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June 8, 2006
CRDA has made the following recommendations:
-The government of Ethiopia should make accountable and bring to justice perpetrators at all levels that directly or indirectly involved in the children and young people’s rights abuses such as: extrajudicial killings, tortures and mass detentions
-The United Nations and the international community should advocate for peaceful settlement of the Ethiopian political trauma which is currently fermenting to explode in some time unknown when children, young people and women will be the main victims. All efforts should be concentrated on bringing long lasting settlement of the volatile situation rather than quick fixes that will breed grievances among the main stakeholders: Ethiopian people
-The government of Ethiopia should launch a rehabilitation programme that will address the psychological, social, economic problems of victims of the violence and subsequent actions taken by its security forces. Article 39 of the UN CRC proclaims State Parties to take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of a child victim of ,any from of neglect exploitation ,or abuse ;torture or any other form of cruel ,inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ;or armed conflicts .
-The government should launch awareness and sensitization programs on the UN CRC ,UN Human Rights Conventions and other local and international instruments to its decision makers and security forces
-As reiterated by friends of Ethiopia and members of the international community, a neutral investigation body that examines the human rights situation in Ethiopia with due emphasis to children and young people rights should be established.
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“Complementary Report” to the third NGOs Supplementary Report of Ethiopia’s NGOs to the UN Child Rights Committee
Right Violations Against Children and Young People in Ethiopia
Prepared by: Samson Birhanu
Coordinator, Children and Youth Forum of NGOs –CRDA
The Children and Youth Forum of NGOs is a coalition of around 81 NGOs,CBOs,CSOs and Youth Led associations that are working on children and youth issues in Ethiopia. It was established in the year 2002 with founding members of around 52 NGOs. The Forum is currently the major national coalition of child and youth focused development organizations in Ethiopia. Currently it is operating under the auspices of Christian Relief and Development Association-CRDA, the main umbrella of NGOs in Ethiopia.
2. Rationale for “Complementary Report”
The UN Child Right Convention as we all know bestow an official role to NGOs and other non-state actors to monitor the child right implementation in State Parties. Cognizant of this role, Ethiopia’s NGOs have been playing proactive role both in supporting the Ethiopia’s government‘s effort for the implementation of the CRC and monitoring the translation of commitments in to tangible actions. When one looks in to the track records of NGOs operations in Ethiopia and particularly their advocacy activities, child and gender focused NGOs are placed at the forefront picture since 1970’s.
The Children and Youth Forum of NGOs has started the preparation of the third Supplementary Report in the first months of 2005.Various organs and task forces were established to coordinate the specific activities of the Report preparation and things seem to go smoothly as planned. The project went well as far as May 15,the election date of the third Ethiopia’s General Election. In another words the process to this date was business as usual where NGOs debate on challenges encountered in CRC implementation and forward recommendations for the UN CRC Committee so as it effectively advocates on the implementation of priority child right issues in its engagement with the State.
After the date of the election, May 15, 2005, Ethiopia got into unprecedented chaos. The incumbent and opposition parties claimed election victory. The government banned civic activities: public meetings, political demonstrations etc starting from the night of the election date. Opposition political parties that won significant number of parliamentary seats compared to their previous 12, called popular actions for civil disobedience. Continuing this, two major violent clashes erupted in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia on June 8 and November 6, 2006 in which more than 88 persons lost their lives(IRIN :http://www.irin.news.org/print.asp?/Report ID = 50465). Children and Youth became the main victims of this political instability. Human Right, Child Right activists and CSOs/NGOs voices in general stifled by government security forces. Among the 111 persons the government charged with high treason and genocide two are leaders of NGO advocacy works in Ethiopia. The neutral Position Statement of CRDA, the umbrella organization of NGOs in Ethiopia, that calls for the reestablishment of dialogue platforms for bowling down confrontations between the incumbent and oppositions parties brought harsh government wrath on NGOs that threaten the very existence of the umbrella organization. (Ministry of Information Weekly Statement, Ethiopian News Agency, December 2005)
The Children and Youth Forum in partnership with other child right actors with the coordinating role of African Child Policy Forum, a continental child right advocacy group with its head quarters in Addis Ababa, tried to establish a network that envisages to advocate for protection of children and youth rights in conflict situations. However, the initiative had failed due to the un-cooperation and lately the harassment of some committee members by the government.
