A crackdown on Indonesia's LGBT community is fuelling a spike in HIV cases as at-risk people avoid prevention services or seeking treatment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday. Conservative politicians and hardline Islamist groups have been increasingly vocal against the vulnerable community in recent years, while lawmakers eyed outlawing gay sex in the world's biggest Muslim majority country. Police conducted "arbitrary and unlawful" raids on places frequented by LGBT people including saunas, night clubs, hotel rooms, hair salons, and even private homes, HRW said. That has discouraged some at-risk groups from accessing prevention and treatment services, according to the report entitled "'Scared in Public and Now No Privacy': Human Rights and Public Health Impacts of Indonesia's Anti-LGBT Moral Panic." As a result, HIV rates among men who have sex with other men have soared five-fold since 2007 from 5.0 percent to 25 percent, HRW said, adding that the group accounted for one-third of … [Read more...] about Indonesia ‘anti-LGBT abuses’ fuel HIV cases: Human Rights Watch
Human rights and gender
Vietnam objects to UN human rights experts’ press release
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Geneva (VNA) – Vietnam strongly opposes a press release on 20 March by several UN human rights experts, said Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the UN, the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva. Talking to the press on March 28, Dung stressed "The Press Release shows these human rights experts' unprofessional manner, their lack of good will and impartiality, and their failure to comply with the Code of Conduct and the Manual of Operations of the Special Procedures Mandate Holders as it relies on non-credible information, raised unfounded concerns and makes pre-emptive judgment on the exchange between authorities and relevant individuals on a particular issue". He affirmed dialogues between Governments and concerned individuals and organisations as well as those between Governments and human rights mechanisms are fundamental in the promotion and protection of human rights, saying that the … [Read more...] about Vietnam objects to UN human rights experts’ press release
Vietnam achieves positive achievements in ensuring human rights
NDO – Following commitments and obligations made under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism by the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), Vietnam has recorded positive achievements in ensuring human rights, heard a Hanoi workshop on June 29. Co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, the aim of the event was to review the implementation of UPR Cycle II approved by Vietnam. Speaking at the seminar, Pham Sanh Chau, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Vietnam, as an active and responsible country within the international community, has always respected and fully implemented all obligations under the UPR, in particular implementing the recommendations of the UPR Cycle II, which Vietnam has adopted with the active participation of all relevant ministries and sectors on the basis of receiving information and valuable comments from concerned organisations and … [Read more...] about Vietnam achieves positive achievements in ensuring human rights
Bản in : Vietnam attends UN human rights session for first time
Vietnam attended the 27th annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council that wrapped up in Geneva, Switzerland on September 26, marking its first presence at the gathering since its membership last year. During the three-week sitting, the top UN human rights watchdog ratified 32 resolutions and decisions, and four president’s statements. Leading the Vietnamese delegation, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to Geneva delivered a speech, on behalf of ASEAN, at the opening session, and other discussions. He confirmed that the Vietnamese government is determined to protect and promote human rights, and join global efforts in this regard. The Vietnamese side offered feedback on many issues, including the rights of children and women, gender equality and teaching of history. It co-sponsored three draft resolutions on the children’s right to entertainment, the promotion of human rights via sports and Olympics, and girls’ … [Read more...] about Bản in : Vietnam attends UN human rights session for first time
Bản in : Vietnam makes efforts in promoting and protecting human rights
With a view to contributing further to the joint efforts of the UN and the international community in promoting and protecting human rights on the world, Vietnam has joined almost all important international conventions on human rights and made efforts to make basic human rights be respected and better ensured. Vietnam News Agency interviewed Ms Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, about Vietnam’s efforts in promoting and protecting human rights, as well as the UN assistance to Vietnam in this area. The following is the full text of the interview: On the occasion of the closing of the 22nd UN Human Right Council on 22 March in Geneva , what would be your comments on the implementation of the basic human rights? As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, reminded us at the opening of this 22 nd Session, we are celebrating the 20 th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. This is the most significant overarching human rights … [Read more...] about Bản in : Vietnam makes efforts in promoting and protecting human rights