Reflecting on the irony of choice in America on Dr. Martin Luther King’s day.
Category Archives: Human Rights
Suffer The (Girl) Children
The real life horror story of an 11-year-old child gang raped by a group of 19 males and her subsequent victim blaming in a major press outlet leads me to boycott the New York Times.
You Say You Want A Revolution
Why are conservatives so much more likely to lean towards violence? And why hasn’t the world’s self-proclaimed champion for human rights, the USA, supported all of the pro-democracy demonstrators in Egypt?
The Culture of Violence
“I hold Sarah Palin responsible for all the deaths that took place in Tucson.” A new hybrid/AMBASSADORS blogring on the recent shootings in Tucson, Arizona.
Whites Only?
A She Writes blog post by an African-American woman calling for “White Ambassadors To Help Me Cross Over” provokes a blog series, in which this piece is one of seven reactions.
Miep, Myself and Wendy
My reflections on Miep Gies’ death as well as Wendy Soltero’s would-be 32st birthday.
No Declaration Is Better Than A Bad Declaration
After 20+ years the Declaration on the Rights of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples falls flat on its face with barely a grunt. This is not so much a surprise that it just lies there on wet pavement, disintegrating in the rain, since the text that finally made it to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) was…
The Declaration Falls Flat
After 20+ years the Declaration on the Rights of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples falls flat on its face with barely a grunt. This is not so much a surprise that it just lies there on wet pavement, disintegrating in the rain, since the text that finally made it to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) was…
my past life at the UN
with the ongoing ear infection issue, in spite of the fact that i am in a new city and all that, i have been staying pretty close to home and taking advantage of the internet connection at long last. for ages, i have wanted to switch to gmail but i have so much history in…
a breeding ground for sickos?
July 11, 2006 i just got another myspace bulletin from a friend about a very young girl who was killed by a sex offender she met on myspace. wow. i think this issue will get more and more complicated. but the key is: where the fuck are these girls’ parents?!?!?!?!?! we all remember what it…
a troubling turn towards conservatism
May 06, 2006 local british election results came through today with a disturbing turn towards conservatism once again. portugal recently elected an ultra-conservative president. switzerland has the most conservative government it has had in 20 years, along with france. spain currently has a socialist government, but with two simultaneous separatist movements in the basque region…
The First Report on the 23rd UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, The Indigenous Caucus, July 16-17, 2005
Greetings to all, As you may or may not know, this weekend (the 16th and 17th of July) was the pre-WGIP Indigenous Caucus meeting in Geneva, in preparation for the next week of sessions of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Normally, I don’t do write-ups for these sessions, but since many of the key…
Final Report on the 23rd UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Geneva, Switzerland, July 18-22, 2005
Greetings to all, It was so great to see so many good friends, colleagues and relations this week! What a treat, and something of a shame that we are not able to see each other more often. I miss you all already! As I had found out that UNPO among other organizations were doing daily…
And now, the end is near (or the Twenty-eighth and Final Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 22, 2005)
This morning opened with a heated debate on the decision regarding the proposed reform of the Secretary-General in the area of human rights, which ultimately was adopted by a vote of 34 in favour, 15 against and 4 abstentions. The most contested part of this decision was a proposed Working Group to examine the question…
The cowardly lion is the dominant parent of the Commission on Human Rights (or the Twenty-seventh Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 21, 2005)
This morning, the Commission began by withdrawing a resolution on Item 9, the Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world that was about the situation of human rights in the Sudan. The EU felt they could withdraw the resolution because they were receiving the cooperation they…
Everybody is talking at me (or the Twenty-sixth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 20, 2005)
This report will focus on all of the events from April 20 that did not have to do with Item 15 on indigenous issues, which is contained in the Twenty-fifth Report independently. The Commission deferred taking action on the resolution regarding the protection of human rights in the context of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and…
Wolves backed into the corner: Voting on Item 15, Indigenous Issues (Or the Twenty-fifth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 20, 2005)
*This report is to date incomplete. Please come back in a couple days for the complete version. Thanks! April 20, 2005 the Commission on Human Rights voted on Item 15, Indigenous Issues, much to the embarrassment of the Americans and Australians citizens in the room. All of the resolutions concerning indigenous issues were passed, even…
A long day’s work for human rights (or Twenty-fourth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 19, 2005)
During today’s extended sessions, Item 18 on Effective functioning of human rights mechanisms: a) Treaty bodies, b) National institutions and regional arrangements, c) Adaptation and strengthening of the United Nations machinery for human rights was concluded with the last few NGO interventions. Many went through issues that had been touched upon during yesterday’s debate on…
A little less conversation, a little more action (or the Twenty-third Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 18, 2005)
The Commission continued its discussion of Item 17 on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, with similar comments on the situation of human rights defenders, capital punishment, sexual orientation and the like being debated by the various governments and NGO’s. Mr. Akich Okola, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Burundi…
Promoting and Protecting Human Rights through Talking (or the Twenty-second Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 15, 2005)
