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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:35 am
Time: 11:35 am
Results for human rights violations
5 results foundAuthor: Seattle University School of Law. International Human Rights Clinic Title: Voices from Detention: A Report on Human Rights Violations at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington Summary: This study examined the conditions at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. It found violations of international human rights law, the Constitution and the Refugee Convention, including lack of due process, mistreatment of detainees (including strip searches), insufficient food and medical care and language barriers, among others. Details: Seattle: International Human Rights Clinic, Seattle University School of Law, 2008. 80p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118300 Keywords: Due ProcessHuman Rights ViolationsIllegal AliensImmigrant DetentionImmigrantsPrison Conditions |
Author: Kerness, Bonnie, ed. Title: Torture in United States Prisons: Evidence of Human Rights Violations. 2nd Edition Summary: When prison doors close behind men and women they become our prisoners. If we are their family and friends, we may visit, write, call, and advocate on their behalf. If they are anonymous, we will likely dismiss them with the thought, “they broke the law—that was their choice— and now they must pay the penalty.” And we proceed about our daily lives without looking over the prison wall. It is time we did just that; prisons reflect the societies that create them. International treaties, conventions, and declarations provide basic guidelines for the treatment of prisoners. These guidelines are often ignored by the U.S. criminal justice system. Meanwhile, the United States continues to criticize other countries for violations of prisoners’ human rights. “Torture in United States Prisons” (Second Edition) provides primary evidence of such human rights violations. Its goal is to cast light on the torture and abuse of prisoners. For over three decades, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has spoken out on behalf of prisoners. Since 1975 AFSC has operated a Criminal Justice Program in Newark, New Jersey. During that time AFSC has received thousands of calls and letters of testimony of an increasingly disturbing nature from prisoners and their families about conditions in prison. The list of abuses is long and horrifying: use of stun guns and restraint devices, rape, prison chain gangs, inadequate medical care, isolation, “no touch torture” (lights on 24/7, deliberately startling sounds, menacing dogs), use of force, and other egregious violations of international human rights standards, including the Convention Against Torture, ratified by the United States in 1994. The concepts of human rights law must be upheld by the United States police, court, and prison justice systems. One way to foster this change is for prisoners, their families and loved ones, and prisoner rights advocates to weave the language of international standards and treaties into their arguments for humane prison conditions and treatment of prisoners. To that end, this document presents prisoners’ testimonies in five sections—Isolation, Health and Medical Services and Conditions, Use of Force and Devices of Torture, Racism, and Women in Prison—and introduces each section with a relevant international standard as stipulated in international human rights agreements. For example, Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture prohibits “physical or mental pain and suffering, inflicted to punish, coerce or discriminate for any reason.” Yet practices such as the indefinite use of shackles and other mechanical restraints, the administration of dangerous chemical treatments, and the practice of extended isolation continue in the United States. The practice of extended isolation in particular is of growing concern to many prison activists, both inside and outside the walls. The reports that come to AFSC about prisoners subjected to devices of torture have largely been from isolation cells—often called management control units or special management units—in which there are few witnesses. Ojore Lutalo is one such prisoner, and you can find his full story in the Appendix. There are thousands of similar stories as well, some of which are included here. Details: Newark, NJ: American Friends Service Committee, Northeast Region, Healing Justice Program, 2011. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2013 at: http://afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/torture_in_us_prisons.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/torture_in_us_prisons.pdf Shelf Number: 128082 Keywords: Human Rights ViolationsIsolationPrison ConditionsPrisonersPrisoners' Rights (U.S.)Solitary ConfinementTorture |
Author: Nobel Women's Initiative Title: From Survivors to Defenders: Women Confronting Violence in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala Summary: From January 21 to January 31, 2012, a women's rights fact-finding mission traveled to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. The delegation was organized by the Nobel Women's Initiative, JASS (Just Associates) and prominent national organizations that formed host committees in each country, and led by Nobel Laureates Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchu Tum. The purpose of the trip was to gather evidence of the impact of escalating violence in the region on women and women's rights, assess the role and response of governments, and acknowledge and evaluate ways of supporting women who are organizing to protect themselves and their communities. The combined experience of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, JASS and long-time activists on the delegation provided a strong basis for assessing the crisis in violence and human rights in these three countries. The delegation built on the extensive organizing efforts and relationships with diverse women human rights defenders and organizations that have been established by JASS' Mesoamerica team. This platform of trust enabled us to gather first-hand information from frontline women human rights defenders who are facing great risk as a result of their work. Moreover, these exchanges meant that the delegation's visit also contributed to strengthening the alliances that are so critical to women's survival and safety. Of all the countries in the region, the delegation chose to visit Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala because these nations show alarming increases in violence against women over the past years, with evidence of the negligence of governments in protecting its citizens and direct participation in acts of violence. Although these countries are not currently involved in open warfare, the massive deployment of military and police forces in all three has gravely affected civil society and spurred a rise in violence and violation of human rights, with particular impact on the lives and rights of women. Over the course of ten days, we met with a number of government officials and representatives of international organizations. Most importantly, we gathered evidence and heard testimonies from over 200 women survivors of violence and human rights defenders from organizations that have been working against violence for decades. Building on JASS' and host committees' relationships, many women agreed to travel at great risk from cities and villages across their country to tell the stories of their struggles for the first time in an international forum. The bravery of the women we met provided us with an unprecedented opportunity to combine the human element of personal experience recounted face to face, with studies, statistics and government declarations. We found that the line between survivors and defenders has been erased as survivors of violence take on the role of defenders. Importantly, the networks and protocols for protection that have been built over the last few years by the host committees with JASS' support, ensured that these brave women could safely return to their communities. JASS and the Nobel Women's Initiative will continue to support the women of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala as they move forward. Details: Ottawa, ONT: Nobel Women's Initiative, 2012. