Commemoration Archives - Page 6 of 6

“All rights for women is not enough. All rights for all women” – International Women’s Day 2013

On tomorrow’s annual commemoration of International Women’s Day, aditus foundation notes that whilst Malta has seen notable improvements through the adoption of legislation, policies and services attempting to secure equal access to all human rights, women in Malta continue to face a series of challenges effectively limiting their human rights enjoyment.

In this regard, aditus foundation strongly reiterates the serious concerns expressed in 2010 by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in its Concluding observations on Malta. The Committee urged Malta to ensure a national and comprehensive policy targeting stereotypical attitudes that treat women solely as mothers, wives and caregivers, undermining their equal dignity and status in other sectors of civic life.

Our concern regarding gender stereotyping is aggravated by the Committee’s underlining of its direct link with incidents of violence against women. We also fully support the Committee’s recommendation that Malta reclassifies rape and violent assault as Crimes against the Person (Title VIII, Criminal Code), instead of their present grouping under Crimes against the Peace and Honour of Families and against Morals (Title VII, Sub-title II, Criminal Code).

“Violence against women remains a serious problem of national importance. We are happy to note that Malta signed the Council of Europe’s ‘Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence’, but the Convention will only be relevant once it is ratified and incorporated in Maltese law.” (Dr. Neil Falzon, aditus foundation Director).

Together with the above, aditus foundation stresses that any measure seeking to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of women should do so with regard to all women. Transgender women remain outside the law’s protection when this fails to recognise them as women, and transgender girls face inhumane difficulties in exercising their right to education. Migrant and refugee women run the risk of becoming a socially marginalised group if they remain unable to access services supporting their integration and, where necessary, their physical and psychological rehabilitation. Double discrimination further exacerbates the situation of these women.

“International Women’s Day is a reminder to not only secure all rights for women, but to secure them for all women.” (Dr. Neil Falzon, aditus foundation Director).

A time to call for a national agreement on Universal Human Rights

Today, 10 December, is International Human Rights Day. Worldwide defenders of human rights have marked this day annually since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed by the United Nations on 10 December 1948.

The Declaration begins by stating the enormous significance of its vision: “[The] recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. The Declaration guarantees the equality in dignity and rights of all persons, irrespective of race, colour, religion, origin, opinion, sexuality, gender and physical ability.

Being a Maltese non-governmental organisation dedicated to the recognition and advancement of all human rights for all persons, aditus foundation calls upon every person reading this message today to remember and commemorate in some way the on-going international struggle for human rights. In Malta, this could be a moment taken to acknowledge the enjoyment of human rights conferred through, for example, citizenship, employment, education, freedom, the enjoyment of life during peacetime or, simply, a sense of belonging.

“As part of its mission to report on and redress human rights abuses, aditus foundation hopes to inspire the agreement and cooperation of the Maltese public, government and media in the crucial arena of human rights,” Dr. Neil Falzon (aditus foundation Director).

An insistence upon the rights of every one of our fellow human beings is especially powerful when it is voiced by the most fortunate among us, in reiteration of Malta’s commitment to ensuring the full and effective respect for, protection and fulfillment of the fundamental human rights of all persons.

“We are united to work for the better protection of all asylum-seekers & refugees”

World Refugee Day is an annual opportunity to take a closer look at the lives of the millions of uprooted people worldwide. Fleeing war, persecution and severe human rights violations men, women and children rely on the protection offered by states that are not their own. Without this protection they remain abandoned, running the risk of being returned to their unsafe homes.

To commemorate World Refugee Day 2012, we undersigned non-governmental organisations met today and agreed on these common aims and objectives:

To forge a stronger common voice aimed at policy-makers and the public;
To share our resources, capacities and expertise;
To jointly advocate with and on behalf of asylum-seekers and refugees;
To share information with each other;
To coordinate our projects and strategies in order to avoid duplication of efforts and to secure a stronger, more effective impact.

We have different identities and are involved in various activities, yet together we gather years of hard and rewarding work, providing services to or advocating for persons forced to flee their homes. We are happy to share our acquired expertise with the governmental authorities and with the general public, with the respect for the human dignity of asylum-seekers and refugees as our core objective.

This meeting is the first of several regular meetings during which we will discuss our common concerns and identify shared goals, to be brought to the attention of the competent authorities and the general public.

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This Press Statement is being issued by the following non-governmental organisations:

aditus foundation, SOS Malta, Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta), Integra Foundation, GetUpStandUp, KOPIN, Organisation for Friendship in Diversity, Malta Emigrants’ Commission

aditus and Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta) issue World Refugee Day statement

Refugees should be at the heart of asylum policies as this is the only real way to ensure the full respect of their human dignity.

This is the core message emerging from a non-governmental workshop organised by aditus and the Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta) on the occasion ofWorld Refugee Day 2011, and of the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The event was organised with a view to discussing NGO concerns and recommendations for the treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees in Malta.

aditus Chairperson Dr. Neil Falzon stated “we urge the Maltese authorities to undertake a comprehensive consultation process with a view to bringing Malta’s asylum policies and practices in line with international and European human rights standards.”

The discussions focused on three main themes identified as the most important areas requiring short-, mid- and long-term action by the Maltese authorities and the European Union institutions and Member States: detention, reception standards particularly for vulnerable persons and integration.

“Whilst the participating organisations acknowledged the challenges faced by the Maltese authorities in receiving asylum-seekers, a clear concern expressed is that policy decisions are too often based on considerations other than the protection needs and lawful rights of asylum-seekers and refugees”, commented JRS Director Fr. Joseph Cassar.

The discussions were preceded by expert presentations from Madeline Garlick, Senior EU Affairs Officer at UNHCR’s office in Brussels, and Kris Pollett, Senior Policy Officer at the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).

In the coming days, the participating NGOs will disseminate the Conclusions from their discussions, with a view to highlighting their major concerns and suggesting concrete recommendations for the way ahead.