The issue of the use of embryonic stem cells in researches for therapeutic purposes was perpetuating since 2005 in the Brazilian Constitutional Court. Until the beginning of 2008, from the 11 ministers of the Federal Supreme Court, only two had voted for the use of the embryonic stem cells in future researches that might develop improvements to the lives of people with physical disabilities and diseases still without cure.

After the votes of the reporter of the case, Carlos Ayres Britto, and the president of Court, Ellen Gracie, that were in favor to the researches, the trial was interrupted due to the application of review of Carlos Alberto law. Although many agree that the obligation of the Court is only the constitutionality and verify compliance with the Law on Biosafety in the use of embryonic stem cells in research, believed that the fervent Catholicism of the Minister Carlos Alberto law would interfere with their vote.

Still in this week, May 28^thCarlos Alberto read his vote about the embryonic stem cells, allowing the searches, but did considerations on the type of embryos used, which probably impede the searches to be made.

- If to save a life, reject another, without salvation will be the man – he says. Although critics of religious, mostly Catholics, claiming that the search with the embryonic stem cells researches violate the right to life, 6 Ministers of the Federal Supreme Court voted in favour of research. Now, Brazil is the 1st Latin American country to allow the search with embryonic stem cells. Besides allowing a scientific advance of Brazil, because now he is 26 of the country in the world to take these searches supported by law, there is greater hope to thousands of people to treat diseases that still have no cure.

As in other countries, civil society and union leaders have been threatened and murdered in Colombia. Being said that, the complaints about human rights violations are being repressed and the struggle to give the population more access to justice has been suffering setbacks.

Three researchers from the United Nations (UN) asked the Colombian government to adopt urgent measures to protect human rights defenders against intimidation, assault and even murder.

According to the researchers, from the beginning of this year, 21 members of trade unions and civil society leaders were killed while dozens of others, including lawyers representing victims, received death threats.

Trade unionists North Americans are pressing the Democratic U.S. congressmen to block a free trade agreement with Colombia because of human rights abuses in Latin American country.

With the intention of giving the rural population a faster access to justice, the Indian government created courts-on-wheels that move from village to village. By doing so, the government will be able to offer its citizens better opportunities for them to solve their law suits.

In 1992, the “Visahka” case had great repercussion in India. The case dealt with Bhanwari Devi’s situation, a social worker who was rapped by gang of men after trying to stop a child’s wedding.

Such case led the Indian Supreme Court to recognize sexual harassment in the work place as a serious problem faced by women. In order to solve it, the Court declared that the Convention for Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratify by India internationally, was to be applied as part of the Indian legislation, even though this may not be an usual procedure.

Being said that, various organizations and the media started bringing the issue to discussion in the public’s eyes. Realizing the importance of such matter, the government encouraged the creation of private and public committees, which would assure no problems related to sexual harassment would occur. However, they were not efficient.

Around the same time, the National Commission for Women formulated a legislation that dealt with sexual harassment in the workplace, and submitted it to the government. Inspired by it, a number of organizations gathered in Mumbai to discuss the subject, coming up with amendments to the Bill formerly mentioned. Among these were the recognition of other sexual harassment victims and bigger protection to women who are under cross examination. However, such amendments were not taken into consideration by the government, and therefore, are not in the Bill which was passed.

Darfur’s obstacles

The Darfur region has seen one of the biggest conflicts nowadays. As most of African countries, its problems can be traced back to colonization. This former British colony was left in the hands of the Arab Muslim elite. Believing the Arab Muslims were being favored over them, the Darfur black Muslims rebelled against the government.

In order to contain the rebellion, the government sent Arab militias, the Janjaweeds. They are responsible for most of the atrocities in the region, such as rapes, murders, kidnappings and fires. However, the State did not expect them to split to such an extent. According to specialists, this is one of the obstacles that keeps the conflict from being solved.

Some scholars argue that another considerable problem is the one regarding the refugees. The number of people who have left the country has been growing in drastic proportions. Most of them can be found today in the Chade. This part of the populations lives mainly out of humanitarian aid. However, the Sudanese government does not trust the international community, making it even harder for humanitarian aid to reach these people.

In conclusion, the last obstacle to the end of this conflict is the Sudanese partnership with China. The latter is one of the biggest oil buyers from Sudan, arguing that such commercial exchange helps the country develop. In exchange, China sells weapons to Sudan, which end up, in most cases, in the hands of the Janjaweeds.

China has declared that their conception of human rights is different from that of the western world. However, certain basic rights can be said to be universal, and one of them is the freedom of speech. Hu Jia’s recent sentence brings to light the difficulties of accessing justice in the country.

Chinese human rights activist sentenced to jail

Hu Jia, a human rights activist and dissident, was on Thursday sentenced to three and half years in jail for ’subverting’ the state.

