Human Rights Day 2010 - December 10th theme: "Human rights defenders who act to end discrimination."

December 10th marks the 62nd anniversary of the acceptance by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UNHR Site

The theme for Human Rights Day 10 December 2010 is human rights defenders who act to end discrimination.

Human rights defenders acting against discrimination, often at great personal risk to both themselves and their families, are being recognized and acclaimed on this day.

Human rights defenders speak out against abuse and violations including discrimination, exclusion, oppression and violence. They advocate justice and seek to protect the victims of human rights violations. They demand accountability for perpetrators and transparency in government action. In so doing, they are often putting at risk their own safety, and that of their families.

Some human rights defenders are famous, but most are not. They are active in every part of the world, working alone and in groups, in local communities, in national politics and internationally.

Human Rights Day 2010 will highlight and promote the achievements of human rights defenders and it will again emphasize the primary role Governments must play in enabling and protecting their role. The Day is also intended to inspire a new generation of defenders to speak up and take action to end discrimination in all of its forms whenever and wherever it is manifested.

The story does not end after 10 December 2010. The focus on the work of human rights defenders will continue through all of 2011.

Objective:
Celebrate Human Rights Day by using the proven tool of writing letters to save lives.

Each year hundreds of thousands of people across the world mark International Human Rights Day on December 10 by taking part in Amnesty International's Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon - the world's largest letter writing event. We write letters to demand that the rights of individuals are respected, protected and fulfilled. In doing so, we show solidarity with those suffering human rights abuses and work to bring about real change in people's lives.

How to Get Involved:

It's easy! Follow these 5 simple steps to success:

1. SIGN UP to Write for Rights! Participate as an individual, or host an event and invite friends, family, and members of your community to join the call for human rights. Check out our Write for Rights map to find an event near you.


2. SPREAD THE WORD! Tell everyone that you plan to Write for Rights by sending an email or posting on Facebook or Twitter.


3. Get your RESOURCES. Everything you need to participate in Write for Rights is now available, including case summaries, sample letters, promotional materials, and helpful tips for holding a successful Write for Rights event. If you'd like hard copies of these items or have questions, email us: writeathon@aiusa.org.


4. WRITE and MAIL your letters. (December 4-12 are the key dates, but feel free to start earlier or later.)


5. TELL US HOW IT WENT! We want to hear from you: did you meet your letter pledge goal? Do you have great ideas on how we can make next year's Write for Rights even better? Be sure to complete the very brief online evaluation form or send us an email: writeathon@aiusa.org.


This year, we will select winners in the following categories, who will be mailed a grab bag of special Amnesty prizes:
• Best picture of a Write for Rights activity
• Most letters sent
• Largest Write for Rights event
• Most unique location of a Write for Rights activity

Who is a real man? ...."Males who do not fit this "new" hegemonic view of masculinity are often labelled as nerds and "fish" (slang for homos)

Observer Letter

(photos added to highlight the piece)

Is the hegemonic view the letter writer speaks to really new?

here is the letter first:

Dear Editor,

With each passing generation, our perception and definition change of what a real man is. Historically, being a man was synonymous with taking responsibility for one's actions, whether this action is of a sexual nature, or taking responsibility in the areas of community, church, work, provider and protector of the family.

In recent times, our popular culture - namely dancehall music - has re-shaped and re-defined what a real man is or supposed to be.

In the Jamaican context, a real man is often associated with violence, underachievement in scholastic pursuits and sexual irresponsibility.

Males who do not fit into this "new" hegemonic view of masculinity are often labelled as nerds and "fish" (slang for homosexual). This phenomenon has placed even more pressure on many Jamaican men, especially adolescent males at the secondary level of the education system, who must decide and choose which category of masculinity to become a part of.

It is at the secondary level of the education that system boys' under-achievement and under-participation begin.

The manifestation of this is highlighted at the tertiary level where 80 per cent of all graduates at the University of the West Indies are women.

The reality in Jamaica today is that for many boys their influence comes from the deejays, the dons, or the "bad man".

Gone are the days when people viewed the pastor, teacher, or principal as role models.

Is a real man one who is deemed a "gallis"?

Is a real man one who enforces the "laws" of the community and ensures that "justice" is carried out?

Is having a male sexual reproductive organ enough to qualify as a real man?

Can a real man be one who has no biological children of his own?

Is wearing Clarks shoes a sign of real manhood?

Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com

(Letter ENDS)

My notes:

Also see: STORES ROBBED OF CLARKS SHOES

(Dancehall music's reighning Prince Vybz Kartel, the man who rebranded Clark brand shoes in Jamaica claims he uses cake soap to bleach his skin)

Vybz was careful to start the song with 'Mi nuh love man" (I don't love men) instantly separating himself from the stigma of males who bleach being gay. Not to mention he is responsible for putting Straight Jeans back on men as years ago it was almost a crime for a male to wear tight jeans .... now they are in.

Video: Vybz Kartel - Cake Soap (Duss Riddim)

(one of the popular "cake soaps" used original for laundry by ordinary Jamaicans as there is a class stigma attached to it to this day despite the celebrity endorsement from Vybz, uptown folks tend to go for Ariel and imported American brands, it has been used as a remedy for bumps along with cornmeal and lime applied to the affected area after washing once or twice)

Also notice the instructions on this retouched photo which suggests one must stay in air conditioning to keep cool after use.

Public's Snapshot Response

On a CVM TV mini poll aired November 14th during a short feature called "Wat a Gwaan?" (what's going on?) several persons were questioned on camera what they thought of this idea by the Vybz, some were supportive (mostly female) who said he looked good, many see it as a fad however others were skeptical suggesting he is using some other topical product or cream to achieve this new cool look.

Why are we so obsessed with being "brown" though?

Remember Buju Banton's song "Mi Luv Mi Browning" which caused a backlash for years especially from sections of "uptown media" and academia?

Jamaica has certainly changed pity the letter write above didn't mention more on the phenom, years gone by if a man bleached he would be automatically labelled gay no matter how masculine he looked or acted now it's almost the norm. Even men during the CVM vox pop said they saw nothing wrong with it as it's his choice.

Personally I think Vybz Kartel is using this public's former disgust to the bleaching issue and going with the change in tide as more persons are slowly becoming "liberal" in their thinking from everything including homosexuality or related stigmas. This kind of metrosexual change sweeping dancehall is real folks and is more open than ever.

How do we separate the metros from the DLs from the gays from the straights in this sea of this new vain masculinity as the rules are re-written?

See: Kartel Causes more controversy with Cake Soap Song and some feedback

Maybe the answer was more biased due to to Vybz's popularity so celebs can get away with certain "sins" as they are deemed immune in a sense to moral judgements.

The hegemonic view the writer speaks of also is not new we have being seen the molds being shaped for decades as far as the early eighties I dare say when dancehall and a younger generation were changing the rules of everything from dress to morals to even how the underworld operates and of course all those influences affect the GLBTQ community in some way or form.

Let's continue to watch from the stands and see where these changes take us, permanent or fads.

Peace and tolerance

H

(I claim no copyright to the photos used in this post and are owned by the respective creators of them)

Jamaica presents Human Rights Report to UN Council

Issued by: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade
Sunday, November 14, 2010

Senator The Honourable Marlene Malahoo Forte, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, has reiterated the commitment of the Government of Jamaica to the promotion and protection of the human rights of all its citizens and to the fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law.

The Minister was presenting Jamaica's human rights report to the 9th Session of the Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, 8 November 2010. This is in keeping with the Council's mandate to assess the human right situation in all 192 UN Member States under the Mechanism of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The report highlighted Jamaica's achievements as well as the challenges and constraints facing the country in its efforts to promote and protect human rights across a broad spectrum, including crime prevention and security strategies, justice reform initiatives, health and education, as well as women's and children's rights.
In the interactive dialogue, the Minister addressed concerns raised relating to the retention of the death penalty, allegations pertaining to extrajudicial killings and the issue of sexual orientation.

Members of the Working Group commended Jamaica for the candid and transparent manner in which issues were addressed. While noting the progress made in protecting the human rights of its citizens, members of the Working Group recommended that Jamaica consider the adoption of specific legislative and institutional measures to enhance the framework for human rights protection at the national level.

Given the challenges Jamaica faces as a highly indebted Small Island Developing State with a vulnerable economy, Minister Malahoo Forte made a special appeal to the international community for technical assistance with a view to helping the Government to continue to strengthen and improve its capacity to discharge its responsibility to its people, in promoting and protecting their human rights,.

Following the adoption by the Working Group on Wednesday (10 November 2010) Jamaica's Report will be formally submitted to by the Human Rights Council in March 2011 in Geneva, at which time the Government of Jamaica will provide further responses to the recommendations made by Member States during the meeting of the Working Group.

The Minister was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Attorney General's Chambers and the Ministry of National Security as well as the Ambassador/Permanent Representative and staff from the Jamaican Mission in Geneva.

An open letter to Carolyn Cooper's "Buju Banton's original sin" November 1, 2009 article

On November 1st 2009, Jamaican Professor of Literary & Cultural Studies at the University of The West Indies Carolyn Cooper complained about gay & lesbian advocates that have succesfully agitated for cancellations of Buju Baton's concerts overseas in a piece entitiled "Buju Banton's original sin."

