HUMAN RIGHTS

An incisive analysis of
What has been achieved
What needs to be achieved

by
Dr. Leo Rebello
World Peace Envoy, Bombay

Address : 28/552 Samata Nagar, Kandivali East, Bombay 400101, India.

Tel. (91-22) 28872741
Email : leorebello@hathway.com
Website : www.healthwisdom.org

"Man was born free, and yet everywhere he is in chains" this profound quote from
Jean Jacques Rousseau sums up the issue of Human Rights so profoundly.

It was in 1948 that the UN Declaration on Human Rights was adopted in Paris and,
ever since, 10th December is being celebrated as Human Rights Day. In all these
years, inspite of UN handicap (the biggest criticism of UN is that it has become a
doormat of US, and saddled with rampant corruption) some issues have been
resolved. The milestones are :-

1) Awareness of the rights and conditions of indigenous and tribal populations.

However, inspite of tremendous technological progress, Indians of North America,
Tribals of India, Chakmas of Bangla Desh, the Aborigines of Australia, Maoris of
New Zealand, Hilly Tribes and Nomadic Tribes remain where they were. Worst
affected are the Nomadic tribes (Gypsies) because they do not feature in the
Census, many do not even have an identity and some are even labelled as criminals
(like Phase-Pardhis in India). But on a closer look, this Gypsy-spirit has kept
the inherent human nature intact. Being close to nature, they live simply, and
consequently they are the most evolved people. Nomadic Tribes do not hoard, they
do not talk of Lifeboat Ethics (like a selfish American who consumes equivalent of
50 persons from the third world countries), they have no aspirations to colonise
the Moon or Mars, and they do not invade any territory -- infact we need to learn
from them to prefer Freedom to Death.

2) Torture remains the major issue in normal times, in war-torn areas, in

terrorist infested parts of the world. Inspite of several human rights
resolutions, conventions, laws, courts that is the biggest blot on Humanism. It is
a shame, that the Police and Army of even the so-called civilised countries do
"research and experiments" on how to torture people without leaving tell-tale
marks so that the perpetrators like the CIA, KGB, Mosad and their counter parts in
other parts of the world can save their skin. Torture in Guantanamo prison has
attracted the world attention to the sordid goings-on there. But the mad men care
a damn about world opinion.

3) Death Penalty -- this grotesque practice has been banned in about 130
countries, but it is still being practiced in some 70 countries. India is one of
them. In that decadent country called the USA, electric chair has been replaced by
lethal injection. Encounter Deaths is an illegal extention of that same sick
psyche. The condition of death row prisoners is another issue. They are dumped in
solitary confinement, food is denied to them, they are beaten up, medical aid is
rare to come by, family members are not allowed to meet them.

4) Conscientious objection to military service. Compulsory military service (or

conscription) is still being practiced in US, UK, Israel and other so-called
democratic countries. The first principle of democracy is informed choice and the
Right to Say No. When young people are drafted into a compulsory military service,
the entire future generation is programmed into "controlled populace" to
legitimise that which is inherantly wrong -- to keep the arms and armies going,
which have created more problems.

5) Child Soldiers -- if compulsory military service is unnecessary, drafting

children and women into killing fields is morally decadent. But religious bigots,
the minorities who feel insecure, the terrorists, the secessionists and even some
revolutionary armies draft child soldiers "to defend" their "just cause"(read
insanity). This is worse than the Child labour, because you are denying the child
to grow naturally, play, love, trust, feel secure and safe. The children growing
with mistrust will naturally be deviant or criminal, unless they evolve later
spiritually.

6) The Right to Housing is as important as the Right to Food, the Right to

Clothing, because it is a component of Right to Life. But when slums are razed by
bulldozers without providing alternative accommodation, when basic amenities are
not provided to slums, when women have to wait for the darkness of the night to
defecate because there are no toilets, when there is no drinking water, and
majority of people live in that condition, then what progress or development
paradigm are we talking of.

7) The Right to Religion and Belief - is a negative right. It is a double-edged

weapon. Though we must eliminate all forms of intolerance and respect beliefs of
others, willy-nilly, we agree to several practices which are not evolutionary. For
example, Indian women working in Iran Air office in Bombay, have to wear burqa. In
other words, writ of Iran's backward Mullas runs in progressive India, while our
secular Govt. and women's organisations look the other way in the name of
tolerance. Many religious dogmas and practices enslave people leading to clash of
civilisation. Castes, which have now become so rigid, because we have "recognised"
them, themselves, become an instrument of tyranny. Practices like menstruating
women not allowed to enter temples is unreasonable, that widows cannot marry or
they should shave their heads and wear white clothes, or people belonging to
scheduled castes should not draw water from community well (decadent Hindu
practices), or women should cover themselves from head to toe and she can be
discarded by uttering three insane words talaq, talaq, talaq (Muslim practice) are
a shame on 21st Century civilisation.

