Introduction:
This report is submitted to the Human Rights Council to report on the human rights violations and abuses against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. This report focuses on the protracted enforcement of discriminatory policies that seek to marginalise and control Rohingya population namely of the Rakhine state.
This report argues that Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law and state and federal legislative acts function as the catalyst to excluded and marginalise the Rohingya. Theses policies violates their human rights as it contributes to the systematic and systemic discrimination of the Muslim minority group, as well as inciting conflict and displaced persons, restricting migration and depravation of basic human and exploitation of their socioeconomic status. Our organisation investigates the context of the legal framework that escalates the Rohingya crisis; and provides four key recommendations to protect their rights and foster brighter futures.
1.0 Country background:
1.1 Basic history
1.2 Burma’s pre-colonial period was similarly afflicted with complex ethnic and religious barriers to peace; marking Buddhists a significant massacre in 1942 where the actions of genocide against Muslims, recorded up to 50,000 deaths. Until January 1948 Myanmar was governed by British colonial rule and declared its independence, thus sparking major internal debates to the political future for Burma as the British rule embedded a deep distrust of foreigners to uphold Burman
Imagine for a moment what it would be like if the entire population of Sonoma County, California was killed, and twenty years later not many people knew a great deal about it. When over 500,000 people, primarily Tutsis, were killed in the Rwandan genocide in 1994, it was a great tragedy. However, no one rushed to the country’s aid. Now it is vital that the horrors of the instance that violated the human rights of so many, is not forgotten. Human rights are the universal actions and objects that all people are entitled to because they are human. Human rights have been violated in numerous ways over time, typically as a result of a person in power having their own best interests in mind rather than the peoples´. Various groups, such as Amnesty
Nevertheless, the government is the sole authority that can guarantee the protection of human rights and freedoms. It is responsible for putting in place the necessary laws and policies to protect and safeguard the rightful enjoyment of human rights among its citizens. In this case, the government, therefore, act as the custodians of human rights, and they are responsible for any acts that are committed against the enjoyment of a person’s freedom. Thus, the state is the guarantor and protector of human rights. However, at times the government itself may carry itself in an irresponsible manner by being the violators of human rights in occurrences such as genocides.
In the past, groups advocating for civil, human and migrant rights hardly made any meaningful progress courtesy of insufficient legislation and absence of political will. However, sweeping changes coupled by the need to recognize human rights have made it crucial to defend the oppressed in society irrespective of their location. Such civil and human rights groups have constantly set high standards when it comes to reinforcing the rule of law. Such groups ultimately combine forces to expose human rights violations and prosecute perpetrators. It’s undeniable that such groups have significantly ensured the enforcement of the rule
Throughout much of human history, certain issues have stayed unresolved for the longest time. Some are political, some are societal, and still, some are religious, but only modern day sees the conclusions to these affairs. Particularly, a human rights violation occurs when a government or other authority goes against any basic right that all humans are born with. Some of these rights include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Furthermore, only in the modern-day is a violation such as injustice realized and dealt with appropriately.
Lives will continue to be lost until treaties are established and international law is strengthened to apply to each and every country. Activists and protesters deserve fair and just treatment, and officials need to be monitored appropriately. The UN has officiated more than 560 treaties, and has an International Court of Justice to carry out the enforcement of human rights (UN). Civil action must be taken, and on a higher level than previous years. Growing discipline for all nations and setting the bar higher for everyone will slowly but surely regulate behavior and settle international relations. In an article from The Hindu, written by Nehginpao Kipgen, an ethnic cleansing is reported taking place in Myanmar during 2017. The government felt they had the power to drive 700,000 Rohingya muslims out of the country, and their actions were depicted as “crimes against humanity” by the UN (Kipgen). The ultimate solution was brought upon by the United Nations security council, and scrutinized the government by ordering them to resolve their wrongdoings and check their authority. This source again shows how international organizations have the power to stop unjust fatalities and unproportional governmental
Concerning the ethnic minorities of Burma, I believe that we are in a period where carefully analyzed humanitarian input can have a successful impact. Unlike the genocide in Darfur, we’re aware of a developing situation where large-scale genocide has not taken place yet. History further lends a hand in paralleling the cordoning in society of minorities such as the Rohingya with that of the black African minorities in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Lessons gained in the events in Sudan should be considered in defending the minorities of Burma who are facing human rights violation.
