Saudi Arabia: Domestic Worker Brutalized
(New York) – The apparent brutality by Saudi employers against a Sri Lankan domestic worker highlights the severe shortcomings in labor laws and practices that foster abuse and exploitation, Human Rights Watch said today.
US: European Corporate Hypocrisy
(New York) – Many European companies that publicly embrace workers’ rights under global labor standards nevertheless undermine workers’ rights in their US operations, Human Rights Watch said in a report issued today.
Jordan: A Poetic Security Threat?
(New York) – Jordan’s military prosecutor at the State Security Court should immediately order the release of Hatim al-Shuli, a university student, and rescind charges against him, Human Rights Watch said today.
Egypt: Disclose Fate of ‘Disappeared’ Student
(Cairo) – Egyptian authorities should immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of Mohamed Saad Tork, who disappeared in July 2009 with strong indications that he was being held by the authorities, and prosecute those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today. Tork’s case highlights the continuing practice of enforced disappearances by Egypt’s State Security Investigations agency.
Sri Lanka urged to ensure safety of detained former asylum-seekers
Three men who were tortured and jailed after their forced return from Australia, are at risk of further abuse when they are returned to prison from hospital.
Amnesty International has called on the Sri Lankan government to ensure the safety of three men who have been tortured and jailed following their forced return from Australia in 2009.
Two of the men, Sumith Mendis and Lasantha Wijeratne, were transferred to a hospital to be examined by a judicial medical officer on 1 September amid claims that they were beaten and tortured following an alleged new attempt to migrate to Australia. It is not clear if they are still in hospital or have returned to prison.
All three are at risk of further abuse from guards and prisoners when they are returned to prison where Sumith’s brother, Indika, is already being held.
“This is an appalling situation that calls into question the actions of both the Sri Lankan and Australian governments,” said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Asia.
“Both governments are culpable in the forced return and mistreatment these men have endured, and both must bear responsibility for the results of their policies and procedures.”
Sumith Mendis and Indika Mendis were detained in 2009 at the Christmas Island detention centre after the boat they were crew members on was stopped by Australian authorities and found to be carrying Sri Lankan asylum-seekers.
They were deported to Sri Lanka and promptly arrested and handed over to the Central Investigative Department (CID).
Sumith Mendis was released, but Indika Mendis was tortured in CID custody, sustaining severe ear injuries before being transferred to the notorious Negombo prison where he was held for eight months.
On 14 August 2010, the brothers were arrested again, apparently on suspicion that they were again planning to migrate to Australia. Sumith Mendis was then tortured by the CID for six days, experiencing beatings and psychological abuse.
On 22 August, the brothers were taken to Negombo prison, along with Lasantha Wijeratne, another Sri Lankan who had also been deported from Australia and tortured in custody.
Following examination by a judicial medical officer, Sumith Mendis and Lasantha Wijeratne were transferred to the hospital.
They now face the risk of abuse by both prisoners and guards when they are again taken to Negombo prison unless authorities take the necessary steps to ensure their safety.
“The Sri Lankan Authorities must ensure that all three men are not subject to any more torture or ill-treatment, either at the hands of the CID or prisoners or guards in Negombo prison,” said Madhu Malhotra.
“The Australian government must re-examine its claims that asylum-seekers returned to countries they are fleeing from are not subjected to torture and mistreatment.”
Australia asylum suspension could harm world’s most vulnerable (News, 9 April 2010)
Libya: Step Ahead for Women on Nationality Rights
(Beirut) – Libya’s new nationality law granting women married to foreign spouses the right to pass their own nationality to their children is a significant move forward for women’s rights, Human Rights Watch said today. But the law still contains some contradictory provisions that could be interpreted to perpetuate discrimination, Human Rights Watch said.
West Bank/Israel: Hamas Must End Attacks on Civilians
(Jerusalem) – Hamas should be held accountable for two new attacks against Israeli civilians in the West Bank, and those who ordered and participated in the attacks should be prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said today.