A response worth republishing given the current trial of Buju Banton in the United States, Professor Udo Schuklenk Ethics Professor of a Canadian University and Journal Editor submitted the following response to her piece which was published in the Gleaner and on GLBTQ Jamaica on blogger, I like this answer as it was very succint and not rude or filled with emotions as some other have in their answers despite we know it is a sensitive subject.

The answer reads as follows:

To whom it may concern:

Professor Cooper's editorial, well-intentioned and unusually considerate (by Jamaican standards) doesn't add up. She complains essentially that a Jamaican singer whose repertoire included a song calling for the killing of gay people is still subjected to boycott campaigns by gays and lesbians in other countries. She calls such campaigns 'perverse'. Cooper considers the offending song's lyrics 'infamous', however anyone not wanting the singer to perform in their neighbourhood is acting under a 'particularly perverse pathology'.

Really, is my attempt at keeping such artists out of my country sick, Professor Cooper? So, our Jamaican artist sings infamous songs, while those who would be at the receiving end of his murderous art are sick (aka pathological). Nice touch professor, truly a well-balanced statement. You should be safe in homophobic Jamaica (whatever that means these days).

What reasons has Professor Cooper on offer for her take on the issue?

Well, for starters, she points out that our artist hero hasn't sung the song in question for awhile and launched recently a CD hoping it would be bought by amongst others gays, lesbians, and - guess what - even slim people. Let me just say that to the best of my knowledge, he has not yet apologized and retracted the song in question. That a more market savvy performer tries to increase market share is understandable, but surely shouldn't be seen as evidence for a changed mind set.

Comes the professor's next reason: the US based ACLU is defending the artist's 'right' to perform. The ACLU, of course, also defends the KKK's right to propagate its racist views in public. It's the result of a particularly silly bit of US Constitution that puts virtually no limits on speech acts, unlike any other country in the world. You could not make such statements anywhere in Europe (neither the Jamaican artist's 'lyrics' nor the KKKs racist rabble-rousing). The result is that such societies are more cohesive and peaceful than the USA.

And another lost-case type argument from our literary professor. She claims, citing an unsubstantiated statement from an ACLU activist, that there is no causal evidence that hate speech calling for violence against minority groups leads to such violence. There is an obvious reason for this: actions usually have multiple causes, some conscious, others unconscious. We do know that propaganda works; why it shouldn't work in a pathologically homophobic place such as Jamaica remains a mystery to me. Gay people have experienced time and again spikes in anti-gay violence following high-profile homophobic statements by artists or politicians and the like. Equally, many minority ethnic people in Britain were deeply incensed when the BBC permitted recently the BNP leader Nick Griffin to speak on a program.

They pointed out that the mainstreaming of racism will undoubtedly lead to an increase in racist violence. I wonder whether Professor Cooper fully appreciates the implications of her feeble attempt at denying the link between homophobic statements calling for violence against gays and lesbians and the occurrence of such violence.

Her last unsubstantiated claim is that fans potentially engaging in homophobic violence would not do so after dancing to artists' tunes encouraging them to kills gays and lesbians. Is she seriously suggesting that there might be people out there who were considering killing gays and lesbians and then these folks get prevented from doing this because they attend a concert with an artists calling on them to go through with their tentative plans? What can I say, this surely is a breathtaking empirical claim without any basis in fact.

So, there you go, now you know why us folks outside your island go out of our way to have your violence and art kept where it belongs, namely on your island - as your problem, not ours. Let Buju apologise for this song and we will welcome him with open arms.
ENDS

Peace and tolerance

H

Stop discrimination against Blacks and Gays

SIR RONALD SANDERS

MICHAEL Kirby, a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, drew a recent report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to my attention.

It confirms what Caribbean countries had always heard about the way people of African descent are treated in some Latin American and Caribbean countries, and it also highlights the legal intolerance and criminalisation of homosexuals and lesbians in the countries of the English-speaking Caribbean because of their sexual preferences.

According to the report, during its 140th period of sessions from October 20 to November 5, 2010, the commission held 52 hearings and 28 working meetings and concluded that "structural human rights problems still persist in the region". These include the situation involving people of African descent, women, persons deprived of liberty, and the "gay" community.

The commission expressed its concern about information it received concerning persistent practices in the Dominican Republic whereby persons of Haitian descent "who were born in that country" are denied their right to nationality. The commission believes that the Dominican Republic's argument that "there are no stateless persons in that country, since children born to Haitians in the Dominican Republic can be registered at the Haitian consulate", is incompatible with the Inter-American Convention and case law of the Inter-American Commission and Court.

