MINELRES: MRG e-Bulletin: August 2009
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Mon Sep 7 19:19:21 2009
Original sender: Minority Rights Group <[email protected]>
Minority Rights Group International
August 2009
News
Children in Gujarat, India, protest against caste-based discrimination
Hundreds of thousands of children in India are forced to eke out a
living to support their families by sweeping streets, cleaning toilets
and clearing garbage from public places. The children belong to what is
known as the country�s �manual scavenging community� � forced to live in
subhuman conditions and engage in degrading work as a result of caste
based discrimination.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8091/minorities-in-the-news/children-in-gujarat-
india-protest-against-castebased-discrimination.html
MRG concerned about impact on Shia women of new law in Afghanistan
Minority Rights Group International is seriously concerned about the
impact on Shia women in Afghanistan of a new law approved by President
Hamid Karzai that severely restricts women�s rights.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8086/minorities-in-the-news/mrg-concerned-about-
impact-on-shia-women-of-new-law-in-afghanistan.html
European states regularly force Roma to return to Kosovo, where they
face widespread discrimination
MRG's partner organisation in Macedonia, Roma Democratic Development
Association, �Sonce�, is seriously concerned for the fate of 20 Roma
families who are under pressure from the Swedish government to
�voluntarily� return to Kosovo.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8075/minorities-in-the-news/european-states-
regularly-force-roma-to-return-to-kosovo-where-they-face-widespread-
discrimination.html
Bombings against Iraqi minorities �an attempt to grab territory�
Minority Rights Group International (MRG) condemns the recent string of
targeted bombings against minority communities in Iraq, including most
recently a devastating attack on a Shabak village near Mosul on Monday
that killed at least 23 people.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8030/minorities-in-the-news/bombings-against-
iraqi-minorities-an-attempt-to-grab-territory.html
ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights welcomed by MRG
MRG welcomes the recent creation of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental
Commission on Human Rights as an important step towards the promotion of
human rights in Southeast Asia.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8023/minorities-in-the-news/asean-
intergovernmental-commission-on-human-rights-welcomed-by-mrg.html
Minorities and the constitution building process in Nepal
Nepal is in the midst of a historic constitution making process. After
ousting the country�s monarchy through a people�s revolution in 2007,
last year the country elected members for a Constituent Assembly, tasked
with writing up a new constitution for the country. MRG�s Head of
Conflict Prevention, Chris Chapman, recently organized a round table
discussion with Nepali indigenous and minority groups on their ideas for
a new constitution. MRG Communications intern Farrah Tek spoke to him
about the process.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8016/minorities-in-the-news/minorities-and-the-
constitution-building-process-in-nepal.html
One year after war over South Ossetia, minorities still at risk
One year after the outbreak of the conflict over Georgia�s breakaway
region of South Ossetia, Minority Rights Group International (MRG)
expresses serious concerns about the current situation of ethnic
minorities, especially in the breakaway territories where access is
currently denied to international observers.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8026/comment-amp-analysis/one-year-after-war-over-
south-ossetia-minorities-still-at-risk.html
Security guarantees must be in place before Pakistan�s Pashtun and other
minorities return home � new briefing
As hundreds of thousands of Pashtuns and other minorities return to the
Swat and Buner districts, Pakistan's government must provide security,
reconstruction and long-term development in order to avoid recreating
the conditions that caused them to flee in the first place, Minority
Rights Group International (MRG) says in a new briefing paper launched
today.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8034/press-releases/security-guarantees-must-be-
in-place-before-pakistans-pashtun-and-other-minorities-return-home-new-
briefing.html
Education for all a distant goal: Over half of world�s children out of
school are from minorities or indigenous peoples - new global report
Of the world's 101 million children out of school, between 50 and 70 per
cent are from minorities or indigenous peoples, Minority Rights Group
International (MRG) says in a new report released today.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/7969/press-releases/education-for-all-a-distant-
goal-over-half-of-worlds-children-out-of-school-are-from-minorities-or-
indigenous-peoples-new-global-report.html
Millions of European children still denied an education � new global
report
Although Europe boasts high standards of education, for children from
minority communities segregated classes, obstacles to mother tongue
education and difficulties with integration are resulting in
discrimination and sometimes exclusion, Minority Rights Group
International (MRG) says in a new report released today.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/7967/press-releases/millions-of-european-children-
still-denied-an-education-new-global-report.html
MRG Blog
Small steps towards peace in Jonglei state
Chris Chapman, MRG�s Head of Conflict Prevention, is in South Sudan
running a conflict resolution workshop with communities from the region.
Read more:
http://minorityrights.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/small-steps-towards-peace-in-
jonglei-state/
Phrases and images concerning the Batwa
Carl Soderbergh, MRG�s Director of Policy and Communications, reflects
on a visit to a Batwa community in Uganda.
Read more:
http://minorityrights.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/phrases-and-images-concerning-
the-batwa/
Powell vs Picasso
Picasso�s Guernica was created to publicise an atrocity committed during
the Spanish Civil War, so that the international community would never
allow a similar incident to happen again. Patrick Bodenham, MRG�s media
intern, discusses.
Read more:
http://minorityrights.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/powell-vs-picasso/
�The media is part of the problem, not the solution!�
Ara Iskanderian, a British-Armenian interning in MRG�s publications
department, reflects on the media�s influence on racist attitudes.