8) The Rights of Women and their condition is a very important right. Because,
women constitute half the population. They nurture the future generation. If the
woman is naked, insecure, tormented, hungry, in jail, or has to sell her body to
make a living, then it automatically percolates on her progeny.

9) Systematic rape - is rampant in many homes, societies where women are

considered as inferior and an object of pleasure and especially in war torn areas
where sexually starved soldiers heap untold miseries on the weaker sex. Special
Army Acts which give uncanalised powers to the hungry wolves (in protector's
attire) make matters worse. Some of these old laws fly in the face of humanity and
negate the very resolutions, protocols or international laws that the Govts are
signatory to and evolved persons have fought to guarantee equality before law.

10) Human Rights Defenders are always under watch. They are not wanted by those in
power, and have to undergo humiliation, threats, false police cases or outright
abuse, assault or elimination. So, whistle blowers protection is another issue
that has assumed importance.

Hunger and Right to Food should get priority because more than 2/3 of the world
population goes hungry, mainly in Africa and India. But it is largely neglected.
20% of food stocked in Indian grannaries is wasted; another 15% is eaten or
destroyed by rodents, while poor people starve. Ration shops that are meant to
provide subsidized food and kerosene to cook the food are centres of extortion for
politicians. Families in places such as Rajasthan, replete with Palace Hotels,
where foreigners come to frolic and have camel and elephant rides, still have to
practice rotating hunger and thousands of children every year die or are blinded
by xeropthalmia due to insufficient nutrition. It is a shame that inspite of
massive 'development' and modernization, we have not been able to eradicate hunger
today. As long as 2% insane capitalists control 98% of the world's wealth,
through organisations like World Bank (which is a private bank), WTO-GATT regime,
and decisions are controlled at the world bodies like UN with veto power in the
hands of conniving five, will human rights ever get priority?

Finally, RIGHT TO HEALTH is one issue that has not been answered at all. On the
contrary, the UN or UN bodies have become the stooges of mercenary mafias. WHO is
now known as "WHOre" since it makes mercury-laced lethal vaccines compulsory on
children of the world. That has given rise to Autism (4 million cases in India
alone), Cancers, AIDS, Polio deformities due to Oral Polio Vaccines. WHO has made
it mandatory that the AIDS affected people should take Anti-Retrovirals (ARVs),
which are known carcinogens. Codex, a sub-committee of WHO, consisting of junior
persons like pharmacists, dietitians, so-called consumer activists and allopathic
doctors, have now influenced several nations to enact back-door laws prohibiting
even natural products like Honey, Garlic extract, Vitamin C, which are proposed
for inclusion as Drugs. Tomorrow the idiots may legislate, "to eat vegetables and
fruits you require Doctor's prescription" and later they may say "even a mother
cannot feed her baby her milk till the Doctor certifies that her milk is safe",
like they do in that mad country called USA, where if you refuse Chemotherapy or
Anti-Retroviral Drugs for Cancers and AIDS, you can be jailed.

In India, the Drug and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954
prohibits even factual advertisements like "Lasona" (for unclogging blocked
coronaries), "Diabetea" (for Diabetes), Medicines for Obesity, etc. or promotion
of ageold traditional or natural remedies. Indian herbal formulations for AIDS
Cure cannot be advertised; whereas, Glaxo, Pfizer, Novartis can freely advertise
(even on television), and make it compulsory the consumption of carcinogenic ARVs
for AIDS by creating scare. Likewise, by employing entire state machinery right
from the President of India to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, to
superstar Amitabh Bachchan and cricketeer Sachin Tendulkar to vouch for Polio
Vaccines, of which they know nothing, the pharma mafia has taken control of our
lives. We are being assaulted, raped, threatened, fudged, jailed, controlled and
destroyed due to wrong laws passed without much thought.

Scientific and technological advances has lead to moral decrepitude. Instead of

evolving, Humanity is deteriorating. We may appear civilised outwardly, but inside
we are still worse than animals. To evolve spiritually we need to revert to
oriental wisdom of Vedas, Yoga, Vegetarianism, Gurukul system of Learning, Simple
Living, etc. As Jesus Christ said, "Verily you are the salt of the Earth. If the
salt has lost its flavour wherewith shall be salted". Arise, Awake and Act now,
for tomorrow the Earth itself may turn into a big graveyard due to the insatiable
greed of a few spiritually decadent persons.