In this interview, we hear from Livingstone Sewanyana, Executive Director of 
the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative. His views are that human rights vary greatly across the Commonwealth in terms of perception, action, and practice. In addition, he feels there are serious contradictions within the 53 participating countries and that many countries are lagging behind their commonwealth brothers and sisters where this issue is concerned.
Mr Sewanyana’s role at the CPF is that his organisation are organising the ‘Commonwealth Human Rights Forum’ at the event. The aim of which will be to feed into the main CHOGM event during the following week.
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Mr Sewanyana poses a few questions himself to the participants of this blog:
- What does it mean for people to enjoy their right to vote?
- What does it mean to have freedom of the media including the freedom to express oneself?
He also mentions that there is a long way to go within the Commonwealth for them to appreciate the role of civil society organisations in defending and advocating for rights.
Some other points to think about include:
- How can civil society organisations make themselves more appreciated in defending and advocating rights in the eyes of governments?
Mr Sewanyana calls on you to air your views and post your comments because they are essential to maintain debate on these issues!
Surely, the rate at which people are denied their rights is worrying in many Commonwealth countries. The latest being the Pakistan government declaring no proper governing councils! We need to address these issues in the next People’s Forum and hit the nail on the head by empowering Civil Society organisations to intervene as much as possible.
We all probably know that necessitous men are never free men. Before we delve into people having the freedom to vote, its essential we first look at their economic ability to meet the basic needs of life like food, shelter, good health, education etc, after all, all these are some of the tenets of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In a society where more than half of the population still struggles to have two nutritious meals a day, where a sizeable part of the populace can not read or write, the freedom to vote as a right, means nothing.
Necessitous citizens will forever be exploited by cunning and opportunistic politicians.
The issue of participation of the wanainchi has been on the Human Rights Agenda of many commonwealth countries for quite sometime. My major concern is that the gap between theory and practice is widening day after day. Many HR declarations have been made and in most instances ratified by many commonwealth countries. But to what extent are they applied in these countries? For instance, can we talk of good governance in most commonwealth countries? How are the so called technocrats behaving? Is there any accountability in whatever is being pursued? Does the common man has any voice on the course of action the government should take on issues related to political, economic and human development as this CHOGM’s theme alludes? What about freedom of expression? A case in point is the recent one of a Ugandan political party caucus when even parliamentarians who are people’s representatives cannot even have their own views tabled and debated? Is this freedom of expression? Doesn’t this somewhat stifle debate and therefore failure for latent potential to be unfolded?
I therefore submit that just like like Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana is articulating, commonwealth countries should address first the critical issues which suppress people’s participation: illiteracy, information asymmetry (on markets), media freedoms, health concerns, etc. If these are addressed, people will be empowered politically, economically and socially and will be able to contribute to the political, economic and human development of their communities. In this way, all countries would be thinking of achieving the MDGs (Millenium Development Goals) by 2015 and be able to set their own agenda and demand for accountability and transparency.
I agree entirely, that HR issues have not been handled well. But what about the ordinary person? Does s/he know their rights? Do they takea action when their rights are violated? Are there know factors that prevent them from defending their rights? How do we get the message across. The only persons that can comfortably come out on this issues are the lawyers and the classical one is that of the person with disability who challenged the transport sector people (UTODA) who allegedly denied him space in a matatu (public service taxis)! What happens to the others who can not stand up for their rights? Recently, I learnt of a case where from the same industry a man held up his transport money and requested to be taken enroute to an suburban town, only to be told that there is no space for him. One kind person alighted from the taxi and lifted up the person with disability and gave him his seat! Can we train more of these people to help the disadvantaged persons in our society - children, elderly, persons with disability and more of the special groups. I would like to ask Mr Sewanyan and other HR activists to comment on these issues.
