International Human Rights Day commemorates the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948.
There are many ways to recgonise Human Rights Day , take action today!

•  sign an online petition
• update your facebook or twitter status,
•  join with APYN,
• volunteer for specific campaigns or initiatives ,
•  attend local events in your area by human rights organizations
• tell a friend about what you do to defend human rights or share this
• create a response to ‘what does living with dignity mean to me?’ (like the one above!) and email it to APYN : add your voice
• start a discussion at work or school about why human rights are important

… and so many more ways.

Leave a comment below on how you have recognized Human Rights Day today!

In the Philippines, the government’s policies on sexual and reproductive health services, in practice limit the opportunities of women to have control over whether and when to become pregnant and effectively deny them enjoyment of their sexual and reproductive rights. Women living in poverty are the most affected by these policies, which fail to support them in preventing mistimed or unwanted pregnancies, drive them further into poverty, and lead to harm to their health and wellbeing.

Government policies prioritise ‘natural’ family planning methods (periodic abstinence or withdrawal). Abortion is a crime in all circumstances. The Catholic Church strongly influences the government’s policy on contraception, leading the government, for instance, to ban the emergency contraceptive Postinor in 2001 as a result of scientifically false claims that Postinor induces abortion.

The example of Manila illustrates how, in the absence of national legislation regarding reproductive health, local government policy can lead to denial of access to reproductive health information and services. In 2000, an executive order by the mayor of Manila promoting ‘natural’ family planning led to an end to the provision of free condoms and contraceptive pills at city health centres and hospitals.

Denial of access to contraception provided free of charge by the government hits a larger number of individuals at a time of economic crisis which results in prices of all goods and commodities rising, impacting disproportionately on women.

Three quarters of sexually active adolescents do not use any contraceptive method. Even though many of them may be unwilling and ill unprepared to become parents, many do not have adequate information on how to prevent pregnancy. One in four girls and women begin childbearing before they reach the age of 20. 20% of Filipino women who die a maternal death are teenagers, and in 17% of foetal deaths the mother is a teenager.

According to the government, 400,000 Filipino women resort to clandestine abortions each year, though other estimates are higher. Many abortions are carried out by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment lacking minimal medical standards or both.  According to the latest estimates, around 800 women per year die from complications of unsafe abortion. The government also states that 17 percent of women aged 15-24 have had at least one abortion. According to research from 2006, 54% of women who end an unintended pregnancy by abortion were not using any family planning method when they conceived. Three-fourths of those using contraception at that time were using a ‘natural’ or folk family planning method.

About ten Filipino women die everyday from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, according to the Senate of the Philippines. Fourteen per cent of all deaths of Filipino women aged 15-49 are maternal deaths. The national maternal mortality ratio is 162 per 100,000 live births but for some regions the figures are much higher. The Philippines will likely not meet its Millennium Development targets on maternal mortality reduction. The large majority of the women affected live in poverty and are in the prime of their lives.

Likhaan is one of the organizations working at the grassroots level with women in marginalised communities to make reproductive rights real. The organisation runs community-based primary health care projects directed at women and young people. Helping women to organize their own advocacy for access to health care, Likhaan lobbies health policy makers to become responsive to the needs and rights of people in marginalised communities. The organisation also raises health care providers’ awareness of the rights of the women and trains them in the provision of women-centred primary health care. The organisation’s priority concerns for advocacy include access to contraception, maternal health, sexual and reproductive health services for young people, post-abortion care, therapeutic abortion and making the health system equitable.

In 2008, 20 people from some of Manila’s poorest communities, both men and women, filed a constitutional challenge against the Manila mayor’s executive order on family planning, relying on the findings of research by Likhaan and the Center for Reproductive Rights on how this order leads to violations of women’s human rights.

Likhaan and a broad range of other organisations and individuals are advocating for the government to pass a Reproductive Health Bill aimed at helping women avoid unplanned, mistimed and unwanted pregnancy. The Bill promotes both natural and modern family planning methods and post-abortion care as well as various maternal health measures and reproductive health education. A recent legislative victory for women’s human rights, the ‘Magna Carta of Women of the Philippines’ of August 2009, which requires the government to take measures towards the substantive equality of women and men, also has implications for women’s reproductive rights: in accordance with this law, discriminatory laws affecting women have to be amended or repealed within three years.

