The call came against a background of an apparent crackdown on Human Rights activists in China. Three UN experts, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue; and Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, El Hadji Malick Sow issued a statement expressing concern at reports that since 8 October 2010, over 20 arrests or detentions of human rights defenders, and over 120 other cases of house arrests have taken place in China.

The UN experts stressed that “this recent and alarming trend to increasingly restrict the space to exercise the right to freedom of expression and the ability of Chinese human rights defenders to carry out their peaceful and legitimate activities calls into question China’s commitments to promote and protect universal human rights.”

In her speech Ms Pillay paid tribute to human rights defenders everywhere who, despite grave risks, continue to champion the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through their ideas and deeds. She acknowledged the famous defenders, those who have become “icons”. Others, she said, “may be less famous but are not less determined and courageous.”

A number of groups were singled out for special mention – groups who through force of circumstance find themselves particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse with little or no chance of redress. These include the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples many of whom “are considered unwanted guests in their own ancestral lands”; the 200 million migrants world-wide, especially those who are undocumented and irregular who face chronic forms of discrimination; and half of the worlds population, women, who in many places still do not receive equal pay for equal work and whose rights generally continue to be restricted.

The city of Bulawayo has an estimated population of 1.5 million people. Rainfall in the previous year failed to provide adequate water volumes for the four dams that supply the city and silting of the dams has also contributed to the water supply problem.

Edmund Rice Society members from three schools persuaded others to join them in marching through the streets with banners. An estimated 150 people took part including the mayor, representatives from the municipality, students from other schools and three NGOs.

Fundraising was carried out to raise money prior to the campaign some of which which was used to provide 1000 pamphlets with water conservation tips for distribution to residents. A police escort provided safety for the students, and media coverage of the event was arranged.

In response, the City Council announced that the dams were at 39% capacity but warned that the water level in the dams would be too low to sustain the city by the end of December. It also pointed out that 1 500 litres of water is lost each day through leaking taps and announced the introduction of new fines for exceeding consumption limits, for using municipal water for construction purposes, for using a hose for washing vehicles and for using municipal water for farming.

Sustainable consumption was also the theme of an inter-schools public speaking competition involving twelve schools in Bulawayo organized by the Edmund Rice Society and followed an anti-vandalism campaign in March.

With fundraising already underway for advocacy campaigns in 2011 to continue address issues such as water and energy conservation, veld fires, albino rights, vandalism of public infrastructure and distressed children, it is clear that much is being done to conscientise students on social justice issues and engage in advocacy.

(thanks to Passmore Chingwere from St Patricks College, Bulawayo for the information for this article)

The occasion was an invitation to report on the situation of human rights in Papua New Guinea, as part of the Universal Periodic Review process run by the Human Rights Council. So, from the villages and towns of Papua New Guinea, came the stories: stories of great courage, deep compassion, creative solutions and clever training. Then the stories began to coalesce, trends and statistics emerged, and reports were written.

That was Papua New Guinea’s contribution. Then Geneva found others with stories to tell, notably the Marist Brothers in Papua New Guinea and the children in their schools – and those who could not get into school. So a joint submission was prepared and sent to the Human Rights Council, arguing that there were people in Papua New Guinea whose rights needed stronger protection and promotion.

Two countries, both straddling giant mountain ranges, in opposite hemispheres, can work very well together. When it comes down to the value and dignity of every human person, as made by God and re-created in Jesus, why wouldn’t you?

Statue in New Delhi commemorating the ‘Salt March’ led by Gandhi as part of the struggle for Indian independence

As part of the campaign to urge governments to honour their commitments to the Millennium Development Goals students from St Johns Christian Brothers College in Chandigarh (themselves from marginalised and vulnerable families) will be joining with children from similar backgrounds to cycle 300km to New Delhi to ask the Indian government to fulfill its promise to allocate 9% of its GDP to education and health.

At each overnight stop along the journey the group will be meeting with groups of vulnerable children and making a presentation about the “Nine is Mine” campaign as it is called and meetings will also be sought with local parliamentarians and village leaders.

The exercise will conclude in New Delhi with a visit to the national parliament and a rally at which children will tell their stories and well-known singers will perform.

Br Steve is hoping that young people in our schools around the world might send expressions of support and encouragement to the children who are about to embark on this journey.

See photos and follow progress of the cycle rally at http://www.nineismine.in/CycleRally

Liberia has recently emerged from a long history of instability, turmoil and conflict, including two violent civil wars. Out of a pre-war population of 3,000,000 an estimated 250,000 people were killed and as many as 1,500,000 people were displaced.

Following the signing of a peace agreement in 2003, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was successful in the 2005 democratic elections, becoming the first woman to be elected president anywhere in Africa.

In its national report presented as part of its UPR, the Liberian government indicated that it has taken a number of measures to improve the human rights of its citizens. A number of commissions have been established, the most notable of which is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which investigated human rights violations committed during the civil conflict period. Liberia is also attempting to harmonise its domestic laws with its international obligations.

Liberia recognized that it still has a long road to travel to improve the human rights situation in the country. Some of the many challenges and constraints it identified include: the lack of human rights awareness in society; high illiteracy and unemployment rates; a lack of basic infrastructure; existence of dual justice systems; existence of discriminatory laws; a culture of impunity and corruption which has led to a lack of public trust in the judiciary and law enforcement system; and inadequate financial resources to implement crucial human rights projects.

