Human Rights and Wrongs

Le Madame

2006-03-31T12:54:00.000+02:00

There's all this excitement going on at Le Madame, and I haven't had a chance to go and witness it for myself. I also haven't been at all good at following the Polish press coverage so my knowledge is based on several subjective reports, accurate and vague, but I'm sure the Beatroot will bring us all up to speed with his journalistic connections and all.I've been to Le Madame a couple of times.

International Volunteers' Day

2006-03-09T17:11:00.000+01:00

Back in December I got together with some other EVS volunteers for a week of workshops and activities culminating in International Volunteers' Day 2005.The Polish National Agency of the EU's Youth Programme have produced a short film, which is available here, and features an embarassing and brief example of my very basic level of Polish 3 months ago (I like pierogi...). The file (last in the list

International Women's Day

2006-03-08T08:39:00.000+01:00

Today is International Women's Day. Happy International Women's Day.Eurostat have decided to celebrate by publishing a report with entitled 'How is the time of women and men distributed in Europe?'Some of the findings are not so surprising: Women spend more time than men doing domestic work, and men spend more time than women learning or earning money. I think we all knew that gender equality is

Torture: from regress to redress

2006-03-03T08:44:00.000+01:00

Neal Ascherson has written a brilliant article discussing the book by Kenneth Roth & Minky Worden (eds.), Torture: Does It Make Us Safer? Is it Ever O.K.?: A Human Rights Perspective (New Press/ Human Rights Watch, 2006)He looks at the shocking regression which sees us debating state torture as an actual policy option, the arguments for and against such a possibility, and the failure of the EU to

10 down, 2 to go

2006-03-03T07:59:00.000+01:00

I've now completed 10 months of my year-long EVS project in Poland.The Polish national agency for the EU's Youth programme has put a piece of mine on their website so if you have a free moment feel free to check it out.

Broken promises

2006-03-01T09:55:00.000+01:00

Amnesty isn't at all happy with the UK. Not only have they written a letter to the Austrian Presidency of the EU about the UK's open and 'sustained attack' on human rights through its anti-terrorist laws, but they also refer to a recent report entitled Human rights: A broken promise.The British governments' initial commitment to Human Rights provisions was commended by AI but since 2000,

Chechens in Poland

2006-02-14T08:56:00.001+01:00

In this article, the Prague Watchdog covers the situation of Chechens in Poland.There are some interesting interviews and some telling words from a social worker at one of the centres outside of Warsaw:'I make €260 a month, which is very little, but I won’t find another job here in Moszna. I’m very tired. We haven’t had any NGO or humanitarian representatives, lawyers or psychologists visit the

"I'm a patient victim. I put up with everything. I sacrifice myself for everyone,"

2006-02-13T14:01:00.000+01:00

Berlusconi has compared himself to Jesus. Do you think he's been any paying attention at all to all this talk of blasphemy recently?

2006-02-08T21:16:00.000+01:00

I think these guys summed it up nicely.

2006-02-06T13:42:00.000+01:00

I am not Muslim. I do not know how it feels to hold a strong religious belief because I am increasingly losing central beliefs my Protestant Christian upbringing taught me. Like the existence of God.I'm on the fence, taking my time, weighing the options and seeing despair in the pointless violence that so many men justify through religion.This cartoon thing has had me wondering. Yes, we everybody

Belarus

2006-02-02T09:35:00.000+01:00

Before I came to Poland I knew very little about Belarus. In the time I've been here however, I've picked up quite a bit.I've heard about Europe's last dictator Lukashenko and how he relies heavily on Russian support. I've read about his forceful way of governing, his fear of a Ukrainian style revolution, the human rights violations including restrictions on freedom of speech; and the recent

Europe not facing up to its Human Rights responsibilities

2006-01-23T13:29:00.000+01:00

Members of the European Parliament have added their voices to the human rights criticisms of the EU wich were brought to the fore by the Human Rights Watch report released last week.The MEPs have been focusing on the apparent lack of attention being given to the human rights abuses taking place against Chechen society, and their newly adopted resolution highlights aspects worthy of concern such

Chechens in Poland

2006-01-19T11:54:00.000+01:00

This is the kind of reading those people of the 'all Chechens are murderers' clan should see more of.

