Showing posts with label Discrimination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Discrimination. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, September 03, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Thai discrimination against Cambodian children studying in Thailand due to Thai HFMD ignorance???
11/07/2012
Bangkok Post
Meanwhile, parents of 16 Cambodian children attending a pre-school child centre in Ban Dan in the same border district of Surin were asked to take their children back to Osamach in Cambodia.
Extraordinary surveillance measures were being implemented to keep Enterovirus Type 71 (EV-71), a strain of HFMD that has claimed the lives of more than 60 children in Cambodia, from spreading to Thailand, Dr Surawit said.
Parents are being advised to encourage their children to wash their hands often and avoid taking them to crowded places, Dr Surawit said.
If parents suspect an infection they should immediately take their children to a doctor to reduce the risk of complications of the disease which can affect victims' brains, lungs, and hearts, he said.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Exiled Cambodian Refugee from Santa Ana Detained Before Cultural Olympic Performance in London
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| Former Orange County resident Kosal Khiev in Cambodia (Photo by Sam Jam/Courtesy of Studio Revolt) |
Tue., Jun. 26 2012
By Amber Stephens
OC Weekly (Orange County, California, USA)
Cambodian spoken word artist and former Santa Ana resident Kosal Khiev, who is scheduled to perform at the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad this week, was detained by British immigration officials overnight after landing at Heathrow Airport on Saturday evening.
Khiev was invited to the Poetry Parnassus, which is part of the London 2012 Festival, as a representative from Cambodia to perform his spoken word pieces involving his struggles as a Cambodian refugee and his experiences with the American prison system. Khiev was placed in a detention cell at the airport on Saturday evening and later moved to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre on Sunday, although his representatives at Studio Revolt say he had a valid visa.
Khiev has since been released, but immigration officials are reportedly withholding his passport pending further investigation. Oddly enough, he is scheduled to perform at the very same detention center where he was held later this week.
Khiev was invited to the Poetry Parnassus, which is part of the London 2012 Festival, as a representative from Cambodia to perform his spoken word pieces involving his struggles as a Cambodian refugee and his experiences with the American prison system. Khiev was placed in a detention cell at the airport on Saturday evening and later moved to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre on Sunday, although his representatives at Studio Revolt say he had a valid visa.
Khiev has since been released, but immigration officials are reportedly withholding his passport pending further investigation. Oddly enough, he is scheduled to perform at the very same detention center where he was held later this week.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Released poet faces uncertain schedule in UK
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| Khmer-American exile Kosal Khiev is Cambodia's first spoken word artist. Photograph: supplied |
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Sean Gleeson
The Phnom Penh Post
After being released from immigration detention on Sunday, Phnom Penh-based spoken-word poet Kosal Khiev faces an uncertain few weeks in the United Kingdom ahead of a raft of scheduled appearances across the country.
Khiev, who spent nearly 24 hours locked up after being detained on arrival at Heathrow Airport, will fulfil his performance obligations for Poetry Parnassus, a festival coinciding with the London Olympics.
Immigration authorities, however, remain in possession of Khiev’s passport, and it is not known whether he will be permitted to complete a regional tour of the UK scheduled for the coming weeks.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
ភាពក្លាហានរបស់ស្ត្រីដែលហ៊ានតវ៉ាប្រឆាំងនឹងការបណ្ដេញចេញពីលំនៅ
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| Boeung Kak Lake protest: a resident arrested by the cops on 21 April 2011 (Photo: RFA) |
