 2016.

Joe Rozansky, OFM, was elected as the new President of the Board. In September 2015, he finished up ten years in Rome as the director of the OFM Office of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC); while there he also worked closely with Romans VI, the JPIC group of the Franciscan Family. He has now returned to work in the Formation Program of his province, to which he has dedicated many years of his ministry. Joe succeeds Doug Clorey, the previous representative of the the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) on the Board, who just completed his four year term as President of the Board.

Ruth Marcus, the newly appointed representative of the OFS, a lawyer from Malaysia, was welcomed to the Board, and Carla Casadei was voted to continue her service as Treasurer.

The Board bid farewell to two FI staff members: Francesca Restifo who was the Director of Advocacy (stationed in Geneva) and Amanda Lyons who was the Program Coordinator for the Americas Program (stationed in New York). It welcomed the new Director of Advocacy, Sandra Ratjen who recently began her responsibilities at FI.

The President’s report spoke of the evaluation process underway to establish a sense of the current status of the organization in view of planning for the future. The present financial stability of FI allows for the possibility of taking a long term view of its activities and the possibilities for the coming years. Two areas discussed were the possible redefinition of the presence of Franciscans International in New York and the establishment of an Advisory Group of Franciscans interested in the promotion of human rights issues at the United Nations.

Papua New Guinea’s Court has ruled the detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island to be illegal, and ordered the PNG and Australian Governments to take steps immediately to end their detention in PNG.

Franciscans International has been actively advocating for Australia to close Manus Island’s migrant detention centre for the past two years, highlighting cases of human rights violations in the Centre, and inviting partners to repeatedly share their testimonies with the Human Rights Council.

Read the ABC article here.

Image: Manus Island Detention Centre © Green MPs, Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

“We need to wake up to the realities that are not always discussed in the main rooms of the Human Rights Council, “ urged Mr Adrien Zoller of Geneva for Human Rights and Global Training, referring to gross human rights violations perpetrated by States towards minority populations and indigenous people in their territory. Mr Zoller was moderating a panel discussion about on-going discrimination and state-supported violence against ethnic minorities in Asia.

Franciscans International (FI) and several partner NGOs hosted the discussion on March 15th at the UN, as a side event to the Human Rights Council, to give leading advocates and human rights defenders in Burma, Japan, and West Papua the opportunity to share their experience and analysis of state policies towards minorities, including indigenous peoples.

In all three countries, indigenous people and minorities have experienced arbitrary arrests and violence, including extrajudicial killings, with very limited (if any) access to justice. In Burma, for example, 600 human rights violations have been committed by the army alone, against the Kachin people in the North of the country, and not one case has been brought to justice.

In Okinawa, Japan, the local indigenous peoples’ protests against the construction of a new American military base was met with excessive force and arbitrary arrests by the Japanese State, who has never recognised their right to self-determination and stripped them of their language and culture. In West Papua, 2015 holds the record in mass arrests and cases of ill-treatment. Young Papuans are regularly shot at by police forces during peaceful protests, or tortured as political activists, even if there is no proof of political activism. Anyone who criticises the government – indigenous journalists specifically – becomes a target for military violence. Cases are rarely investigated or brought to justice.

The panellists agreed that governments should be pressured to putting an end to aggressive and violent measures against their minorities and indigenous peoples, and that close UN-monitoring of each of the three countries should continue.

Active for years in advocacy for human rights in West Papua, FI considers the debate as a further opportunity to expose the case of West Papua to the international community and policy makers present for the Human Rights Council. The event allowed indigenous voices to be heard at the UN, empowering grassroots advocates to share their experience and first hand information at international level, where the reality of human rights violations is not always presented so explicitly.

Despite recent efforts by the UN and the African Union to deal with the sociopolitical upheavals and violence following the 2015 electoral process in Burundi, the human rights and humanitarian situation in the country remains a great source of concern. Armed groups with external backing are threatening sociopolitical security, and arbitrary detentions, torture, and killings continue to be reported daily. So far, 250 000 people have fled the country.

On March 16th, 2016, Franciscans International joined Dominicans for Justice and Peace, Caritas Internationalis, and the World Evangelical Alliance to host a debate at the UN that explored the root causes of the present situation of violence. The panelists, including Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, attempted to explain the situation, all the while identifying key ways in which the international community could support UN monitoring and recommendations, engage in effective and inclusive processes of mediation, and put in place a protection mechanism to ensure the security of the population.

The panelists noted that Burundi had shown several warning signs of the impending crisis, but that the international community had not been quick enough to respond. They also pointed to the lack of trust and real dialogue between government and opposition. Fr Emmanuel Ntakarutimana OP, former chair of Burundi’s National Independent Human Rights Commission noted that economic and social rights had been somewhat set aside in favor of civil and political rights, causing general dissatisfaction and hopelessness among young people who are concerned about their future, leading them to violent political parties.

