International Human Rights - Report Example

International Human Rights Name Institutional Affiliation International Human Rights Introduction The dawn of 2011 saw a wave of popular uprising and revolutions in the in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The revolutions and uprisings across the different countries that make up MENA were as a result of one common factor, the violation of human rights by the Arab regimes as well as the lack of respect for human dignity of the common people residing in the region (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). The fundamental human rights of the different groups of people in the Middle East continue to be breached even today. This is evident in the conspicuous lack of religious toleration, democratic rights, due process as well as freedom of assembly and expression (Paul and Stork, 2014). Despite the importance of human rights to the security as well as the policies of the countries that make up MENA, very little attention has been to the entire issue both by the policymaking and academic circles. This has been the case since 1948 when the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). The current paper seeks to highlight the human rights situation for children and the disabled in the Middle East, with particular focus being on Iran, one of the countries in the MENA region whose human rights record continues to be questioned. An agenda for change as far as the human rights situation in the country is concerned is also presented. The Human Rights Situation Despite streams of normal life being visible in the Middle East and North Africa region, reminders of repression and disregard of human dignity, such as exiled writers, notorious prisons as well as censored newspapers are still many (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). Those affected by lack of respect for human rights in this region include trade unionists, political activities as well as minority groups. Most of the countries in the MENA region have a constitution and they usually hold elections to choose their leaders (Paul and Stork, 2014). However, there is often a huge contradiction between the actual practice and the formal systems that are in place (Paul and Stork, 2014). In addition, a significant number of the MENA countries are party to the UN Human Rights Declaration and other regional and international declaration. However, the countries are yet to fully adopt the basic standards outlined in the Human Rights Declaration as well as the other international covenants they are part of (Paul and Stork, 2014). Despite the failure of most of the governments in the Middle East and North Africa to endorse the said documents, the expansion of the rights movements has made it possible for the rest of the world to see the extent to which individual states in the region are violating human rights. Both the political and academic circles have done little to address the human rights situation in the MENA region. From the academic perspective, very few scholars have attempted to incorporate human rights in the study of the MENA region (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). Compared to other regions such as Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, the MENA region has over the years received scant attention as far as human rights are concerned. The main attention with regard to the study of human rights in MENA has been on women's rights, the Palestinian right to self-determination as well as the debate on the relationship between Islam and human rights (Chase, 2016). From a political perspective, the great powers of the world have not been serious is pressurizing the ruling regimes in the individual states that make up MENA when it comes to the protection of human rights as well as democratization. The US and the powerful countries of Europe have been advocating for regional stability in the region, but their support has been limited to supporting regime security while ignoring human rights concerns and democracy (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). The MENA region is made up of countries that are diverse in terms of politics, culture and even individual economies. Apart from having different regime types such as republican regimes and monarchs, the states that make up MENA also include both Arab and non-Arab countries (Chase, 2016). These differences mean that there is no one factor that can be said to play the most important role in the promotion or violation of human rights by the different players in the region. The human rights situation in the region is shaped by the interplay of international, domestic and regional factors. According to Chase (2016), the MENA region is characterized by dominant authoritarianism which often varies among secular, Islamic and ethnic justifications. Chase (2016) adds that the only common thing that the authoritarianism in the MENA region share with each other is a common foundation in some type of nationalist sectarianism This means that the oppressive authorities in the region have shown that they are able to evolve into progressively brutal systems of power that will without any doubt leave many believing that there is no better alternative (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). This is a clear indicator that a lot of work remains to be done by the world powers and international agencies such as the UN. The Human Rights Situation for Children and People with Disabilities in Iran Iran is a theocratic nation in which the main political system is a Shia Islamic one and based on “Velayat-e Faqih” which translates to “rule by the jurisprudent.” The main power structures in the country are dominated by Shia clergy and political leaders that the clergy has to vet before appointing them (United States Department of State, 2016). There exist, within the structure of the state, mechanisms for popular elections. However, the supreme leader has a strong influence over the executive and executive branches of the government (United States Department of State, 2016). In addition, the supreme leader holds constitutional authority over the armed forces, the judiciary, and the media which is largely run by the government. The country’s supreme leader also has indirect control over important internal institutions such as the internal security forces. At the moment, Iran’s supreme leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has been in that position since 1989 (United States Department of State, 2016). The country also has a president, Hassan Rouhani, who first came to power in 2013. Despite the many appeals from international bodies and global powers regarding the