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2014 at: http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Report_AmericasDelgation-2012.pdf?ref=18 Year: 2012 Country: Latin America URL: http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Report_AmericasDelgation-2012.pdf?ref=18 Shelf Number: 132118 Keywords: Human Rights ViolationsPolitical ViolenceViolence Against Women |
Author: University of Texas School of Law. Human Rights Clinic Title: Deadly Heat in Texas Prisons Summary: The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is currently violating the human and constitutional rights of inmates in Texas by exposing them to dangerously high temperatures and extreme heat conditions. Extreme heat in TDCJ-run correctional facilities has long caused heat-related injuries and deaths of inmates during the hot Texas summers. Since 2007, at least fourteen inmates incarcerated in various TDCJ facilities across the state of Texas have died from extreme heat exposure while imprisoned. Many of these inmates had preexisting health conditions or were taking medications that rendered them heat-sensitive, yet properly cooled living areas were not provided to them by the TDCJ. These fourteen victims, along with other TDCJ prisoners and even TDCJ personnel, were and continue to be exposed to dangerously high heat levels on a regular basis. This practice violates individuals' human rights, particularly the rights to health, life, physical integrity, and dignity. In spite of repeated, serious, and egregious incidents, the TDCJ has yet to implement measures that effectively mitigate heat-related injury in inmate housing. While the TDCJ has installed fans and allowed for ventilation in inmate living areas, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has proven these measures to be ineffective in preventing heat-related injuries in very hot and humid conditions, such as those present in TDCJ facilities. Despite these findings, TDCJ facilities largely do not provide air conditioning to the living areas of the general inmate population, many of whom are serving time for non-violent offenses. At the same time, the TDCJ has spent money on air conditioning for its warden offices and for its armories. Additionally, the TDCJ has not promulgated any maximum temperature policies for inmate housing, even though the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and numerous other state departments of corrections across the country have done so. As a result, TDCJ inmates continue to suffer through Texas summers, and are forced to risk heatstroke and other heat-related injuries while incarcerated with the TDCJ. This Report, prepared by the Human Rights Clinic of the University of Texas School of Law, concludes that current conditions in TDCJ facilities constitute a violation of Texas's duty to guarantee the rights to health, life, physical integrity, and dignity of detainees, as well as its duty to prevent inhuman or degrading treatment of its inmates. These duties have been affirmed by countless human rights bodies and instruments such as the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, to mention just a few. Many international human rights decisions have found that extreme heat similar to situations in Texas contributes to a finding of inhuman or degrading prison conditions. The TDCJ's continued incarceration of inmates in extreme heat conditions violates its duties to inmates, and constitutes inhumane treatment of such prisoners in violation of international human rights standards. The Human Rights Clinic concludes that current extreme heat conditions in TDCJ facilities also violate inmates' constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has recognized time and again that extreme heat in prisons can constitute a violation of inmates' Eighth Amendment rights. In a 2012 case, a 63 year old Texas prisoner presented with a preexisting blood pressure condition, and was taking medication that would affect his body's ability to regulate temperature. The court decided that a reasonable jury could conclude that a failure to provide air conditioning, among other things, to an individual with these conditions was a violation of the prisoner's constitutional rights. Most recently, the Middle District of Louisiana issued a decision in 2013 condemning the extreme heat conditions in a Louisiana prison facility similar to those conditions present in TDCJ facilities as a violation of the Constitution. There is therefore clear and recent precedent for denouncing the hot conditions in TDCJ facilities as violating the guarantees and rights of inmates under the Eighth Amendment. Details: Austin, TX: University of Texas School of Law, Human Rights Clinic, 2014. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 17, 2014 at: http://www.utexas.edu/law/clinics/humanrights/docs/HRC_EH_Report_4-7-14_FINAL.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.utexas.edu/law/clinics/humanrights/docs/HRC_EH_Report_4-7-14_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 132378 Keywords: Health CareHuman Rights ViolationsHumane TreatmentInmatesPrison ConditionsPrisoner HealthPrisoners (Texas)Prisoners Rights |
Author: Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network (WHRIN) Title: 21st Century Witchcraft Accusations & Persecution - 2013 Global Report Summary: In many countries throughout the world, being accused of witchcraft, black magic or other forms of evil, can result in serious violations of human rights including, at the most extreme, torture and death. Women, children, the disabled and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to these forms of abuse. This is still a world-wide phenomenon that remains largely unrecognised: The extent and distribution of it is largely unknown and, as yet, no formal mechanism exists to record, monitor or respond to such violations. To establish an idea of the global spread of the various spiritual beliefs that result in violations of human rights, WHRIN monitored online media reports in 2013 of cases of abuse and the interventions that have been carried out by governments, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and human rights activists. This report may represent the first systematic attempt to assess the scale of the problem worldwide and responses to it. Details: Thurnham, UK: Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network,2014. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 12, 2014 at http://www.whrin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/WHRIN-UN-report_small-FINAL.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.whrin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/WHRIN-UN-report_small-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 132446 Keywords: Human Rights Abuses Human Rights ViolationsWitchcraft |