Panelists, echoed by interventions from the floor, called for an increase of external observers and mediators to permit a more inclusive dialogue between factions in Burundi. They asked for the UN to strengthen the monitoring of the country, including giving support to the National Human Rights Commission, and to create mechanisms that reassure the population. The debate ended in urging the Human Rights Council to keep Burundi as a priority on its agenda in order for peace to make its way back to the country, and to allow the large number of refugees, including many journalists, to return to the country in safety.

Mohammad Ali Baqiri fled Taliban rule in Afghanistan with his brother’s family when he was just ten years old, leaving his parents behind. He came to Australia in 2001 by boat from Indonesia, where he spent three years in Australia’s detention center on Nauru. At that time, all incoming asylum seekers arriving by boat were to be detained in offshore centres while they waited for their application for refugee status to be processed. Although the detention centers closed down between 2008 and 2012, they have now reopened and are still in use at this date.

In the Nauru detention center, Mohammad was exposed to several acts of violence and abuse, as he witnessed how Australia’s offshore detention system brought people to hopelessness and acts of self-harm. Many Afghani detainees on Nauru ended up following the Australian government’s urge to go back to their country and were later killed by the Taliban. Those who are still alive are repeating their journey, twelve years later, waiting for a boat in Indonesia to take them to Australia.
When Mohammad was finally granted a visa, he was placed directly in 8th grade, with no special English classes to help him. He had to learn English and face the mockery and racism of his peers.

Today, Mohammad is 24 and finishing up his law and business degrees at university in Australia. He is using his experience to be a voice for asylum seekers and refugees everywhere, insisting that seeking asylum is a right and not a crime, explaining that people flee their homes out of desperation, not out of choice. Mohammad is seeking to shed light on the inhumane conditions in detention centers, stating that no child should ever go through what he went through.

Mohammad addressed the UN in Geneva on Tuesday, March 15th, in a side event to the Human Rights Council, telling his story, and urging the Australian government to comply with its international human rights obligations, to close its detention centers, and to put an end to the business deals that are currently financing the centers. The event, that also featured first hand information about the current situation of women in detention, was organized by Franciscans International, Edmund Rice International, Destination Justice, and ChilOut, a long-time partner of FI that advocates for the rights of children in migration detention.

The current economic and development model encourages a food system dominated by agri-business; a system which exploits people, natural resources and exacerbates social and gender inequalities. Local communities are displaced, workers are exploited, rural populations are forced to move to the city as they are faced with unpunished land-grabbing. While States rely increasingly on foreign investment and transnational corporations, they are becoming less inclined to comply with their human rights obligations, leading to unregulated and unsustainable development projects. Coupled with cultural patriarchal practices, this economic model works against women’s equal enjoyment of their rights, and often condemns them to violence. To overcome these structural barriers and violence, women are organizing and advocating for their rights, including the right to food and nutrition, at diverse levels and in all regions of the world.

On March 8, 2016, on International Woman’s Day, Franciscans International (FI) joined a group of NGOs and civil society partners, including FIAN (Food First Information Action and Network), in creating a space at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to give visibility to specific violations related to the right to adequate food and nutrition. A panel of women’s rights activists from social movements around the world and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food shared the struggles they’ve encountered in accessing adequate food.

From appalling work conditions for women workers in tea plantations in India, to desperate migration in Togo where phosphate mining and land grabbing have displaced entire communities; from the invisibility of women peasants’ work in Spain, to under-nutrition and healthcare discrimination in Guatemala, these women’s stories illustrated not only the gross inequalities that women suffer from, but also the need for greater accountability from States and from transnational corporations to uphold women’s human rights.

The women’s stories also underlined the interconnections between the right to food and women’s rights. For example, women are often reduced to being families’ main providers of food security and nutrition, based on stereotypes about gender roles. This often results in stark inequalities in access to productive resources and to economic opportunities. But women are much more than mere providers of food, and their rights are key in addressing the right to food. “Women, whether they are peasants, plantation workers, fishers, pastoralists or indigenous, are already challenging the dominant economic and development model and risking their lives to claim their rights,” noted FIAN’s Secretary General, commenting on International Women’s Day.

The testimonies of these women echo and strengthen FI in its continued efforts to call for a legally-binding treaty on business and human rights. One of our most basic rights – the right to adequate food, especially for women – is threatened daily by today’s global economic system. States and transnational corporations must be held legally accountable for protecting communities’ most basic rights.