December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Leading up to that day, we’ll post on this blog one of the thirty articles of the declaration.

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Leading up to that day, we’ll post on this blog one of the thirty articles of the declaration.

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

So says a Vatican official in a story by Carol Glatz of the Catholic News Service:

Sixty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the landmark U.N. document still is not respected fully around the world, said a top Vatican official.

“Unfortunately nowhere in the world, even among (countries) that have embraced, promoted and highlighted this declaration,” are all its articles observed, said Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

See the full story here.

December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Leading up to that day, we’ll post on this blog one of the thirty articles of the declaration.

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

The Caritas blog has a post on human trafficking today. The post’s central point is that saving even one person is worth the effort and resources of the international community.

December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Leading up to that day, we’ll post on this blog one of the thirty articles of the declaration.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights underlines that discrimination of any form breaches the dignity of individuals and is a violation of rights; that’s why this is called the non-discrimination clause. It would lay the seeds for what eventually became the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It established the standard to which CRS and all humanitarian agencies adhere — humanitarian assistance is provided based on need, not creed, race, nationality or ethnic origin.

Back in 1948, when the declaration was signed, signs of progress were seen even as it became clear international adherence to the document was far from complete, as the two examples below illustrate:

Positive change: In the United States, President Harry Truman signs Executive Order 9981 ending racial segregation in the United States Armed forces.

Negative change: In South Africa, in a general election, the coalition of United and Labor Parties, under Prime Minister Smuts, was defeated by a Nationalist Afrikaaner bloc, led by Daniel Malan. Malan’s new government had been elected on a platform of racial segregation (apartheid), and soon this policy was implemented. The government outlawed marriages between whites and non-whites. It also passed the Group Areas Bill that divided the country into zones for separate ethnic groups.

- Daisy Francis, CRS Protection Policy/Issues Advisor

December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Leading up to that day, we’ll post on this blog one of the thirty articles of the declaration.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Leading up to that day, we’ll post on this blog one of the thirty articles of the declaration.

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Around 70 participants from all corners of the globe have gathered at “The Human Trafficking in Persons in the Americas,” conference being held at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington D.C. The presentations are bilingual and the room is buzzing with the sound of direct translations being whispered into people’s ears as the first panel of the day gets underway.

Nyssa Mestas has taken the stage. She specializes in Migration and refugee services for the Anti-Trafficking Program at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

There are two types of trafficking: sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals are being trafficked in the United States, although they tend to be trafficked for different purposes. For U.S. citizens it is primarily for sexual exploitation, and with foreign nationals it is primarily for forced labor.

Sex trafficking is not just illegal prostitution as most might think, but runs the gamut of strip clubs, escort services, and marriage services to name a few.

Forced labor can take a variety of forms, from the legitimate business such as a nail salons, restaurants, or circus performances to non-legitimate businesses such as domestic servitude, and drug manufacturing and dealing.

These activities are not limited to specific regions of the U.S. and can be found in both rural and urban settings. Currently the top cities for human trafficking are Newark, L.A., New York, Houston and Miami.

Traffickers play on vulnerable persons, but they prey on U.S. citizens and foreign nationals differently.

Victims of domestic trafficking, according to Mestas, are usually women who are young, female, and fall within the 13-17 age range, but the USCCB has also seen as young as 12, and in some cases boys. They are coming from broken homes, in some cases living at a foster home, and end up running away or are lured away by adults over the internet. A few are kidnapped. The USCCB has heard of cases of kids being lured from malls or clubs. The traffickers tend to create an emotional dependency with the victims or foster drug and alcohol addiction in order to entrap them. They may also use violence and coercion.

In the past 2 years the USCCB has seen people from 72 different countries being trafficked into the U.S. Many are being recruited or lured and brought in by the traffickers. Many of those who are trafficked are looking for employment. They are frequently in the margins of society who are not protected, women, street youth, orphans. There are also cases of kidnapping.

They are being lured by a promise of a job, education, or marriage. Many see ads on the Internet or newspaper. Traffickers have found that recruiting is very effective tool to lure in potential victims.

- Sara Fajardo, CRS communications officer