The UN expert body under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racism (CERD) recently review Austria’s record. 

The picture that emerges is rather not pretty. Added to the misery of the experts’ findings is the fact that no reports were filed by civil society. Note that most UN bodies, when examining human rights issues in nation states, now accept parallel reports compiled by NGOs or other voices from within civil society. It is a unique opportunity for civil society to reach out to international fora and it is frequently utilized by representatives of other countries.

The concluding observations state among a plethora of scrutiny and pertaining recommendations:

“The Committee is concerned about reported instances of hate speech by politicians, targeting migrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, persons of African origin and members of minorities.” 

This would be a violation of Article 4 (c) CERD. 

So: “The Committee recalls that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries special duties and responsibilities, including the obligation not to disseminate racist ideas. It recommends that the State party take resolute action to counter any tendency, especially from politicians, to target, stigmatize, stereotype or profile people on the basis of race, colour, descent and national or ethnic origin, or to use racist propaganda in politics.” 

The concluding observations may also be found online.

Trying to refrain from commenting on the venue of the Summer Olympics 2008, it seems most fitting to use a video posted by the Guardian showcasting the efforts to get some adequate responses out of a representative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Having to pull myself out of the numbness that sometimes surrounds me in highlighting the effects of poverty on people in poor countries, it is always particularly disturbing to witness the effects of poverty in those parts of the world where one would assume there is plenty for all: the Guardian reports on poverty as the primary cause for child mortality in the United Kingdom. 

In addition to the growing gap between rich and poor the report of British network End Child Poverty points out that poor families are at a factor 10 more likely to loose their child due to suddent infant death than better-off families. It also highlights a fact usually a standard in reports from developing countries: the underweight of children born into poor families.

The WP reports on plans by the Bush administration in the United States of America to protect doctors, nurses and other health-care workers from having to perform services, which violate their personal beliefs, such as abortions. Those hospitals and other medial institutions, which refuse to accommodate personnel who refuse to perform services that they object to for personal reasons, could see their (public) funding withdrawn. 

A similar discussion has been underway in Slovakia, one of the few countries that has a far reaching concordat with the Vatican.

A classified internal research document by Britain’s MI5 concludes that “there is no easy way to identify those who become involved in terrorism in Britain,” reports the Guardian. “There is no single pathway to violent extremism.” Could that be made required reading, please?