Item 14 regarding Specific groups and individuals was closed for discussion today after the few remaining NGOs on the speaker’s list took the floor for their interventions. Most notably, voting on Item 10, Economic, social and cultural rights, continued, and Items 15, 16,17 and 19 were tackled. Issues such as anti-Semitism, the situation of human…
The Rooms Of Ruin (or the Eighteenth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 11, 2005, on Indigenous Issues)
Monday April 11 saw the entrance of a multitude of indigenous peoples from around the world to intervene on Item 15, Indigenous Issues, an agenda item of the Commission that is fixed due to the fact that most indigenous people have limited resources and this makes it easier for them to know when their item…
Violence against women and children is a horrible worldwide scourge, but there is no evidence of it in our country (or the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Reports on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 7, 8, 2005)
On April 7 and 8 the Commission continued discussing Item 12 on the Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective: a) Violence against women, and judging by the interventions made by both Member and Observer States, although violence against women is widespread and horrific, it doesn’t seem to happen in any…
Why is rape not considered torture? (or the Fifteenth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 6, 2005)
Yakin Erturk, the Special Rapporteur (SR) on violence against women, its causes and consequences: -widespread violence against women around the world and just as common is impunity of the violators. -country visits to Guatemala, El Salvador, occupied Palestinian territories, Sudan. In Guatemala widespread violence against indigenous women who face multiple discriminations. In Sudan, horrific rape…
A cattle prod showers sparks in Room 17 as government delegates watch on laughing (or the Fourteenth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 5, 2005)
Discussion today continued on Item 11, Civil and political rights, including the questions of: a) Torture and detention, b) Disappearances and summary executions, c) Freedom of expression, d) Independence of the judiciary, administration of justice, impunity, e) Religious intolerance, f) States of emergency, g) Conscientious objection to military service, with some of the most disturbing…
The View from Above (or the Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Reports on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 31, April 1, April 4 2005)
From their vantage point of everywhere and nowhere, the Spirits watched on closely as the human beings gibbered and jabbered away like their primate cousins. For the Spirits, talking is one of the human activities that interest them the least (unless, of course, the Spirits are being invoked), but these particular weeks of talking are…
We can feed 12 billion people on this planet that houses only 6 billion, yet last year 5 million died of hunger (or the Eleventh Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 30, 2005)
Today’s will be a brief one and the item under discussion was still Item 10, on Economic, social and cultural rights. This morning opened with the bland report of the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open-ended working group to consider the options regarding the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and…
Is the mirror to blame for the reflection? (or the Tenth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 29, 2005.)
I was only able to attend the morning session of today’s meetings due to an overwhelming attack of rage. When I began to see myself like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill brandishing a Samurai sword and leaping from one government desk to the next slicing and dicing, I knew I could not go back until…
On Passions and Human Suffering: An Apology (March 27, 2005, Easter Sunday)
I woke up this Easter Sunday reminding myself to wish my family a ‘Happy Easter’ until it occurred to me how disturbing that phrase is in the context of what Easter represents in the Christian context. It reminds us of the last days of a young spiritual warrior who preached love, tolerance, compassion and the…
The Needle on the Human Rights Record is stuck and studies prove that only Wonder Woman is strong enough to lift it…Where are the superheroes when we need them? (or the Eighth and Ninth Reports on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 23-24)
No one can listen to a record when it’s stuck or a CD when it’s skipping. This is one of those simple facts of life that not even the best lawyer could dispute. Well, maybe if the best lawyer were paid enough he would dispute anything, but that’s another issue entirely. All of us have…
Attack of the 50 Foot Hollow Discourse and a Note on Monsters(or the Seventh Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 22, 2005)
I always had an odd fascination by monsters. Ever since I was a little girl I loved horror stories (Stephen King being one of my oldest heroes) and I had thought until recently this morbid obsession had to do with carrying around a lot of anger. My college thesis on the exploitation of women and…
Racism has a ghostly face (or the Sixth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 21, 2005)
Racism has a ghostly face, with eyes caged by thick intolerance and radiating a pulsing purple hatred. It is a multi-limbed beast, residing in the legislation of governments worldwide that affects the enjoyment of a happy and humane life. Its arms are made up of religious persecution and the misinterpretation of faith, the abuse of…
Vampires Attack the 12th and 13th Meetings of the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights and Bleed Dry Agenda Items 4 and 5 (Or, The Fifth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 18, 2005)
On Friday, March 18, 2005 the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights began its substantive discussion on Agenda Items 4 and 5, Item 4 dealing with the Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights, and Item 5 pertaining to The right of peoples…
High Level Hogwash: An Open Letter to the Commission on Human Rights (Or the Third and Fourth Reports on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 16 and 17, 2005)
Esteemed NGO representatives, UN Agencies, Excellencies and government representatives, It is an honor and privilege to be addressing you during this 61st United Nations Commission on Human Rights and I am optimistic that our time together will be fruitful and productive in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide. Firstly, I would like to…
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