26 November 2012

Vicious Anti-Gay Bill in Uganda a threat to Human Rights Everywhere

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU) Out at Work network is calling on the New Zealand Government to condemn a bill before the Ugandan parliament that would introduce the death penalty for anyone caught engaging in a homosexual act. The CTU Out at Work network represents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBTI) workers.

“It is a matter of utmost urgency for our government to join governments around the world to condemn this odious and repugnant legislation,” said Outwork spokesperson Karena Brown.

“We will also be asking our Government to make it known, using the Commonwealth Leaders Forum, that governments and organisations around the world are outraged by this Bill. This is where governments and international organisations can really make a difference by responding with a unified voice against such legislation that is in total breach of all international human rights conventions and treaties.

Karena Brown said the proposed legislation is another attack on the rights of gay men and lesbians in several countries.

“We cannot stand by and ignore this gross international threat to human rights, which could set back the human rights of LGBTI people everywhere,” she said. “We are calling on union members and civil society organisations to join the online petition protesting this bill.”

Karena Brown said that Uganda had a similar Bill in 2009 before its Parliament, which was shelved because of the massive international outcry. “So it can be stopped and we must make every effort we can to stop it again,” she said.

In a press statement made this weekend the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) condemned the Bill as extremely shocking and calling for Ugandan members of parliament to reject it.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>