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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.2 No.17
April 25, 2000


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Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net

Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.

Dear Friends,

The Sri Lankans had hardly completed their new year celebrations and Easter for the Christians when the rude shock of the massive loss of lives of their loved ones was reported with the of the major military camp at Elephant Pass in northern Sri Lanka. It is in this context that we invite our lectors and the nation to take a serious look at this meaningless war and to seize this opportunity to press for peace. The clamour for Peace has and in fact is being made by those who feel it most - the women, as apparent from the short news item received from Kandy.

The news of the appointment of the UN to Appoint Special Rapporteur on Right to Food came as a pleasant surprise buttressing our search for a broader meaning to 'rights' and the universal concern that it entails. We also would like to congratulate Entraide et Fraternite/ Vivre Ensemble, the development agency in Belgium for their attempts at moving from a "needs" to a "rights" approach in Development at the occasion of their 40th anniversary. The editor

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1) Situation in Sri Lanka: A sobering moment that may be turned into a decisive stage in the Peace Process - Basil Fernando
2) "Women Raise their voices and Call for Peace" - report from Fr. Nandana,Kandy
3) UN to Appoint Special Rapporteur on Right to Food - comment by Nick Cheesman
4) News in Brief

1) Situation in Sri Lanka: A sobering moment that may be turned into a decisive stage in the Peace Process 

- Basil Fernando

The events of the Easter weekend involving the fighting in the Elephant Pass and elsewhere in the North provide a sobering moment for all Sri Lankans. It has become quite clear that an early settlement of the dispute with the assistance of third party mediation is the best alternative to continuing war in the country.

Most news reports on the fall of the Elephant Pass refer to "Chitta Dhiriya Natuwee Yama" (demoralisation) in the rank and file as well as in the leadership of the Sri Lankan military. This is no surprise. As this war is basically a creation of self-interested politicians over several decades (particularly since 1977), nothing is more natural than this demoralisation. In fact it is the whole country that has been demoralised due to the careless manner in which the political leadership has failed to bring about a just and peaceful settlement to the conflict between the two communities, along with the resulting, unnecessary loss of life and resources which could otherwise have been used for better purposes. However this is not a moment to point fingers at whom is to blame. The only realistic option is to look resolutely for a decisive end to the war by way of a peaceful settlement that is completely respectful of the demands of everyone.

In this respect, the fact that the Norwegian Government has already initiated a process of negotiation provides a reason for hope. Instead of playing petty politics relating to such peace negotiations, it would be rather more beneficial to enter into this process in earnestness and responsibility. This would allow the people of Sri Lanka to see the beginnings of serious discussion on the ways to bring an end to military conflicts between the parties.

What should matter most is that no further lives be lost in an utterly meaningless war. The preciousness of the lives of people from both parties needs to be the paramount consideration.

To make the political discussions more serious, it is the people themselves who should begin to intervene and let the politicians know that they are tired of this war and want a just and peaceful settlement as soon as possible. If the people do not intervene to make their feelings felt, it will not be surprising to see the politicians fail to seize this opportunity and return back to their normal political tricks and habits. The people will have no one to blame if more of their children are to die and more of their resources wasted at a time when many other countries are rapidly making progress.

We also urge the United Nations and the international community to assist the Sri Lankan government and people to realize that it is only a peaceful solution by political means that will bring an end to this decades-long armed conflict. We particularly urge the Secretary General of the United Nations to decisively intervene on this occasion as he has done in several other conflicts. We also urge the Norwegian Government and any other governments that have taken an interest in achieving peace in Sri Lanka to make their efforts even more urgent under the present circumstances.

2) "Women Raise their voices and Call for Peace" - report from Fr. Nandana,Kandy

Sunday 26th March 2000 - was the Day when the women of the Hill Country celebrated Women's Day at Hatton with the participation of over 450 women. The main objective of the celebrations was to make those in responsible positions aware of the harassment, social injustice and pressures that afflict the total womankind. There were 2 Talks on the subject " Harassment and abuse that afflict women and how to overcome them" both in Sinhala and Tamil Languages. A Peace Walk was organized - it was a peaceful orderly protest demonstration calling for Peace. The women voiced their feelings in apt slogans. At this time when " lives of our people are burning on the pyres of the ongoing war" the women called for Peace and an end to violence, "Respect Human Rights", "Devolution of Power is the way to bring about Peace" and similar slogans were on the banners the women carried at the Peace Walk.

3) UN to Appoint Special Rapporteur on Right to Food - comment by Nick Cheesman

The UN Commission on Human Rights has announced it will appoint a Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. Under Item 10: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Commission resolved "in order to respond fully to the necessity for an integrated and coordinated approach in the promotion and protection of the right to food, to appoint, for a period of three years, a special rapporteur, whose mandate will focus on the right to food".

In its resolution, the Commission reaffirmed that "hunger constitutes an outrage and a violation of human dignity" and noted that food security is founded on "a peaceful, stable and enabling political, social and economic environment". It remarked that the inadequacy of food to millions of people is "intolerable" and it "encourages all States to take all necessary steps to promote the conditions for everyone to be free from hunger and as soon as possible enjoy the right to food".

The resolution referred to a number of previous documents released by the Commission, including a report by the High Commissioner (E/CN.4/2000/48) and a recent updated study on the right to adequate food (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1999/12). These documents note that, in general, "the widespread failure by States and the international community to ensure freedom from hunger and enjoyment by all of the right to food constitutes one of the most serious shortcomings of the human rights agenda". Furthermore, they explore the myth that food scarcity equates merely with insufficient food production: "Inadequate access to food and suboptimal nutritional status may have multiple interacting causes, some of them deeply rooted in malfunctioning of the society" (emphasis added). All parties are responsible. States should primarily "respect the resources owned by the individual, her or his freedom to find a job of preference, to make optimal use of her/his own knowledge and the freedom to take the necessary actions and use the necessary resources... to satisfy his or her own needs". In particular, States must offer "active protection" of the right, and importantly "refrain from using food as a weapon". The country rapporteurs of the Commission should "include in their reports investigations into violations of the right to adequate food". Finally, "NGOs should devote more attention to economic and social rights, including the right to food".

The full text of the draft resolution (E/CN.4/2000/L.19, 11 April 2000) and associated documents are available on-line at the UN Commission on Human Rights website. The website of the People's Tribunal on Food Scarcity and Militarization in Burma (www.hrschool.org/tribunal) also contains links directly to these materials.

4) News in Brief

Malnutrition in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has the highest rate of malnutrition in the world despite its progress in reducing the number of underweight and stunted children and decreasing the infant mortality rate, the World Bank says.
According to the World Bank, 600 to 700 Bangladeshi children die daily of malnutrition-related causes

The rains come - a bit too late

The Prime Minister of India, Mr.A.B. Vajpayee made an appeal to the Indians on Sunday for donations to assist over 50 million people affected by severe drought in Gujarat.