Thursday, December 4, 2014

Should the US intervene where there are human rights abuses?

Human rights are a set of moral principals or norms that are protected from legal laws of the nation and international laws. Human rights are rights are entitled to simply for just being human. There should be no regards to nation, location, language, religion, ethnic origin or any other status. But not gays in East africa, specifically Keyna. In Kenya, it is illegal to be gay. Homosexuality is considered a taboo and is widely shunned by the country, around 96 percent of the Kenyan residence believe that homosexuality is a way of life that society shouldn't accepted according to the 2007, Pews Global Attitude project. Around 89 percent of the people that come out or outed by the family was disowned. Employees reported were terminated and were publicly humiliated, ridicule, and discriminated when they sexual orientation and gender identity is revealed. In 2011,Kisauni Islamic College principal Sheikh Majid Obeid even blamed inflation and drought on the LGBT community. Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya organizing secretary Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa said, "We are asking Kenyans to shun businesses owned by such people and further show them open discrimination as a way of stopping the beastly act. They grossly abuse rights of others and should not be accepted among the society:, The LGBT community is till this day, often denied of basic protection from the police often arrested in search for other crimes so that they could be thrown into jail. Often times, police even sexually abuse from police office when identities are discovered. They're denied of medical assistant because their information were often leaked. The LGBT community cannot seek employment of own their own business. They ever have to relocate their residential area to hide their identity often times evicted from their rental house by neighbors. If not condemned enough, they’re not allowed to use common utilities. They’re also not allowed into spiritually nourishment from society because they’re labelled as evil and it would be “unnatural and unacceptable” for them to be in such settings. 

Despite how the LGBT community is condemned, various groups are working to fight such human rights violation. Groups like The National Gay and Lesbian Human Right Commission (NGLHRC) are beginning to stand up for LGBT people who have been victims of violence. However when the NGLHRC tired to register in 2013, they were denied because the Non-Governmental Organizations Coordination Board deemed the group’s name “unacceptable.” “


“The stated aims of NGLHRC are to advance full participation, equality and inclusion of LGBT people in Kenya by engaging with the law, culture and politics. Without formal registration the organization’s ability to operate is compromised. It cannot enter into basic contracts such as leasing premises or open bank accounts, and its ability to raise funds is curtailed.” The government shouldn’t denied the NGLHRC because its against the law according to according to article Article 2 of the covenant requires countries to adhere to all the rights in the covenant without discrimination, including freedom of association. The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights Article 27 (2) says, “The rights and freedoms of each individual shall be exercised with due regard to the rights of others, collective security, morality and common interest.” It will take a long time to integrate the LBGT community into Kenya, but I think if there are enough protest and support from around the world like the U.S since we also have a LGBT community. I think if all the LBGT community around the world worked together, their voice would get through faster. The US should intervene in human rights abuses, they I don’t think they would intervene in accepting the community to this day only 34 states legalized same sex marriage. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Kenya
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/10/02/kenya-allow-rights-groups-register
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_laws_on_same-sex_unions


Joyce Lu G Band

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