human rights situation in Iran, the country’s record remains one of the poorest in the region. Systematic abuses such as summary executions and extra-judicial killings remain rampant in Iran (National Council of Resistance of Iran, 2017). Since 2015 when President Hassan Rouhani came to power, approximately 3000 people have already been executed. The current regime is also reported to be using 75 different types of torture against its prisoners. According to the 2017 report on the Human Rights situation in the country by the Human Rights Council, Iran’s leadership continues to apply the death penalty at quite a high rate, even in cases in which the offenders are juvenile. It is reported that a significant number of individuals who identify themselves as Human Rights defenders continue to be arrested, detained and prosecuted. Journalists and women rights activists are among the largest group of human rights defenders that have fallen victim to the oppressive regime in Iran. Minority groups such as the disabled members of the Iranian society have also had to grapple with continued discrimination and persecution. The violation of human rights in Iran has been consistently recorded and reported to different human rights organizations over the past few years. The organizations that have released reports on the human rights situation in the country include Amnesty International and the UN Higher Commissioner for Human Rights (National Council of Resistance of Iran, 2017). The different human rights organizations have made numerous public appeals and issued statements about the appalling human rights situation in Iran. The abuses of human rights in the country have also been tabled before the UN Human Rights Council in numerous council sessions (National Council of Resistance of Iran, 2017). However, the progress achieved so far seems to be quite insignificant given the persistent abuse of fundamental rights that different groups of people in the country such as women, children and those with disabilities need to enjoy. With regard to children and their rights, numerous reports from different organizations show that the lives of children in Iran are mired by a number of difficulties. It is reported that over 100 children die every other month in Iran as a result of preventable issues such as street fights, famine, and illnesses (Humanium, 2017). The civil and penal codes in the country establish the age of maturity for boys as 15 lunar years old while that of girls is set as 9 lunar years. With this definition, a significant number of children have been assigned adult criminal responsibility. This, in turn, has negatively impacted a couple of other legal rights. The country’s policy and legal framework have also made a significant contribution to a serious violation of children’s right to security and life (Humanium, 2017). Article 301 of Iran’s penal code reduces the punishments that parents and other members of the family who physically injure or murder should face. This has seen rampant cases of domestic violence directed towards children as well as honour killings (CRIN, 2015). A number of provisions in Iran’s laws openly discriminate between girls and boys. The girls’ age of maturity, for instance, is set significantly lower compared to that of boys. Additionally, the law discriminates when it comes to issues of inheritance. According to Iran’s law, female heirs can only get a half of what their male counterparts get (CRIN, 2015). Iranian children also face a lot of discrimination when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity. Adolescents and children deemed to be transgender, gay, bisexual or lesbians of face legal and social discrimination (CRIN, 2015). Same sex-relations are outlawed in the country’s Penal Code with punishments those found guilty are subjected to including flogging and even execution. Violation of children’s civil rights and freedoms is also rife in the country. Iran’s law provides that it is possible for a child born to an Iranian woman and a non-Iranian man to be denied nationality and a range of social benefits. There are about 149 offenses that Iran’s Penal Code allows for flogging to be used (CRIN, 2015). The punishment is also applicable to children who have attained the legal age of criminal responsibility. This means that there are numerous cases where children have had to be flogged. Rights groups in the country report that between 2000 and 2011, there were about 48 cases where minors were flogged (HRW, 2017). Another major issue relates to early and forced marriage of children. In Iran, the Civil Code set the minimum age at which girls and boys can marry at 13 and 15 years respectively. The country’s 2011 census revealed that the number of girls with at least one child before reaching the age of 15 years was 11,289 (CRIN, 2015). Once married, the children are prohibited by law from attending school, a clear indicator that early marriages are one of the leading causes of school dropouts in Iran. With regard to the justice system, Iran’s laws allow for the execution of people for crimes they committed while below the age of 18 years. It is reported that in 2014 alone, about 14 juvenile offenders in Iran were executed (CRIN, 2015). Emerging reports have also revealed that juvenile offenders sentenced to death were most of the times not granted the right to a fair trial. It is also reported that they the child offenders often became victims of ill-treatment and even torture (HRW, 2017). With regard to child labour, the law in Iran extends some protection to children. However, minors in the country remain at heightened risk of exploitation as well as safety and health violations (CRIN, 2015). The Islamic laws, to which Iran subscribes to, calls for people living with disabilities to be treated with utmost esteem and respect. Iran, as a country, has made significant progress over the years as far as observing the rights for people with disabilities is concerned (OHCR, 2017). Based on Islamic teachings, authorities in the country have made a great effort in an attempt to improve availability, accessibility, support as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals living with disabilities. Iran is party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The country also adopted a comprehensive law for individuals with disabilities in 2004 (OHCHR, 2017). This is a clear indicator that significant effort is being put into ensuring that Iranians living with disabilities also enjoy fundamental human rights (Tavaana, 2017). It is reported that about 11 million people in Iran live with some form of disability. Despite the presence of some laws that provide for the