Various Ongoing Human Rights Crisis in the World

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Context: Ukraine In ‘human Rights Emergency' Says UN Rights Chief, Urges To 'end Senseless War'.

Relevance: Prelims- Current Affairs of National and International Importance.
Mains- GS-2, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora, Important International institutions, agencies, their structure, and mandates.

Various Ongoing Human Rights Crisis in the World

Introduction:

• Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
• Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.  Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.
• Human rights law obliges governments to do some things and prevents them from doing others.
• Individuals also have responsibilities: in using their human rights, they must respect the rights of others.
• No government, group, or individual person has the right to do anything that violates another’s rights. 
• Basic Characteristics of Human Rights:
  • Universality and inalienability: Human rights are universal and inalienable. All people everywhere in the world are entitled to them. No one can voluntarily give them up. Nor can others take them away from him or her. 
  • Indivisibility: Human rights are indivisible. Whether civil, political, economic, social, or cultural in nature, they are all inherent to the dignity of every human person. Consequently, they all have equal status as rights. There is no such thing as a 'small' right. There is no hierarchy of human rights. 
  • Inter-dependence and inter-relatedness: The realization of one right often depends, wholly or in part, upon the realization of others. For instance, the realization of the right to health may depend on the realization of the right to education or the right to information. 
  • Equality and non-discrimination: All human beings are entitled to their human rights without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, ethnicity, age, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, disability, property, birth or another status as explained by the human rights treaty bodies.
  • Participation and inclusion: Every person and all people are entitled to active, free, and meaningful participation in, contribution to, and enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural development, through which human rights and fundamental freedoms can be realized. 
  • Accountability and rule of law: States and other duty-bearers must comply with the legal norms and standards enshrined in human rights instruments. Where they fail to do so, aggrieved rights-holders are entitled to institute proceedings for appropriate redress before a competent court or another adjudicator, in accordance with the rules and procedures provided by law.  
• A state commits human rights violations either directly or indirectly:
  •  Violations can either be intentionally performed by the state or come as a result of the state failing to prevent the violation.
  • When a state engages in human rights violations, various actors can be involved such as police, judges, prosecutors, government officials, and more.
  • The violation can be physically violent in nature, such as police brutality, while rights such as the right to a fair trial can also be violated, where no physical violence is involved.
  • The second type of violation – failure by the state to protect – occurs when there’s a conflict between individuals or groups within a society.
  • If the state does nothing to intervene and protect vulnerable people and groups, it’s participating in the violations.
  • In the United States, the state failed to protect black Americans when lynchings frequently occurred around the country.
  • Since many of those responsible for the lynchings were also state actors (like the police), this is an example of both types of violations occurring at the same time.

• Top 10 Human Rights Issues In 2022: The following are the top 10 human rights issues in 2022 as announced by the IHRB (Institute for Human Rights and Business):
  • Redesigning supply chain
  • Personal Data Tracking & Tracing
  • Stranded at Sea
  • Wage Abuse
  • Office and Work Place
  • Forced Labor
  • Climate Change
  • Racial Matters
  • Standards Fragmentation
  • Transition Finance.
    These issues are reflective of the ongoing and unprecedented impact of COVID-19.

• The following is a list of human rights violations around the world, as published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
  • Adequate Housing
  • Administration of Justice
  • Albinism
  • Business and Human Rights
  • Children
  • Civic Space
  • Civil and Political Rights
  • Climate change
  • Cultural rights
  • Death penalty
  • Democracy
  • Development (Good Governance and Debt)
  • Disappearances
  • Executions
  • Food
  • Forced evictions
  • Freedom of Opinion and Expression
  • Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
  • Freedom of Religion and Belief
  • Health
  • HIV / AIDS
  • Human Rights Defenders
  • Human rights education and training
  • Human Rights Indicators
  • Humanitarian action
  • Independence of Judiciary
  • Indigenous Peoples
  • Internal Displacement
  • International Order
  • International Solidarity
  • Land and Human Rights
  • Leprosy
  • LGBTI people
  • Local Government and Human Rights
  • Mental health and human rights
  • Mercenaries
  • Migration
  • Minorities
  • Nationality
  • Older persons
  • Poverty
  • Privacy
  • Racism
  • Reprisals
  • Safety of Journalists
  • Slavery
  • Social Security
  • Terrorism
  • The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • Torture
  • Trafficking in Persons
  • Transitional Justice
  • Urbanization and Human Rights
  • Violent extremism
  • Water and sanitation.

