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Le Togo doit redoubler d’efforts pour mettre fin aux pires formes de travail des enfants d’ici 2025 – Experte des Nations Unies

LOME (31 mai 2019) ‑ De nombreux enfants au Togo sont encore victimes des pires formes de travail des enfants en tant que domestiques dans des maisons privées, dans des champs agricoles ou dans le secteur minier, a déclaré aujourd’hui la Rapporteuse Spéciale des Nations Unies sur les formes contemporaines d’esclavage.

Mme Urmila Bhoola, s’exprimant lors d’une conférence de presse à Lomé après une visite d’une semaine au Togo, s’est dite préoccupée par le fait que de nombreux enfants sont laissés pour compte dans les efforts de développement du pays, malgré les progrès réalisés au fil des années.

De nombreuses personnes ont informé la Rapporteuse Spéciale au cours de sa visite que le travail des enfants continue d’être accepté par les acteurs gouvernementaux et non gouvernementaux sur la base de normes et de pratiques culturelles. Toutefois, le Togo s’est engagé à atteindre les Objectifs de Développement Durable de l’ONU qui exhortent les Etats à « ne laisser personne pour compte » et, parmi ces objectifs, à mettre fin aux pires formes de travail des enfants d’ici 2025.

« A l’heure actuelle, le Gouvernement Togolais ne fait pas assez pour prévenir et résoudre le problème du travail des enfants en veillant à ce que ces derniers aient pleinement accès à une éducation de qualité. « Les familles pauvres continuent de lutter pour envoyer leurs enfants à l’école en raison des coûts indirects de l’éducation qui les rendent vulnérables au travail des enfants », a déclaré Mme Bhoola à la presse.

« Le développement doit être durable et inclusif pour que les générations futures puissent en bénéficier. Si les enfants sont laissés pour compte, la société en assumera le coût en payant un prix élevé », a déclaré l’experte indépendante.

La pratique culturelle de confiage, dans laquelle les enfants sont placés auprès des membres de la famille pour travailler en échange de la possibilité d’une éducation, conduit souvent à la violence et à l’exploitation – les pires formes de travail des enfants. Les mariages d’enfants et les enfants accusés de sorcellerie causent également des torts horribles, a dit Mme Bhoola. « Le Gouvernement doit mettre fin à de telles pratiques sans plus tarder en veillant à ce que les enfants aient de véritables perspectives.»

L’experte indépendante a souligné que le Togo a pris d’importants engagements pour se conformer à ses obligations internationales en matière de droits de l’homme et a adopté des lois nationales interdisant le travail forcé, le travail des enfants, la mendicité et les conditions de travail et de vie abusives dans ses réformes en matière de droit pénal de 2015. Il a également augmenté le nombre d’inspecteurs du travail qui veillent à la conformité en matière de violations des droits des travailleurs en vertu du Code du Travail, bien qu’il n’y en ait toujours pas assez. De plus, les inspecteurs du travail ne peuvent pas accéder aux maisons privées, où la servitude domestique demeure un problème invisible, et ils n’ont pas le pouvoir d’imposer des sanctions administratives.

Au cours de sa visite, l’experte indépendante a rencontré des Autorités Gouvernementales, des Organisations de la Société Civile et des Syndicats, ainsi que des victimes du travail des enfants. Elle a visité Lomé, Sokodé et Tabligbo et a souligné la présence d’organismes internationaux qui œuvrent  en partenariat avec le Gouvernement et qui renforcent les capacités en vue de résoudre les problèmes liés aux droits de l’homme.

Le rapport de la Rapporteuse Spéciale sur la visite de pays et les recommandations seront présentés au Conseil des Droits de l’Homme des Nations Unies en septembre 2020.

FIN

Mme Urmila Bhoola (Afrique du Sud) a été nommée Rapporteuse Spéciale des Nations Unies sur les formes contemporaines d’esclavage, y compris leurs causes et conséquences, en juin 2014.Elle est indépendante de tout Gouvernement et sert à titre individuel. 

Mme Bhoola est une ancienne Juge du Tribunal de Travail de l’Afrique du Sud. Sa nomination à la magistrature a fait suite à 20 années de travail comme avocate spécialisée en droit du travail et des droits de l’homme en Afrique du Sud. Elle a reçu de nombreux prix pour son travail en matière de droits de l’homme et d’égalité des sexes. 