“What is also part of poverty is that people lack confidence in themselves. They do not see their social institutions as responding to them. They don’t know how to deal with social institutions. They do not have the skills that will make the local government officials or local government agencies accountable to their needs. It doesn’t matter if people are poor, in poor communities. They deserve the best possible health service that we can give then”, says Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Likhaan co-founder and Chair of the Board. “Poverty is not a reason for second-grad health service.”

‘Filipino women claiming reproductive rights’ video highlights a broad range of sexual and reproductive rights issues in the Philippines through the lens of Likhaan’s work. The video is based on interviews with Likhaan activists and service providers, and women who have received the organization’s services. The women speak about both the transformative power of reproductive rights activism for women in marginalized communities and the challenges they encounter at family, community and government level.

We  support the work by Likhaan and other organizations that work for gender equality, sexual and reproductive rights and effective participation in decision-making and their call on the government to pass the Reproductive Health Bill and undertake all other measures required for individuals’ enjoyment of their reproductive rights.

Josephine’s partner beat her and her stepsons regularly. He beat them when he got drunk.
He beat her when she refused to watch him have sex with his girlfriends. Most of the time he beat her to force her to have unprotected sex with him so she could have his child.
In 2007, Josephine (not her real name) fell pregnant. She left her stepsons and her partner, seeking shelter with her parents. She was HIV-positive. After her baby was born, Josephine’s family discovered her HIV-status. Since then, she has received regular beatings from her brothers. Josephine desperately needs a place to stay. There are only three safe houses in the capital, Port Moresby, where she lives – each run without government assistance, and each struggling from a lack of resources. The situation is even worse outside the capital. There is an urgent need for more shelters for women fleeing violence in Papua New Guinea. Until then, Josephine will suffer the daily brutality meted out by her family members because she has nowhere safe to go.

DO SOMETHING!

PLEASE SIGN AND SEND THIS POSTCARD TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA, URGING HIM TO PROVIDE MORE SHELTERS FOR WOMEN SUFFERING FROM VIOLENCE IN THE HOME.

PNG_postcard action

OR sign action online

Download, print, sign and send this postcard action calling for more shelters for women fleeing domestic violence in Papua New Guinea
Women suffering from violence in the home in Papua New Guinea do not have protection because there are too few shelters available. The few shelters that exist are by and large run without government assistance, and they have to rely on donors’ funding or international NGOs for resources. The severe lack of shelters for women in Papua New Guinea is a prime example of the government’s chronic inaction and failure to meet its obligations to protect women’s human rights in the country.

Call for action:
There is an urgent need for more shelters for women fleeing violence in Papua New Guinea. We can support the work of local activists who provide shelter support to women suffering from domestic violence by calling on the Papua New Guinean government to:

• Set up at least four new shelters across the country before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2010 and expand funding for existing private shelters;

• Equip these shelters with a 24-hour hotline and counselling services.

The camps are overcrowded, holding about 280,000 people (including 80,000 children) and the conditions are dire. When U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the camps on May 23, he described them as “by far the most appalling scenes I have seen.” The camps are under military, not civilian, management. Journalists, human rights observers and aid agencies have not been given full access to the camps. Presidential advisor Basil Rajapaksa said on May 22 that the bulk of the displaced civilians would be re-settled in their home villages in 180 days and almost all the rest by the end of 2009. However, only continuous international pressure can ensure that the Sri Lankan government will follow through on this promise.

The displaced civilians are citizens of Sri Lanka and are entitled to freedom of movement; they have committed no crime and should be allowed to leave the camps if they wish. Without independent monitors in the camps, the displaced civilians are at risk of human rights abuses from the security forces, including torture, executions, enforced disappearances and sexual violence. The media, human rights observers and aid agencies should be given full, unhindered access to the camps to prevent these abuses and the camps should be turned over to civilian management.

Sinhala:

Tamil:

English:

Crisis in Sri Lanka on Google Earth

During the conflict in Sri Lanka, government restrictions and propaganda from both sides led to a lack of access and information, exacerbated by conflicting reports over civilian casualty figures. Using geospatial technologies—like satellite images and Google Earth—allowed us to offer our activists a glimpse of the war zone. Specifically, below is a satellite image of Menik Farm. Run by the military, the image offers a rare glimpse of the massive displacement caused by the conflict. The sheer size of Menik Farm, as captured from space, is a testament to the scale and scope of the crisis.

