 Human Rights Day |
Issue 122 |
Stand up for human rights
(The) recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights
of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and
peace in the world... Preamble, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
World War II and all its horrors were still fresh in people's memories. Millions of people had died. The most horrible of crimes had been committed. Millions were tortured and killed in the most brutal way. The world's leaders were determined to do something to see that these terrible atrocities would not happen again. It was in this spirit that these leaders worked on a document that would set the standard for human rights in the world. On the 10 th December 1948, some three years after the end of the most horrific war in human history, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was launched. This was a document which was full of hope for a future where the dignity of each person would be respected, no matter their race, gender, age, political opinion or social or national origin. We know that the production of documents is much easier than putting the words into action. We know that tens of millions of people have died around the world since 1948 due to their human rights being violated. The struggle for the protection of the human rights of all people continues. It is only through the determined action of all of us that we can make the human rights proclaimed in the Universal Declaration a reality.
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being
of one's self and of one's family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care
and necessary social services.
Article 25, Universal declaration of Human Rights, 1948
What more basic human rights could there be than ensuring that all people have enough income so that they can access the basics of food, clean water, sanitation and shelter? And yet around half of the world's population does not even have the basics.
In 2000, the world's leaders met again to make a new set of resolutions so that the vision of the writers of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights could become a reality. These were called the Millennium Development Goals. The first of these goals was to halve the number of people in extreme poverty by 2015. The things that keep people in poverty would have to be changed.
Another group of world leaders will be challenged when they meet this month at the World Trade Organisation, to change the trade rules that keep people poor in so many countries. Many farmers around the world work hard and efficiently only to have their livelihoods undermined by the unfair trade practices of the rich countries. Rich countries spend $1 billion on subsidies to their farmers, lowering their costs, encouraging too much production and this surplus depresses world prices for people in poor countries, drastically cutting their already low incomes. At the same time, farmers in rich countries do very well. In Europe, the average subsidy paid to farmers per cow that they own is $2.20 per day while nearly 3 billion people try to survive on less than $2 per day. A European cow being paid more than so many people! Is this the sort of world that the people who drafted the Universal Declaration dreamed would exist in the 21 st century?
When farmers in poor countries try to sell their surplus production to the rich countries they face trade barriers like quotas and tariffs (taxes on imports raising their prices so they are less competitive). These protect farmers in rich countries from competition. This means that farmers are unable to sell their produce and are unfairly deprived of income. No matter how hard they try they just can't win in a system that is stacked against them. This system costs poor countries $100 billion per year which is twice as much as they receive in aid.
African cotton farmers in Mali, Kenya and Zambia are now no longer able to pay for their children's education and they have had to leave school. They are not able to afford proper health care. They can't even afford to pay for the cost of fertiliser and seed. This is due to the dramatic fall in world cotton prices since the early 1990s while US cotton farmers are paid huge subsidies by their government and are producing more and more cotton. This has forced the price even lower. US farmers are doing fine but African farmers are living in extreme poverty unable to afford the basic necessities for their families. This story is repeated around the world for producers of coffee, sugar, vegetables, rice and dairy products. African countries have been particularly severely affected. These unfair trade rules are a violation of the most basic of human rights. How can the vision of justice, peace and freedom expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights be realised when people aren't even free to satisfy their hunger? As Shirin Ebadi of Iran, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize put it:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is needed universally, applicable to
both East and West. Failing to respect ( the universality of) our human rights
only undermines our humanity.
When the world's trade ministers meet in Hong Kong this month, will they take up the challenge to change the unfair trade rules and actually bring the vision of the leaders who drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a step closer to reality?
Social Sciences/Economics
1) Play a game of Snakes and Ladders which illustrates how the rules of the trade "game" are manipulated by those already rich at the expense of the poor. You can have some control over the rules if you can answer questions about trade issues: www.globalgang.org.uk/snakes/snakes.htm
2) Go to www.globalgang.org.uk/homeworkhelp/
chocolate/hh_chocolate_2.html and read the two short stories about chocolate and answer the following:
- Compare Ricardo's life with that of Lameck. How does each of them spend their day?
- Why does Ricardo's family not send him to school?
- Why is Ricardo's family so poor?
