BEIRUT: The Khiam Rehabilitation Center (KRC), a local human rights NGO, criticized the sectarian policies employed by politicians, saying that such practices had contributed to the disintegration of national unity last year.
“Sectarian policies which were applied in 2010 by politicians emphasized the degrading of Lebanese national unity [and were used to] enhance the status of these politicians,” said the 2010 report issued by KRC, a group that addresses rights issues including torture, forced detention and domestic violence.
The KRC also criticized the government for failing to pass a long-awaited traffic law, which is expected to combat the alarming number of road deaths and accidents. Despite some improvements, such as the installation of speed radars, several thousand people were either killed or injured in car accidents in 2010, KRC said.
Working extensively with victims of torture, the organization noted that abuses continued in the country’s prisons and jails and that many prisoners remained behind bars without being convicted by a court in a proper trial.
Sexual discrimination also featured prominently in the group’s work this year, with KRC holding seminars and training sessions that reached out to hundreds of women, the report said.
Efforts to raise awareness of domestic violence and “reach the phase where domestic violence is illegal under Lebanese law” will now feature prominently in the group’s work in 2011.
Work is also expected to continue on projects aimed at integrating the Iraqi community into society, with the KRC concluding a project dealing with the difficulties faced by Iraqi migrants.
The group also urged the government to stop the forced expulsion of Sudanese and Iraqis and demanded a national memorandum on capital punishment. –The Daily Star
No comments:
Post a Comment