Humanitarian Crises to Know About in 2022:

• Afghanistan:
  • The collapse of the economy and the ongoing fallout from last year's drought have triggered an unprecedented food crisis in Afghanistan.
  • The majority of families have lost some or all of their incomes and are unable to afford the rising cost of food, and as the war in Ukraine increases the cost of commodities around the world, there's a risk that the cost of living in Afghanistan could rise even further.
  • The foreign aid that once propped up Afghanistan has been slow to return after governments and international financial institutions cut funding and froze Afghanistan assets in the wake of last year's transition of power.
  • Parents are going to tragic lengths, agreeing to sell one child to keep the other alive. As many as 121,000 children could have been exchanged across the country since August 2021.
• Democratic Republic of Congo:
  • The turbulent Democratic Republic of the Congo has endured over two decades of conflict and political instability, creating one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises. 
  • DRC has one of the world’s poorest health systems made worse by the country’s battle with Ebola, cholera, and COVID-19 as well as the 2021 volcanic eruption.
  • Around 27 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.
  • A staggering 5 million internally displaced people – more than any other African country – have fled violence, ethnic tension, and conflict over land. 
• Venezuela:
  • After nearly seven consecutive years of economic contraction, political instability, and violence, Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis continues to intensify.
  • More than 5.6 million Venezuelans have fled their homes, creating the world’s second-largest exodus after the war in Syria. But, unlike other refugee crises, this one is not a result of conventional war or conflict. 
  • The Venezuelan economy has nearly collapsed, causing spiraling inflation, unemployment, and shortages of affordable food, water, electricity, and health care and forcing families to flee to neighbouring countries.
  • The ongoing political and economic challenges in and outside of Venezuela have amplified the crisis, which has been exacerbated even further by the pandemic. The growing number of COVID-19 cases continues to put Venezuelans at risk with strained health systems and rising rates of poverty while the education, food security, and health situations continue to worsen.
• South Sudan:
  • South Sudan has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world with more than 90 children out of 1,000 dying before they reach the age of five.
  • Now, a dramatic increase in food insecurity has pushed one million children in South Sudan to the brink of starvation with no signs of slowing. 
  • Recent severe flooding, inter-communal violence, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and general economic decline have had a devastating impact on the region. The loss of crops, livestock, homes, and access to hospitals has pushed 6.5 million people into a severe food crisis.
•  Ethiopia:
  • Today, the children of Ethiopia are facing unprecedented challenges. The region had been hit hard by desert locusts, heavy flooding, and other climate-related crises.
  • The conflict in Tigray has left over 1.7  million people displaced across the Tigray region. Another 5.2 million people are in need of assistance. 
  • An alarming number of children are currently separated from their parents as a result of the conflict in Tigray, with many living in unsafe and dire conditions in informal camps.
• Nigeria:
  • In recent times, the civic and human rights space in Nigeria has shrunk drastically.
  • From outright disregard for court orders to incarceration of protesters and human rights campaigners by Nigeria’s security forces, the Muhammadu Buhari-led government has gained notoriety for its lack of respect for rule of law.
  • The recruitment of children by armed groups in the Sahel region has been on the rise.
  • Conflict in Nigeria's northeast is escalating.
• Iraq:
  • Decades of conflict and widespread violence have plagued Iraq, which is one of the five worst conflict-affected countries to be a child.
  • An unprecedented 3 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes due to violence, about half of whom are children. 
  • In late 2020, the sudden closure of several formal camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Iraq forced thousands of people to live in abandoned areas among the rubble and unexploded bombs. 
• Iran:
  •  The Iranian regime's gross human rights violations have targeted a wide array of ethnic and social groups including women, homosexuals, students, Bahais, Christians, Jews, journalists, and political dissenters.
  • The Islamic Republic of Iran has a lengthy history of committing human rights abuses that spans three decades prior to the atrocities seen in the aftermath of the June 2009 elections.
• Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs':
  • Since taking office on June 30, 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has carried out a “war on drugs” that has led to the deaths of more than 12,000 Filipinos to date, mostly urban poor.
  • Human Rights Watch has chronicled the brutal campaign since the beginning. 
• Myanmar:
  • Human rights in Myanmar under its military regime have long been regarded as among the worst in the world.
  • Militarism in Myanmar has neither created peace and stability nor protected human rights and physical security.
  • If anything, militarism coupled with ethnic grievances has ensured the continuation of the civil war in Myanmar.
  • UN agencies and NGOs like Amnesty International, through various reports from time to time, have highlighted human rights abuses which include killings in custody, corruption, and practices like the creation of child soldiers and forced labor, sexual violence, etc
  • Conflict continues to intensify in Rakhine and Chin States with increasing clashes between the Myanmar army and the ethnic armed group known as the Arakan Army.
  • An already fragile zone following years of conflict and crisis, civilians continue to pay a heavy price.
  • In recent years, thousands have fled their homes seeking safety. Today, there are around 860,000 Rohingya refugees in neighboring Bangladesh, and since 2018, around 200,000 from all communities have been internally displaced in Rakhine and Chin.  
• China:
  • Numerous human rights groups have publicized human rights issues in mainland China that they consider the government to be mishandling, including the death penalty (capital punishment), the one-child policy (in which China had made exceptions for ethnic minorities prior to abolishing it in 2015), the political and legal status of Tibet, and neglect of freedom of the press in mainland China.
  • Other areas of concern include the lack of legal recognition of human rights and the lack of an independent judiciary, rule of law, and due process.
  • Further issues raised in regard to human rights include the severe lack of worker's rights (in particular the hukou system which restricts migrant laborers' freedom of movement), the absence of labour unions independent of the CCP and allegations of discrimination against rural workers and ethnic minorities, as well as the lack of religious freedom – rights groups have highlighted repression of the Christian, Tibetan Buddhist, Uyghur Muslim, and Falun Gong religious groups. Some Chinese activist groups are trying to expand these freedoms, including Human Rights in China, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, and the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group. Chinese human rights attorneys who take on cases related to these issues, however, often face harassment, disbarment, and arrest.
• North Korea:
  • Extrajudicial killings, systematic torture, arbitrary detention, forced labor, rape, starvation, restriction of freedoms, the list goes on. These human rights issues in North Korea undoubtedly remain among the worst in the world.
• Yemen:
  • Yemen remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, with around 23.4 million people in need of assistance, including almost 13 million children.
  • After eight years of conflict, the national socioeconomic systems of Yemen remain on the edge of total collapse, while conflict, large-scale displacement, and recurring climate shocks have left families vulnerable to communicable disease outbreaks.
  • By late 2022, more than 17.8 million people, including 9.2 million children, lacked access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
  • The country continues to experience regular outbreaks of cholera, measles, diphtheria, and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Human Rights Violations during the Russia- Ukraine War:
  • As the Russian army secures control over some territories in Ukraine, the World Organization against Torture and its Ukrainian partners have documented at least six cases of enforced disappearances and incommunicado arbitrary detention, as well as at least four extrajudicial executions of journalists, human rights defenders and representatives of local authorities in March 2022 alone.
• The USA:
  • The United States is the country with the worst gun violence in the world.
  •  The United States is currently the only developed country where millions of people are hungry.
  • Racial hate crimes in the United States have shocked the world. 
  •  Shootings and brutal abuse of African Americans by policemen are frequent. 
  •  The racial gap in employment and wealth is striking
  •  Religious intolerance continues to deteriorate.
  • Poverty among the elderly is becoming more and more serious. 
  • The U.S. government’s treatment of immigrants has become increasingly harsh and inhumane. 
• Thus, almost all regions of the world irrespective of the level of development have seen human rights infringement in some form or the other. 