- Why is Lameck's family better off than Ricardo's?
- What difference does receiving a fair price for their cocoa make to their lives?
3) Research an organisation which promotes human rights including the right to a decent standard of living. For Example Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, Caritas Australia etc. Research one of these organisations (could be done as a group task) and present your findings to the rest of the class in the form of a Powerpoint presentation or a poster under the following headings:
- History of the organisation: when, why and how did it start?
- What are the organisation's main aims?
- What issues does the organisation campaign on?
- What methods does the organisation use to achieve its aims?
- How successful is the organisation at achieving its aims? Give an example of a successful campaign or program.
- Where do they get the money to run their campaigns and programs? Do they receive government funding?
4) Go to www.cafod.org.uk/get_involved/campaigning/
trade_justice/global_week_of_action/south_stories to read how the unfair trade rules affect real people around the world. Read about Zambian cotton farmers and answer the following:
a) What is the major cash crop in Zambia?
b) What sorts of things can the Mbewe family buy with the money they earn from growing cotton?
c) What can they now not buy that they were really looking forward to?
d) What has caused the drastic drop in the income of the Mbewe family?
e) What percentage of the small-scale farmers in Zambia are now poor?
Research Zambia at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/
country_profiles/1069294.stm
- Locate Zambia on the map.
- What countries are nearby?
- How many people live there?
- What is the area of the country?
- What is the average life expectancy?
- What languages are spoken there?
- How much is the average income per year per person?
- What are the major exports of Zambia?
- What are the main religions?
- What is the capital city?
Maths/Geography
Task: Prepare a set of bar graphs for the population, area, life expectancy for men and women and income (GNI) then prepare a set of bar graphs with data from Australia so as to compare the two countries. Go to news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/
country_profiles/1250188.stm for Australian statistics.
5) Read about the Jamaican dairy farmer, Vincent Hynes and report on how the unfair trade rules have affected him? How will this affect his future?
Research Jamaica at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/
country_profiles/1190968.stm
Read about the rice farmers of Haiti.
- Why did the rice industry collapse?
- How was Mauricin Claircin affected by the collapse?
- What was he forced to do?
Research Haiti at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/
americas/country_profiles/1202772.stm
For more activities around the topic of Human Rights with an Australian focus go to www.abc.net.au/civics/rights/enter.htm
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Go to www.aidwatch.org.au/assets/
aw00832/WTO%20booklet%202.pdf to download a booklet which succinctly covers the issues around free/fair trade. -
Show that you support human rights for all people by supporting the Make Poverty History campaign which aims to put pressure on governments to reform the unfair trade rules that keep people poor as well as increasing and improving aid and dropping the debt owed by poor countries. Go to www.makepovertyhistory.com.au/home.html for more information. Wear your white band on December the 10 th (December 9 th in schools) to show that you support the cause. Participate in an event to support the Make Poverty History campaign. Go to www.makepovertyhistory.com.au/events.html to see what events are planned near you for the third White Band Day.
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E-mail the Australian Trade Minister urging him to support fairer trade rules for poor countries when he attends the World Trade Organisation Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong this month.
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Download a poster to highlight the third White Band Day from www.cafod.org.uk/var/storage/original/
application/c724369ab811e905afe0f9
7e659f954e.pdf -
African countries are the most likely not to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Some are suffering from major famine at present. Zambia, Malawi and Niger are particularly affected at present.
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Support the Africa Appeal being run by Caritas Australia. Go to www.caritas.org.au for more details.
Start planning your social justice activities for 2006.Get a copy of the Social Justice Diary from the ACSJC. 2006 is the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Alice Springs and his address to Indigenous Australians and 2007 is the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum. To mark these two historical events, the 2006 Social Justice Diary focuses on social justice for Indigenous Australians.
Each month, significant events for Indigenous Australians are noted and particular social justice issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are identified. Information and ideas for prayer and reflection are included. An excellent resource for parishes, schools and social justice groups, the diary is an educational and spiritual resource for all who wish to continue the journey towards justice for, and reconciliation with our Indigenous sisters and brothers.
Cost: $6.60 (inc. GST), plus postage.
To download an order form, go to:
www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/content/
publications/social_justice_calendar.html