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Kurdish Human Rights Project: This is the legacy website of the Kurdish Human Rights Project, containing reports and news pertaining to human rights issues in the Kurdish Regions for 20 years.

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2010 News
Pyrenees Trek for KHRP Close to Halfway
Thursday, 05 August 2010 09:29

 

Ann Schutte, former KHRP intern, has almost reached the halfway point in her ambitious Pyrenees Hike in Aid of KHRP; both in terms of distance travelled and money raised.

Two weeks ago, she set-off from Bilbao, northern Spain. Now 300km into her journey, she has reached the beautiful and mountainous Bujaruelo valley, on the French-Spanish border, and still has over 500km to go! She has also successfully raised almost half of her £1,000 fundraising target.

Commenting on her progress, Ann said: ‘The first 12 days of the trans-Pyrenean trek have been fantastic. There have been a huge variety of landscapes, flowers, butterflies and massive biting flies! Here are a few lessons I have learned along the way:

 

  1. Only border-dwellers understand 'Franish'. Otherwise, consider carefully what
  2. country one is in before opening one's mouth;
  3. To camp in a storm you need: a) earplugs to dampen the sound of the thunder; b) an eye mask to prevent inadvertent counting of seconds between lightning and the aforementioned thunder;
  4. Never take a snack stop near a (herd of) horse(s);
  5. Take EVERY opportunity to wash yourself and/or your clothes;
  6. When crossing a stream, test the stability of each rock before putting all your weight on it;
  7. I like Rioja; and
  8. Walking 10km before 10am is sure to get rid of your hangover.’

Ann’s goal is to complete the 900km route across the entire Pyrenees, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. She is raising vital funds for KHRP, to help combat the historic discrimination which remains at the root of the widespread human rights abuses endured by people living in the Kurdish regions — including over 30 million Kurds indigenous to this mountainous expanse — across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Caucasus.

If you’d like to support Ann or just learn a bit more about her awe-inspiring adventure, please visit Ann’s JustGiving page today. You can also follow her progress by visiting Ann's Amazing Pyrenees Trek on KHRP’s Facebook event page.

 
KHRP Commends Reforms of Anti-terror Law for Children
Thursday, 22 July 2010 17:43

KHRP commends today’s reforms passed by the Turkish Parliament concerning the application of anti-terror laws against children in Turkey, which sends an important signal that the current practice of treating children as terrorists is incompatible with international human rights norms and is not conducive to creating a space for a democratic resolution to the Kurdish issue. KHRP urges the government to allocate sufficient human and financial resources and expertise to ensure not only adequate implementation, but to more widely confront the widespread criminalisation and detention of children.

As repeatedly highlighted by KHRP and detailed in its report ‘The Situation of Kurdish Children in Turkey’, education for law-enforcement officials, and a wider programme aimed at tackling juvenile justice is sorely needed. Provisions under the Child Protection Law are frequently ignored. Hence it is not uncommon for the Public Prosecutor to take statements from children in the absence of a psychologist or social worker; for superficial or woefully inadequate reports assessing a child’s ability to understand what they have done, to lead to their wrongful incarceration; and a shortage of designated children’s courts resulting in children being tried in an adult court, which simply changes its name for the duration of the trial. KHRP has also found that heavy punishments are severely disproportionate to the often trivial crimes, and flimsy evidence, upon which children are held, and that widespread problems of pre-trial detention and violations of a child’s rights to a fair trial, are commonplace. Problems associated with the continued detention of children in often ill-resourced adult prisons, too may continue to unjustly deprive vast swathes of the future generation from schooling during their most formative years.

Two days ago, KHRP’s Legal Director Catriona Vine spoke at a Public Meeting on ‘Justice and Freedom for Kurdish Children’, at the House of Lords. Commenting on the parliamentary vote, Vine said, ‘By specifically targeting Kurdish children with its anti-terror legislation, Turkey has been failing its commitments to recognise the special place of the child in the legal system, but also not to discriminate under article 14 of the European Convention. The reforms passed today are of course a positive advancement to be congratulated, but it is crucial that alongside their swift and thorough implementation, alternatives to legislation and imprisonment are explored to protect a child’s right to education and private and family life and with it their social and psychological well-being.’

 
KHRP Calls for Turkey to Step-up Women’s Rights Ahead of CEDAW Review
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 14:07

As the 46th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women turns its attention to the situation of women in Turkey on 21 July, KHRP wishes to highlight the need for a step-change in Turkey’s approach to tackling discrimination. Progressive legislative changes, though welcome, are woefully inadequate to address the vast inequalities between men and women in the country. KHRP believes that a demonstrated commitment of financial resources, expert personnel, training, and strict interpretation of the law, are urgently required to ensure that in the eyes of the law and their communities, Turkey’s women and girls are on par with Turkey’s men and boys.

As outlined in KHRP’s recent shadow report on Turkey’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination for Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Turkey did not provide any data to the Committee on how and whether recent administrative and legislative reforms have reduced discrimination against women or truly improved their status in society. On the contrary, KHRP has consistently heard from varied local women’s rights groups that they still struggle against age-old community attitudes that are frequently accepted or even shared by government officials, judges and opinion leaders. Moreover, indifference towards violence against women, as demonstrated in KHRP’s trial observation of Kerem Çakan, seems to be pervasive throughout all levels of the criminal justice system and points not only to inadequacies in the government’s provision of training for law-enforcement officials, but also its failure to create penalties for non-compliance with the law.