Solutions to Human Rights Issues and Response Organizations:

In order to protect all human rights against the human rights issues erupting all over the world, a response organization has been established in the United Nations. It is mandated to take preventive measures against serious human rights violations:

• The United Nations set a common standard on human rights with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Although the Declaration is not part of binding international law, its acceptance by all countries around the world gives great moral weight to the fundamental principle that all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status, are to be treated equally and with respect.
• The United Nations has since adopted many legally binding international human rights treaties and agreements, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These treaties are used as a framework for discussing and applying human rights. The principles and rights they outline become legal obligations on the States that choose to be bound by them. The framework also establishes legal and other mechanisms to hold governments accountable in the event they violate human rights.
• The instruments of the international human rights framework are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the nine core human rights treaties:
  • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
  • The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  • The Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
  • The Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
  • The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
  • The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
  • The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. 
• Human Rights Council:
  • The Human Rights Council was established by the General Assembly in 2006.
  • It is an organization that takes the place of the conventional United Nations Human Rights Commission, copes with human rights infringement, and responds to human rights emergencies.
  • The Human Rights Council undertakes the mission for the promotion and protection of human rights across the world.
• Universal Periodic Review:
  • The Universal Periodic Review is an innovative feature of the Human Rights Council.
  • It is a mechanism to examine the reviews of the human rights records of all 193 UN member states quadrennially.
  • This mechanism takes measures for each member state to fulfill its duties by reviewing and improving its own human rights conditions so that an opportunity is created to tackle relevant problems to be improved.
  • These reviews establish the universality and equality of all countries.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
  • The organization which implements key responsibilities for UN human rights activities is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).
  • Supervisory organizations exist for most core human rights treaties and are responsible to consider the implementation of each treaty by ratifying countries.
  • An individual, whose rights are infringed, can directly complain to the advisory committee for human rights treaties.
• UN Systems in Connection with Human Rights:
  • Human rights are a cross-sectional subject in connection with all UN policies and programs.
  • In fact, all United Nations organizations and specialized agencies are involved in the protection of human rights, and function to protect all human rights.
  • Human Rights Day is annually celebrated on December 10, the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
    • This event is held to assert that all people have rights as human beings, as well as to promote human rights.
    • This event, available in more than 500 languages, creates an opportunity for people all over the world to take into account human rights.

Significant Problems and Challenges with the current UN Framework:

• It continues to prove difficult in some cases to build consensus on specific issues relating to the protection of human rights, as shown by recent experience in Syria.
• The Human Rights Council remains prone to politicization, as evidenced by decisions that privilege political interests over human rights protection.
• The human rights of already marginalized groups have come under concerted attack from various quarters in recent years.
• Particularly notable are the violation of women's human rights, the proliferation of homophobic legislation and other violations against homosexuals, a trend towards the arbitrary detention of those that seek asylum, and abuses against itinerant peoples.
• Problems of coherence remain.
• Some United Nations officials in the field remain uncertain about the place of human rights in their work and are unsure as to whether they are expected to raise protection issues with host Governments.
• Ostensibly, the protection of human rights is central to the work of many missions and agencies, but some officials continue to exhibit reticence about pursuing these mandates, fearing a political backlash.
• Parts of the world have effectively become “human rights-free zones”, where core rights are abused with impunity. Somalia stands out as a country characterized by human rights abuses so massive and generalized, as to make the language of human rights sounds ironic or irrelevant.
• There is in today’s world also an alarming disregard for the fundamental tenets of international law. The deliberate targeting of civilians is taking place, as well as indiscriminate use of air power in densely populated areas, even targeting hospitals, schools, and sites where civilians have sought refuge.

Measures to counter the Challenges:

• To address problems of coherence, the Secretary-General could issue guidelines about how human rights promotion and protection should be exercised in the field.
• To ensure that these issues are not sidelined by fears of political backlashes, he could provide clear high-level support to United Nations field officers charged with raising human rights issues, perhaps in the form of a letter directed to Heads of State or Government at the outset of a mission.
• To ensure that the human rights of women are placed in the foreground, UN Women and the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict could work together more closely and establish a presence right across the United Nations system, ensuring that no opportunity to promote and protect the rights of women is lost.
• The provision of timely and accurate information is an important way of reducing politicization and building consensus.
• Information about the abuse of human rights focuses attention, provides an empirical basis for tailored policy development and exercises an albeit limited moderating effect on perpetrators.
• Additional resources for human rights reporting and strengthened cooperation between mandate holders would be an effective and relatively modest way of addressing some of the challenges.
• Further strengthening the relationship between United Nations Headquarters and the regions would also help.
• With the institutional architecture now in place, moving in concrete ways toward “delivering as one” provides one avenue by which the United Nations might strengthen its role as an agent of positive change in human rights. 