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/tag/menik-farm

Nepali human rights defender, explaining how a new strong international agency for women could benefit women locally. Saathi Roundtable, Nepal, 2007.

The United Nations is a galvanizing force in setting new international standards and commitments to protect and promote women’s human rights especially those at risk of violence, or facing poverty. But the UN’s capacity to support national implementation of these international agreements is woefully underfunded and inadequate. This has limited the potential for women around the world to fully enjoy their rights in practice.

The four small UN agencies exclusively dedicated to women’s issues lack the necessary status, funding and country presence to enable the wider UN system and national authorities to fully implement their obligations. Other, larger UN agencies, sometimes can make a difference, but advancing women’s human rights and gender equality is usually a small part of their mandate. And none of these agencies are adequately supporting the important work of women’s human rights defenders.

In September 2009, after years of persistent campaigning by women’s human rights advocates around the world, all 192 member states of the UN General Assembly finally adopted a resolution agreeing to the creation of a consolidated and stronger UN agency for women.

“The General Assembly has at last taken decisive action to create a new gender equality entity on the eve of the 15th anniversary of the Beijing women’s conference in 2010. It is a great victory for women’s rights as well as for the coalition of women’s and other civil society organizations. Now we must ensure that it is a robust and transformational body, capable of advancing the realization of women’s rights on the ground, urgently and effectively.” Charlotte Bunch, Founding Director, Center for Women’s Global Leadership, USA.

In order to achieve this, the agreed new women’s agency urgently needs sustained political commitment from all governments and immediate, substantial funding to ensure its effective establishment and success.

Take action! Show your support for a new strong UN women’s agency!

Show your solidarity for women worldwide and sign the global petition to the President of the UN General Assembly!

The United Nations is a galvanizing force in setting new international standards and commitments to protect and promote women’s human rights. But, the UN’s capacity to support national implementation of these standards and commitments is woefully underfunded and inadequate. This has limited the potential for women around the world, especially those at risk of violence, or facing poverty, to fully enjoy their rights in practice,

A global network of over 300 women’s, human rights and social justice groups representing millions of people, are campaigning for a new strong UN agency for women to effectively support the protection and promotion of women’s human rights.

As the representative of all 192 UN member states, the President of the UN General Assembly, His Excellency Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, can help to prioritize the establishment of the new UN women’s agency, making sure it becomes fully operational in 2010 – the 15th anniversary year of the Beijing World Conference on Women.

The new UN agency for women must have:

• World coverage and the necessary country presence and strong policy and programmatic mandate to effectively improve the lives of women worldwide.
• Accountability mechanisms in place at both national and international levels, including through meaningful involvement of civil society, particularly women’s non-governmental organizations.
• Substantial and predictable resources to ensure the capacity to meet expectations and deliver results at all levels. It must be funded initially at a minimum level of $1 billion USD, with increases over time.
• An Under-Secretary-General, appointed by International Women’s Day on 8 March 2010, in order to lead the agency.

A new Indonesia bylaw endorses stoning to death for adultery and caning of up to 100 lashes for homosexuality.

Town of Banda Aceh © PBI

The local Islamic Criminal Code was passed by the Aceh Provincial House of Representatives on 14 September. It forbids a number of acts including alcohol consumption, gambling, intimacy between unmarried couples, adultery and fornication, and homosexuality.
Local Islamic Law was gradually put in place in Aceh from 1999-2000 through various autonomy packages. Caning was introduced a few years ago as a punishment meted out by Islamic courts for offences such as gambling, theft and adultery.

At least 31 men and four women convicted of gambling were caned under local Islamic law in Aceh in 2005 and at least eight people (five men and three women) convicted for gambling or adultery were canned in 2006. However, this is the first time that local legislators have included stoning to death (rajam) as a penalty for those who commit adultery.

The governor of Aceh has indicated that they will not sign the Islamic bylaw because of their opposition to stoning as a form of punishment. However the law becomes effective after 30 days with or without the signature of the governor. The central government has also indicated that the law may contravene Indonesia’s existing human rights provisions under the country’s constitution and is considering filing a judicial review with the Supreme Court.

Info can also be found here:
Join the APYN Bahasa facebook group here:

Do Something!