Time has almost run out

2006-01-16T13:23:00.000+01:00

Today is Clarence Ray Allen's 76th birthday. According to reports, he will be visited by his grandchildren and can look forward to a 'hefty meal'. It will be his last. Allen will be executed tomorrow. Clarence Ray Allen has been on death row for a long time. Almost my entire life actually. You cannot deny he was a criminal; and of the really nasty kind. It seems he organised the burglary of an

But there is hope

2006-01-04T19:16:00.000+01:00

Yay!

Homosexual 'depravity' in Krakow

2006-01-03T11:15:00.000+01:00

I returned from a relaxing family Christmas in Brussels followed by an idyllic New Year in the Polish mountains to be met in Krakow on my journey back to Warsaw by this:Even the non-Polish speakers among you will have got the general idea: Stop homosexual depravity, stop deviant behaviour, stop promotion of homosexuality in Poland, etc etc.This wasn't even a lone poster. It was one of about

I heart the British Council

2005-12-20T13:24:00.000+01:00

I have a new favourite working spot in Warsaw: The British Council English Language Resource Centre, or (as I like to call it) the BC library.After being made all too aware of the lack of resources available to Polish civil society, the BC library is a haven of free internet access on modern pcs and well stocked shelves holding books, teaching materials and dvds.For an English girl whose only

Britain's civil partnerships

2005-12-19T21:41:00.000+01:00

One thing that I really don't understand is how anyone can justify to themselves threatening to kill somebody else over their sexuality.I can understand that different types of religious people (and I mean from various different religions) who interpret religious texts in certain ways might come to the conclusion that homosexuality is unnatural and unjustifiable, although I absolutely disagree.

Chechens in Poland

2005-12-07T09:19:00.000+01:00

One of my current activities is giving English lessons to a couple of groups of Russian-speaking asylum seekers and refugees . We knew that various organisations offer Polish lessons, including some of the refugee centres themselves, but having spoken to some of the centres' residents it was suggested that they would benefit from knowing the international language of English.When I tell people

Go there

2005-12-01T22:36:00.000+01:00

I am really swamped at the moment, but if you like a proper heated discussion on the im/morality of homosexuality then the beatroot's Monday post's comments section is the place to be.

To keep you going for a couple of days

2005-11-24T09:14:00.000+01:00

I'll be away for a few days but an interesting Amnesty International initiative is getting underway in Poland today, as reported by Radio Polonia.The campaign will highlight the human rights violations going on in Belarus in relation to freedom of speech, or more accurately absence of freedom of speech.So, is this an example of how to put pressure on a regime to change the way it functions

Surely this is all getting just a bit silly now

2005-11-17T17:40:00.000+01:00

Over in Poznan, they've followed in the footsteps of Kaczynski's Warsaw and banned a gay pride parade planned for Saturday.Apparently, a group of people wanting to protest against discrimination are a serious threat to public security and property. Obviously.It's enough to make me want to book a train ticket and join in; it's bound to go ahead anyway.More with the beatroot and Aaron.

Paris riots aftermath

2005-11-16T08:45:00.000+01:00

So, we've seen the comments made by those with differing opinions on the causes of the Paris riots.A week on from my post expressing my alarm at the anti-Muslim (or anti-Islamist as they seem to prefer) blogs, I found a very good roundup of the situation at Open Democracy.Patrice de Beer's main point is to say French society needs to really take these riots seriously and respond to them with

On a lighter note,

2005-11-11T08:35:00.000+01:00

This is pretty funny.