I fell concerned on several issues that Mr. Ssewanya raised with regard to human rights. The way people are enjoying and respecting human rights in the commonwealth countries is quiet different. My concern too is on women’s rights. I believe that women’s rights are total human rights, but how are the women’s rights protected in the common wealth countries? How do you expect women to enjoy their right to vote when most of them especially in Uganda are still being battered, rapped, young girls are defiled, don’t have access to ARV’s, are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, unemployed, cannot easily access loans because they don’t own land, all this indicates total denial of the rights of women in areas of health, social economic and political arenas. As civil society, there is along way to go in advocating for the rights of marginalized women in order to enjoy their rights. In Uganda, most of the Bills that would be protecting women’s rights have never been debated and passed by Parliament e.g the Domestic Relations Bill, Sexual Offences Bill, Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, name it. How do the commonwealth countries hold each other accountable for not putting in place legislations that protect the rights of women? How can governments and civil society work harmoniously towards achieving total respect for human rights without seeing each other with a skeptical eye. Which strategy should civil society use in order to attain the holistic attainment of human rights? And I believe that human rights activists should work hand in hand with the women’s rights activists in order to attain a population that enjoys total human rights.
Human rights! where is the limit.It is true every man has a right to life, eat, etc
One thing that baffled me is the way people under the guise of tourism are disturbing the remains of the ancient egyptian king Tatunkhamun. Why wouldn’t people just live him to REST IN PEACE! I thought that is what we usually say when somebody is laid to rest Even Muslims at the mention of the name ‘prophet Mohammed’ they make sure they add: May his soul rest in peace.
Let us respect all human rights: children’s rights, women rights, old people’s rights, refugee rights etc and laslt but not least THE DEPARTED PEOPLE’S RIGHTS.
In many societies someone found among the graves, or tampering with the graves is associated with wichcraft or devil worship.
Are we trying to modify this witchcraft in the names of Acrcheology? Archelogy in itself is not bat, but for Goodness sake why should people disturb the poor king Tatunkhamen’s ruins? Let tourist and archeologists live the man to rest in peace! It is his right to rest in peace till ressurection day.
Human Rights!
I really get confused with the term hman rights in relation to the comonwealth countries. To begin with, the key problems of the common man are attended to in most of our commonwealth countries, before you look at voting and politics, we should look at the aspect o accessing the basic needs of man. But for sure most of the commonwealth countries have went on to look at politics and issue of voting and yet the voters themselves are leaving in misery, in conditions where medication, food, security, education,employment, etc are only for a previleged group of people.
This makes it difficult to have a fair competing ground when it comes to politics as well as voting. This has led to an issue of people selling votes instead of voting an eligible leader with the best plans.
Let us first empower the people on the ground, after which we will look at the voting in our commonwealth countries.
People living in poverty are taken advantage of by being seduced/ enticed with impossible promises, sometimes gifts that leaves little space for people to make choices from their hearts.
- Freedom to vote to mean is candidates and their respective political parties having no involvement, whatsoever in the election process.
- It means, having international observers being given full access to witness elections.
- All candidates being given equal campaigning platforms and having neutral electoral heads.
- Enough publicity about the voting process and procedure, having a clear deadline on when results will be announced.
Freedom of media is governments allowing critics to be part of their day-to-day life as long as its remains in the scope of professionalism. Governments working to prove critics wrong rather than working to silence and keep them out of the picture with prosecutions and intimidations.
The issue of human right actually can not be essentially managed in the world.for one to express his total rights and freedom violate the rights of others either direct6 nor5 indirect be4cause to me total rights and freedom means that even letting a mad person to express his madness without the interference by others.
In east Africa the community were i belong had lost its right of nationality since 17centuary due to the British influences in East Africa.
We the Nubian were brought to East Africa as soldiers of the British but we were left without any compensation at all we are not recognized either in our original land in Sudan nor in East Africa and we were the right subject of the protectorate government.
We are not even in the constitution of counties in East African counties only Uganda by resent put the Nubian.
In Kenya and Tanzania they are not known.
consider the history of migrations in Africa all all the moving tribes moved willingly either after defeat or other problems related to social effect but the Nubians were servants.
Now were is our rights?
Compare with the Indians in East Africa.They were compensated for the work done as engineers of the Railway line.
Now we want the following ;
To be recognize as indigenous of East Africa.
To be compensated by the British Government for the damages caused and work done.