What is more, strategies for reducing discrimination, especially in the field of education, albeit crucial for the integration process, have continued to fall short of the mark. Girls are typically afforded fewer educational opportunities and are more likely to be withdrawn from school at a young age. Indeed, Kurdish women and girls tend to face an uphill battle, since they often enter school not speaking Turkish, and are not given an option of being educated in their mother tongue or being taught in a manner that supports learning in a new language. And because of the language barrier, those who lack formal education often cannot access basic public services. This not only undermines awareness of the legal remedies available to Kurdish women, but also their autonomy and confidence in making decisions regarding ordinary, yet decisive matters, such as employment or health care.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s review, KHRP Managing Director, Rachel Bernu today commented, ‘Turkey must make a genuine commitment to advancing women’s rights and allocate adequate financial resources and highly skilled personnel in tackling the commonplace gender-based discrimination in its society. If the Turkish government is to comply with its obligations under CEDAW, not only is proper recognition of the significant social, economic and political barriers faced by all women critical, but the double-bind of gender and ethnic discrimination too must be understood and combated. Central to this is the government’s commitment to undertaking proactive measures which reach out to its marginalised female, especially non-Turkish speaking, populace.’

 
KHRP Underlines Invaluable Work of Local NGOs in Empowerment of Women in Kurdish Regions
Friday, 09 July 2010 11:52

Today as the 46th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women convenes for three weeks, women in the Kurdish regions continue to live with gender-based discrimination on all levels.  From the lack of women wielding real power in companies and government and those receiving less pay for the same work as their male counterparts, to the physical and emotional violence that too many suffer, women, more often than not, are surviving daily human rights abuses. Nonetheless, women in these regions are also symbols of hope in the struggle for their universally recognised rights.    

KHRP’s partner and allied organisations such as VAKAD (Van Women’s Association), SELİS (Women’s Consultation Association), CDO (Civil Development Organisation), Heartland Alliance,  the Women’s Activity Centre, Kirkuk, Zakho Small Village Project (ZSVP), and several bar associations and women’s rights committees, including DİKASUM (Diyarbakır Women Issues Research and Practice Centre Application) and EPİDEM (Centre for Women's Education and Psychological Consultancy) are all doing incredible work to transform their situation and their communities as a whole. These organisations and committees are working to empower women by supporting them when they leave abusive situations, helping them to earn their own incomes, gain access to education and employment, and providing emotional and legal services when needed. KHRP is privileged to work with these groups, and is highlighting their work today because it is through such partnerships, that it is possible to make the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) enforceable in the Kurdish regions, and to make the Committee’s work practicable.

‘The men and women in the Kurdish regions advocating women’s rights are my stalwarts of hope. They know that women’s rights are human rights and that confronting abuses is integral to attaining thriving healthy and democratic communities’, said KHRP Managing Director, Rachel Bernu. ‘The brave women we have represented at the European Court of Human Rights and at the UN have been pioneers who have used their personal tragedies to serve as moments for change in order to prevent future abuses and to work towards real implementation of CEDAW. As the Committee begins deliberations today, KHRP wants to highlight the invaluable work of local NGOs which makes the provisions of the Convention tangible and practicable for everyone.’

 
KHRP Intern to Embark on Awe-Inspiring Hike across the Pyrenees in Aid of KHRP
Tuesday, 06 July 2010 14:59

The coast to coast routeThere is a well-known Kurdish Proverb, ‘The Kurds have no friends but the mountains.’ And this summer, KHRP legal intern, Ann Schutte, will become extremely well-acquainted with the closer-to-home mountain range between France and Spain when she embarks on an impressive hike across the entire Pyrenees, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The route is 900km in length, with 49,000m of ascent and descent - the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest over five times!

With the possibility of summer snow, daily thunderstorms, vipers and bears, she has decided that the only safe and sensible option is to camp. If all goes according to plan, she is hoping to complete the trek within 6 weeks.

Ann’s goal is to raise vital funds for KHRP, to help combat the historic discrimination which remains at the root of the widespread human rights abuses endured by people living in the Kurdish regioAnn Schuttens — including over 30 million Kurds indigenous to this mountainous expanse — across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Caucasus. Commenting on the challenge, Ann said, ‘I am hoping the trek will be an adventure, as well as a physical and mental challenge. Raising funds for a great cause may not fix my blisters, but it will make the effort worthwhile!’

If you’d like to support Ann or just learn a bit more about her awe-inspiring adventure, please visit Ann’s JustGiving page today. You can also follow her progress by visiting Ann's Amazing Pyrenees Trek on KHRP’s Facebook event page.

‘Ann’s trek is such an inspiration to all of us. We cannot thank her enough for choosing to support KHRP in this way and shining a light on the need for international support of everyone living in the Kurdish regions. We wish her luck, good weather and health! I’m excited to read about her adventure’, said KHRP’s Managing Director, Rachel Bernu.

 
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