economic and social rights | Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

Posts Tagged ‘economic and social rights’

Human Rights Measurement Initiatives – 2023 Human Rights Data Release on Asian countries

June 16, 2023

On 14 June 2023 FORUM-ASIA announced the upcoming 2023 Human Rights Data Release by affiliate member, the Human Rights Measurement Initiatives (HRMI) based in New Zealand. HRMI will this June unveil the latest findings on civil and political rights, economic and social rights (ESR), and human rights in East Asia. On June 22nd, HRMI will present the civil and political rights data, including the measurement of Freedom of Religion and Belief in nine countries, as well as scores for Bangladesh, Thailand, and the Maldives. On June 29th, they will reveal the economic and social rights data, highlighting the crucial role of ESR data in increasing investment in low-income countries and its correlation with wealth improvement. Furthermore, on June 28th, HRMI will delve into the human rights situation in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, exploring topics such as the evolving freedom of opinion and expression and the impact of Hong Kong’s National Security Law. Esteemed guest panelists will share their valuable insights and provide context to the scores.

For HRMI see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2023/06/16/human-rights-measurement-initiative-hrmi-explained/

Civil and political rights data launch

June 22nd 2023 11pm NZ Standard Time

2023 civil and political rights data, including measuring Freedom of Religion and Belief in 9 countries, producing scores for Bangladesh, Thailand, and the Maldives, producing people at risk data about sex workers, and much more.

You can register for the zoom webinar here, it will also be livestreamed on Youtube here.

Economic and social rights data launch

June 29th 2023 Every time zone

2023 economic and social rights (ESR) data, including the role of ESR data in increasing investment in low income countries, how improving ESRs increases wealth, and much more.

You can register for our zoom webinar here, it will also be livestreamed on Youtube here.

Human rights in East Asia data launch

June 28th Every time zone

China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan’s 2023 human rights data, including how freedom of opinion and expression are evolving in these countries, the impact of Hong Kong’s National Security Law on human rights, and much more.

You can join the zoom webinar here (no registration required), it will also be livestreamed on Youtube here.

https://forum-asia.org/?p=38262

Posted in Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: asian region, China, Civil and political rights, data, economic and social rights, Forum Asia, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, Hong Kong, Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI), Taiwan, webinar

Pakistani Lawyer Mary Gill Wins Anna Lindh Prize 2020

August 26, 2020

Pakistani Lawyer Mary Gill Wins Anna Lindh Prize for her campaign '#SweepersAreSuperheroes'

Pakistan’s Human Rights activist and lawyer Mary Gill has been honored with this year’s Anna Lindh Prize.

Komal Fatima Web Editor of BolNews on 25th August, 2020 reports that Pakistani Lawyer Mary Gill has won the Anna Lindh Prize for her campaign ‘#SweepersAreSuperheroes’

Mary Gill is a former MPA and a member of Women in Law. Gill was nominated by WaterAid Sweden. Lena Hjelm-Wallen, the chairman of Anna Lindh’s Memorial Fund and former foreign minister in Sweden, stated: “As a lawyer and activist, Mary James Gill connects human rights, health, and working conditions not least thorough the Sweepers are Superheroes campaign. Mary’s insistent work for the most vulnerable groups, based on human rights is entirely in line with the values Anna Lindh stood for. Therefore, we are very proud to award Anna Lindh prize 2020 to Mary James Gill.”

For more on this and similar awards see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/anna-lindh-memorial-fund-prize

Mary Hill has run a successful campaign. Her motive ‘Sweepers are Superheroes’ launched in 2017 has gained international recognition as well. Through this campaign, she became a voice of garbage collectors who work in vulnerable working conditions. She spoke for the rights and safety of sanitation workers.

https://www.bolnews.com/latest/2020/08/pakistani-lawyer-mary-gill-wins-anna-lindh-prize-for-her-campaign-sweepersaresuperheroes/

Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Anna Lindh Prize, digest of human rights awards, economic and social rights, human rights award, Mary Gill, Pakistan, Sweepers are Superheroes

Andy Hall, British labour labour rights defender, flees Thailand

November 7, 2016

British rights activist Andy Hall leaves the Bangkok South Criminal Court

Andy Hall – Image copyright REUTERS

On 7 November 2016, the BBC, Reuters and other media reported that labour rights defender Andy Hall has left Thailand after a three-and-a-half year legal battle with a pineapple processing company accused, in a report he contributed to, of abusing its workforce. The dismissal of one set of charges against the British activist was confirmed by Thailand’s Supreme Court last week. But he was convicted in September on two other counts under sweeping criminal defamation and computer crimes laws and was given a three-year suspended prison sentence. He also faces civil complaints by the pineapple company, Natural Fruit, which is demanding around $12m in damages.