In the last phases of the Supplementary Report preparation process, many members of the CYF have expressed their concerns with regard to the need to give emphasis in the Report to the child right transgressions seen in Ethiopia in the aftermath of the May General Election. Particularly during the Experts Retreat that took place in Nazareth town, some 100 kms from Addis, members of the Forum had formally requested the issue to be entertained at in-depth in the Supplementary Report. However, subsequently, fearing government reaction, members of the Forum downsized the issue to the extent nothing is included in the Final Supplementary Report submitted to the UN CRC Committee.
Hence, as the coordinator of the Forum and as a citizen who believes and advocates for the realization of children rights in Ethiopia, I have taken the initiative for the preparation of this “Complementary Report” that will in some level addresses the concerns of many friends of Ethiopia’s children and youth both in Ethiopia and abroad. I have a firm belief that the Committee will entertain this supporting document for its subsequent works and through further investigation to the matter shall call all the concerned to voice their role in compelling the Government of Ethiopia to be bound to the terms and sprits of the UN CRC. Concerning the invaluable role of the international community on helping Ethiopia and its people for uplifting itself from the current quagmire of human rights crisis, I politely borrow the words of Ato Tekalign Gedamu, a renowned business man and intellectual which he emphasized during the 15th Annual Assembly Meeting of the Council:
“Foreign human rights promoters (government as well nongovernmental) are also important players. The last few years in Ethiopia, especially the period immediately before and after the May Elections, provide ample illustration of this. Naturally it is the responsibility of the Ethiopian people themselves to travel the human rights and democracy journey and to bear the weariness and pains along the way. But undertaking this journey in global climate favorably disposed to the liberation of all peoples from repression and knowing, moreover ,that there are individuals ,groups and institutions throughout the world which occasionally speak on their behalf will be a source hope and comfort as they trudge along” .
“The Truth Shall Set You Free” John 8:32
Title of the Bishops of the Ethiopian Catholic Church Press Release on Current Situation of Ethiopia, November, 2005
3. Right transgressions committed against Ethiopia’s children and young people
This “Complementary Report” focuses on the child right transgressions that do not get coverage in the main Supplementary Report. Specifically it deals with exhibiting human right transgressions committed against Ethiopian children and youth pre and post May 2005 General Election, in which the nation has started to see unprecedented state sponsored repression and terror against its own futures: children and youth.
3.1 Pre May 2005
The current government of Ethiopia has taken power through throwing the Dergue junta in armed offensive in 1991. Even though the government had started to take some human right measures to safeguard the rights of the citizens from the outset there were doubts about its commitment to going further than appeasing the donor countries and international community for purpose of image building. As things started to unravel later, students in the age of 15 to 25 started to be victims of government sponsored crackdowns against school and university based non violent and peaceful demonstrations. The following are some of the major examples that depict the pre May General Election, child right contraventions committed by the incumbent government.
(Human Rights Watch Press Release, June 15, 2005)
3.2 Child Right transgressions committed after the May General Election
3.2.1 Extra judicial Killings
Article 6 of the UN CRC states the obligation for State Parties to recognize inherent right of children to life and their duty for providing their maximum effort possible for ensuring the survival and development of children. As a UN CRC ratifying nation the government of Ethiopia have an obligation to protect children and youth from being victims of violence. Contrary to this in all clashes that took place after the election confrontation in June a November 2005, all over the country and specially in Addis Ababa ,children and young people became the main targets of the brutal measures of the security forces. An expatriate child right NGO worker has posted the following on the web seeing the horrible situation in the capital, Addis Ababa:
“When stone throwing youths, most of them unemployed angry young men with no political motives other than their own grievances, expressed their frustrations in protests,the armed militia responded by firing live ammunitions indiscriminately into crowds .I have seen with my own eyes when security forces killed and injured at least seven young kids around Piazza who were fleeing for their lives. Eyewitness accounts have confirmed that security forces brutally shot defenses protesters even in areas where there were no protests. Though the government media reported that the number of killed in was 42 local residents estimate 200, which needs to be independently verified”. (Urgent Appeal from Tania Martinet, November 2005:http://i-newswire.com/goprint50250.html).