French Riots: What the anti-Muslim blogs are saying

2005-11-09T09:45:00.000+01:00

Having a look at blogs this morning I was shocked by the strong anti-Muslim sentiment these French riots are helping to support and inflame in certain people, particularly on the other side of the pond.I'm all for healthy debate but there are plenty of people out there who seem to be relying on prejudice and stereotype to support their views.I wonder how many Muslims these people know,

French Riots

2005-11-07T11:47:00.000+01:00

LIBERTÉ? French Muslims banned from wearing headscarves in school.ÉGALITÉ? France's non-whites twice as likely to be unemployed.FRATERNITÉ? French government admits integration policies have failed.RÉALITÉ: Riots erupt for eleventh night.John Litchfield has written this and this about what is happening in France at the moment.The government is not tackling the situation at all well. It looks like

Poland home of CIA torture camp?

2005-11-03T10:33:00.000+01:00

The furore started when the Washington Post published an article which quoted US and foreign officials stating that the CIA has been hiding and interrogating terrorist suspects at Soviet-era camps in 'Eastern Europe'.Members of the European Parliament swiftly called for an EU investigation but a European Commission spokeswoman said it was an issue between the US and any member state concerned,

Rosa Parks. 1913-2005

2005-11-02T09:21:00.000+01:00

It's inspiring when what seems like such a small act has such a widespread and deeply felt impact.A truly inspirational woman.

AI says EU cannot retain 'keep out' policy much longer

2005-10-28T13:38:00.000+02:00

"EU Member States must recognize that the political and economic pressure they are exerting on neighbouring countries to "keep people out of Europe" is contributing to a chaotic situation. There is a need for a global strategy that ensures that the human rights of some of the world's poorest people are protected regardless of whether they qualify as refugees or not."The current response? "You are

Kaczyński to lead Poland

2005-10-26T12:24:00.000+02:00

The news that Kaczyński will be Poland's next President has generally been met with a fair deal of concern by the rest of the EU. His tags 'social conservative' 'pro-American populist' and 'Polish nationalist' indicate the areas in which he will clash with many human rights activists.First there's the social conservatism. He has pledged to get rid of corruption and bring back good old fashioned

Morocco admits shooting migrants.

2005-10-25T23:37:00.000+02:00

This month Moroccan security forces killed four migrants trying to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla.It was described as 'regrettable' by the Moroccan Foreign Minister.Regrettable? I don't think that's quite the word.

Migration Benefits

2005-10-24T10:15:00.000+02:00

I have to admit my heart leaps when I find any evidence to dismiss xenophobes' worries about 'foreigners coming to our country and taking our jobs'.This suggests that despite many more Eastern Europeans flocking to the UK than conservative estimates expected, the newcomers have been successfully absorbed, with the economy strengthened in the process.How satisfying.

Commission sets out plan to fight human trafficking

2005-10-20T16:31:00.000+02:00

The details.

Integration Centre

2005-10-18T10:37:00.000+02:00

Integration Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and the Polish community living in the Mazowieckie region Last month the Association for Asylum Seekers and Refugees opened the doors of its integration centre in ulica Oleandrów. The centre will be open six days per week and will provide a space for encouraging integration activities. For example, meetings;

Who is the UNHCR really interested in?

2005-10-13T11:24:00.000+02:00

On 29 September 2005, the UNHCR’s Warsaw office held a meeting, which involved representatives from the UNCHR Budapest office and the Polish Ministry of the Interior to collect information about the situation of refugees, asylum seekers and people holding tolerated stay permits in Poland. The Association for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in

People-smuggling racket 'smashed'

2005-10-11T10:26:00.000+02:00

Police in Britain have arrested ten people suspected of being involved in Europe's biggest people-smuggling networks.Having listened to interviews with the Police and watched journalist reports I'm worried that many people in the UK will focus on the fact that the smugglers were former asylum seekers who had been given indefinite leave to remain. More ammunition for those who want to close UK

Case Study: Applying for Asylum in Poland

2005-10-05T20:16:00.000+02:00

I am always shocked at examples of intolerance and discrimination, but the thing that shocks me the most is when this comes from a government body, and especially those government bodies that should be sensitive to the rights of those they are discriminating against. I have been in Poland for five months and have been made aware of many unfortunate incidents involving racism, intolerance, lack

How Euro are you?