Write/Email/Fax to the temporary Chairperson of the Aceh Provincial House of representatives:

Start your letter “Dear Chairperson”

Hasbi Abdullah
Chairperson of the
Aceh Provincial House of Representatives (DPRA)
Jln. Tgk. M. Daud Beureueh, No. 155,
Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Fax: + 62 651 21638
Email: dpr_aceh@yahoo.com

Dear Chairperson,

I am concerned about a new Indonesia bylaw, the Islamic Criminal Code, that endorses stoning to death for adultery and caning of up to 100 lashes for homosexuality and we call for it to be repealed immediately so that both the punishments and the crimes are abolished.

International human rights law and the standards oppose the extension of the death penalty to new crimes. Stoning to death is also particularly cruel and constitutes torture, which is absolutely forbidden under all circumstances in international law.

I am also concerned by provisions that criminalize adultery and homosexuality, sexual acts outside of marriage which are freely agreed to. Indonesian authorities must ensure that such provisions are repealed in conformity with international law and standards relating to physical and mental integrity and the right not to be discriminated against, the right to privacy, and freedom of expression.

I call on the new legislature which took office in October, to repeal the law as a matter of urgent priority.

I also urge the new legislature to ensure that all local regulations in Aceh are in full conformity with international human rights law and standards, and other human rights provisions set out in the Indonesian Constitution and in the 1999 Law on Human Rights.

Yours sincerely,

(add your name and country in here!)

Discrimination is a key driver of poverty and women often face discrimination on multiple grounds – they may be denied their rights because they are women and because they belong to a marginalized group. Women living in poverty also face discrimination simply because they are poor. This discrimination can mean that women are excluded from access to justice, protection or services. In some countries discrimination is built into the laws, while in many other countries it persists despite equality laws. Women are often responsible for providing for their families, though are often paid less than men for the same work, do work in the informal sector with no job security and have less access to resources such as land, credit and inheritance rights.

Many women living in poverty don’t have access to healthcare because they can’t afford to pay for it or reach health services. Women in South Africa, particularly black women, are disproportionately affected by poverty and the HIV pandemic. Transport costs are high in relation to people’s income and women living in poor rural communities often find it difficult to reach hospitals and maintain their treatment. Many women don’t have adequate food, which is essential for coping with the side effectives of anti-retroviral medication. Women’s low social status compounds the problem as when there’s not enough food to go around, they are likely to be the last to eat.

The discrimination women face is linked to violence against women. It shapes the forms of violence that a woman experiences. It also makes some women more likely to be targeted for certain forms of violence because they have less social status than other women and because perpetrators know such women are less likely to report abuse or seek assistance.

Caught in cycles of poverty and violence

Violence, for women, is both a cause and a consequence of poverty – violence keeps women poor, and poor women are most exposed to violence. Women who suffer from violence lose income and their capacity to earn a wage is impaired. Being poor may make women make difficult choices which puts or keeps them at risk from violence. A woman who is economically dependent on her abusive partner may see no way to support herself and her children if she leaves. A girl who becomes pregnant as a result of a rape may find herself excluded from school, with fewer prospects of finding safe work and an independent future.

Poverty is widespread in Haiti and many parents in rural areas make the choice to send their children to cities in the hope that their life chances will be improved. More than 100,000 girls between 6 and 17 in Haiti are in domestic service. Children in domestic service work long hours doing domestic chores, looking after other children in the family and selling goods in markets and are provided lodging. Far from their relatives and friends, and trapped in a situation of total dependence on their employers, many girls are exposed to physical abuse and sexual violence. With virtually no one concerned for their welfare and few prospects of finding safer work, these girls live a lonely, isolated and vulnerable existence.

Women’s lives, men’s decisions

Poverty can restrict women’s opportunities to make choices about their own lives. This can be exacerbated by law, custom, culture and religion which often combine to deny women access to decision-making processes and even crucial choices over their lives and bodies, such as whether to become mothers. In the Philippines, government policies limit women’s control over whether and when to become pregnant as the government prioritises ‘natural’ family planning methods such as periodic abstinence or withdrawal.

Especially at a time of economic crisis when the costs of goods and commodities are rising, many poor women have little control over the timing or spacing their pregnancies where the government fails to make effective contraception free or affordable.

