Human rights should matter most in emergencies

Apr 18, 2017

To a vulnerable person, these are times when only one objective rings clearly in their minds. To dash away from danger as quickly as possible in order to avoid being caught up.

Simon J Mone

During times of war or any humanitarian emergency, many things happen. To a vulnerable person, these are times when only one objective rings clearly in their minds. To dash away from danger as quickly as possible in order to avoid being caught up.

These are times when every question to do with human rights of vulnerable people blow up. With the wider media coverage now-a-days, a perpetrator of crimes against humanity doesn't have any hiding place anymore. So we get access to news of heinous crimes.

We get news of journalists darting all over the place to relay their stories to the wider viewership. Sometimes we need to be conscious about what stories are true of an emergency. And what aren't. Accurate information is paramount.

As provided for by the international human rights and humanitarian law. Standards and norms that set out these details are stated therein.

So actually there is a real chance that wrong doers can be successfully held to account for their misbehaviours. If we bring to this discussion, human rights abuses as a result of the biggest form of emergency that has hit us so hard in recent years, prisons might be full beyond capacity.

Because the-much-talked-about global refugee crisis is here and about everything seem to have gone wrong. The huge challenge of dealing with all sorts of violations, of rights of displaced people.

A big part of our world now bears a load of burden in ensuring that rights of vulnerable people are respected. So that defenceless people can be in position to enjoy rights equally as the rest of the world. Be it today or some far-off date in the future, this notion must be realised.

Failure on this goal then we should brace for more violence, rape, and all, in our part of the globe. And soon we will have a Democratic Republic of Congo that has no more virgin girls. South Sudan leaders will continue to supervise a war based on tribal sentiments. We will be officially living in a world where hospitals are bombed with impunity.

 It will be a world in which its sick people are taken hostage. Humanitarian workers will be treated as if they were escapees of a volatile war. With governments issuing orders requiring non-governmental organisations to check out.

Refugees will have their hopes killed as a number of governments say they can't be hospitable anymore. The human rights framework in place must be implemented. So that where justice is needed, it is granted.

The big ask about rights of helpless people: Entities with a big influence on rights have to continue following up on violation in order that abuses don't recur. Investigate abuses wherever and whenever they happen. Lobby stakeholders and organise programmes to empower vulnerable groups.


Where crimes have been committed as happens with high frequency in our part of the world, ensure that justice prevails, even though justice for odious crimes may not be justice enough.

The best to do in such circumstances would be to forgive, forget and begin the healing process right away. Prolonged justice process only serves to remind war victims of their horrible past. It opens up the old wounds thereby, making the healing process a long and agonising one.

As part of the rights fight, ensure reparation of people who are almost permanently displaced. Provide compensation for their losses incurred. Doing this offers some consolation as people return to homes in a safe environment.

Every single abuse is one too many. Every denial of vulnerable groups, the chance to express their God-given right is denial of humanity.

The writer is a civil engineer

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