Hu, aged 34, who was in custody since December last year drawing criticism from Western powers and human rights groups, was also deprived of political rights for a year by the Beijing First Intermediate Peoples Court in its judgment pronounced in his and family’s presence.

He was handed down the sentence for making comments in interviews with foreign media and repeatedly instigating other people to “subvert the states political power and socialist system,” the court was told.

The case of Hu, who spoke of democratic rights, religious freedom and great autonomy for Tibet, had come under the spotlight on the issue of Chinas human rights record.

In Brazil, the Human Rights Secretary from the Federal Government has a program for the protection of human rights defensors. The Secretary tries to ensure the continuity of the defensor’s activities.

Dealing with human rights matters when taking the western and the eastern cultures into consideration is always complicated. The human rights as considered by the UN are based on western values. Even though China’s perception of human rights differs from that of western culture, we can still establish certain universal rights, such as the right to life.

China’s perception of rights differs from that of West’

China has its own perception of human rights which differs from that of the western countries.

Human rights like the other rights are not ‘absolute’ and the rights enjoyed should conform to obligations fulfilled, according to the director of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.

The director believes Chinese have enjoyed unprecedented freedom and basic human rights, including religious freedom and political rights.

As evidence of what was said, for the first time during the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October, the wording “respect and protect human rights” was incorporated into the party constitution.

Sincerely, I believe that we can share values even if we see them in different perspective. Cultural rights and local specificities need to be observed, but it doesn’t justify violations of physical integrity, life and freedom.

The indian government has no database on street children in their country. Being said that, such lack of control makes it difficult for NGOs and the State to provide aid to these children.

‘Ministry has no database of street children’

Recently it was disclosed that the Ministry of the development of women and children in India has no basis of data regarding the number of children living on the streets.

The ICPS (Group of Integrated Scheme for Street Children) is a program that aims to provide shelter, food, health care, education and recreation for street children and tries to protect them against abuse and exploitation.

The report presented by permanent parliamentary committee that country, suggests that the ministry starts working in the database indicating the number of children in the streets and the number of beneficiaries.

The document also expresses that there seems to be lack of incentive for local governments and NGOs to open more shelters for street children.

Human rights were of central importance in Sarkozy’s campaign before his election. However, the president has been ignoring such issues during his latest visits to countries such as Tunisia and China. By this lack of concern, France hasn’t been using its influencing power towards humanitarian aid.

Sarkozy is criticised for ignoring human rights in Tunisia

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, received harsh criticism for not having addressed the issue of human rights in a visit to Tunisia.

Sarkozy came to power a year ago, promising to put human rights at the centre of French international politics, but its negotiations with countries such as China and Libya, which yielded numerous trade agreements, have led many to say that his promises were empty.

Human rights groups in Tunisia accuse the government of muzzling the press, arresting its opponents and torturing them. The authorities deny the accusations.

During Sarkozy’s trip to the country, the state airline Air Tunis signed a contract to buy 19 Airbus aircraft for more than a billion euros (1.56 billion dollars).

It’s not a good perspective. If “Developed” countries can’t (or don’t want) do anything about the human rights violations and UN in many cases isn’t effective (see Darfur), I’d like to know what we can do!

With the end of military regimes, victims and their relatives can now seek justice for the violation of human rights. However, important witnesses that would testify have been missing before the trials. With such disappearances, one may question if those responsible for tortures during the dictatorships still have such an influence.

After the case Julio Lopez, missing since 2006, the disappearance of another key witness in trials for human rights violations during the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983), has generated concern to the government.

Survivor of the extermination centres of illegal military regime, human rights activist and chairman of the House of Memory of the city of Zárate, Juan Puthod, 50, were last seen the night of Tuesday, according to a member of his family.

Like Lopez, Puthod testified in trials of crimes of lèse-humanity committed by the military regime. Puthod had not yet completed 18 years when he was arrested, through various illegal centres. In one of them, he lost the vision during a session of torture.

In Brazil the efforts to blame the violators of human rights in the time of the dictatorship are starting. Prossecutors have just started the first action.

As in other countries, civil society and union leaders have been threatened and murdered in Colombia. Being said that, the complaints about human rights violations are being repressed and the struggle to give the population more access to justice has been suffering setbacks.

Three researchers from the United Nations (UN) asked the Colombian government to adopt urgent measures to protect human rights defenders against intimidation, assault and even murder.

According to the researchers, from the beginning of this year, 21 members of trade unions and civil society leaders were killed while dozens of others, including lawyers representing victims, received death threats.

Trade unionists North Americans are pressing the Democratic U.S. congressmen to block a free trade agreement with Colombia because of human rights abuses in Latin American country.

 http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/mat/2008/04/30/onu_pede_que_colombia_proteja_ativistas_dos_direitos_humanos-427132878.asp