Civic Issues with Regard to Human Rights

Today, we will be discussing an issue that is often overlooked. When we think of human rights crises, our minds often turn towards war-torn nations, countries with high levels of poverty, or states with oppressive governments. The United States is none of those things, but don’t be fooled–there are absolutely human rights abuses happening right here. For my last civic issues blog post I wanted to come full circle, just so that we never forget we still have work to do in improving access to human rights everywhere. I always recall how important it is to recognize our own privileges, because everyone deserves to have access to basic human rights. Unfortunately, the United States’ healthcare system does not allow for that to be possible for all American citizens. 

economic disparities in the United States’ healthcare system; image source 

There are a host of problems with the United States’ healthcare system, but today I want to discuss a specific problem that affects nearly 9 million Americans daily: the soaring prices of prescription drugs, with specific regard to insulin. The cost of prescription drugs in the United States continues to rise, and paired with less than adequate health insurance, a drug that is necessary for people with diabetes for survival becomes unaffordable. Additionally, this problem disproportionally affects marginalized Americans, as those already living with low socioeconomic statuses are likely to have weaker insurance coverage. With no health insurance coverage, insulin can cost up to $1,000 a month, which is simply not possible for many Americans to pay. 

insulin; image source

Diabetes is a condition which causes one’s blood sugar levels to rise at a rate higher than normal. Insulin works by stimulating glucose interacting with cells, which lowers one’s blood sugar. If one’s blood sugar levels become too high, they are put in serious danger, which is why insulin is a critical medication for many individuals with diabetes.

So, what do you do if you can’t pay for a drug you need? People will often resort to unhealthy alternatives if they can’t afford their drugs, such as sharing insulin and taking lower doses than normal or rationing their own supply. Human Rights Watch even says, “In the US, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death and is the leading cause of renal failure, lower limb amputation, and blindness among adults.” Clearly, those with diabetes need insulin to regulate their blood sugar levels. Healthcare is a human right, so it is our civic duty as citizens to ensure we speak up about others not being able to access medications they need to live.

I have always had an innate interest in the cultural values and customs of different nations. I actually lived overseas in Budapest, Hungary for three years when I was in middle school, and living in Europe transformed my world view. Leaving the United States and immersing myself into a completely different culture in Hungary taught me about how drastically different life and cultural norms can be in different nations around the world. One area of current events which had always piqued my interest from the time I can remember was Afghanistan and the United States’ involvement (or lack thereof) in the nation. What really intrigued me was thinking about if the United States’ way of running the world–by that, I mean democracy–can always be viewed as the best or most effective way. Of course, I love living in a democratic nation. But who is to say that the United States has the authority to impose one of America’s strongest institutional values on a completely different nation with diverging customs. 

Afghanistan has had a turmoil-filled past twenty years from United States involvement to high Taliban involvement in the past few. The United States had troops in Afghanistan long after 9/11 and the death of Osama bin Laden. The reason being was to impose democracy and protect Afghan citizens from the raging terrorist group, the Taliban. In 2011, President Barack Obama announced that all U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan by 2014, but the actual withdrawal did not fully end until 2021. This decision and the withdrawal in general are nuanced, because the United States did impose American cultural values on the nation to some regard unethically, but the Taliban did not have effective control of the country during that time. In 2021, however, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, which has limited women’s rights in the nation and left many citizens without basic human rights. 

U.S. troops in Afghanistan; image source

The philosophy of the Taliban emphasizes a harsh interpretation of Islamic Law, which if taken literally, limits the rights of many women and other ethnic minority groups. The Taliban also prohibits any Western ideologies or influences. Under Taliban rule, young girls in Afghanistan are prohibited from attending secondary school, and women are not allowed to work at all or teach. Women also must cover their entire bodies when out in public and can be arrested for being out in public without a male chaperone. This kind of control over someone simply because of their gender is inhumane and ludicrous. Unfortunately, this shift in power has affected the entire country; the economy of Afghanistan has shrunk immensely and up to 90% of Afghan citizens are now facing food insecurity. 

Women are awarded very limited freedoms in Afghanistan; image source

I think it is incredibly important we are educated about the states of different global nations. It is naive to think that every person, especially people around our ages as college students, are as privileged as we are. Being more aware of the world around us can make us better global citizens, and encourage positive peace if we speak up, which is why I want to share these situations as I read about them!

I’m sure many of us have heard about the ongoing human rights violations in Iran, but due to the issue’s complexity and somewhat scarce media coverage, it may have been difficult to understand. I felt as though I personally did not understand the protests and controversy at the hands of the Iranian government as well as I wanted to, so I decided to focus this blog post on it. 

