Human Rights 11H3 by Ana Joana Lopes Valente Alves Cabeleira

Human Rights Poster

2023-10-30 13:09:44 UTC

We're Al Equal before the Law

Érica- n°9/ Inês- n°11/ Luana-n°16

11H3

Human rights

2023-10-30 20:56:03 UTC

United by human rights, we build a world of equality: right to education

Work done by: Diana Tavares, Martim Gil e João Rodrigues.

Human Rights poster

mariaamendes78 — 2023-10-31 21:41:21 UTC

Work done by: Maria Helena nº17

In 2022, Qatar became the first country in the arab and muslim world to host the FIFA World Cup. It took place from November 20th to December 18th, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010.

Despite the excitement from all parts of the world, this World Cup was far from lovely, after enumerous reports of violation of human rights.

LGBTQ+ controversy

Qatar, being part of na Arab and Muslim nation, has homosexuality prohibited by law. Under the Qatar Penal Code 2004, same-sex intercourse is criminalised and carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years.

After this law worried some of the foreigners and fans of football, the chief executive Nasser Al Khater informed that Qatar was a tolerant country and that LGBTQ individuals would not face "persecution of any sort", but unfortunately, many commentators and football fans have reported that in the World Cup, officials have been removing LGBTQIA+ symbols from fans entering the stadiums.

Deaths of migrant workers and human right abuses

The Qatar World Cup boasts the highest infrastructure expenditure in FIFA's history, with over 200 billion dollars being spent.

This massive investment also meant a massive and questionable number of workers, most of them being migrants from developing countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal.

With this booming rush to create infrastructure in time for the tournament, Qatar achieved a questionable record of worker's rights abuse, such has needless deaths, labour rights abuse, living in poor conditions, etc...

Many workers arriving in Qatar found themselves forced into manual labour jobs and passports confiscated and prohibition of leaving their jobs without permission of their employer – a consequence of a 'Kafala', na operated system many qatari companies use.

It remains unclear the exact number of deaths, but its claiming to have been thousands. Many investigations have speculated from 6000 to 15000 deaths.

The silent genocide

jael40099 — 2023-11-01 00:07:17 UTC

It´s time to wake up: Your phone is as bloody as a diamond!!!

Would you willingly uproot a flower to enhance your garden’s aesthetics? Is it morally justifiable to endanger an entire nation’s welfare for the greater benefit of the majority? Can technological progress ever rationalize genocide? While these questions might appear to be extracted from the script of a dystopian tale, it’s disheartening that our world is evolving into such a dystopia, where the pursuit of material wealth takes precedence over our moral and ethical values, jeopardizing entire generations. The term “dystopia” aptly characterizes the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Congo, which, despite receiving minimal attention, is not a figment of the human imagination but a grim reality, and there’s one word for it, genocide.

The Congolese genocide, a harrowing tragedy that has been going on for over half a century, is deeply rooted in the second most violent conflict since World War II, claiming the lives of six million individuals and inflicting immeasurable suffering. Yet, it remains a silent, overlooked crisis. When prompted with this assertion, most people might attempt to recall the last three wars they've heard about or the most recent media coverage they've seen on any related issue. Incontestably, the majority of humanitarian crises capture media attention, such as the conflict in Ukraine, the longstanding strife between Israel and Palestine (notably, the Gaza genocide), and the ongoing war in Syria. However, the ongoing genocide in Congo often goes unmentioned, despite the undeniable truth surrounding it. So, how can we contribute to resolving this conflict?

To start, educate yourself! Knowledge is a powerful tool, and understanding the full extent of the situation is crucial in making a positive impact. The Congolese genocide, which has unfolded over more than half a century, is a complex, protracted, and devastating conflict rooted in the aftermath of the colonization of the Republic Democrat of Congo (DRC) by King Leopold II of Belgium and the Second Congo War. To summarize, although Congo is one of the poorest African countries in the world, it´s unmeasurably rich when it comes to natural resources, during the ruling of Leopold of Belgium over the territory, sources like ivory and rubber were intensively exploited and the people who lived in those places were forced to work in mines and exploration camps(forced labor/slavery), in the process of if, whenever a “worker” didn´t reach the expect quotas of extractions of these materials, they would be brutally tortured and have their hands or arms amputated as a punishment, additionally an immense amount of women were rape by the military forces that would supervise the workers (an estimated amount of 48 women rape per hour). Although Congo is not a Belgium colony anymore the same things still happen nowadays but with a different natural source and sponsorship of different countries. Nowadays the material is coltan, Congo is land to one of the biggest preservatories of coltan since the profit taken out of this material is extremely high is in the interest of several countries to keep this industry alive, therefore countries like Rwanda, the UK, and the USA, sponsor a Rwandan rebel militia group (the M23), these groups invade places in Congo killing its residents to make space for exploitation mines, and in the process, they capture anyone that tries to resist or oppose to them, torture, rape and mutilate them. Most countries benefit from the horrors of obtaining coltan, a material used in lithium batteries that are part of every technology device, including the one you reading this information for! Therefore, your phone is as bloody as a diamond (whose industry is notably known for being inhumane). The grotesque events that have been happening for years are not talked about, because most people are not aware of them, and additionally the countries that support this genocide are speculated to pay media money to control the proliferation of this matter because if people start talking about it and doing something to prevent this from happening, they´ll lose money, therefore, this situation is doomed to be a slaughter in silence (silent genocide).

What should be done to help stop the issue?

There are a few things that can be done to help ease this humanitarian crisis:

1. Raise Awareness: In today's digital age, with the proliferation of the internet and social media, individuals have the power to enlighten others about this issue. Sharing information can create a groundswell of awareness.

2. Support Charitable Organizations: While it may be challenging to completely divest from the exploitative technology industry, one can still make a difference by supporting organizations dedicated to aiding the victims of these atrocities.

In conclusion, the silent Congolese genocide is a grave matter that demands widespread recognition and concerted efforts for resolution. The power to effect change lies not only with governments but also in the hands of individuals.

Sources:

· https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/02/06/dr-congo-atrocities-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels

· https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/gabinetpostal/lestat-lliure-del-congo-un-genocidi-a-lombra/?lang=en

· https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/25/civilians-massacred-in-dr-congo-as-clashes-spread/

· https://www.vice.com/en/article/93aeny/democratic-republic-of-congo-m23-rwanda

· https://www.vice.com/en/article/7xq45a/a-slaughter-in-silence-democratic-republic-of-the-congo

· https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/1996-present