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| Borei Keila protest: A protesting resident took off her shirt to protest against police violence on peaceful protesters on 01 February 2012 (Photo: Reuters) |
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| Borei Keila protest: Arrest of mother and her children (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post) |
Dey Krahorm Land Eviction Victim:
Down with Hun Xen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LMvoveW7Vs
ដោយ ទីន ហ្សាការីយ៉ា
2012-03-28
Radio Free Asia
ទាក់ទងនឹងបញ្ហានេះ ក្រុមអ្នកធ្វើការទាក់ទងនឹងស្ត្រី បាន ជំរុញឲ្យស្ត្រីចូលរួមនៅក្នុងការងារសង្គមឲ្យបានកាន់តែច្រើនទៀត ពិសេសស្ត្រីត្រូវកសាងទំនុកចិត្តរបស់ខ្លួន និងត្រូវមានជំនឿថា អ្វីដែលខ្លួនកំពុងធ្វើមានសារសំខាន់សម្រាប់ខ្លួនឯង និងសម្រាប់ប្រទេសជាតិសាធារណជនសង្កេតឃើញថា ក្នុងរយៈពេលចុងក្រោយនេះ ស្ត្រីមួយចំនួនហ៊ានចេញមុខតស៊ូមតិខ្លាំងក្លា ដើម្បីទាមទារសិទ្ធិសេរីភាព និងសិទ្ធិកាន់កាប់ដីធ្លីស្របច្បាប់ពីអាជ្ញាធរមូលដ្ឋាន ឬពីរដ្ឋាភិបាល ទោះបីជាប្រឈមនឹងបញ្ហាចាប់ខ្លួនក្ដី ក៏ពួកគាត់មិនរុញរាដែរ។
ការចេញមុខតវ៉ារបស់ស្ត្រីមួយចំនួនអំពីបញ្ហាជម្លោះដីធ្លីនៅកម្ពុជា នាពេលបច្ចុប្បន្នជាសក្ខីកម្មមួយបង្ហាញឲ្យឃើញពីសេចក្ដីក្លាហានរបស់ស្ត្រី ក្នុងការបញ្ចេញមតិ និងការទាមទារសិទ្ធិរបស់ខ្លួនក្នុងការស្វែងរកយុត្តិធម៌ក្នុងសង្គម។
ទាក់ទងទៅនឹងបញ្ហានេះ ក្រុមអ្នកវិភាគបានលើកហេតុផលថា ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា កំពុងស្ថិតនៅក្នុង បរិបថធ្វើឲ្យស្ត្រីទទួលរងនូវផលប៉ះពាល់ខ្លាំងជាងបុរស ដោយសារការបណ្ដេញចេញពីលំនៅឋាន ដូចជានៅសហគមន៍បឹងកក់ និងសហគមន៍បុរីកីឡា និងសហគមន៍ផ្សេងៗទៀត។
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
KKC condemns Phnom Penh City Hall's Racial Discrimination against Khmer Krom Buddhist Monks and People
A Condemnation Statement of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Organizations-Associations on the Phnom Penh City Hall for Racial Discrimation Against Khmer Krom Buddhist monks and people. PP City Hall Bans Khmer Krom from commemorating June 4, 1949 France gives Kampuchea Krom to Vietnam.
Saturday the 3rd Waxing Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2555, June 3, AD2011 Year of the Rabbit
STATEMENT
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations and associations express our unhappiness and deploring the Phnom Penh City Hall authority for banning the Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations-associations from organizing an Offering Buddhist Ceremony to 1949 monks in a public square. This ceremony receives a support and donation from the Khmer monarch by providing Their Highest Representative to preside over the ceremony every year without a miss.
Since [the new millennium] 2000, the Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations and associations granted to organize the ceremony at the Field of Meru by the Royal Palace Ministry. On the contrary since Hon. Kep Chuktema becomes the Governor of Phnom Penh, our ceremony has been met with difficulty every year.
Phnom Penh City Hall's action is a serious religious right violation, racial discrimination on the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Buddhist monks and people, highly disrespectful upon the heroic Khmer Buddhist monks, heroic monarchies, heroes, heroines, heroic armed forces servicemen and women and highly disrespectful upon the king without a doubt.
The Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations-associations condemn the Phnom Penh Governor in the strongest language for not complying with the Constitution, the supreme law of Cambodia, numerous international religious rights treaties, sub-treaties and covenants and declaration on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
Phnom Penh, June 3, 2011
[KKC Seal]
Contact Info.:
012 908 882
012 481 161
090 477 007
E-mail: thachsetha@gmail.com
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Feature: Will normal life resume after Thailand trouble? [-This article clearly shows Thai's hatred and racism toward Khmer]
Feb 11 2011
By Johnathon Menzies
Stirling Observer Friday (UK)
By Johnathon Menzies
Stirling Observer Friday (UK)
FORMER Stirling High School student Nicholas Burton has spoken of his shock as tensions flared between Thailand and Cambodia recently.
At least five people were killed and thousands left the area after troops clashed in-and-around the 11th-Century Preah Vihear temple.
The initial trouble began on Friday, February 4, and lasted for four days but the fall-out continues to be felt.
The following is a first-hand account of Nicholas’s thoughts and feelings during his time in Kantharalak, a town approximately 25 miles from the clashes.