Elle a également été Conseillère Technique auprès de l’Organisation Internationale du Travail (OIT) sur les droits du travail dans la région d’Asie-Pacifique et a été Rédactrice Juridique en Chef de la Loi sur l’Equité en matière d’Emploi de l’Afrique du Sud, conçue pour remédier aux désavantages causés par l’apartheid. Les rapports thématiques de la Rapporteuse Spéciale sont accessibles sur:  

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Slavery/SRSlavery/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx.

Les Rapporteurs Spéciaux font partie de ce qu’on appelle les Procédures Spéciales  du Conseil des Droits de l’Homme. Les Procédures Spéciales, le plus grand groupe d’experts indépendants dans le système des Droits de l’Homme des Nations Unies, est le nom général des mécanismes indépendants d’enquête et de suivi du Conseil qui traitent de situations spécifiques de pays ou de questions thématiques dans toutes les régions du monde. 

Les experts des Procédures Spéciales travaillent sur une base volontaire; ils ne font pas partie du personnel des Nations Unies et ne reçoivent pas de salaire pour leur travail. Ils sont indépendants de tout Gouvernement ou de tout organisme et servent à titre individuel.

Page pays des Nations Unies sur les Droits de l’Homme: Togo

Pour plus d’informations et  de requêtes médiatiques veuillez contacter:

au Togo, au cours de la visite: Satya Jennings au +228 92 27 56 06 au écrire à l’adresse sjennings@ohchr.org

A Genève, après la visite: +41 22 97 72 ou écrire à l’adresse sjennings@ohchr.org.

Pour les requêtes médiatiques relatives à d’autres experts des Nations Unies:

Jeremy Laurence – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)

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Togo must step up efforts to end worst forms of child labour by 2025 – UN expert

LOME (31 May 2019) – Many children in Togo remain victims of the worst forms of child labour as domestic servants in private homes, in agricultural fields or in the mining sector, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery said today.

Urmila Bhoola, speaking at a news conference in Lomé after a week-long visit to Togo, said she was concerned that many children are being left behind in the country’s development efforts, despite progress achieved over the years.

The Special Rapporteur was told by many during her visit that child labour continues to be accepted by governmental and non-governmental actors based on cultural norms and practices. However, Togo has committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which urge States to “leave no one behind” and, as one of those targets, end the worst forms of child labour by 2025.

“Currently, the government of Togo is not doing enough to prevent and address child labour by ensuring that children have full access to quality education. Poor families continue to struggle sending their children to school due to the indirect costs of education which makes them vulnerable to child labour,” Bhoola told reporters.

“Development needs to be sustainable and inclusive for the future generations to benefit from it. If children are left out, the society will bear the cost by paying a high price,” the independent expert said.

The cultural practice of confiage, in which children are placed with family members to work in exchange for the chance of an education, often leads to abuse and exploitation – the worst forms of child labour. Child marriages and children being accused of witchcraft also cause horrendous harm, Bhoola said. “The government needs to end such practices without further delay by ensuring that children have real perspectives.”

The independent expert noted that Togo has made substantial commitments to comply with its international human rights obligations and has passed domestic laws prohibiting forced labour, child labour, forced begging and abusive working and living conditions in its 2015 penal law reforms. It has also increased the number of labour inspectors monitoring compliance with labour rights violations under the Labour Code, although there are still not enough. Also, labour inspectors cannot access private homes, where domestic servitude remains an invisible problem, and they do not have the power to issue administrative penalties.

During her visit, the independent expert met government officials, civil society organisations and trade unions, as well as victims of child labour. She visited Lomé, Sokodé and Tabligbo and noted the presence of international agencies in partnering with government and building capacity to address human rights issues.

The Special Rapporteur’s report on the country visit and recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2020.

ENDS

Ms Urmila Bhoola (South Africa) was appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, in June 2014. She is independent from any government and serves in her individual capacity. Ms. Bhoola is a former Judge of the Labour Court of South Africa. Her judicial appointment followed twenty years of work as a labour and human rights lawyer in South Africa, and she has received many awards for her human rights and gender equality work. She has also been a technical advisor to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on labour rights in the Asia Pacific region and was Chief Legal Drafter of South Africa's Employment Equity Act, designed to redress disadvantages caused by apartheid. The Special Rapporteur’s thematic reports can be accessed here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Slavery/SRSlavery/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights country page: Togo

For more information and media requests please contact:

In Togo, during the visit: Satya Jennings at +228 92 27 56 06 or write to sjennings@ohchr.org

In Geneva, after the visit:  +41 22 97 72 or write to sjennings@ohchr.org.