Amongst all the atrocities committed against the generation, the following types are registered in history books and most importantly in the life books of Ethiopians. On November 3,2005 a 10 year old young boy by name of Yasin Nuredin was gunned down in Merkato area while he was playing football at his family’s compound . ( EHRCO, Special Report No 90, December 6,2005) In the same report among the 34 people murdered by the security forces 6 are under 18 years age old. ( EHRCO, Special Report No 90, December 6,2005)
On February 6, 2006, four school children were gunned down by a security agent at Gonder City. According to Human Rights Watch report, students: Bereket Fantachun, 17 and a student in the 11th grade; Abebe Wondemagech ,18 and in the 10th grade; Sintayhu Workneh ,18 and in the 10th grade ; and Dawit Tesfaye ,19 and in the 8th grade were executed by a certain member of the Federal Police and his accomplices in a situation where there was no registered student demonstration or such kinds of instances. The same report disclosed that these youth were killed in an execution style murder where the security agent ordered them to stood as PoWs and shoot them in point blanc. Still to the preparation of this “Complementary Report”, noting is reported about measures taken against the perpetrators by the government albeit the repeated calls from human rights organizations.(Human Rights Watch letter to Minister of Federal Affairs ,March 23,2006)
3.2.2 Killings in schools
Contrary to the domestic and international human rights standards, the government of Ethiopia should be bound, several children and youth have lost their lives by the excessive and indiscriminate use of lethal power by the security forces. From the point of view of moral, ethical and legal grounds, killing school children in school compounds where they went to learn the science and civilizations of man kind and most importantly hoping to relive their families from the vicious cycle of poverty through education, is a very immoral and appalling act by any standards. The following is quotation from Human Rights Watch statement:
“Federal Police-usually identified by their blue camouflage uniforms- have been responsible for many of the causalities in Addis Ababa and rural areas since the parliamentary elations in May. According to victims and witnesses in Addis Ababa, Oromia and the Amahra region, federal police beat and shot students and other protestors in those locations in November. In one case from Bahir Dar, where two students were killed and two wounded in early November, an eyewitness told Human Rights Watch that the school was surrounded by the police who shot into the compound where unarmed students were collected.” (Human Rights Watch Report, January 13, 2006)
EHRCO has also reported the infliction of bullet wounds during violence in Ginchi town high school, Western Shoa Zone where 7 under 18 age children sustained bullet injuries.(EHRCO ,Special Report No 89,P 30 ,2005) These kinds of inhuman acts are against the provision of the UN CRC article 28/2 that stipulates State Parties to take all the appropriate measures to administer school discipline in a manner that is consistent with the child’s human dignity and in conformity with the Convention.
3.2.3 Deprivation of Liberty, Torture, Degrading treatment,
The UN CRC article 37, clearly stipulates the need to protect children from: torture or other cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishments, capital punishment, life imprisonment and unlawful or arbitrary detention. Nevertheless, before and after the May General Election in Ethiopia, degrading treatment and unlawful detention of school age children and young people became the day to day customary experiences. The FDRE constitution article 17(12) states that “ No person may be subjected to arbitrary arrest ,and no person may be detained without a charge or conviction against him”. Other international instruments like the United Nations International Convention on Civil and Political Rights stipulate the similar principles with regards to the right to liberty and security. (Article 9(1) of the UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights). However, in Ethiopia people were and still are being detained with out due process of law. In the wake of the November Violence in Addis Ababa, the government reported the detention of more than 8,000 people of whom significant number were children and young people. (EHRCO, Special Report No 90, P 1, December 6, 2005)
3.2.4 Arbitrary Arrests
Continuing every dissent to government polices and actions in Ethiopia, the trend are hunting down those “anti peace and democracy” elements. The problem is most of these so called anti peace elements that would be sent to the various ill prepared concentration camps are school aged young people and children who are either demonstrated in schools and other out of school unemployed young people who demanded government attention to their problems. In June 2005, Amnesty International press release reported:
“…several hundred Addis Ababa University students, who were arrested during
demonstrations earlier this week, are being held incommunicado without charge,
and are being beaten, forced to do harsh exercises, and denied adequate food and
medical treatment. This is how students were treated after university
demonstrations in 2001. Although police have said some have been released, most
are believed to be still detained in police camps such as Sendafa police
training college, 40km north of Addis Ababa.
More student protests and arrests also took place and may be continuing, for
example at Debub University in Awassa in the Southern Region; Jimma University
in the Oromia Region; Gondar and Bahar Dar Universities in the north; and
Alemaya University in Harar in the east.”(Amnesty International
UK,
Ethiopia: Hundreds of Students At Risk Of Torture As Crisis Deepens Press
Release June 10,2005).
