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Political Oppression
Oppress: (verb)1
1. To burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints
2. To weigh heavily upon
3. To overwhelm or crush
While men, women and children all suffer under political oppression, women and children make up a clear majority of those afflicted. When a government uses its power to control, manipulate and put people at risk, those people are left without protection and few options to ensure the safety and livelihood of their families.
When the oppression is directly caused by or an effect of rulings, actions or decisions of those in political control, it becomes political oppression.
Often the best answer seems to be to leave the village or country where they are suffering. People who move, but still stay in the country are called Internally Displaced Persons (IDP's), while those who cross borders for safety from political oppression are called political refugees.
Refugees
When it's not safe to stay in your country
A refugee is someone who has left his or her country and is unable to return to it because of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political oppression (Adapted from 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees). The Human Rights Education Associates describe (political) refugees as "People who are forced to flee their homes due to persecution, whether on an individual basis or as part of a mass exodus due to political... problems" (Human Rights Education Associates, www.hrea.org).
- There are reportedly 25.1 million refugees and 26 million conflict-induced IDP's worldwide.
- The total number of people forcibly displaced by the end of 2007 is reported by the United Nations to be around 67 million.
- 26 million people were displaced because of armed conflict by the end of 2007.
Freedom to Worship
When your beliefs are not protected
The UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18, "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom... to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching... No one shall be subject to coercion which would impart his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice."
The right to practice the religion of one's choice, or to practice no religion at all, is recognized in many countries, though a great number of discriminations exist throughout the world. In some countries "government actions and rhetoric [create] a threatening atmosphere for nearly all religious minorities." (International Religious Freedom Report, 2006, US Department of State)
Link to the 2007 US Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report, Listing by country:
www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/
Lack of Birth Registration
When your country doesn't give you rights.
According to UNICEF, "Around 51 million births go unregistered every year in developing countries. These unregistered children are almost always from poor, marginalized or displaced families or from countries where systems of registration are not in place or functional."
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South Asia had the largest number of unregistered children with about 23 million births not registered in 2006.
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Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest number of children under 5 not registered at birth with 66% (UNICEF. Progress for Children. A World Fit for Children Statistical Review (2007).
Why is birth registration so important? Birth registration is a vital part of determining what rights an individual has. These rights include:
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Access to health care
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Access to immunization
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Enrollment in school at the right age
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Enforcement of laws relating to minimum age for employment, handicapping efforts to prevent child labour
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Effectively countering the problem of girls forced into marriage before they are legally eligible, without proof of age
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Ensuring that children in conflict with the law are given special protection, and not treated (legally and practically) as adults
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Protection from under-age military service or conscription
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Protection from harassment by police or other law enforcement officials
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Securing the child's right to a nationality, at the time of birth or at a later stage
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Protection of children who are trafficked, and who are eventually repatriated and reunited with family members
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Ability to get a passport, open a bank account, obtain credit, vote or find employment
(UNICEF, www.unicef.org/newsline/2003/03fsbirthregistration.htm)
In some cases there may be a deliberate lack of birth registration with particular groups being excluded. Some groups that have been denied the right of birth registration include children of Roma in Central and Eastern Europe, Kurds living in Syria, Tatars in Ukraine and Russians in Estonia and Latvia.
Indigenous Peoples
When your country does not protect your way of life.
A wide range of possible issues affect indigenous peoples. Historically, governments have made policies that deny rights to indigenous people in regards to their traditions, land ownership, and basic human rights. Indigenous peoples are also greatly impacted by armed conflict and "the actions of private economic interests." (www.amnesty.org/en/indigenous-peoples)
According to rough estimates published by the UN High Commission for Human Rights, indigenous peoples number some 300 million worldwide. It has been recognized by the United Nations and International Labour Organization that the "establishment and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples are an essential part of human rights and a legitimate concern of the international community." (Fact Sheet No.9 (Rev.1), The Rights of Indigenous Peoples, UNCHR, www.unhchr.ch/html/menu6/2/fs9.htm)
Child Rights Information Network states that "Children of minority, indigenous or migrant background face discrimination in a number of ways. They are disproportionately represented among juveniles who are imprisoned, less likely to access quality and relevant education, more likely to be recruited as child soldiers, trafficked, exposed to hazardous work and sexual exploitation." (CRIN, Discrimination, http://www.crin.org/themes/ViewTheme.asp?id=6 )
See a docudrama about the indigenous tribes of the Amazon:
www.hakani.org
Why Be Involved?
"Women play a vital role in the alleviation of poverty, prevention of conflict and in sustaining peace and are also the majority of the displaced in conflict settings. Yet women, particularly displaced women, are largely excluded from decisions that ensure their very survival" Refugees International, Women & Displacement, 2008.
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." Robert F. Kennedy
"He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."
Psalm 9:8-9
"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
Isaiah 40:29
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"
Isaiah 58:6-7
Links and Resources
UN High Commission on Refugees www.unhcr.org
International Committee of the Red Cross www.icrc.org
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