protection of persons with disabilities in the country, there is still a rampant violation of the rights to education, integration as well as employment (Tavaana, 2017). Efforts to promote the rights of this group of Iranians have in the past been based on a charity model that usually undermines the independence, leadership, and agency of the people living with disabilities. Disability as an issue affects many families and institutions in Iran. However, there remains very little discussion of this issue among key stakeholders in the country, a fact that has seen people living with disabilities being denied some important rights (Tavaana, 2017). How the UN has failed The UN is responsible for the promotion of human rights the world over. However, the continued violation of children’s rights and the rights of people living with disabilities in Iran and other countries in the Middle East is a clear indicator that it has failed in its mandate. More amount of time, expertise, and monetary resources are being used by the UN and its bodies in an attempt to promote fundamental rights and freedoms for everyone. However, human rights violations are still the order of the day in the Middle East and other parts of the world. The UN has failed the children and disabled individuals in Iran by failing to bring up to task the state and its leaders as far the utilization of discriminatory and oppressive laws in the country is concerned. The UN and its bodies are doing little to pressurize the Iranian leadership into instituting changes in the laws as well as institutional frameworks that have significantly contributed to the undermining of the fundamental rights of these groups of people. The UN has also failed people living with disabilities in Iran as well as children by being less concerned with making the entire world aware of the atrocities being committed towards these groups of people in Iran and the entire MENA region. The UN has also failed to establish effective indicators that would help tell whether the human rights situation for these groups of people is improving or not. An Agenda for Change for the Human Rights Situation in Iran The violation of children’s rights as well as the rights of individuals living with disabilities is still rampant in Iran. For the situation to improve, we call upon the international community to: Ensure that trade relations with Iran are restricted to the requirement that the country’s authorities stop unnecessary executions and violation of human rights, more specifically when it comes to vulnerable groups such as children and those living with disabilities Ensure that the country’s human rights dossier is presented before the UN security council Ensure that the perpetrators of human rights crimes, especially those directed to child and individuals living with disabilities are subjected to international justice at the International Criminal Court We also call upon the authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran to: Put the minimum age for which an individual can be deemed responsible for crimes they have committed at 18 years. This way, it will be possible to afford minors maximum protection in line with the international standards and the gender neutrality principles. Ensure that all children born in the country are registered and accorded nationality that is irrevocable. Increase the minimum age at which a person can marry to 18 years and take proactive measures to minimize child marriage. Call off the execution of death penalties put on people who committed crimes before reaching the age of 18 years Initiate public awareness and education campaigns about the importance of including individuals living with disabilities in the key activities of the society. Conclusion Violation of human rights by different regimes as well as the lack of respect for human dignity of the common people has been rampant in the Middle East and North Africa region. Violation of human for the different groups of people in the region is evident in the conspicuous lack of religious toleration, democratic rights, due process as well as freedom of assembly and expression. The groups affected by lack of respect for human rights in this region include trade unionists, political activities as well as minority groups. Both the political and academic circles have done little to address the human rights situation in the MENA region. The focus of the current paper was on the human rights situation for children and people living with disabilities in Iran. It is reported that despite the many appeals from international bodies and global powers regarding the human rights situation in Iran, the country’s record remains one of the poorest in the region. A significant number of individuals who identify themselves as Human Rights defenders continue to be arrested, detained and prosecuted. Over 100 children die each month in Iran due to street fights, famine, and illnesses. Important rights that children should enjoy are also restricted by the country’s strict and oppressive laws. For those living with disabilities, there is still a rampant violation of the rights to education, integration as well as employment even in the presence of some laws that provide for the protection of persons with disabilities in the country. References Chase, A. T. (Ed.). (2016). Routledge Handbook on Human Rights and the Middle East and North Africa. Taylor & Francis. CRIN. (2015). Rights of the Child in Iran. Retrieved from https://www.crin.org/sites/default/files/iran_joint_submission_to_crc_committee_0.pdf HRW. (2017). Iran Events of 2016. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/iran Human Rights and Human Welfare. (2014). Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Retrieved from https://www.du.edu/korbel/hrhw/researchdigest/mena/MiddleEast.pdf Humanium. (2017). Children of the Iran. Retrieved from https://www.humanium.org/en/iran/ National Council of Resistance of Iran. (2017). Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/issues/human-rights OHCHR. (2017). Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities considers initial report of Iran. Retrieved from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21438&LangID=E Paul, J, and Stork, J. (2014). The Middle East and Human Rights. Retrieved from http://www.merip.org/mer/mer149/middle-east-human-rights Tavaana. (2017). Changing Perceptions of Disability and Disability Rights in Iran. Retrieved from https://tavaana.org/en/content/changing-perceptions-disability-and-disability-rights-iran United States Department of State. (2016). Iran 2016 Human Rights Report. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/265708.pdf Read More