There have been protests ongoing in Iran directed against the Iranian government’s discriminatory policies, specifically against women. These protests started after one specific young woman’s death in police custody, but transformed into a social movement with hopes of changing the government’s restrictive policies on the women of Iran. On September 13th of 2022, Mahsa Amini, the inspiration for the movement, was taken into police custody by Iran’s “Guidance Patrol,” (a morality-based police force) for wearing her hijab incorrectly in public; the officers claimed that she needed to be “educated.” Within 3 days of being in custody, she fell into a coma and died at Kasra hospital in Tehran. The officers claimed her death was due to a heart condition, but she had no prior heart problems, and there was evidence of unethical abuse on her body.

Mahsa Amini's image being used at a protest; image source

Ever since the tragic event, the movement for women’s rights and increased individual freedoms has exploded in popularity throughout Iran, but was unfortunately not met with a peaceful response from the regime. Before we discuss the Iranian government’s response, however, I want to bring to light the human rights violations faced by the citizens of Iran. Iran’s government does not allow freedom of speech or assembly in the nation; in response to these protests, the government shut off internet and mobile phone networks, used ammunition and tear gas against masses of people protesting, and unjustly detained and punished protesters. In Iran, minority groups (religious, sexuality, gender) are discriminated against, and women specifically are “treated as second class citizens including in relation to marriage, divorce, child custody, employment, inheritance and political office,” according to Amnesty International. 

demonstration in Iran; image source

These protests originate from a desire for freedom and equality for all Iranian citizens. Currently, at least 517 people have been killed by police forces at these protests. Additionally, many brave women are leading these protests even with the knowledge that they may be detained or killed for acts such as not wearing a hijab in public. Unfortunately, regime change is quite unlikely to occur in the near future, because authoritarian governments typically have intense power and the ability to be longstanding. However, making the public aware of issues such as these is one way to promote women’s rights and human rights in places such as Iran. I hope this article was informative for anyone reading, as I definitely became more aware of the circumstances in Iran while writing it. 

     I’m sure we’ve all heard all about North Korea’s restrictive dictatorship and the daily lifestyle of the average citizen in North Korea, but this is a topic which really interests me, and therefore I wanted to write about it in my civic issues blog. I’ve been through many rabbit holes of videos about North Korea in which brave, but arguably stupid tourists explore the nation and attempt to record their experiences for the outside world. However, I do feel as though our society brushes past information about North Korea because we are so familiar with the idea that it is a repressive and authoritarian state. With that being said, I think it’s easy to disregard the lack of human rights awarded to the citizens of North Korea, so I wanted to discuss it today. 

     North Korea is one of the most repressive nations in the world. There are many prison camps throughout the country, where citizens or tourists are often forced into for unjust reasons. Amnesty International describes these prison camps as having some of the worst conditions the organization has ever seen, with prisoners being treated akin to enslaved people. The government denies that many of the camps exist, but they are present on satellite images, therefore unethical and unjust atrocities are likely occurring within all of them. Very little is known about the camps because very few people are ever released; many are imprisoned for life. Additionally, some of those imprisoned are even facing torture for things that their family members did. However, people who spent time in these camps and left described their condition as horrific, including physical torture, forced labor (which, if not completed, prevented prisoners from receiving food), and inadequate humanitarian care, as death is common. Public executions are also common, with the purpose of deterring bad behavior. 

Satellite Image of North Korea's prison camp system. Image Source

     In terms of daily life, there are no freedoms of speech or religion for North Korean citizens. Yeon-Mi Park, an escaped North Korean citizen, describes North Korea as a religious cult. She says that Kim Jong-Un, North Korea’s supreme leader, is perceived as a God. Citizens are fearful of him and his miraculous power. One is not permitted to follow other organized religious principles in North Korea, and if they are caught doing such, generations of their family will be punished. Furthermore, portraits (propaganda) of Kim Jong-Un are virtually everywhere in North Korea; a constant reminder of his Godly status. It is also not permitted to speak ill of the leader in any way, shape, or form, otherwise there is a major threat of harm. 

A ceremony honoring Kim Jong-Un's Godly status in North Korea. Image Source

     There is so much more which could be said about life in North Korea, as I can only scrape the surface with a singular blog post. However, I think it is important for us, as global citizens, to understand the cultural differences between the United States and North Korea, and keep tabs on the situation. 

Many of us are familiar with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, but I have been curious and a bit confused about the actual logistics of the war and human rights violations which have happened since its start, so I decided to make the war the topic of my second civic issues blog post. So, I did a deep dive into the history of Russia’s relationship with Ukraine to understand the crux of the conflict at hand, what is actually going on now, and the specific human rights violations occurring at the hands of Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin. Of course, the war we all know about began when Russia aggressively invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. However, there was a large and stretched out build up to this invasion, which I felt was important to understand while trying to understand the present conflict. 