IT IS now Tuesday evening, and things have calmed down considerably.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Hun Sen Speaks Up for Disabled
By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
03 December 2009
Prime Minister Hun Sen called for universal respect for the rights of those with disabilities, as Cambodia marked World Disabled Day Thursday.
Cambodian businesses and non-governmental organizations should provide jobs to qualified people with disabilities, Hun Sen said, speaking at a ceremony at the National Education Institute, in Phnom Penh.
Hun Sen, who lost his left eye in a battle with Lon Nol soldiers, in April 1975, said society should not stigmatize those with disabilities.
“Stop such words like, ‘you, blind,’ or ‘no-legged man,’ because it hurts,” Hun Sen said. “When I hear these words, I hurt, because I’m also a disabled person.”
According to government figures, 1.4 percent of Cambodia’s population is disabled, a figure of about 200,000.
Cambodian businesses and non-governmental organizations should provide jobs to qualified people with disabilities, Hun Sen said, speaking at a ceremony at the National Education Institute, in Phnom Penh.
Hun Sen, who lost his left eye in a battle with Lon Nol soldiers, in April 1975, said society should not stigmatize those with disabilities.
“Stop such words like, ‘you, blind,’ or ‘no-legged man,’ because it hurts,” Hun Sen said. “When I hear these words, I hurt, because I’m also a disabled person.”
According to government figures, 1.4 percent of Cambodia’s population is disabled, a figure of about 200,000.
Hun Sen appeals public not to discriminate disabled people
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua)-- Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed Thursday to the public not to discriminate the disabled people at all forms, saying they are only disabled physically but not mentally.
At a ceremony to mark the 27th International Day of Disabled People, Hun Sen appealed that "We have to stop discriminating disabled people at all forms, and at the same time, the disabled people shall perform their good behaviors to the public."
Hun Sen said he had learned that some disabled had performed improper behaviors that jeopardize the honor of the whole disabled people nationwide.
Hun Sen also claimed himself as a disabled person as he had lost his left eye in the war in Cambodia in 1975, just days before the Khmer Rouge came to power.
He said that the 2008 figure showed that 1.4 percent of the country's 14 million population were disabled people, a mild decline from 2 percent in 1998.
Civil war, landmines, traffic accidents, and polio disease are the main causes of disability in the country.
Ith Samheng, Minister of Social Work, Youth Rehabilitation and Veterans said the government has established 11 vocational training centers and over 15,880 disabled people have been trained for specific skills.
At a ceremony to mark the 27th International Day of Disabled People, Hun Sen appealed that "We have to stop discriminating disabled people at all forms, and at the same time, the disabled people shall perform their good behaviors to the public."
Hun Sen said he had learned that some disabled had performed improper behaviors that jeopardize the honor of the whole disabled people nationwide.
Hun Sen also claimed himself as a disabled person as he had lost his left eye in the war in Cambodia in 1975, just days before the Khmer Rouge came to power.
He said that the 2008 figure showed that 1.4 percent of the country's 14 million population were disabled people, a mild decline from 2 percent in 1998.
Civil war, landmines, traffic accidents, and polio disease are the main causes of disability in the country.
Ith Samheng, Minister of Social Work, Youth Rehabilitation and Veterans said the government has established 11 vocational training centers and over 15,880 disabled people have been trained for specific skills.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Cambodia’s AIDS colony
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
By Mong Palatino
Global Voices Online
Various human rights groups have accused the Cambodian government of setting up a de facto AIDS colony when it resettled 40 families with HIV and AIDS to a village 25 kilometers outside Phnom Penh City.
The families were from Borei Keila in Phnom Penh. They were evicted from their homes to make way for an urban development plan of the government. The families are now living in Tuol Sambo village.
The families are complaining of their situation in the “AIDS village”:
The families were from Borei Keila in Phnom Penh. They were evicted from their homes to make way for an urban development plan of the government. The families are now living in Tuol Sambo village.
The families are complaining of their situation in the “AIDS village”:
With inadequate sanitation and no running water, the area is not a health sanctuary for HIV-infected patients, who require personal attention and care.Details are Sketchy wants to find out the responsible authority for this drastic move:
HIV-infected people living in the village say they have not received any official recognition of ownership rights nor government compensation for their old homes.
