Africa

The rights of older people in Peru – HelpAge research Summary 2012

Information on the extent to which older people enjoy their human rights in Peru is rarely available or included in the State’s reports to human rights monitoring and accountability mechanisms.

In response to this lack of data, HelpAge International carried out a survey in 2012 with 100 women and men over the age of50 in Peru. This summary illustrates the key findings of the survey. These findings provide evidence on gaps in the protection of older people’s human rights and reinforce the need for national and international action, mechanisms and processes to ensure that the human rights of older people are better addressed.

See full report here

 

The rights of older people in Mozambique – HelpAge Research summary 2012

Information on the extent to which older people enjoy their human rights in Mozambique is rarely available or included in the State’s reports to human rights monitoring and accountability mechanisms.

In response to this lack of data, HelpAge International carried out a survey in 2012 with 104 women and men over the age
of 50 in Mozambique. This summary illustrates the key findings of the survey. These findings provide evidence of gaps in the protection of older people’s human rights and reinforce the need for national and international action, mechanisms and processes to ensure that the human rights of older people are better addressed.

See full report here

Four Q&A about Suspected Witchcraft in Nigeria, 1 June 2012

Questions:
1. Do Igbos in Nigeria believe in witchcraft?

2. Are there any reports of suspected witches being harmed in Anambra State? If so, by whom and in what ways?

3. Are there any reports of men in Nigeria being suspected of being witches?

4. What is the level of state protection for those suspected of being witches (and harmed or threatened by non-state actors)? 

See full report here

List of issues to be taken up in the absence of the initial report of Mozambique: Human Rights Committee 102nd session Geneva, 11-29 July 2011

Constitutional and legal framework within which the Covenant is implemented
1. What is the status of the Covenant under domestic law? Can provisions of the Covenant be directly invoked before domestic courts in Mozambique? If so, please provide
details on all cases in which this was done and the results thereof.
2. Please provide information on the availability of remedies for individuals claiming a violation of the rights contained in the Constitution and the Covenant. Please also provide information as to whether persons have applied to the Constitutional Court for redress, as provided for in article 58 of the Constitution.
3. At what stage is the process of establishing a national human rights commission pursuant to the bill approved by the Mozambique Parliament in May 2009? To what extent have the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles), adopted by the General Assembly through its resolution 48/134, been taken into account and complied with in this process? Please indicate whether an ombudsman has been elected in accordance with the Constitution.

……

See full report here

Training Sessions on Human and Women’s Rights to address Violence against Persons accused of Witchcraft in the Central African Republic, October 2012

Hundreds of people – mostly women – in the Central African Republic are accused every year of practicing witchcraft. “Witches” are often accused of causing a wide range of misfortunes such as infected toes, collapsed granary roofs, and even bad weather. Witchcraft is included as a crime in the country’s penal code (even punishable by execution), which is rarely contested given that the belief in witches as a source of several misfortunes is deeply embedded in the Central African Republic’s society.
Women, particularly old single women, and girls who are accused of witchcraft are often subject to SGBV. Due to cultural stigmas and lack of knowledge on basic rights, SGBV cases are often not reported, consequently leaving survivors/victims unassisted and perpetrators unpunished.

See full report here

Angola – Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economics, social and cultural rights – Human Rights Council 7th session, 6 March 2008

The historical and political context of the current assessment is the 27-year civil war in Angola following independence in 1975 and an earlier lengthy struggle against colonialism. A peace agreement signed in 2002 between the Government of the People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) put an end to the conflict but could not reverse the devastating effect it had had on the country and its infrastructure, which reportedly left at least 500,000 people dead and, at the time, millions of internally displaced persons. An armed struggle has persisted in the enclave of Cabinda led by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, albeit at a much lower level, despite the signing of a memorandum of understanding for peace and reconciliation on 1 August 2006.
In Angola today, many are able to practice their religion or belief freely; there is, in this regard, a measure of tolerance within Angolan society. The Special Rapporteur, however, notes a number of concerns.

See full report here

Hunting Witches – World Policy Journal Article by WHRIN

Article by Gary Foxcroft, Executive Director, WHRIN. Read full article here 

Nigeria: Graphic photos: 6-man gang arrested for ritual murders in Imo state

The Nkwerre Vigilante Network this week arrested a six-man gang specialized in the sale of human parts for rituals and transplant in Nkwerre, Imo State. The men confessed to kidnapping their victims at various locations in the state and using their parts for ritual purposes. Some parts they sold to people who needed them for transplant.  Read more here 

Tanzania: Superstitions Hamper Fight Against Gender Violence in Zanzibar

Witchcraft and superstition beliefs are also hampering campaign against gender violence in the islands, which has vowed to spare no efforts in the anti gender violence campaign.

Some of the worst incidences of gender violence have been linked to ‘superstition, and witchcraft.’ Gender activists says that the beliefs are causing more harm than good, and people are scared to speak about abuses because some perpetrators are ‘spiritually’ protected and can harm whoever speaks badly against them. Read more here

Papua New Guinea: Sorcery in PNG: Murder, witchcraft and law reform

Every month in Papua New Guinea, stories emerge of people being put to death, accused of being sorcerers. The belief in witchcraft is deeply embedded in the country’s culture and tackling is proving a tough problem for PNG’s law-makers. Read more here 

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