Human Rights Watch also reported the carrying out of mass arrests in at least nine cities outside of Addis Ababa in June 2005. Its report indicated that in Gonder, Bure ,Bahir Dar ,Debre Markos ,Dessie and Awassa, several hundred students were arrested after police forcibly put down peaceful election related student demonstrations.( Human Rights Watch ,June 15 ,2005)
Save the Children Alliance, in a Press Release made on November 9, 2005 expressed its deep concerns on the situation of children and young people to be the target of violence in Addis Ababa and other regional towns. The same press statement requested necessary action to be taken with regard to the government to fulfill its commitments as a signatory of the UN CRC and other human and child right instruments. By then , the government was also requested to bring to justice all that are involved in the alleged crimes against humanity and most importantly to respect the rights of children and young people arrested and detained and release them immediately since imprisonment should be a last resort for deterring unwanted behavior of children. (Save the Children Press Release, November 9th 2005.) However, to date the government has continued to give deaf ear to such kinds of requests forwarded by international and local human right organizations and CSOs/NGOs. In some cases it started to harass and imprison those that openly voiced their concerns. The case in point is the detention of Action Aid Ethiopia anti poverty activists Ato Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie both of them are charged with genocide and high treason which are punishable by death penalty under the Ethiopian Law.( EHRCO, Special Report No 90, December 6,2005). The government also gave an official ultimatum to the Christian Relief and Development Association, the umbrella organization of NGOs in Ethiopian for issuing a press statement (CRDA, Position Statement, June 20 ,2005 ) that requested the respect of human rights and reconciliation among parties. (Ministry of Information Weekly Statement, Ethiopian News Agency, December 2005)
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council /EHRCO the only independent human right monitoring organization in Ethiopia that made repeated calls, concerning the negligence of the government authorities in restraining from using force in dealing with students’ protests .It said :
“EHRCO, in regular and special report, has asked the concerned government bodies, at different times, to put emphasis on, and find solutions to the breaches of rights regarding students”
The same
organization thoroughly discussed human right abuses committed against students
in all regions that range from illegal detention to torture and maltreatment.
(EHRCO, 24th Regular Report, March 20, 2006)
3.2.5 Torture and Degrading Treatment
The primary concern of many human rights groups with regard to the mass arrests was the possible torture the detainees would encounter in concentration camps .One Oromo National Congress activist reported to Human Rights Watch:
“They beat every part of my body: the blood was coming our of my mouth, they beat with guns and sticks and plastic rope.”
The same organization states the following with regard to the reputation of Ethiopian police in utilizing torture on student detainees:
“The Ethiopian security forces’ long history of mistreating detainees arrested for political reasons is hardly a secret. On several occasions over the course of the past four years, police beat and tortured large numbers of university and secondary school students they arrested following student protests in Addis Ababa and in towns thought Oromia region. Many of those detainees were kept in prison for weeks or months without ever being brought before a judge. Security forces have subjected other perceived dissidents to similarly abusive treatment and prolonged periods of arbitrary detention” (Human Rights Watch, Press Release, June 15,2005 )
The other inhumane and criminal act committed against detainees is shaving them with single razor blades that will automatically expose them to infection of various diseases and mainly the deadly HIV/AIDS. In a country where the HIV/AIDS prevalence is estimated to be 11 to 16 percent, it would be beyond human mind to comprehend the rationale and justification, if there is any, of such vengeance. With regard to this the following is reported on the web in November, 2006:
“Returnees from the detention centers are claiming that they were held against their wills in appalling conditions and some were apparently tortured. There is also a report that the detainees were shaved off with shared razor blades exposing them to infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Beatings and degrading treatment is reportedly rampant in the concentration camps .Detainees are also said to be given a roll of brad a day”. (Urgent Appeal from Tania Martinet, November 2005:http://i-newswire.com/goprint50250.html).
3.2.6 Violations against children Right to Family Environment
The UN Child Right Convention in its preamble pronounces that for the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment ,in an atmosphere of happiness ,love and understanding. As this very global instrument dictates State Parities should protect families from disintegration that may be caused from man made and natural causes. Children’s healthy development is highly dependent on the existence of nurturing family environment. Therefore, human right violations against members of children’s family members negatively affects their wellbeing. Pre and post May General Elections ,many Ethiopian children have lost one or both of their parents. The following are some examples :
Yalemzuria Teshome is a 16 years girl child who is the daughter of Ato Teshome , member of the opposition Coalition for Democracy and Unity party –CUD and a city council elect for Addis Ababa City Administration. In November 2,2005 security forces who came to detain her father did not satisfied by capturing of her father, they murdered her mother W/ro Etenesh Yimam , 52 years old housewife, for simple reason of protesting when they took her beloved husband. (Ethiopian Women Cry for Justice, Sudan Tribune, March 9, 2006)
In another instance in North Shoa Zone, Meragna constituency local government militia killed Ato Wudu Amelegn, an opposition election observer who was assassinated on July 16th ,5 days after testifying in front of the Complaints Investigation Panel ,an ad-hoc establishment that established to investigate election related grievances of political parities. (European Union Election Observation Mission Ethiopia 2005; Preliminary Statement on the Election Appeals Process, August 25th, 2005).Since,Ato Wudu is a father and breadwinner of a family which have three small children ,the human right violations occurred to him in from of assassination does not stop in his death ,but also will affect the very survival of his family members. In current Ethiopia many children and young people are loosing their parents for absurd reasons as simple as mentioned above. Due to the continued killings, mass arrests and job evections, many homes are being broken and children are suffering the consequences.