2005-10-04T09:05:00.000+02:00

Test your attitude to all things euro with this quiz. Apparently I'm a euro-enthusiast and like all things European from going on holiday to sun-dried tomatoes and good red wine. But then I knew that.

Remaking multiculturalism after 7/7

2005-10-03T09:34:00.000+02:00

Last week Tariq Modood wrote about multiculturalism in the light of the recent London bombings. It’s quite a long, academic essay but brings some fascinating considerations to light about what is needed to make a multicultural society function. One thing I think that’s worth highlighting, which I admit I hadn’t properly considered before is the fact that a nation without a strong national

Tolerance Education, or should that be Education promoting Respect and Diversity?

2005-09-30T16:04:00.000+02:00

I went to my last side event at the OSCE HDIM yesterday. It was run by the OIDHR Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Programme and involved a number of very interesting speakers.The panel was made up of Stacy Burdett from the Anti Defamation League, Jolanta Ambrosewicz from the University of Krakow and Majella o'Shea fom the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in Ireland.Again, I don't

Inter-Religious Dialogue vs. Hate Crimes

2005-09-28T15:29:00.000+02:00

It is repeated again and again that the way to tackle hate crimes, and intolerance and discrimination in general, is through raising awareness, facilitating opportunities for dialogue and the proper integration of minorities.Today I attended a side event at the OSCE HDIM run by Century 21 outlining the actions they are taking in Georgia to try and reduce the number of religiously motivated hate

Is the return of trafficked victims always safe?

2005-09-27T16:30:00.000+02:00

Today’s side event was on the return of trafficked victims. I was keen to attend as the International Federation of Terre des Hommes is very actively campaigning against child trafficking and I got to attend a lot of related discussions during my IFTDH internship in Brussels. I’m not going to give a detailed description of the discussion because I think it would be a lot more interesting, and

Lives on Hold: The Human Cost of Statelessness

2005-09-26T15:18:00.000+02:00

The OSCE’s current Human Dimension Implementation Meeting has a huge number of side events. Today I attended one by Refugees International: ‘Lives on Hold: The Human Cost of Statelessness.’ Statelessness is an issue of which I was relatively ignorant. Maureen Lynch gave a fascinating presentation of the work Refugees International have been doing in this area

Standstill Moment

2005-09-23T11:25:00.000+02:00

Last night the Association for Asylum Seekers and Refugees performed a play to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.It was different from our last performance in May because rather than following a linear storyline it's a play based on a poem and involving several scenes featuring dancing, music and languages from around the world.

A mixed-bag summit

2005-09-21T10:25:00.000+02:00

This is an interesting article on last week's UN conference.

Italian treatment of refugees in breach of human rights, say MEPs

2005-09-21T10:11:00.000+02:00

Another sad example of refugee detention centres, this time in Italy.

My presentation from today...

2005-09-20T16:35:00.000+02:00

This is the text of the presentation I made at the OSCE's annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting today. Yeah, it went ok... Introduction: EVS project Good afternoon, my name’s Rebecca. I’m in the middle of a European Voluntary Service project, and part of my time is spent with the Refugee Association. Why the association? I was interested in working with the association

Geneva

2005-09-19T14:59:00.000+02:00

BBC's Radio 4 broadcast a great programme this morning about the 1951 UN conference which led to the Geneva Convention on refugees. You can listen to it again here.

UNDP

2005-09-13T18:27:00.000+02:00

The UNDP's Human Development Report has been released, for those of you who want to read a report which 'highlights the human costs of missed targets and broken promises'.

Solidardi z Białorusią

2005-09-12T13:19:00.000+02:00

Bush gets it wrong again...

2005-09-09T12:57:00.000+02:00

When talking about the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina this month President Bush reportedly said "The people we're talking about are not refugees," he said. "They are Americans and they need the help and love and compassion of our fellow citizens."I see this as is an extremely bizarre (or maybe just mindless, stupid, damaging, typical) thing for him to say. It implies that the term refugee

EU immigration proposals

2005-09-05T09:33:00.000+02:00

Information on new European Commission proposals to combat illegal immigration and return failed asylum seekers here and here.