Who is ultimately responsible for ensuring human rights violations don’t happen?

• In human rights treaties, states bear the primary burden of responsibility for protecting and encouraging human rights.
• When a government ratifies a treaty, they have a three-fold obligation. They must respect, protect, and fulfill human rights.
• When violations occur, it’s the government’s job to intervene and prosecute those responsible.
• The government must hold everyone (and itself) accountable.
• This doesn’t mean that members of civil society don’t also have a responsibility to prevent human rights violations.
• Businesses and institutions must not comply with discriminatory laws and promote equality, while every individual should respect the rights of others.
• When governments are violating human rights either directly or indirectly, civil society should hold them accountable and speak out.
• The international community also has an obligation to monitor governments and their track records with human rights.
• Violations occur all the time, but they should always be called out.

Role of NGOs:

• Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Civil Rights Defenders, Human Rights Without Frontiers International, and Human Rights Foundation are some of the prominent international NGOs working at a global level for the protection of human rights.
• NGOs play a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of human rights, especially in the areas of developing countries, where there is less knowledge of the importance of human rights.
• NGOs practice promoting public awareness while conducting institutional advocacy, and lobbying to stop any kind of violation. It not only assists in developing society and improving communities but also works in the promotion of citizen participation.
• NGOs works at the local level and they are the one who knows the problem of those people at the roots better than the Government. NGOs play an essential role in providing information to the Government along with the human-centric solution. 
• The NGOs lobby powerful decision-makers to take account of the interests of marginalized people and influence the Government to change its favor to the public.
• “The 21st century will be an era of NGO.”- Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General.
• Human rights can be secured with the joined work of both the NGOs and the Government. Only then those efforts put together towards building strong national human rights systems will go a long way to ensure that the SDGs work for everyone.

What can we as people do to support human rights?

Here are 6 simple ways you can stand up to support and protect human rights in your daily life and begin to empower people around you and around the world. Every action, no matter how small, has the potential to make a difference:

• SPEAK UP FOR WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT – We all have something that we care deeply about, whether because of an experience we underwent, an encounter we've witnessed, or a story spoken by someone close to us. Advocacy has a huge impact on communities everywhere. One brave voice is enough to open up a channel for others to share their experiences and support human rights.
• VOLUNTEER OR DONATE – Volunteering and donating to organizations working for human rights around the world helps empower communities to escape poverty and find resilience from the natural disaster.
•  CHOOSE FAIR TRADE & ETHICALLY MADE GIFTS – Collectively, we have incredible power, and one way to wield that power is in the marketplace. Fair trade and ethical products follow strict guidelines for giving workers and artisans living wages, safe working conditions, dignified employment, and environmental respect to support human rights. 
•  LISTEN TO OTHERS' STORIES – There's incredible power in listening to someone's story, especially one that is vastly different from yours. With 7 billion people on one shared planet, the world is full of diverse cultures, traditions, and ways of living that are interesting to learn about.
• STAY CONNECTED WITH SOCIAL MOVEMENTS – An amazing way to stay connected with social movements around the world and advocate support for them is through active and vigilant use of social media.
• STAND UP AGAINST DISCRIMINATION – Discrimination has a way of creeping up in places we never imagined encountering it. Yet it's there, and the most important thing each of us can do is say something – don't let it slip by. And when you see someone else stand up, stand with them! When we have each other as support, we are more empowered against injustices in the workplace or in a classroom, or in our family and friends. There are more people on this earth who help and uplift others than tear people down with words or hate. Acting together, we're powerful enough to pave a new path to equality and fairness.

“TO DENY PEOPLE THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS IS TO CHALLENGE THEIR VERY HUMANITY.” – NELSON MANDELA.

Hence, as SDG 17 also states partnerships at all levels from local to global, and the creativity, sensitivity, sensitization, know-how, and financial resources from all of society are necessary to bring peace and harmony to all in the world.