Rights of tsunami survivors often ignored
Governments most affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami too often ignore the human rights of survivors, according to a report released by non-governmental organizations Wednesday, writes the Jakarta Post (United Nations (AFP)), 020206 at http://www.thejakartapost.com/
Forwarded by Budhi Mulyawan 020206.
"Tsunami response: A human right assessment" is the fruit of research conducted in India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand by three non-governmental organizations:ActionAid International, the People's Movement for Human Rights Education and Habitat International Coalition.
The study of more than 50,000 people in the five countries found that in many places, survivors had been driven from their land, denied food, clean water and a secure home.
It said compensation programs had ignored the needs of vulnerable groups including women, farm laborers and migrant workers.
"Widows and other single women have frequently been denied compensation which has ... been handed out to male members of the family," the report said.
It added that groups experiencing discrimination included Mokens (Sea Gypsies) in Thailand, Dalits (so-called untouchables) in India and war-displaced people in Sri Lanka.
"The governments in these five countries have grossly failed to uphold the human rights of these vulnerable people," said Ramesh Singh, executive director of ActionAid.
"This is unjust, outrageous and unacceptable and for those people at the receiving end, women, fishing folks, sea gypsies, migrant workers, this is apartheid and slavery put together in their lives," he said.
"We call upon the governments of these countries to take the responsibility to uphold the human rights of these people." Singh said the report showed that there had been "a breach of trust, the trust offered by supporters who had emptied their pockets and offered their solidarity in the names of the people who suffered and survived the tsunami."
"We also flag a warning to the international development community, particularly international financial institutions who are pouring in money in response to the tsunami, to make sure that human rights standards are embraced in their plans andprograms, not just economic growth indicators," he added.
Former US president and UN special envoy for tsunami recovery Bill Clinton last month pledged to continue leading UN efforts to rebuild communities devastated by the giant killer waves, notably in the Indonesian province of Aceh and in Sri Lanka.
Tsunamis triggered by a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004 killed about 220,000 people in 11 Indian Ocean countries.
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