Kenya et Philipppines: OMCT addresses the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the root causes of torture and other forms of violence
Geneva, 27 November 2007
On 26 November 2007, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) addressed the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the Committee’s Pre-Sessional Working Group at the UN Office of the High Commissioner in Geneva. In its presentation, OMCT drew particular attention to the fact that disrespect for economic, social and cultural rights is frequently the cause of other serious human rights abuses, including executions, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
OMCT’s presentation took place in the context of the preparations for the 2008 Sessions of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. To support the work of the Committee, OMCT’s Programme on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights prepared and submitted two annotated lists of issues for consideration: one in response to the initial periodic report of Kenya, and the other arising from the initial-fourth periodic report of the Philippines. The meeting of the Working Group was an opportunity for NGOs that had submitted lists of issues to engage with Committee members and to provide them with further information.
The two documents prepared by OMCT and presented to the Committee emphasised that that torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment and other forms of violence are related in many ways to the violation of economic, social and cultural rights. OMCT emphasised that if these phenomena are to be effectively eliminated, then their economic, social and cultural root causes must be, first, understood and, secondly, effectively addressed.
OMCT also underlined that the converse equally applies: acting to reduce levels of violence in a given society is a fundamental step toward ensuring the widespread enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. In both Kenya and the Philippines, conflict and lack of security expose citizens to situations that severely impede their possibility of escaping from poverty, of working in just and favourable conditions, of providing care and education to their children and of enjoying an adequate standard of living and the highest attainable standard of health.
Among the specific issues raised by OMCT for Kenya and the Philippines were the impact of trade liberalization policies on the poorest and most marginalised members of society including indigenous and pastoralist communities, the lack of workers’ rights in the special economic zones championed by both governments, the implications of insecurity of land and housing tenure for the incidence of violence in society, the particular vulnerability of poor women and children to violence and exploitation and, in the case of the Philippines in particular, the frequency of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances of human rights activists engaged in defending economic, social and cultural rights.
For more information contact:
Michael Miller, Project Manager, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; mm@omct.org