Of course, the Dominican Republic is not the only place in which Haitians or persons born of Haitian parents are denied basic rights. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, it was well known that the Haitian migrant community were exploited as a workforce and denied the right to become "belongers" or citizens, and in the latter case the consideration was not racial, it was pure and unadulterated xenophobia practised against people of the same race.

Sadly, this latter phenomenon has also been witnessed in the countries of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) where discrimination has been ruthlessly applied in immigration controls against people of African descent while a blind eye has been turned to Europeans and other non-black peoples.

The commission also reported excessive use of police force against Afro-descendants in Brazil. The report said the IACHR had "received troubling information about the high rates of crime and police violence in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Bahia, and Pernambuco, and heard petitioners' allegations regarding the close link between these violent deaths and racial discrimination".

Charges of "institutional racism" were also levelled at Brazil, and petitioners claim that it contributes to the "high levels of harassment, deprivation of liberty, and executions among the population of African descent in Brazil, as well as the underreporting of violent deaths perpetrated by the police".

Costa Rica was also fingered in the report for poor human rights practices toward Afro-Caribbean people in the canton of Talamanca. The IACHR was informed that Talamanca has the lowest index of social development nationally, along with the highest levels of extreme poverty and illiteracy in the country.

As a point of general concern, the commission received what it called "sobering information" about the risk, threats, and the troubling number of murders of human rights leaders and defenders among the Afro-descendant population in various countries of the region.

All Caricom countries, with the exception of the British Colony of Montserrat, are members of the Organisation of American States (OAS) and are entitled to seek election to the IACHR. However, of the seven members now serving on the commission, none of them are from the Caribbean.

Yet, election to the commission presents an opportunity for Caribbean states to be mindful of the conditions of people of African descent in Latin American countries. Their membership might also encourage more cases of racial discrimination to be brought to the fore. In these circumstances, it behoves Caribbean governments -- who are the only ones who can do it -- to propose Caribbean persons for election to the commission.

But Caribbean countries also have to be aware of the mote in their own eye while they champion the cause of persons of African descent who are discriminated against.

The same commission received information indicating that "12 countries of the English-speaking Caribbean still have laws criminalising sexual and intimate conduct between persons of the same sex". The commission named these countries as: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to the commission's report, sentences range from 10 years in prison or forced labour to life imprisonment for consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex. The commission received information indicating that the very existence of such laws perpetuates unwarranted stereotypes, is a cause for fear in the sexually diverse community, and fosters impunity for serious crimes committed against this community.

Other detrimental factors that could be added to this are the spread of HIV/AIDS that could result from clandestine same-sex practices, the fear of seeing doctors, and the loss of a productive people who could make a real contribution to Caribbean development in the broadest meaning of that term.

There has been more than a handful of non-heterosexual Caribbean persons who have made a lasting contribution to Caribbean civilisation and whose worth and dignity have been publicly acclaimed. It is a frightening thought that the significant contribution of these persons could have been denied because of their personal and private sexual preferences.

The issue of decriminalising homosexuality between consenting adults has been confronted squarely in many parts of the world. Homosexuals and lesbians have served in the highest councils of government, business and the arts, and they continue to do so today.

In the Caribbean, the issue is linked to the doctrines of some religious groups and to their influence on people who vote in elections. Political parties have been loath to fall afoul of voters swayed by some strident religious leaders.

But just as discrimination against persons of African descent must be resisted and overturned wherever it occurs, so too must discrimination against consenting people of a different sexual persuasion. They are a part of our common humanity.

Sir Ronald Sanders is a consultant and former Caribbean diplomat

Responses and previous commentaries at: www.sirronaldsanders.com

Dancehall act Busy Signal under fire for "I Love Girls Who Love Girls" song

Dancehall artist Busy Signal recently released a new single called “I love Girls Who Love Girls.

Read more: Hot Topic: Busy Signal Under Fire For "I Love Girls Who Love Girls" Urban Islandz


The single is a nice track to listen to, but Urban Islandz has learned that its causing a bit of a controversy in the dancehall community.

Quite a number of fans told them that Busy is coming under some fire for the song that depicts that he love lesbians.

To find out whats the Brouhaha about regarding the song, they took to fans on twitter and facebook to hear their opinion.


They asked if Busy Signal new song “I love Girls Who Love Girls” is controversial and why?


