[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

EDITORIAL: Human rights is more tha



		Editorial & Opinion 
EDITORIAL: Human rights is more than just words
ON Monday, China signed a cornerstone human rights pact, the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which prohibits torture, cruel or
degrading punishment and provides for freedom of movement, thought,
religion and expression, among others. 
No doubt the inking of this treaty is timed to coincide with the arrival of
British Prime Minister Tony Blair: it came just hours before he was due to
set foot in China to begin a six-day state visit. 
Nevertheless, the decision for China -- a country long known for its
''Asian values'' approach to human rights -- to accede to this particular
piece of international human rights instruments is a step in the right
direction. This move follows last year's signing of another key human
rights convention, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights. 
But if Beijing thinks that signing the treaty is nothing more than a public
relations exercise, then it had better think again. The world will be
watching closely on what further steps China will take to improve its human
rights record. Moreover, signatories of the treaty are required to submit
an initial report within one year of ratification, and periodic reports
every five years thereafter. 
Indeed, it's all well and good to sign the accord, but the devil is always
there in the mix. The immediate question is whether China will move quickly
to implement these two human rights treaties: they will not take effect
until they are ratified by its legislature. Judging from the American
experience, it may take decades before this happens. For example, while the
United States signed the International Covenant for Civil and Political
Rights in 1979, it wasn't until 1992 that the Congress gave its stamp of
approval. 
Nevertheless, the absence of ratification should not be an excuse for
Beijing to go against the spirit of the treaties. As the New York-based
Human Rights in China says, Beijing, by signing the pacts, has demonstrated
a commitment to refrain from actions that violate rights enshrined in the
accords. But it has to do more. In the coming years, Beijing will need to
progressively amend its laws to adhere to these human rights documents. 
That said, human rights is not just about freedom from fear, but also from
want. Too often the international human rights community puts much emphasis
on civil and political rights, and not enough on economic, social and
cultural rights. 
China, being one of the poorest countries in the world, has done well to
feed and house its teeming billions. No doubt great challenges still lay
ahead. Yet it has a better record than the West in bridging the disparity
gap among its citizens, and most importantly, in addressing the scandalous
and growing gulf between the rich and poor globally. 
With the West relentlessly foisting free-market reforms on Third World
countries, the poor are getting poorer and the rich, richer. While some may
dispute that global poverty, which has increased marginally over the
decades, is a violation of human rights, the Declaration on the Right of
Development says otherwise. 
Clearly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights alone
does protect human rights. Together, it and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights make up the International Bill of Rights. In addition to this, there
are a slew of other human rights treaties which must also be recognised,
and this includes the right to development which the West disapproves of
for it demands a more equal distribution of global wealth. 
Until and unless all these treaties are put equally under the international
spotlight, Third World countries are justified in viewing with suspicion
Western talk about human rights. 
After all, China has signed 17 human rights treaties, and that is more than
the US. More significantly, the US has refused to ink the treaty to protect
economic, social and cultural rights, the Convention on the Elimination of
all Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights
of the Child -- all of which China has signed. 
The Nation