Ten Filipino women die every day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth that quality health care could prevent or treat. Abortion is banned in all circumstances, even in cases where the pregnancy puts the woman’s life at risk. At least 400,000 Filipino women resort to clandestine abortions every year, and estimates suggest that around 800 women die each year from complications from unsafe abortions.

Girls miss out on education

Violence and poverty often combine to trap women in difficult situations though education can provide an escape route. Getting an education can open up the possibility of economic independence, increasing women’s choices of how to live their lives. Education is a human right, yet more than 55 millions girls worldwide do not attend school as violence and discrimination impede girls’ access to education.

In Tajikistan, many families cannot afford the basic essentials needed for their children’s schooling – text books, clothes and transport. So rather than sending girls to school, they prioritize the education of boys, who are likely to earn more in later life. Many girls do not complete their education but instead care for family members, work in the fields or at the market, or get married at an early age. A lack of education not only reduces women’s chances of economic independence, but also the possibility of them learning about their rights.

Women Speak Out

When women know they have rights, they will claim them despite all the obstacles they face. There are inspiring examples to be found throughout the world. Whether acting as human rights defenders or simply as members of their families and communities, women drive social progress and human rights advancement for all. In numerous countries, women are active participants in the political process and have made significant strides towards political and economic equality.

Progress on Paper

Sustained progress by women’s rights activists over the past decade has brought significant advances in the international community’s commitment to the advancement of women’s rights. At the international level there are legally binding agreements to protect and promote women’s rights while equality between men and women is a key principle reflected in all human rights standards. At national level there are laws in many countries to protect women’s rights, though these laws do little to improve the lives of women if they are not enforced.

There are no legitimate excuses to explain why governments have failed to fully implement and make effective the national and international laws passed over the last few decades to end violence against women and end discrimination and despite the leaps forward, many women’s lives have hardly improved. Women continue to be the most affected by poverty, violence, environmental degradation and disease. One thing is certain: equality and rights can only be achieved when women actively participate in political processes and when their voices are heard.

The Way Forward

States and international institutions must work harder to protect women’s rights, but everyone one of us has a role in creating the political will for change. We can challenge our governments to improve women’s rights at home, and all around the world, through international cooperation.

In September 2009, all government agreed to the creation of a strong new United Nations agency for women. This agency will have greater capacity to help the UN and governments to ensure women and girls around the world enjoy their rights in practice. This new agency urgently needs sustained political commitment and funding to succeed. Take action now to support the creation of a strong new women’s agency at the UN!

TAKE ACTION!

We need to collect a lot of signatures for this to be effective! We’re going to deliver the petition to the President of the General Assembly in March, which is a crucial moment in the creation of the new women’s agency at the UN, when a big push for sustained political commitment from all governments and sufficient funding are crucial factors in ensuring the effectiveness of the new agency. Also, we need signatures from as many countries as possible

How to take part:  Sign the petition

Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day against Violence against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a human rights violation. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates, including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre (in 1989 on that day fourteen women were shot to death in the University of Montreal’s School of Engineering).

Historically, the 16 Days Campaign has been instrumental in using a human rights framework to draw global attention to the worldwide problem of violence against women. In its early years (1991-1992), 16 Days activists initiated a worldwide petition calling for the United Nations to place women’s human rights issues on the agenda for the World Conference on Human Rights in June of 1993 in Vienna, Austria. By the time of the conference, the petition had collected half a million signatures in 23 languages from 124 countries. The petition helped secure a formal declaration of women’s rights as human rights and of violence against women as a human rights violation in the Vienna Declaration. Also, in 1999, the 16 Days Campaign was part of successful efforts to push the United Nations to declare November 25 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

November 25 was declared International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women at the first Feminist Encuentro for Latin America and the Caribbean held in Bogota, Colombia, July 18-21, 1981. The “feminist encuentros” are conferences of feminists from Latin America who come together every 2-3 years in a different Latin American country in order to exchange experiences and to reflect upon the state of the women’s movement. At that first Encuentro, women systematically denounced all forms of gender violence from domestic battery to rape and sexual harassment to state violence including torture and abuse of women political prisoners. November 25 was chosen to commemorate the violent assassination of the Mirabal sisters (Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa) on November 25, 1960 by the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.

Activists at the local, national and regional levels have realized successes through activities as varied as media campaigns, campus rallies, art exhibitions, lobbying, roundtable discussions, theatre performances, tribunals, and workshops.