If I ruled the world...

2005-09-01T19:13:00.000+02:00

I might be oversimplifying slightly here, but to me the world is like this: Nobody chooses which parents to be born to, so nobody chooses which country to born into either. There is no person in charge dividing up the people into good and bad, rich and poor, those who deserve a prosperous nation, those who deserve chaos and starvation. Therefore if something happens in 'your' country which you

Pointless deaths

2005-08-30T16:59:00.000+02:00

Housing problems for immigrants seem to be the same everywhere. People trying to make better lives for themselves are prepared to suffer temporary inconveniences if it means they will be better off in the long run. But overcrowded, dirty and potentially dangerous living conditions inevitably lead some to tragic conclusions. This just makes me want to cry.

Integration Football

2005-08-09T20:31:00.000+02:00

The country of Poland vs. the continent of Africa… I was sure he’s said six o’clock, but as I scanned the field at 6.15 last Sunday evening I could only see the red shirts of the Polish 'Ballaton' team members as they jogged, stretched and warmed up with the ball. Around 6.30, a mismatched but brightly coloured African team appeared gradually and took their

Hate Crimes

2005-08-04T13:43:00.000+02:00

Hate crimes It’s been reported that hate crimes, specifically religious and against Muslims, have risen six-fold in London since the bombings last month. Coupled with an increase in stop-and-search operations affecting young Muslims and the shoot-to-kill policy that resulted in the death of an innocent Brazilian, there is cause for concern. This is not to say

Association in Crisis

2005-07-10T17:13:00.000+02:00

Association in Crisis One of the problems that faces every small NGO is funding. When you work at the grassroots level in a not-for-profit association, it is unavoidable that a part of your time will be dedicated to finding sponsors and partners in order to cover the inevitable costs. There are many organisations out there whose sole aim is to promote the

Racist incidents in Warsaw

2005-07-09T16:25:00.000+02:00

Recent Incidents The Association for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Poland has been shocked and saddened by a recent surge in hate crimes in Poland. The first attack in recent months took place in the centre of town in a busy KFC restaurant. Emmanuel Bianda was waiting to order his food when an unprovoked stranger attacked him. As the security guards stood

The Geneva Convention

2005-06-09T17:41:00.000+02:00

The Geneva Convention The 1951 Geneva Convention is one of the most important documents for refugees. It is often quoted but what does it really mean for integration into a host society? As quoted in Simon Mol’s ‘Journeys in a New Homeland’ the term refugee is defined as anyone who ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,

EVS

2005-05-31T19:04:00.000+02:00

European Voluntary Service The European Voluntary Service (EVS) is part of the Youth programme, (http://europa.eu.int/comm/youth/program/index_en.html) a European Union programme that promotes the mobility of young people through international activities with a non-formal education dimension. As a European Voluntary Service participant, I have a number of

EVS volunteers in Poland

2005-05-31T04:28:00.000+02:00

Back row, left to right: Elvira Mirsalimova, Belarus;Mickaël Michaud, France; Marta Brzezińska, Poland(trainer); Antoine Vermeulen, France; Rebecca Steel,UK; Pauline Delos, France.Front row, left to right: Damir Holjevac, Netherlands;Wojtek Szczepanik, Poland (trainer).

Multicultural Day in Warsaw

2005-05-24T17:31:00.000+02:00

Park Skaryszewski The sun was shining and the sky was a clear blue. Perfect weather for a day in the park. I made my way through the long grass towards the sound of music, accompanied by three young Kenyans I had met on the way while we were all getting lost on the twisting park paths. Eventually, after stopping a couple of people and asking directions, we walked up a long path, the music

Journeys in a New Homeland

2005-05-17T00:52:00.000+02:00

Journeys in a New Homeland My introduction to the Association for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Poland came in the form of an eventful friday evening spent rehearsing for the upcoming production of ‘Journeys in a new Homeland’. The whole cast (including recent additions such as myself) were packed into the office of the association to run through the complete play. The script follows a

Portrait

2005-05-01T15:48:00.000+02:00