DTP E-Newsletter 117 - Working Together To Advance Human Rights Since 1989

DTP - BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF ASIA-PACIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENTS 1990 - 2020

This year has been a challenging one for human rights. Some governments have used the pandemic as an excuse to further repress human rights, others have taken actions that further undermine the rights of the most vulnerable. Yet civil society has continued to campaign for freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom from want – emphasising solidarity. We in DTP have tried to bring you news about these human rights campaigns, news of what DTP alumni and other human rights defenders have achieved. This is our last issue for 2020, and has a special focus on the rights of migrant workers on this International Migrants Day. We offer our best wishes to you at the end of this difficult year, and our hopes for a better 2021. Please stay safe.

The Editorial Team – Andre, Clare and Patrick

Poster for launch of the Migrant Worker Rgihts Navigator Tool

DTP PROGRAM AND ACTIVITY NEWS

MIGRANT WORKERS: On the occasion of International Migrants Day, DTP and MFA, are launching the Migrant Workers Right Navigation tool, an app designed by student volunteers at the University of New South Wales. We have also made the rights of migrant workers the special focus of this issue of E-News. DOWNLOAD THE TOOL HERE.

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS: Last week we held the second in our Children's Rights webinar series - "COVID, Australia and the Rights of the Child". We were joined by Anne Hollonds, National Child Rights Commissioner and Sue-Anne Hunter National Sector Development Manager, SNAICC. WATCH THE RECORDING.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: DTP and AIPP completed our first Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Business online program last Friday with sessions on accountability in development finance, OECD Guidelines on MNEs and contributions from Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and WITNESS on advocacy. A report on the program will be available in the new year.

SOLIDARITY IN ACTION FROM DTP ALUMNI

For information on our alumni, click here. If you want to get in contact with any of DTP's alumni, please contact the office at [email protected]

Alumni Profile: Moomina Waheed

Moomina was recently appointed Human Rights Commissioner with the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives.and will focus on the rights of migrant workers.

"The program was an eye opener to [migrant worker] issues… After the training program, I applied the training and also conducted sessions for staff at HRCM, and HRCM also started doing the advocacy for this right extensively from there on."

Solidarity Selfie: Adrian Pereira

Adrian is the Director of the North-South Initiative in Malaysia, and works tirelessly for migrant workers’ rights in Malaysia. In his Solidarity Selfie he outlines his experience with DTP and the challenges of tackling COVID-19 in South-East Asia.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Indonesia

Yuyun Wahyuningrum Commissioner on the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights has called for multilateral cooperation to investigate and prevent the exploitation and slavery of Indonesian workers in the fishing industry.

Demonstrators use inflatable rubber ducks as shields to protect themselves from water cannons during an anti-government protest as lawmakers debate on constitution change, outside the parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday(Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha) This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "[INSIGHT] Women and youth targets of COVID-19 authoritarianism in SE Asia". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/12/09/insight-women-and-youth-targets-of-covid-19-authoritarianism-in-se-asia.html?fbclid=IwAR0N9F8GzTP8qVTPcEZaFa8Nwy2qeC-UPxmJIqQNQdbdwrZhIl6_PS2eY2c. Download The Jakarta Post app for easier and faster news access: Android: http://bit.ly/tjp-android iOS: http://bit.ly/tjp-ios

Indonesia

Nukila Evanty outlines the need for civil society involvement in protecting the rights of women and youth advocates who are in the forefront of the struggle for human rights in South East Asia.

Photo of the candle light vigil celebrating Human Rights Day

BANGLADESH

Khokon Suiten Murmu of North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) shares photos of their candle light vigil celebrating International Human Rights Day.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Jonathan Mesulam of PNG’s West Coast Development Foundation describes the progress of the campaign to stop deep sea exploration and mining in PNG waters

SPECIAL FOCUS: THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS

ASIA: The National Human Rights Commissions of the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines have released a joint statement with MFA to mark International Migrants Day calling for States to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of migrant workers and their families, and commit to take action to support the rights of workers to remedy for wage theft and other human rights abuses against migrant workers. READ THE STATEMENT

VANUATU The government has abolished agents for seasonal workers in Australia and New Zealand and has taken over responsibility for negotiating their employment. READ MORE

MIGRATION TRENDS Migrants are both more vulnerable to the ravages of COVID-19 and critical to efforts to combat it according to data on the Migration Data Portal. READ MORE

ASEAN “ASEAN Guidelines on Effective Return and Reintegration of Migrant Workers”: a set of voluntary guidelines advocating that policies and programmes should be rights-based, respecting the human and labour rights of women and men migrant workers and their families in line with international and ASEAN instruments. READ MORE

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 10 DECEMBER

In her Human Rights Day statement High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says that human rights is the vaccine against hunger, poverty, inequality, and climate change. READ THE STATEMENT

On Human Rights Day the Fredrich Ebert Stiftung launched a five-part podcast, “Building Back Better: A Call for Courage” that calls for consideration of the rights of those in the informal sectors and migrant workers, and the need to protect the planet. LISTEN HERE

The Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions has won the 2020 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award. Chairperson Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher presented the acceptance speech on Human Rights Day. WATCH HERE

Lopeti Senituli, DTP International Advisory Council member calls the vaccine against COVID-19 a rallying cry for international solidarity and “common heritage for mankind”. READ HERE

NEWS FROM DTP PARTNER ORGANISATIONS

MIGRANT FORUM IN ASIA On the 30th anniversary of the Migrant Workers Convention (CMW), MFA calls on all member states to give back to migrants and ratify the CMW. They also call on states to take concrete measures to recognise the contribution of all migrants, to bridge the access to services gap, to address wage theft, and to reform the recruitment industry. READ THE STATEMENT

FORUM-ASIA and partner NGOs call on the Thai government to protect the rights of peaceful protesters and to stop interfering with their right to assemble, and hold those accused of violence to account. READ THE STATEMENT

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT issued a Human Rights Day Statement pointing to the struggle of Indigenous peoples for self-determination as laid out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. READ THE STATEMENT

DTP's 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

Report is out now.

PLEASE DONATE

DTP relies on donations to provide quality training to human rights defenders so that they can promote and protect human rights effectively in their societies. Please help if you can and donate here. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

Participants on DTP's 2019 Regional Workshop on Ethical Business and Recruitment Practices, Dubai

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

One of DTP's strengths is you, our alumni and networks. As we see the Covid-19 pandemic spreading and the different responses of government, business and communities, you have never been more important in communicating impacts, and enabling/driving solidarity, action and accountability. If you have news, opinion pieces, resources or examples of best practice to share, or have questions on human rights and Covid-19, please send them to us at [email protected]. Please stay safe.

Issue #117 December 2020

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We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work, the Bedegal people of the Eora Nation