UN: Replace Rhetoric With Action on Disability Rights
(New York) – Governments meeting at the United Nations this week to discuss implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) should focus on effective strategies and good practices that benefit persons with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. The convention went into effect two years ago.
Slovak government urged to end segregation for Romani children
A new Amnesty International briefing points to serious gaps in the enforcement and monitoring of the ban on discrimination and segregation in the Slovak educational system.
Amnesty International has urged the Slovak government to immediately end the segregation of Romani children in the country’s education system.
This practice leaves thousands of Romani pupils in substandard education in schools and classes for pupils with “mild mental disabilities” or ethnically segregated mainstream schools and classes.
In a briefing to the Slovak government, Steps to end segregation in education, Amnesty International points to serious gaps in the enforcement and monitoring of the ban on discrimination and segregation in the Slovak educational system.
“Romani children across Slovakia remain trapped in a school system that keeps failing them as a result of widespread discrimination. It deprives Romani children of equal opportunities and sentences them to a life of poverty and marginalization,” said David Diaz-Jogeix, Amnesty International Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director.
“The Slovak government has much to do to end the segregation that has an impact on a large part of the country’s population. Segregation in education means a life-long stigma for children whose future chances are brutally limited. It is a practice that does not belong to 21st century Europe and must be eliminated.”
Segregation of Romani children takes various forms: special schools or special classes within mainstream schools designed for pupils with “mild mental disabilities” and mainstream Roma-only schools and classes.
While Roma are estimated to comprise less than 10 per cent of Slovakia’s total population, they make up 60 per cent of the pupils in special schools, according to a 2009 survey.
In regions with high Romani populations three out of every four pupils in special schools are Roma. Eighty five per cent of the children in special classes in mainstream schools across the country are Roma.
The causes of segregation are complex and include entrenched anti-Roma attitudes as well as policy failures in the education system such as early and flawed child assessment and insufficient support for Romani children within mainstream education.
Widespread anti-Romani sentiment across the country expressed by non-Roma parents and educational professionals, has also led to segregation of Romani children even in mainstream schools and classes.
This has led to a situation in which Romani children are sometimes literally locked into separate classrooms, corridors or buildings to prevent them from mixing with non-Roma pupils.
The coalition government’s programme adopted in August 2010, included the commitment to eliminate segregated schooling of Roma.
Amnesty International said it is concerned that this has not been followed by a clear and unequivocal statement by the head of government that ethnic discrimination and segregation of Roma is unacceptable and will be combated as a matter of priority.
“The idea that separate can be equal has been discredited. Slovakia cannot continue to deny its Romani children their right to education without discrimination,” David Diaz-Jogeix said.
“The choices that the government makes now will affect the lives of thousands of Romani children. The government holds the key to allow the Roma in Slovakia full participation in Slovak and European society.”
Amnesty International called on the Slovak authorities to:
- Provide the State School Inspectorate with adequate resources, including robust, detailed guidelines and procedures on how to identify, monitor and combat segregation in practice;
- Begin the systematic collection of data on education, disaggregated on the basis of gender and ethnicity;
- Introduce a clear duty on all schools to desegregate education and provide them with effective support;
- Introduce adequate support measures for Roma and non-Roma children who need extra assistance, so that they may achieve their fullest potential within mainstream schools.
This work is part of Amnesty International’s Demand Dignity campaign which aims to end the human rights violations that drive and deepen global poverty. The campaign will mobilise people all over the world to demand that governments, corporations and others who have power listen to the voices of those living in poverty and recognise and protect their rights. For more information visit the Demand Dignity pages
Read more:
Take part in Amnesty International’s photo petition for Roma children in Slovakia
Call on the Prime Minister of Slovakia to end the segregation of Romani children in schools
Kyrgyzstan: Ensure Safety, Fair Trial for Rights Defender
(New York) – The Kyrgyz government should ensure that Azimjon Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek human rights defender arrested in connection with the June violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, is given a fair and public trial, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should guarantee all of his due process rights as well as his safety and that of his lawyer.