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts: Jeremy Laurence – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 /jlaurence@ohchr.org)  

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Arbitrary detention and the right to a fair trial: UN experts find Turkey violated human rights

Arbitrary detention and the right to a fair trial: UN experts find Turkey violated human rights

GENEVA (29 May 2019) — Two Turkish men living in Malaysia were arbitrarily detained and deprived of their right to a fair trial after they were extradited to Turkey and held incommunicado, the United Nations Human Rights Committee concluded in a decision published today in Geneva. The finding came in response to a complaint submitted to the Committee by the victims.

The full decision is available to read on-line.

In May 2017, Malaysian police detained two men who the Turkish authorities considered to be connected to the Gülen movement. The men were rendered to Turkey without an extradition hearing or a judicial decision, and held in incommunicado detention at an unknown location. They were transferred to Denizli prison in June 2017, where they remain under a court order issued following their initial detention period.

The men claimed a violation of their right to be free from arbitrary detention, as protected by article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The victims submitted their complaints to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, an independent expert body composed of 18 international human rights experts.  In 2006, Turkey ratified the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which gives the Committee the mandate to examine individual allegations of human rights violations.

The Committee considered, among other factors, the length of time between the victims’ arrests and their appearance before a judge, the lack of evidence demonstrating that the victims had been informed of the charges against them, and the limited evidence submitted by the Government of Turkey to justify their detention.

People detained in the context of a state of emergency have a right to a fair trial. This includes the right to know the reason for their detention, to be promptly brought before a judge, to have access to a lawyer and for their families to know where they are and to be able to see them. In addition, during pre-trial detention, people are entitled to have their cases periodically re-examined by a judge or other judicial authority.

In its decision, the Committee requested Turkey to report back within 180 days detailing the measures the country has taken to remedy the situation.

ENDS

Background

The Human Rights Committee monitors States parties’ adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which to date has 172 States parties. The Committee is made up of 18 members who are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties.

Its Optional Protocol, which to date has 116 States parties, establishes the right of individuals to complain to the Committee against States which violated their human rights. The Optional Protocol imposes an international legal obligation on State parties to comply in good faith with the Committee’s Views. Further information on the individual complaints procedures before the Committees.

Learn more with our videos on the Treaty Body system and on the Human Rights Committee!

For media requests, please contact Julia Grønnevet in Geneva at +41 22 917 9310/jgronnevet@ohchr.org.

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BRIEFING NOTES - (1) North Korea report, (2) Anti-Semitism

28 May 2019

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:         Marta Hurtado

  

Location:      Geneva

Subject:        (1) North Korea report

(2) Anti-Semitism

(1) North Korea report

People in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are trapped in a vicious cycle, in which the failure of the State to provide for life’s basic necessities forces them to turn to rudimentary markets where they face a host of human rights violations in an uncertain legal environment, according to a new report published by the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday. The report highlights how the public distribution system in the DPRK has been broken for over two decades and how, as people seek to eke out a living in a legally precarious parallel economy, they are  exposed to arbitrary arrest, detention, and extortion.

Based on 214 first-hand accounts of escapees gathered by UN Human Rights staff in South Korea in 2017 and 2018, the report describes how the most fundamental rights of ordinary people in the DPRK are widely violated because of economic mismanagement and endemic corruption. “The rights to food, health, shelter, work, freedom of movement and liberty are universal and inalienable, but in North Korea they depend primarily on the ability of individuals to bribe State officials,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.

According to UN entities operating in the DPRK, in 2019 around 10.9 million people (over 43 per cent of the total population) are undernourished and suffer from food insecurity. “These are extraordinary and appalling figures,” said Bachelet. “You rarely find this level of deprivation even in countries wracked by conflict.”

The full press release and report are available here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24651&LangID=E

(2) Anti-Semitism

We condemn the rise in anti-Semitic incidents taking place in a number of European countries and the United States. Just in the past week, after a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, the Government official charged with combatting anti-Semitism felt the need to urge Jews in parts of the country where incidents have been taking place, to consider avoiding wearing kippas (skullcaps) on their heads in public, in order not to draw attention to their race and religion.