But it was mostly the prospect of further criminal charges over another group of workers he is supporting that persuaded Mr Hall that he should leave Thailand and not returner the time being. He and the 14 migrant workers from Myanmar – who have alleged abusive treatment at the hands of a farm which supplied the big Thai poultry processor, Betagro, with chickens – recently had defamation lawsuits filed against them. [see also: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/andy-hall/]

Before he left Thailand Mr Hall told the BBC that he felt that the prospect of having to contest continuous lawsuits filed against him would make it impossible for him to defend migrant workers’ rights effectively. The situation for human rights defenders, he said in a statement made as he prepared to depart, has rapidly deteriorated in Thailand, with significantly increased risks.

The challenge confronting Mr Hall is one faced by many Thai activists as well. Defamation is a criminal charge that can carry a two-year prison sentence, often used alongside the even tougher Computer Crimes Act, which mandates a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Two years ago, the editors of a small newsletter, Phuketwan, were prosecuted by the Thai navy for an article in which they quoted a Reuters news agency report alleging Thai military involvement in human trafficking. They were finally acquitted last year, but the effort of defending themselves contributed to the newsletter being shut down.
In June this year three prominent human rights defenders were prosecuted under the same two laws by a unit of the Thai military over a report they took part in which alleged the use of torture against military detainees in southern Thailand.

On Thursday 3 November, the U.N. Human Rights office in Bangkok issued a statement praising the Supreme Court’s decision. But it also called on the Thai government “to drop charges against all human rights defenders who have been charged with criminal offenses for reporting human rights violations in accordance with its obligations under international human rights law.“

On 6 October EU Trade Commissioner Cecilie Malmström had strongly backed the British labour rights activist who helped expose labour abuses in Thailand, for which he received a three-year suspended jail sentence. Andy Hall met Malmström in Strasbourg, where MEPs also passed a strong resolution condemning Hall’s treatment under the military junta now running the country.

Sources:

Thai Supreme Court Dismisses Defamation Claim Against Labor Activist – Malaysia Sun

Andy Hall, British labour rights activist, flees Thailand – BBC News

Malmström backs EU whistleblower over Thai labour rights

Posted in EU, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Andy Hall, BBC, Cecilie Malmström, defamation laws, economic and social rights, Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyer, labour rights, migrant workers, Natural Fruit Company Ltd, Thailand, trade unionists, whistleblower

Imran Anjum in Pakistan called a ‘blasphemer’ for caring about brick makers

June 2, 2016

Imran Anjum is a human rights defender from the city of Sahiwal, Punjab province in Pakistan. He is the Founder and the Executive Director of Peaceful & Active Center for Humanity (PEACH), a non-governmental organisation working on the social and economic development of some of the most disadvantaged communities in Pakistan. Imran Anjum is directly involved in the provision of legal aid to people from these communities and carries out advocacy work on the rights of bonded labourers, including child labourers and brick kiln workers. Currently, PEACH is running a campaign across the Punjab province aimed at raising awareness among brick kiln workers about their rights.

On 20 May 2016, a group of brick kiln owners displayed banners around the city of Gojra, Punjab province, calling human rights defender Mr Imran Anjum ‘a blasphemer‘ and insisting on his execution. These threats follow an attack on 9 May 2016, when Imran Anjum, along with two of his colleagues, was travelling home to Sahiwal from a conference in Gojra devoted to the protection of the rights of brick kiln workers. Two people on motorbikes chased his car, forcibly stopped him, dragged him and his colleagues out of the vehicle and threatened them at gunpoint. They said that they would kill the human rights defender and his colleagues if they did not stop their labour rights work or if they went back to Gojra.

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-imran-anjum

Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: blasphemy, brick kiln workers, death threats, economic and social rights, Front Line (NGO), Human Rights Defenders, Imran Anjum, labour rights, Pakistan, Peaceful & Active Center for Humanity (PEACH)

Ford Foundation Grants $6 Million to Seven Organizations to Reshape the Global Human Rights Movement

September 24, 2013

On 18 September the Ford Foundation announced $6.25 million in grants to seven leading human rights organizations that will strengthen and diversify the global human rights movement. The 7 grants focus on human rights organizations that operate in numerous countries and international forums, underscoring the foundation’s long commitment to supporting collaboration. Combined with a five-year, $50 million initiative announced last year to support human rights organizations based outside Europe and the United States, Ford is spurring innovative thinking about the way the global human rights system functions and its capacity to address 21st century issues such as economic and social inequality.

“The human rights movement has arguably been the most effective and wide-reaching social movement of our time,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. “But the movement faces a notably different set of challenges today than it did even 15 years ago, along with a new set of opportunities for advancing human rights in today’s world. The grants we make today will enable these institutions to more actively adapt, diversify and retool the way the movement works for all of us.”

The seven grants announced today will support: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, Amnesty International, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Civil society, Crisis Action, economic and social rights, equality, FIDH, Ford Foundation, funding, Global Witness, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, human rights organizations, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights, International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations, media, non-governmental, Non-governmental organization, Social and Cultural Rights, strategy, the Association for Women's Rights in Development, The International Network for Economic, United States, Witness (human rights group)