Pakistan’s Malala and the ‘White Man’s Burden’

Robert Bridge has worked as a journalist in Russia since 1998. Formerly the editor-in-chief of The Moscow News, Bridge is the author of the book, “Midnight in the American Empire.”

Russia Today - November 11, 2013

The autobiography of Malala Yousafazi, the young Pakistani girl who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban, is banned from schools in Pakistan. She's become a symbol of hypocrisy and double-standards in the backyard of America’s ‘war on terror.’

On the surface, Malala’s story seems to fit perfectly with the Western narrative on the Middle East in general and Pakistan in particular: a 15-year-old girl working tirelessly on behalf of female educational reform is gunned down on a school bus by members of the Taliban.
Yousafazi not only survives gunshot wounds to the head and neck, but goes on to be a nominee for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, and publishes her youthful memoirs in a just-released book, entitled, I Am Malala.
Although hyped in the West, Malala’s book, which was co-written with the British journalist Christina Lamb, has been banned by Pakistani officials and bemoaned by the Pakistani public, who see more than just a story of a young girl espousing the benefits of universal education.
Adeeb Javedani, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, said Malala's book won’t be appearing on the library shelves of its 40,000 affiliated schools. He also petitioned the government to bar the book from school curriculums.

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Latest Human Rights Watch Report: 30 Lies about Venezuela

By Tamara Pearson

Venezuelanalysis.com, January 23rd 2014

In the six pages that HRW dedicates to Venezuela in its World Report 2014, released this week, it manages to tell at least 30 serious lies, distortions, and omissions. Pointing out these lies is important, because many people believe that HRW is a neutral authority on human rights, and the mainstream press publish articles and headlines based on HRW report conclusions. Here are some of the headlines in both English and Spanish (translated to English) that have come out of the 2014 report:

Global Post – Venezuela intimidates opponents, media: HRW report , PanAm Post – Human Rights Watch: A black eye for Latin America , AFP – HRW criticises Venezuela in its annual report on human rights, El Economista – HRW: Democracy in Venezuela is fictitious, El Universal – Human Rights Watch report denounces persecution of media in Venezuela, El Siglo – Human Rights Watch: Venezuela is an example of “fictitious democracies”, El Colombiano: HRW describes Venezuela as a fictitious democracy , NTN24 – HRW warns that Venezuelan government applies “arbitrary” measures against media that is critical of its policies

The headlines which talk about a “fictitious” or “feigned” democracy, are referring to the start of the report, where HRW put Venezuela, along with other countries, under the category of “abusive majoritarianism”. There, HRW provides a very limited definition of democracy; “periodic elections, the rule of law, and respect for the human rights of all” and argues that Venezuela has adopted “the form but not the substance of democracy”. HRW cites Diosdado Cabello not letting legislators who didn’t recognise democratically elected President Maduro speak in parliament – yet the punishment seems soft, considering the crime.

Below, I’ve grouped the lies and omissions according to HRW’s own subheadings in its chapter on Venezuela. Unlike with other countries such as the US, HRW omits all of Venezuela’s human rights achievements in its assessment, and in reality a range of other subheadings would be deserving, such has right to have access to housing, people’s right to be consulted about policy, right of the poorer people to be heard in the media, right to education, the right to health care, to land, and so on. Of course, nowhere in the report does HRW mention the economic crimes committed by the business sector against Venezuelans’ right to access affordable goods (hoarding, speculation, etc).

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Call For Papers -- Undergraduate Journal in Human Rights

The Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies at Webster University is currently soliciting undergraduate research papers and book reviews for possible publication in the 2013/2014 issue of Righting Wrongs: A Journal of Human Rights. Entering its fourth year, Righting Wrongs is a peer-reviewed academic journal that provides space for students to explore human rights issues, challenge current actions and frameworks, and engage in problem-solving aimed at tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues.

The fourth open issue of Righting Wrongs will be published online in May 2014. (December issues feature selected senior theses and book reviews from Webster University students.) The blind peer-review process will be conducted by student editors and reviewers at Webster University, under the supervision of faculty advisors. Submissions are accepted from undergraduate students at universities around the world. Submissions are not accepted from graduate students, and papers must be written in English.

To submit a paper or review for possible publication in Righting Wrongs, please e-mail your submission as a Word document attachment to humanrights@webster.edu. Research papers should include a full paper, bibliography, a 100-word abstract, and a brief author(s) biography. Also, papers must be formatted according to American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines. Reviews should focus on books about human rights issues and debates.

The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 3, 2014. Authors should receive a decision no later than March 2014. For more information and writing resources, please visit the Righting Wrongs web site at www.webster.edu/rightingwrongs.

Andrea Miller, Ph.D.
Teaching Fellow, Institute for Human Rights & Humanitarian Studies
Adjunct Professor
Webster University
470 E. Lockwood Ave
St. Louis, MO 63119
636-246-8698
andreamiller31 (at) webster.edu

New online Master Programme Governance and Human Rights

MASTER OF GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

at

HUMBOLDT VIADRINA School of Governance in Berlin, Germany

We happy to announce that the application process for the distance-learning Master of Governance and Human Rights, planned to start in April 2014, has been opened. Please check our website for all the required information: http://www.humboldt-viadrina.org/eng/study/master-of-governance-and-human-rights/ 

The Master of Governance and Human Rights at a glance:

- The Master of Governance and Human Rights is a two-year distance learning online and part-time on-campus international Master program;

- The professional degree program will be taught in English, aiming to empower students and young professionals to understand and reflect the theoretical meaning and practical application of Governance in and through Human Rights;

- The program addresses young professionals with a university degree, first work experience and a project idea which they seek to realize

The Master’s focus is based on the premise that good governance and human rights are mutually reinforcing. Yet, the translation and integration of concepts and theories into practical strategies is largely missing in most applied projects or policies. Good governance principles such as accountability, transparency and participation have to be better linked to human rights norms and standards. Conversely, the realization and implementation of human rights depends on the adherence to good governance principles. The program further includes and reflects on the role of new governance actors in the field that impact the realization of human rights, such as multinational companies, civil society and international organizations.