In March of 2013, the violence between the two groups only heightened (Staff, 2014). This violence is a result of an incident between a Muslim shopkeeper and a Buddhist shopper over a gold chain. The violence that ensued shortly after led to riots that destroyed shops and resulted in a Buddhist monk being killed. Since the last decade of Myanmar’s history, there has been increasing violence between Muslims and Buddhists. Groups such as the 969, led by a leader also known as the Buddhist Bin Laden (MacGregor, 2013), have formed to repress Muslims in Myanmar. Because the international idea that Buddhists are a strictly pacifist, non-violent ethnic group, people are less learned or educated about the violence and persecution of Muslims in Myanmar.
We live in a world in which it could be perceived all humans have rights, which are protected and respected by all governments regardless of ideology. For all of those who see things beyond the walls of politics, it is clear that for the majority of the world’s population their reality implies otherwise. While every violation of civil rights and liberties should be addressed, given my personal experience, I consider the violation of 12th and 13th article of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights the most important civil liberties or rights issue of the moment. The 12th article states that everyone has the right to liberty of movement and to choose his residence, everyone is free to leave any country, including his own, and
This population faced countless atrocities simply for being of that ethnic group. The actions of Myanmar’s government show the how far extent that persecution against those who differ from the majority can
Human history has been plagued by violations of human rights on the premise of superiority and entitlement. From the earliest cases 10,000 years ago between Kenyan hunter gatherer tribes in Nataruk resulting in mass murder to more recent cases involving the Rohingya and Myanmar nationalists edging towards genocide, the continuing difficulty to resolve human rights violations highlights its relevance and importance. Despite the atrocities that have filled human history records, human rights have seen progress in even the most early of civilizations dating back to 539 BC when Cyrus, King of Persia, outlawed slavery and vouchsafed freedom of religion. Granted that human rights progress and restitution has pushed farther ever since, David Frum,
All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms, but where was this saying when the Holocaust was going on? The Holocaust was the biggest, most brutal, and baddest mass killing of a single race. The people on the side of the Holocaust did not listen to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or anything to persuade them to stop killing Jews. All humans deserve the rights given to them by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
These acts of repression not only frindge the human rights of minority groups, but also violate international human rights and humanitarian laws. HRN strongly condemns these violations of human rights. We makes the following recommendations:
Poverty, discrimination, legal barriers, cultural restrictions, religious customs and other barriers can block the voices of marginalized people. Less fortunate people, or simply poor, are often denied an equal voice, and active and meaningful participation in political processes and in wider society. In fact, Human Rights Watch’s latest world report states, “traditional values are often deployed as an excuse to undermine human rights” (2015). Moreover, governments still continue to exert wariness and control on their people through media. Also, states monitor public’s opinions, and guide and dictate how people live and
Minority groups have struggled to fit in and to have a voice in their communities in nearly every aspect of life since the beginning of time. To add to this struggle, some of the majority groups have taken advantage of these situations and caused chaos for the minorities. This chaos has ranged from simple discrimination to extreme measures of mass annihilation. Throughout history, genocide has been a recurring problem in several countries around the world, due to war, economics, and leadership. Despite the cause, world leaders have been ignoring these mass killings and onlooking countries must work together to identify genocides as quickly as possible and bring them to an end. As the rest of the world waits for a solution to come about, thousands
In the past two years, a genocide has been going on in Myanmar that little people around the world know about. The victims that have been affected by this mass murder are the Rohingya Muslims, who originated from the subcontinent of India and are a minority group that makes up 5% of the country’s population. Today, the physical and emotional abuse endured by the Rohingya Muslims prevails a prominent issue in the Middle East. Over in Burma, many of the Muslims are murdered, beaten, or attacked by various religious groups, while government officials either stand and watch or occasionally help.