And in Austria, a number of pictures of Holocaust survivors displayed in a street exhibition entitled “Lest we forget” in central Vienna have been vandalised not once, but three times. Initially, swastikas were painted on the faces of the survivors, and then on Sunday night large sections of the faces on the pictures were cut out.

These events in Germany and Austria cannot, unfortunately, be described as isolated, with other European countries also experiencing increases in acts of vandalism, including of Jewish businesses and gravestones. Most disturbing of all, acts of physical violence against Jews have also increased in a number of countries in recent years, with particularly sharp rises in violent incidents reported in both Germany and France. However, the worst incidents have taken place in the United States, where 11 people were killed during an attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last October, and in April a woman was killed and three other worshippers were injured in another attack on a synagogue in Southern California.

The rise in attacks targeting Jews, along with other groups targeted because of their race or religion, is a matter of grave concern, and we urge all governments to redouble their efforts to combat racism and related intolerance in all its forms. Under international law, people are entitled to legal protection from incitement to hatred and violence. When abuse rises to the level of incitement – whether it be on the street or on the Internet – it should be prohibited by law, while respecting freedom of expression, which has permissible restrictions in such cases.

On a more positive note, it was encouraging to learn yesterday that a number of people in Vienna have taken a stand against the acts of anti-Semitism, thereby working to repair the damaged pictures of the Holocaust survivors and joining forces to guard the exhibition from further attacks.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact: Rupert Colville - + 41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org or Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org or Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / mhurtado@ohchr.org

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EVROPAKO ROMANO LIL: Pro-EU partije odnele pobedu nad populistima

EVROPAKO ROMANO LIL: Pro-EU partije odnele pobedu nad populistima:                                                  Pro-EU partije odnele pobedu nad populistima   Objavljeno : 27.05.2019. N...

Pro-EU partije odnele pobedu nad populistima

 

                                           

 Pro-EU partije odnele pobedu nad populistima 

Objavljeno : 27.05.2019.

Novi Evropski parlament biće polarizovaniji i iscepkaniji a konzervativnoj Evropskoj narodnoj partiji (EPP), iako je ponovo osvojila najviše mesta, neće biti lako da napravi kontrolnu većinu zbog velikog rasta Zelenih, liberala i krajnje desnice. Najveće iznenađenje izbora su Zeleni koji će zahvaljujući odličnim rezultatima u Nemačkoj i Francuskoj u EP imati 69 evroposlanika prema 50 do sada.

  

Evroskeptici i populisti sa krajnje desnice su ojačali ali nisu, što im je bila želja, stigli do trećine mesta u EP, uprkos pobedi Marin Le Pen u Francuskoj i Matea Salvinija u Italiji.

  

Izlaznost na izborima bila je najveća od izbora 1999, čak 50,5%, prema preliminarnim podacima. Tome je doprinela velika izlaznost u zemljama poput Francuske, Španije ili Poljske. Na prethodnim izborima izlaznost je bila 43% pri čemu najveća u Belgiji (90%) a najmanja u Slovačkoj (13%).

Prema poslednjim rezultatima objavljenim na sajtu EP, posle izbora održanih od 23. do 26. maja EPP će u Parlamentu sa 751 mestom imati 182 evroposlanika a Socijalemokrate (SD) 147. Dve najstarije grupe prvi put su izgubile većinu u EP koju su udružene imale i obe su izgubile po nekoliko desetina mesta.

"Ako smo najjača grupa, svaki građanin će reći da najjači ima pravo na mesto predsednika Evropske komisije", rekao je nakon zatvaranja birališta 26. maja Bavarac Manfred Veber, "špicenkandidat" grupe EPP.

"Nije moguća većina protiv EPP", rekao je Veber u Briselu dodajući: "Kada se pogledaju podaci, ne vidim većinu protiv liberala, socijalista i EPP. Tražiću da udružimo snage i radimo zajedno".

Međutim, čini se da je u nastajanju neformalni savez krajnje levice, SD i Zelenih i vrlo verovatno liberala iz ALDE, što su nagovestili lideri nekih od tih partija, piše briselski EURACTIV.

Vodeći kandidat socijalista Frans Timermans insistira na svojoj ponudi stvaranja platforme naprednih partija. "Moja ponuda je na stolu", rekao je on po objavljivanju prvih rezultata.

"Tražiću naprednu većinu da uradimo ono što ljudi od nas očekuju" o pitanjima klimatskih promena i socijalne pravde.