From a political perspective, the great powers of the world have not been serious is pressurizing the ruling regimes in the individual states that make up MENA when it comes to the protection of human rights as well as democratization. The US and the powerful countries of Europe have been advocating for regional stability in the region, but their support has been limited to supporting regime security while ignoring human rights concerns and democracy (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). The MENA region is made up of countries that are diverse in terms of politics, culture and even individual economies.

Apart from having different regime types such as republican regimes and monarchs, the states that make up MENA also include both Arab and non-Arab countries (Chase, 2016). These differences mean that there is no one factor that can be said to play the most important role in the promotion or violation of human rights by the different players in the region. The human rights situation in the region is shaped by the interplay of international, domestic and regional factors. According to Chase (2016), the MENA region is characterized by dominant authoritarianism which often varies among secular, Islamic and ethnic justifications.

Chase (2016) adds that the only common thing that the authoritarianism in the MENA region share with each other is a common foundation in some type of nationalist sectarianism This means that the oppressive authorities in the region have shown that they are able to evolve into progressively brutal systems of power that will without any doubt leave many believing that there is no better alternative (Human Rights and Human Welfare, 2014). This is a clear indicator that a lot of work remains to be done by the world powers and international agencies such as the UN.

The Human Rights Situation for Children and People with Disabilities in Iran Iran is a theocratic nation in which the main political system is a Shia Islamic one and based on “Velayat-e Faqih” which translates to “rule by the jurisprudent.” The main power structures in the country are dominated by Shia clergy and political leaders that the clergy has to vet before appointing them (United States Department of State, 2016). There exist, within the structure of the state, mechanisms for popular elections.

However, the supreme leader has a strong influence over the executive and executive branches of the government (United States Department of State, 2016). In addition, the supreme leader holds constitutional authority over the armed forces, the judiciary, and the media which is largely run by the government. The country’s supreme leader also has indirect control over important internal institutions such as the internal security forces. At the moment, Iran’s supreme leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has been in that position since 1989 (United States Department of State, 2016).

The country also has a president, Hassan Rouhani, who first came to power in 2013. Despite the many appeals from international bodies and global powers regarding the human rights situation in Iran, the country’s record remains one of the poorest in the region. Systematic abuses such as summary executions and extra-judicial killings remain rampant in Iran (National Council of Resistance of Iran, 2017). Since 2015 when President Hassan Rouhani came to power, approximately 3000 people have already been executed.

The current regime is also reported to be using 75 different types of torture against its prisoners. According to the 2017 report on the Human Rights situation in the country by the Human Rights Council, Iran’s leadership continues to apply the death penalty at quite a high rate, even in cases in which the offenders are juvenile. It is reported that a significant number of individuals who identify themselves as Human Rights defenders continue to be arrested, detained and prosecuted. Journalists and women rights activists are among the largest group of human rights defenders that have fallen victim to the oppressive regime in Iran.

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