We are looking forward to your applications by January 2014.

Warmest,

Prof. Dr. Anja Mihr
Interim-Academic Director
Master of Governance and Human Rights
http://www.humboldt-viadrina.org/eng/study/master-of-governance-and-human-rights/
HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA School of Governance
Wilhelmstraße 67, D - 10117 Berlin
Tel.: +40 30-200 59 7119
Anja.Mihr@humboldt-viadrina.org

Russia Criticizes EU for Human Rights Violations

RIANOVOSTI - Jan. 16, 2014

MOSCOW, January 15 (RIA Novosti) – In its annual report on human rights in the European Union released on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said many members of the 28-nation union regularly violate human rights.
The report says the existing EU legislation lacks effective mechanisms to prevent abuses of basic human rights.
The ministry citied the problem of non-citizens in Estonia and Latvia, discrimination of Russian-speaking minorities in Finland and the rise of nationalist sentiments in Poland among examples of blatant human rights violations in the EU.
It also said UK authorities violated human rights while tapping conversations by its citizens and foreign delegations, citing revelations by US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.
The ministry also criticized the 28-nation union for its “hypocritical” entry policies that violate the freedom of movement, citing a report by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks.

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Capitalism for Human Rights?

By Carol Te 
MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics

The Huffington Post - Jan. 14, 2014

If you enter Cambodia, you'll inevitably notice a plethora of non-profits that riddle the country. There has been a 75% increase of orphanages in Cambodia since 2005, new schools teaching English herd kids into classrooms, and civil society organizations working on post-conflict issues have taken root in different provinces. If you walk next door into Vietnam, you will encounter organizations meant to help remaining victims of Agent Orange, homes to accommodate disabled children, and seed money thrust on to impoverished families. The emergence of non-governmental, non-profit organizations in these countries is paralleled in other developing countries. These organizations receive tens of millions of dollars in donation from the international development assistance community, and they have gained prominence in the social, economic and political affairs of their respective countries. They are meant to provide services for citizens that the government does not attend to in order to protect the rights of the people -- yet are they the answer to human rights problems?

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‘Ineffective and flawed’ - Russian report blasts EU’s Human Rights protection system

Russia Today - January 15, 2014

The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a critical report on human rights in the European Union saying that Europe still faced serious problems, and that member states are avoiding obligations that would change things for the better.
According to the Foreign Ministry, conclusions were made on the basis of serious sources, such as the reports of the United Nations Council for Human Rights, the OSCE, the reports of the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner and the data provided by rights activists, journalists and NGOs.
The Russian report lists the rise of xenophobia, racism, aggressive nationalism and neo-Nazism as the most acute problems of the European Union. It says that as the region faces the continuing economic crisis it also sees incidents of blatant violations of the rights of minorities, such as refugees and migrants, as well as infringement of citizens’ rights for social protection. The problems also include insufficient protection of children’s rights and gender inequality, the document reads.
Another serious issue is law enforcers overstepping their powers, and the violation of prisoners'rights. Also a number of EU countries continued to participate in the CIA’s secret prisons program, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

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Iraq's Long Shadow of Injustice Haunts Britain

BY Mark Kersten

Foreign Policy - JANUARY 15, 2014

It is often said that unresolved human rights violations cast a long and harrowing shadow. Atrocities and crimes committed in the past can come back to haunt even the most powerful states. For Britain, that restless shadow is the war in Iraq.
Earlier this week, two groups -- the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) -- lodged a formal complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC), demanding that the ICC investigate British political and military officials for their alleged role in the commission of war crimes in Iraq. The filing maintains that senior figures within the British government bare the greatest responsibility for systematic torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of Iraqi citizens between 2003 and 2008.
The complaint comprises a judiciously organized, comprehensive, 250-page dossier. Notably, it relies not only upon witness testimony but on documents and manuals revealed and produced by various commissions, inquiries, and British ministries. Its focus is on Britain's Ministry of Defense and officials such as General Sir Peter Wall, former Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon and former Defense Minister Adam Ingram. Those hoping to see former Prime Minister Tony Blair targeted will be disappointed; his name does not appear once in the filing. 

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Universal values, foreign money: local human rights organizations in the Global South

By James Ron and Archana Pandya

Open Democracy - 13 November 2013

How important is international funding to local human rights groups worldwide? Oddly enough, there has been little published research on the topic. Pressured by angry nationalists and vengeful governments, human rights activists and donors prefer to keep money questions out of the spotlight.
Indeed, we know of only two existing studies. In 2006, a Nigerian scholar published research on 20 of his country’s 100 human rights groups, the vast majority of which were foreign-supported. Two years later, Israeli researchers published a study based on interviews with 16 of the country’s 26 human rights groups, and said that more than 90 percent of their budgets came from Europe and the United States. Neither study, however, shed light on conditions elsewhere in the world.
To rectify this gap, we began by interviewing 128 human rights workers from 60 countries in the Global South and former Communist region. Then we assembled lists of all the local rights groups we could find in Rabat and Casablanca (Morocco), Mumbai (India), and Mexico City and San Cristóbal de las Casas (Mexico). Our team identified 189 groups in total, all of which were non-governmental, domestically headquartered, politically unaffiliated, and legally registered.
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