Over 2,000 organizations in approximately 154 countries have participated

in the 16 Days Campaign since 1991!

Every year, Centre for Women’s Global Leadership composes a campaign theme in consultation with women’s human rights advocates worldwide and then circulates an announcement for the campaign as widely as possible. The themes over the years are as follows:

1991/1992: Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights

1993: Democracy without Women’s Human Rights . . . is not Democracy

1994: Awareness, Accountability, Action: Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights

1995: Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing: Bringing Women’s Human Rights Home

1996: Bringing Women’s Human Rights Home: Realizing Our Visions

1997: Demand Women’s Human Rights in the Home and in the World

1998: Building a Culture of Respect for Human Rights

1999: Fulfilling the Promise of Freedom from Violence

2000: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the Campaign

2001: Racism and Sexism: No More Violence

2002: Creating a Culture That Says ‘No’ to Violence Against Women

2003: Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights: Maintaining the Momentum Ten Years After Vienna (1993-2003)

2004/2005: For the Health of Women, For the Health of the World: NO MORE VIOLENCE

2006: Celebrate 16 years of 16 days: Advance Human Rights ↔ End Violence Against Women

2007: Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles: End Violence Against Women!

2008: Human Rights for Women, Human Rights for All: UDHR60

2009: Commit ▪ Act ▪ Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women!

Human Rights and Climate Change:

Unless states take prompt, adequate action to address its effects, climate change could become a major threat to the realization of human rights, with those already living in poverty feeling the effects sooner and more acutely.

As global attention turns to the upcoming round of climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December, it is more essential than ever to bring human rights to the table.

Observed and projected changes attributable to climate change include the contraction of snow-covered areas; shrinking of sea ice and melting of polar ice caps; rise of sea levels; increased frequency of hot extremes and heat waves; increase in areas affected by drought; and increased intensity of tropical cyclones.

There is an intrinsic link between such environmental impacts and the ability to realize a range of human rights. State failure to act effectively to curb climate change could result in widespread violations of the right to life, right to health, right to water, right to food, and the right to housing. Acute water shortages and decreased crop yields in the poorer region of the world, to take just two examples, would undermine the rights of millions of people.

State responses to the threat of climate change must ensure that human rights are protected. Strategies for adaptation (preparing for the foreseeable adverse effects of climate change) and mitigation (slowing climate change and reducing its harmful effects) must be firmly rooted in a human rights analysis of the legal obligations of states. Amnesty International believes that the following rights and principles must be an integral part of efforts to address climate change:

• Non-discrimination: The effects of climate change will be felt disproportionately by those who are also vulnerable to human rights abuses because of their poverty, age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability or other status. Climate change policies must not discriminate and must ensure protection against discrimination, particularly of the most vulnerable groups.
• Freedom of information: Access to information is critical to addressing climate change. States must promote and facilitate the flow of information on climate change and measures taken to address it. States have a duty to disseminate information about environmental risks.
• Right to active participation: States must conduct adequate and meaningful consultation with affected people, involving them in decision-making on the policies that would shape their lives. States must ensure participation of civil society, including representative of vulnerable groups, in the design of national adaptation and mitigation strategies
• Rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly: The right to peacefully protest against government action or inaction in relation to climate change is a crucial safeguard that must be respected and protected. Individuals must enjoy the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas, and must not be persecuted or otherwise harassed for exercising these human rights.
• Accountability and the right to effective remedy: Where states’ actions and omissions in relation to the impacts of climate change result in human rights violations, victims should have access to an effective remedy.

www.amnesty.org

Take action online:

Check out more about the tcktcktck  campaign here: http://tcktcktck.org/

Test your knowledge about the death penalty by taking this short Facebook APYN quiz and then compare your results with your friends! Once you’ve taken the quiz please take one minute to check out the WCADP petition which calls for an end to all juvenile executions.

If you’re interested in being part of a team which develops, promotes and implements APYN anti-death penalty activities and actions please read on.

You will need to have internet access, be comfortable or interested in communicating on SNS like Facebook and have about one hour available most weeks between 1 November 2009 and 28 February 2010. APYN particularly welcomes interest from people aged between 18 and 26 who live in the Asia Pacific region. Please email us with subject title “APYN anti-death penalty“ and send one to two paragraphs saying why you’d like to get involved.