3.2.7 Transgressions against the Right to freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of peaceful assembly
Right to freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of peaceful assembly are among the major civil rights enshrined in the FDRE Constitution (Articles 29 and 30,FDRE Constitution and UN Child Rights Convention: articles 13 and 15).When one looks into the existing reality in Ethiopia concerning the realization of these rights particularly from the perspective of children and young people, the FDRE government has in many ways failed the test. The government has been denying its citizenry in general and children and young people in particular their right to enjoy the mentioned civic engagement in which their realization is corner stone for national stability and development.
As children do in every society, Ethiopian children and youth have genuine aspirations to transform their nation from the existing abject poverty to that of a developed nation that strives to fulfill the psycho-social, material and political needs of its citizens. The main tool for facilitating children’s meaningful engagement in the national social, political, cultural and economic space is the existence of enabling environment to exercise freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. In the current Ethiopia, children’s initiatives to form associations have been purposefully hampered by the government and its pseudo civil society associations.
The government has extended its experience of creating party affiliated associations to children and young people organizations the same way it did with: Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Union, Ethiopian Teachers Association etc. Currently government sponsored children, student and youth associations that get direct financial and managerial support from EPRDF, spy on student movements and are jeopardizing the lives of many students. For instance, the Addis Ababa, Oromia ,Amhara and Tigray Youth Associons are share holders of some party affiliated businesses. (Addis Saving and Credit Sh Co. Memorandum of Establishment, Addis Lisan News Paper, October 2004)These “associations” are organized following the old Dergue’s Workers Party systems in which their major business of mass associations is indoctrination of children and youth about the incumbent party: these times EPRDF’s Revolutionary Democracy ideologies. The associations have played key role in facilitating the mass youth arrest campaigns of the regime that took place in two rounds throughout the nation: June and November 2005.
CSOs/NGOs initiatives that aspire to build a vibrant and independent children and youth associations have been purposely hampered by government administrative and security apparatus. The case in point is repeated imprisonment and harassment of Samuel, the Arada Sub City Children Parliament Speaker, who is only 14 years old. After the may General Election, student leaders/activists that were coordinating school based peaceful demonstrations against the government were killed, imprisoned and tortured. For instance, Binyam Tadesse Debesay ,who is only 14years old was among the 111 detained persons ,opposition leaders ,civil society activist and journalists, that are charged with treason and genocide. (http://www.ssinformer .com/ssitalk/africa/eastern/Ethiopia/biniam-03-31-06-001.html)
4. Recommendations
-The government of Ethiopia should make accountable and bring to justice perpetrators at all levels that directly or indirectly involved in the children and young people’s rights abuses such as: extrajudicial killings, tortures and mass detentions
-The United Nations and the international community should advocate for peaceful settlement of the Ethiopian political trauma which is currently fermenting to explode in some time unknown when children, young people and women will be the main victims. All efforts should be concentrated on bringing long lasting settlement of the volatile situation rather than quick fixes that will breed grievances among the main stakeholders: Ethiopian people
-The government of Ethiopia should launch a rehabilitation programme that will address the psychological, social, economic problems of victims of the violence and subsequent actions taken by its security forces. Article 39 of the UN CRC proclaims State Parties to take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of a child victim of ,any from of neglect exploitation ,or abuse ;torture or any other form of cruel ,inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ;or armed conflicts .
-The government should launch awareness and sensitization programs on the UN CRC ,UN Human Rights Conventions and other local and international instruments to its decision makers and security forces
-As reiterated by friends of Ethiopia and members of the international community, a neutral investigation body that examines the human rights situation in Ethiopia with due emphasis to children and young people rights should be established.