During the UPR process, several key issues were continually raised by other states. These included the high incidence of sexual and gender based violence and the need for measures to be taken to both protect the victims and prosecute the perpetrators; the elimination of the practice of female genital mutilation; strengthening law enforcement and reforming of the judicial and penitentiary systems, including training of personnel. The abolition of the death penalty was also brought up regularly. There were also recommendations to ratify various human rights conventions and to address the recommendations made by the TRC.

While the Liberian delegation accepted the majority of the recommendations made (71 out of 113 total), it deferred 41 to allow further consultation with their government and civil society. The deferred recommendations included all those made regarding female genital mutilation, the death penalty, the TRC and most calls to sign and ratify international human rights conventions. Liberia did not reject outright any recommendations.

At the conclusion of the review, the Liberian delegation called for assistance from the international community in regard to training of its law enforcement personnel, in developing human rights awareness and for treaty body reporting. It also asked for assistance in the development of a National Human Rights Action Plan for Liberia.

(thanks to Shauna Scott for the research for this article)

Signatories to the statement included the World Bank, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, UNESCO, the UN Development Programme, the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose head Ms. Navanethem Pillay led the effort.

The statement was welcomed by the Secretary-General of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) Johann Ketelers who noted that “For years – and all too much recently – even their (irregular migrants) most basic human rights have widely been denied, ignored or considered only in pieces or symptoms.”

He went on to point out the important contribution of irregular migrants to the economy as well as the individual, family and societal costs of leaving such an enormous class of people outside the law, outside protection, exposed to exploitation, abuse and expulsion.

According to Global Financial Integrity (GFI) a US based think-tank, developing countries are currently losing ten times the amount of money they receive in aid each year through activities such as bribery, theft, drug trading, tax evasion and mispricing of exports and imports.

Most of the misappropriated money finds its way into western economies.

This massive transfer of wealth out of poorer nations is the most damaging economic condition undermining poverty alleviation and sustainable growth efforts in these countries, which are home to 80 percent of the world’s population.

The enormous transfers of financial resources have been facilitated for decades by a shadow financial system that has expanded globally since the beginning of the 1960s.

Edmund Rice International has accepted an invitation to join a global coalition of organizations lending their names in support of the work of Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development a consortium of governments and research and advocacy organizations, founded by GFI to push for improved transparency and accountability in the global financial system.

Transparency rather than regulation is seen as the key to addressing the re-building of a fair global economic system.

Students from Parade College holding copies of their Stand-Up day pledge

Students from Parade College in Melbourne recently stood in solidarity with the poor and powerless people of the world by supporting the STAND UP Campaign.

By physically standing up, the students were throwing aside the real killer of people, complacency.

Hundreds of students at Parade College Campuses, based in Bundoora and in Preston, made a personal commitment, in the form of a signed ‘pledge card’ to take action on behalf of the people of the world whose lives and opportunities are so grievously curtailed.

The campaign reinforced the fact that ordinary individuals can make a difference in the world. When we unite with like minded people, our power is magnified.

By standing up, making a noise and prompting the politicians to take more urgent action in the five years that remain to achieve the eight Millennium Goals, the goal of eradicating world poverty comes closer.

The world does have enough money, it does have enough resources, it does have enough technology to eradicate world poverty; all it lacks is the political will.

As Edmund Burke famously said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

The good men at Parade are men of action and they will continue to work towards the world as they imagine it may become, not satisfied with the way it is at the moment.

Thanks to Parade College staff member Shelagh Leary for providing the information for this article

Students from Brother Beausang Catholic Education Centre, Embulbul on the march against poverty

Members of the Edmund Rice Network in Kenya have demonstrated their support for the Millennium Development Goals by their participation in the recent Stand-Up against Poverty campaign.

One of the actions involved a march through local streets as a means of ensuring their voices were heard by the delegations attending the Millennium Summit and by local leaders.

Participants recognise the urgent need to lobby for policy change to ensure that young people in the slums of Nairobi are able to enjoy their basic rights: free and compulsory education, health amenities, food, access to job opportunities and the right to participate in society and have their opinions heard.

Problems recognised as needing to be addressed include poor policy implementation, corruption coupled with impunity, inequality in the allocation of resources, complacency and ignorance as well as insufficient knowledge on appropriate entrepreneurship and production mechanisms.

Edmund Rice Network members made the following pledge:-

“We members of the Edmund Rice Network are joining in solidarity with other global groups and individuals together with our government to raise awareness, make some efforts to understand the Millennium Development Goals and strive to achieve them.

We are encouraging all members of our community to work hard, adopt sustainable means of production and remain committed to achieving the best out of the limited resources they have.

We are urging our leaders to rule with integrity, transparency and respect all the rights of their subjects. We call upon them to cease from impunity and become servants, to ensure that the country’s resources are well disbursed equally to all citizens without forgetting the minority and the marginalized.

We call upon our governments in Africa to use all wisdom and powers within their mandate to ensure that people living in abject poverty are rescued, supported and empowered to better living conditions. They should work hand in hand with all stake holders, investors and other donors and international agencies to ensure that young people who are the majority are equally supported and given enough opportunity to employment and leadership.

Moreover, we urge our Governments in Africa to step up their efforts in ensuring that maternal health is improved and provision of ARVs to children living with HIV and AIDS in slums is enhanced.

Finally we encourage international partners especially the developed countries to remain more open to give at least 0.7% of their gross national product (wealth) to supporting the world’s poorest countries most of which are in Africa. This call we believe will come true with our continuous efforts, let us not give up!”

This article was adapted from an item appearing in the Weekly Newsletter of the Christian Brothers in East Africa (number 112)