Russia’s military presence in Ukraine. Image Source

Ukraine was part of the Russian empire long ago throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. However, in 1917, the Russian Revolution brought down the Russian empire, due to a civil war which was occurring in the nation. Ukraine gained brief independence during this time, but when the Soviet Union was formed, they lost their independence once more. In the early 1990s, certain states began to declare their independence from the USSR, as the cold war had just ended. Many Western states at this point were part of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which the USSR resolutely opposed. In 1994, Ukraine became a NATO partner, along with many pre existing members in western countries. Ukraine did not join the EU, so tensions remained stable until Ukrainian citizens began protesting against the government’s decisions which supported Putin’s policies. Once Putin realized he was losing influence in Ukraine, there were many small-scale invasions of the country in hopes of changing the narrative. These invasions had been occurring throughout the years leading up to February of 2022. 

But the large scale invasions we see in the news today occurred due to an unsuccessful request from Putin. Vladimir Putin’s request was that he did not want any NATO member countries to be close to the Russian border, to which NATO disagreed. From there, on February 24th, 2022, the true Russia Ukraine war began. Unfortunately, due to Russia’s military power and economic status, it has been difficult for other states to interfere and end the conflict. The most they can do is impose economic sanctions on Russia and send military aid to Ukraine. 

Civilians impacted by the atrocities committed throughout the war. Image Source

Throughout the tragic war, Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes and become refugees, and Russian soldiers have performed executions, rapes, and other acts of unnecessary violence on Ukrainian civilians. Ukrainian homes, lives, and families have been destroyed due to this inhumane and unnecessary war. We all want these human rights violations to end. But realistically, what can we do? Raising awareness, and contacting our representatives to take more action are the most effective ways we can help. These injustices must be stopped, and we are responsible for doing our best to end them. 

The focus of my civic issue blog for the semester is going to be human rights violations on a global level. I chose this topic because I am intending to major in international politics and Spanish, so global issues and current events are extremely interesting to me. I plan on discussing human rights violations against a diverse group of victims, with the hopes of shedding light on problems which make many of us feel uncomfortable to talk about, therefore causing them to slip through the cracks of media coverage and individual activism.

The first event I’d like to cover is an ongoing genocide occurring in Xinjiang, China. You might be thinking, “this is crazy, because I haven’t heard a word about it.” Unfortunately, that is the bleak reality for the more than 12 million Uyghurs, a largely Muslim minority group, who reside in Xinjiang. In this case, the Chinese government is executing a genocide against the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang based on empty rumors and a nationalistic rhetoric. Additionally, the atrocities at hand have gained little media coverage, which has only prolonged this human rights crisis. 

A photo of people protesting the Chinese government’s actions. Image Source

So, what’s happening? The Chinese government has exercised many protocols which have the goal of eradicating Uyghur culture in the nation. For example, beards and face veils have been banned, along with baby names, and certain halal products. Also, some mosques have been closed completely, and others display the face of President Xi Jinping inside, creating an uncomfortable environment to worship in. Furthermore, Chinese authorities regularly visit many Uyghur homes to verify that there is no “suspicious” activity ongoing and to promote an idealistic perspective of President Xi Jinping. They have also raided these homes, and they consistently observe Uyghurs through an advanced public security system. Facial recognition cameras on streets can flag Uyghurs and stop them for unjust questioning and punishment. 

Most shockingly, there are over 380 internment camps in Xinjiang, in which Uyghurs can be detained by the Chinese government at any time for any reason. In these detention camps, not only is Uyghur culture under attack, but so is Uyghur birth. The officers force birth control methods on imprisoned women, such as IUDs or even forced violent abortions. These atrocities have gained little recognition on a global scale, and will not be put to an end unless individuals, governments, and intergovernmental organizations (such as the UN) speak up and out. I first heard about this genocide my junior year of high school, and I was just as shocked then as I am now. The even crazier part is that nothing has changed. All people deserve to be treated equally, and the human rights crisis in Xinjiang must be stopped. 

A photo of imprisoned Uyghurs in the “reeducation” camps. Image Source

References:

Nathan Ruser, “Exploring Xinjiang’s detention system,” The Xinjiang Data Project, last modified September 24, 2020, accessed December 8, 2022, https://xjdp.aspi.org.au/explainers/exploring-xinjiangs-detention-facilities/.

“How China is crushing the Uyghurs.” Video, 8:44. YouTube. Posted by The Economist, July 9, 2019. Accessed December 8, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRBcP5BrffI.

Bequelin, Nicholas, and Joanne Finley. “The Art of Symbolic Resistance: Uyghur Identities and Uyghur–Han Relations in Contemporary Xinjiang.” The China Quarterly 220 (December 2014): 1158-59. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741014001337.

Rodríguez-merino, Pablo A. “Old ‘counter-revolution’, New ‘terrorism’: Historicizing the Framing of Violence in Xinjiang by the Chinese State.” Central Asian Survey 38, no. 1 (July 20, 2018): 27-45. https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2018.1496066.