Dankinja Margrete Vestager, vodeća kandidatkinja liberala, na korak je da prihvati njegovu ponudu. Ona je Timermansa i Zelene pomenula kao deo napora da se napravi progresivni front.

"Mesta za razgovore ima. Najvažnija stvar je promena, tako da smo u stanju da delujemo" po pitanjima poput borbe protiv globalnog zagrevanja i poreske pravde, rekla je ona.

EPP je izgubio dobar deo podrške u Zapadnoj Evropi - u Francuskoj, Španiji, nordijskim zemljama, ali je ostao snažan ili čak postao jači u Austriji, Nemačkoj, Istočnoj Evropi - u Mađarskoj, Rumuniji, Bugarskoj i Sloveniji.

Sve oči su uprte u Makrona

Sve oči sada su uprte u novu grupu centra nastalu ujedinjenjem Republike u pokrtu (LREM) francuskog predsednika Emanuela Makrona i ALDE koji je sada treća po snazi snaga u EP sa 109 evroposlanika.

Makron zvanično nije podržao ni EPP ni SD ali diplomatski izvori kažu da je kontakt sa SD uspostavljen.

Međutim, Makronova pozicija u izvesnoj meri je oslabljena, uprkos njegovom proevropskom i proreformskom putu, jer je izgubio "kod kuće" od Marin Le Pen.

Pojedinačno najveći dobitnik izbora je "loš momak" EPP, Viktor Orban, koji je u Mađarskoj osvojio više od 50% glasova.

Salvinijeva Liga je dobila oko 30% ali nije uspela da postane pojedinačno najjača stranka u Evropskom parlamentu.

Mateo Salvini planira da osnuje novu evroskeptičnu grupu u EP.

Sve u svemu, evroskeptični populisti nisu uspeli da "održe korak" i blok krajnje desnice ostaje fragmentisan i verovatno neće biti pozvan u vladajuću koaliciju bez obzira ko će je praviti.

Druga velika stvar ovih izbora je Zelena partija i njen znatan rast zahvaljujući spektakularnim rezultatima u Nemačkoj, gde su na drugom mestu sa 20,7% glasova posle kancelarkine CDU sa 28,7%, ali i iznenađujućeg rasta u zemljama poput Irske.

"Zeleni talas nam je dao mandat i dužnost da vodimo promene u Evropi. Nova Komisija će morati da uzme to u obzir jer je naš program zaštite klime, socijalne pravde i odbrane vladavine prava i demokratije doneo Zelenima  važnu pobedu", rekao je vodeći kandidat Zelenih Bas Ejkhaut.

Izvor: EURACTIV.com

Foto: Beta/AP,Video: EP

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Bachelet dismayed by Kenyan High Court Decision upholding criminal sanctions for same-sex relations

Bachelet dismayed by Kenyan High Court Decision upholding criminal sanctions for same-sex relations

GENEVA (24 May 2019) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday expressed her disappointment at the decision of the High Court of Kenya to uphold a ban on consensual, same-sex relations between adults that dates back to the colonial-era.

The Court had been asked to review the constitutionality of Sections 162 and 165 of the Penal Code, which provide for criminal sanctions to be imposed on individuals convicted of consensual same-sex sexual conduct.

Human rights defenders have long argued that these provisions breach Kenya’s human rights obligations, and contribute to violence and discrimination against members of Kenya’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

“Criminalizing acts targeting certain individuals based on who they are and whom they love is inherently discriminatory. It also sends a dangerous signal to broader society and encourages hostility and even violence against LGBT individuals,” Bachelet said. “Denial of rights to education, healthcare, housing and employment can all be traced to the criminalization of same sex relationships.”

The High Commissioner noted that LGBT activists and their allies in Kenya have fought hard to secure greater recognition of the rights of members of the LGBT community. “My message to the people of Kenya is to fight on for greater equality for all, and never give up. The United Nations stands with you and joins you in your demands for dignity, equal rights and fair treatment.”

The decision of the Kenyan High Court stands in stark contrast to a series of recent decisions by courts and lawmakers in other countries in all regions of the world annulling criminal laws that affect same sex relationships. In the past five years, Angola, Belize, India, Mozambique, Nauru, Palau, the Seychelles, and Trinidad and Tobago have all decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual conduct.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact: Rupert Colville - + 41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org or Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org or Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / mhurtado@ohchr.org

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