Who is responsible for this decision? The media should find out. And prosecutors should start preparing a case. Because it’s all but certain that at least one of those 40 HIV-positive people will die as a result of the move. That’s negligent homicide, at least, if not outright premeditated murder.The Global Network of People living with HIV is urging the Cambodian government to address the humanitarian concerns of the evicted families:
Writing for Global Health, Alanna Shaikh reacts:
- Cease moving HIV-affected families to the Tuol Sambo site;
- Improve conditions at Tuol Sambo to meet minimum standards for adequate shelter, sanitation, and clean water;
- Ensure full access to quality medical services, including antiretroviral treatment, treatment of opportunistic infections, primary health care and home-based care;
- Work with relevant agencies and consult with the families already at Tuol Sambo to address immediate and long-term concerns regarding housing, health, safety, and employment, and reintegration into society in a manner that protects their rights and livelihoods; and
- Employ a transparent and fair screening process to determine eligibility for on-site housing at Borei Keila, and allow eligible families to move in immediately. For those found ineligible, authorities should provide other adequate housing.
To me, this looks like a classic example of treating people living with AIDS as though they are disposable. They're going to die anyway, goes the logic, so there is no reason to treat them well. But people with AIDS are still human beings, with rights and skills and the ability to live full lives. Treating as less than human benefits no one.More than 100 international and local groups wrote Prime Minister Hun Sen and Health Minister Mam Bunheng urging the latter to provide a better treatment to the evicted families:
The housing conditions at Tuol Sambo are grossly inadequate in terms of size, fire safety, and sanitation. Residents are crowded into poorly ventilated metal sheds that are baking hot in the daytime. There are no kitchens and no running water in the sheds, which are flanked by open sewers, and only one public well to service the evicted families.The situation of the evicted families in their former homes in Borei Keila was not also good as shown by this video by licadho [above], which was uploaded on The Hub.
While other homeless people from Phnom Penh are slated for relocation to brick houses at an adjacent site at Tuol Sambo, the HIV-affected families from Borei Keila have been placed in a separate settlement with inferior housing, distinguished by green corrugated metal roofing and walls. Even before the evictees were resettled there, local people referred to the green sheds as “the AIDS village.”
The living conditions at Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks, particularly to people with compromised immune systems. The risk to those people living with HIV can be life threatening. Residents report that the heat in the poorly ventilated metal sheds is so intense that they are usually unable to remain in their rooms during the afternoon and they are afraid that their ARV medication will deteriorate in the heat.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Cambodia Pushes AIDS 'Colony' Far From City
August 16, 2009
National Public Radio (USA)
Weekend Edition Sunday
National Public Radio (USA)
Weekend Edition Sunday
Until recently, 40 Cambodian families with HIV and AIDS were living in the center of the country's capital, Phnom Penh. Then the government moved them to a site 15 miles outside the city. As NPR's Doualy Xaykaothao reports, the resettlement is viewed by many as a forced eviction, creating what some are calling an AIDS colony.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Cambodian government accused of creating 'Aids colony'
Open letter from human rights groups condemns 'life-threatening' conditions at settlement outside Phnom Penh
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Justin McCurry
Guardian (UK)
Aids campaigners and human rights groups today accused the Cambodian government of herding HIV-affected families into an "Aids colony" outside the capital, Phnom Penh.
In an open letter to the country's prime minister, Hun Sen, and the health minister, Mam Bunheng, more than 100 international and domestic pressure groups said they were deeply disturbed by the "life-threatening" conditions in the settlement.
Forty families are forced to live in sheet-metal sheds without running water or proper sanitation.
The government has spent the past two months moving people with HIV/Aids from the Borei Keila district of Phnom Penh to Tuol Sambo, a flood-prone area 15 miles (25km) away.
"By bundling people living with HIV together in second-rate housing, far from medical facilities, support services and jobs, the government has created a de facto Aids colony," Shiba Phurailatpam, of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/Aids, said.
Rebecca Schleifer, a Human Rights Watch spokeswoman, said conditions at Tuol Sambo posed "serious risks" to people who were already vulnerable to illness.
"People living with HIV have compromised immune systems and are especially vulnerable," she added. "For them, these substandard conditions can mean a death sentence or a ticket to a hospital."
According to Médecins sans Frontières, conditions at Tuol Sambo do not meet the minimum international standards for temporary housing.
The families were evicted from Borei Keila to make way for a commercial development, which was reportedly granted government approval on the understanding that the developer would place the residents, including those with HIV/Aids, into new housing.
