DURBAN--Though the issue of
slavery and reparations continued to ring loud
and clear in the speeches at the Plenary on Tuesday
afternoon and Wednesday, national human rights
commissions of various countries began to take
center stage, urging the World Conference against
Racism (WCAR) to look to the future, rather than
the past, and take concrete measures to tackle
the menace of racial discrimination. Some of
these national commissions were bold enough to
take a stand at
variance from that
of their respective governments. Michael Farrell,
member, Irish Human Rights
Commission, admitted that refugees, migrants and asylum-seekers
in his country faced discrimination and were often
denied the right to work. "There has been a disturbing
rise in racist attacks in my country, and travelers,
particularly women travelers, have been discriminated
against." Racism and racial discrimination was "a
real and present evil" in Irish society, which
must be combated, he said.
Earlier, he had referred to how, in the past,
vast numbers of Irish men and women had been forced
to migrate to the US and elsewhere to flee poverty
and persecution in their own country. It was ironic
that those who had come to Ireland in recent times
have been shown little or no compassion, he added.
"The attitude
of the Irish toward them is grudging and unwelcoming.
Asylum-seekers are called
bogus, thereby sending out negative signals."
The Irish Human
Rights Commission had only been set up recently,
Farrell revealed, and was a direct
consequence of the armed conflict in Northern Ireland. "A
joint human rights commission (for the two parts
of the island) will be set up very shortly."
India's Dalits, or Untouchables, who have come
in large numbers to Durban but have been unable
to change the Indian government's official stand
that caste should have no place at the WCAR and
that discrimination against the Dalits is an 'internal'
matter, received some solace from the statement
by Justice K. Ramaswamy, Representative, National
Human Rights Commission of India.
To loud applause,
he said his Commission considered it its "duty" to listen to those in his
country who had "been the victims of historical
injustices and who are hurting because of discrimination
and inequality." While admitting that the
practice of "Untouchability" had been
abolished by law, he said there were "manifest
inadequacies in implementation which are deeply
frustrating and painful to the Dalits and tribals
and, indeed, to all Indians who strive to end the
injustice that persists in several forms and the
atrocities that occur."
The exchange of
views on human rights matters, "whether
at the national, regional or international level," would
contribute constructively to the promotion and
protection of such rights, added Justice Ramaswamy,
thereby defending the discussion on caste discrimination
at the WCAR and virtually throwing the gauntlet
at the Indian government.
Earlier, Barney
Pityana, designated spokesperson for the joint
statement by National Human Rights
Institutions, had set the tone by reading out a
statement adopted by the Institutions. "To
combat racism and related intolerance, the political
will of States is indispensable and States have
the primary responsibility to adopt and rigorously
implement adequate criminal, civil and administrative
measures to condemn racist acts, prohibit discrimination
and provide victims with effective resources," part
of the statement read.
In like vein, South
Africa's National Assembly Speaker, Dr Frene
Ginwala, speaking on behalf of
the Inter-Parliamentary Union, urged legislators
to ensure that the declarations adopted at Durban
did not remain "mere pieces of paper" but
became laws aimed at eradicating intolerance.
In what must be one of the shortest statements
made at the Plenary, Cecile Buhlmann, Vice President,
Swiss Federal Commission Against Racism, stressed
the importance of human rights commissions forging
partnerships with civil society, being independent
and willing to oppose the government, along with
politicians.
Mario Yutzis, Member
of the Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination,
said that slavery had
not been eliminated and that trafficking in men,
women and children was a telling example of this. "Racism
continues to kill, wound and humiliate millions.
It can take the form of ethnic massacres, exclusion,
or simply derogatory comments and anecdotes."
It was left to
Francis Garlawolu, Senator from Liberia, to make
perhaps the most impassioned speech
at the Plenary. "A slave master will always
be a slave master, no matter what the passage of
time," he said to resounding applause. He
termed globalization an "element of slavery," pointing
an accusing finger at the US and Britain, whom,
he said, had "not contributed a penny" to
his nation, which he claimed had elected a democratic
government in 1997, yet had sanctions imposed against
it. "The people of Liberia are being de-humanized
because our president refuses to be a puppet of
the US."
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