Read more:
http://minorityrights.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/the-media-is-part-of-the-problem-
not-the-solution/
MRG in the News
A selection of MRG's news coverage over the past month
State of the World�s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009
Csorbulo jogok: tobb millio gyerek nem jut minosegi oktatashoz Europaban
http://atv.hu/videotar/090724_csorbulo_jogok__tobb_millio_gyerek_nem_jut_minoseg
i_oktatashoz_europaban.html
Miljoenen kinderen ontberen les in eigen taal
http://www.refdag.nl/artikel/1423200/Miljoenen+kinderen+ontberen+les+in+eigen+ta
al.html
EDUCATION: Mother Tongue Absent in Thousands of Classrooms
http://www.australia.to/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=12556:education-mother-tongue-absent-in-
thousands-of-classrooms&catid=71:world-news&Itemid=201
Los ninos de las minorias etnicas son los menos escolarizados del mundo
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/07/16/solidaridad/1247719270.html
Report finds minority and indigenous children disproportionately
excluded from school
http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/index_50281.html
Iraq
Iraq bomb blast kills dozens
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/middle_east/iraq+bomb+blasts+kill+do
zens/3302757
Iraq bombings 'an attempt to grab territory'
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/163457/1/5795
No Asylum, Despite Persecution
http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/nyhetssidor/artikel.asp?
ProgramID=2054&format=1&artikel=3021688
Sudan
Sudan�s Shi�a Mark Rare Celebration
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=26115
Pakistan
Christelijke scholen Pakistan drie dagen dicht
http://buitenland.nieuws.nl/564242/christelijke_scholen_pakistan_drie_dagen_dich
t
Attack on Christians a further crisis for Pakistan
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-christians6-
2009aug06,0,6339891.story
Pakistan's Pashtun could embrace militants-report
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLB526930
Pakistan. unos 500.000 desplazados han vuelto a casa desde Julio
http://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/sociedad/noticias/1468146/08/09/Pakistan-unos-
500000-desplazados-han-vuelto-a-casa-desde-julio.html
Help for uprooted Pakistani minorities urged
http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/163458/1/5795
Roma
E Roma �kokore� irinena andi Svedsko ko Kosovo
http://www.jugpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2467:e-
roma-kokore-irinena-andi-vedsko-ko-kosovo&catid=46:aktuelno&Itemid=66
European states regularly force Roma to return to Kosovo, where they
face widespread discrimination
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/DKAN-7UVR9C?OpenDocument
Publications
New
Briefing: Pakistan � Minorities at risk in the North-West
The Taliban insurgency in Pakistan�s North-West Frontier Province and
the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and the military offensive
against the Taliban launched 6 May 2009, have created approximately 2.5
million internally-displaced persons (IDPs), of whom 235, 000 are
currently in IDP camps. The UNHCR predicts a dramatic rise in these
figures as IDPs return to a continuing unstable situation. This report
urges the Pakistani government to restore the rule of law, including
transparency for reluctant international donors. Expenditure should
centre on reconstruction and a long-term plan for regional stability,
with a focus on safeguarding the rights of minorities, in order to
minimise the reliance on IDP camps and the potential for the Taliban to
exploit dissatisfaction.
View and download the briefing:
http://www.minorityrights.org/8045/briefing-papers/pakistan-minorities-at-risk-
in-the-northwest.html
Coming up
Iraqi Refugees from Minority Communities
A new report looking at the present and the future for the thousands of
vulnerable Iraqi refugees living in neighbouring countries and in
Europe. Scheduled to be launched in September 2009.
Minority rights in Georgia
A new briefing which examines the challenges faced by minority
communities in the country post independence from the Soviet Union.
Scheduled to be launched in September 2009.
Resources
State of the World�s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2009
Minority Rights Group�s flagship annual report, produced this year in
conjunction with UNICEF, is on the theme of education. State of the
World�s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples is an invaluable reference for
policy makers, academics, journalists and everyone who is interested in
the conditions facing minorities and indigenous peoples around the
world.
Read more:
http://www.minorityrights.org/990/state-of-the-worlds-minorities/state-of-the-
worlds-minorities.html
Maurice Bryan, author of the Americas chapter of the report, discusses
education and minority and indigenous communities at UNICEF�s
headquarters in New York.
LISTEN NOW: http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/index_50436.html
World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
The World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples covers 220 of
the world's countries and dependent territories, and features profiles
of about 700 minorities/indigenous peoples and is an excellent one-stop
shop for journalists, academics, researchers, policy makers and
students. Recent updates include: India, Sudan, Madagascar, Afghanistan,
Palestine, Roma in Hungary.
http://www.minorityrights.org/directory
Other
Journalism award � communities affected by climate change
Internews <http://www.internews.fr/> a global media assistance
organisation, is hosting a high profile journalism awards ceremony to be
held at this year�s Climate Summit in Copenhagen. Print, radio, TV and
online journalists, photojournalists, bloggers from around the world and
creative youth are invited to participate in the Earth Journalism Awards
which will recognize outstanding reporting on climate change and provide
journalists with an incentive to produce high-quality local and
international coverage in the crucial period leading up to the summit.
MRG�s e-bulletin readers may be interested in The Human Voices Award
<http://awards.earthjournalism.org/content/human-voices-award> which
will be given to the best story highlighting the human and social
dimensions of climate change. Register for the competition by visiting
http://www.awards.earthjournalism.org/user/register. Deadline for
applications is September 7 2009
Jobs and Internships
MRG frequently recruits new staff and interns who support our work.
Please see our website for vacancies and opportunities:
http://www.minorityrights.org/7646/employment-opportunities-amp-
internships/employment-opportunities-internships.html
**
Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is a non-governmental
organization working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide, and to promote
cooperation and understanding between communities.
MRG is a registered charity no. 282305, and has consultative status with
the United Nations Economic and Social Council and observer status with
the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights.
Minority Rights Group International
54 Commercial Street, London, E1 6LT, UK
Tel: 020 7422 4200
Fax: 020 7422 4201
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www..minorityrights.org
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