Some answers included the following:

“Too much hypocrisy is in dancehall, how can you hate gays but like lesbians.” (twitter)

“Aint nothing wrong with a guy having sex with two girls, dunno see anything wrong with the song.” (twitter)

“Busy Signal confuse, mi miss when him use to put out good music, a pure fu*%ery him a do now.” (facebook)

“Nothing wrong with girls liking girls its all around us everyday, dem fi juss low Busy di song bad.” (twitter)

“Song go against dancehall culture, Busy look like him a move round too much uptown girls nowadays.” (facebook)

“Song sending the wrong message, di woman dem fi go look man juss like how we bun out di man dem wi bun out di woman dem.” (facebook)

“A clear case of twisted ego, wha happen to the Busy Signal Whe do Whi Not Going Down and One More Night.” (twitter)


Read more: Hot Topic: Busy Signal Under Fire For "I Love Girls Who Love Girls" Urban Islandz

Busy Signal - I Love Girls Who love Girls by Urban Islandz


Well is dancehall finally making the turn? Let's watch this folks as Busy Signal is a popular artist maybe not as a Vybz Kartel or Beenieman but he is listened to as his songs have a certain ting to them.

Mr Busy Signal by the way is not new to Gay typed controversy as many may recall he had recovered from the whole mix up with the line in a song he recorded called "One More Night" it was a spin off from Phil Collins' eighties hit of the same name. The line that caused the brouhaha then was 'BABY GIRL GIVE ME ONE MORE NIGHT” while some persons said they heard "“GARY GIVE ME ONE MORE NIGHT” in the recording some questioned if it was a gliche during the post production and mixing process while others have suggested it was deliberate to create controversy and attention to the song which incidentaly went to the number one spot here in Jamaica and reggae charts overseas and is a staple now on some radio formats. The song has sinced been remixed and re-released.

here are some other refernces to the "One More Night" debacle. -
Andrew and Wada Blood stick by Busy bashing
Busy Signal’s “One More Night” TELL ME WAT U HEAR!

So dancehall continues to struggle with sexuality, orientation and just plain homophobia and fear.

Update Nov 19th

BUSY, TWINS IN 'GARY' MIX-UP - Artistes at odds over controversial song

"

Twin of Twins' song 'Mix Up' is almost a year old but it is now the reason why the duo is at odds with fellow dancehall artiste Busy Signal.

In the song, the duo made reference to Busy Signal's song One More Night saying, "wi nah seh di artiste a move contrary/ So wi ask, who a di producer who engineer it/ Who mix da song deh who did prepare it/ Mi waan know how some people hear baby/ It look like mi deaf but mi know seh mi hear it/ Busy a beg one more night from Gary."

Apparently, the song has not gone down very well with Busy Signal who has now responded months later, with a song reviling the two brothers on a Cash Money CD.

In the song, Busy throws lyrical salvos when he chants, "Wi Nuh flip up flip up/ Or lip up lip up/ Di machine lift up ... / When mi rise the Heckler and Koch Twin of Twins get shot/ Run up inna a death trap."

Speaking with THE WEEKEND STAR, Patrick 'Curly Lox' Gaynor said there are no hard feelings towards Busy Signal or any wish to continue what has been brewing. However, he adds, "If a man seh something wi just ago reason back wid him aloud. It was done in accordance with the nature of dancehall."

Peace and tolerance

H

Security guard charged with John Terry's murder as new DNA evidence is unearthed

 police suspect sketch at the time

The BRITISH envoy's was found strangled at his home on the sunshine island may have been murdered after a gay encounter many surmised when it was first heralded.
Honorary Consul in Jamaica John Terry - thought to have been known by the Queen - died of asphyxiation after being beaten.

police at his home in St. James

The 65-year-old was found naked with a cord wrapped tightly round his neck.

Such were some of the scenes and writings from some of the international publications now, new developmets have happened since. The case has been slow in building but the latest on the matter suggests from the arrests in January of this year:

Man charged for murder of British Consul

The man held in connection with the killing of British Honorary Consul to Jamaica, John Terry has now been charged with the murder.


Twenty- year-old security guard Richard Ewan of a Bull Bay, St Andrew address was arrested late last year.


Following questioning by police investigators, on April 21 Ewan was charged with conspiracy to murder.


He has since been out of bail.


However, when he returned to the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court on Monday, it was disclosed that fresh DNA evidence showed that Ewan is the alleged killer.


He was then arrested and but was not charged with murder until yesterday.


Ewan is scheduled reappear in court on November 16.


Sixty-five year-old John Terry was found murdered on September 10 last year at his house in Mount Carey, St. James.


He died as a result of strangulation.

Front of his home in St. James.

Some historical perspective:

See: Consul's death thrusts Jamaican homophobia into the spotlight

Also see: Security Guard arrested for John Terry's Killing January 21, 2010

Peace & tolerance

H