The evictions continued despite protests from UN agencies, and the campaigners' letter said: "We have reason to fear that relocations of HIV-affected families are continuing even as we sign this letter."
They urged the government to stop moving families to Tuol Sambo, urgently improve living conditions there and ensure that people with HIV have access to antiretroviral drugs.
Local officials said they were aware of the concerns over the settlement and were trying to improve conditions.
"We are trying to find clean water for them," Phnom Penh's deputy governor, Mann Chhoeun, told the Phnom Penh Post, adding that plans had been made to distribute free medicine via the Centre of Hope mission.
In 2008, according to UNAids, an estimated 67,200 adults and 3,800 children in Cambodia were living with HIV/Aids.
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Justin McCurry
Guardian (UK)
Aids campaigners and human rights groups today accused the Cambodian government of herding HIV-affected families into an "Aids colony" outside the capital, Phnom Penh.
In an open letter to the country's prime minister, Hun Sen, and the health minister, Mam Bunheng, more than 100 international and domestic pressure groups said they were deeply disturbed by the "life-threatening" conditions in the settlement.
Forty families are forced to live in sheet-metal sheds without running water or proper sanitation.
The government has spent the past two months moving people with HIV/Aids from the Borei Keila district of Phnom Penh to Tuol Sambo, a flood-prone area 15 miles (25km) away.
"By bundling people living with HIV together in second-rate housing, far from medical facilities, support services and jobs, the government has created a de facto Aids colony," Shiba Phurailatpam, of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/Aids, said.
Rebecca Schleifer, a Human Rights Watch spokeswoman, said conditions at Tuol Sambo posed "serious risks" to people who were already vulnerable to illness.
"People living with HIV have compromised immune systems and are especially vulnerable," she added. "For them, these substandard conditions can mean a death sentence or a ticket to a hospital."
According to Médecins sans Frontières, conditions at Tuol Sambo do not meet the minimum international standards for temporary housing.
The families were evicted from Borei Keila to make way for a commercial development, which was reportedly granted government approval on the understanding that the developer would place the residents, including those with HIV/Aids, into new housing.
The evictions continued despite protests from UN agencies, and the campaigners' letter said: "We have reason to fear that relocations of HIV-affected families are continuing even as we sign this letter."
They urged the government to stop moving families to Tuol Sambo, urgently improve living conditions there and ensure that people with HIV have access to antiretroviral drugs.
Local officials said they were aware of the concerns over the settlement and were trying to improve conditions.
"We are trying to find clean water for them," Phnom Penh's deputy governor, Mann Chhoeun, told the Phnom Penh Post, adding that plans had been made to distribute free medicine via the Centre of Hope mission.
In 2008, according to UNAids, an estimated 67,200 adults and 3,800 children in Cambodia were living with HIV/Aids.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
'Aids colony' disturbing
Over the past two months the government has evicted the families from Phnom Penh to live in metal sheds without running water or adequate sanitation at Tuol Sambo (left) (PHOTO: AP)July 28, 2009
AFP
PHNOM PENH - AIDS campaigners and rights groups protested on Tuesday at Cambodia's shunting of sufferers of the virus into an insanitary 'Aids colony' outside the capital.
Over 100 international and domestic pressure groups told Prime Minister Hun Sen and Health Minister Mam Bunheng in a letter they were 'deeply disturbed' by the government's treatment of 40 HIV-affected families.
Over the past two months the government has evicted the families from Phnom Penh to live in metal sheds without running water or adequate sanitation at Tuol Sambo, an area 25km from the capital, it said.
'By bundling people living with HIV together into second-rate housing, far from medical facilities, support services and jobs, the government has created a de facto AIDS colony,' said Shiba Phurailatpam, of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, in a statement issued by the groups.
Rebecca Schleifer of New York-based Human Rights Watch said: 'The housing conditions in Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks for families living there.
'People living with HIV have compromised immune systems and are especially vulnerable. For them, these substandard conditions can mean a death sentence or a ticket to a hospital,' she added.
The Cambodian government has faced mounting criticism of forced evictions throughout the country at the hands of the army and police, which a recent human rights report said has affected more than 250,000 people.
Evictions for development purposes have increased in Cambodia as land prices have risen over the past few years. Critics say the practice is fuelling poverty.
Over 100 international and domestic pressure groups told Prime Minister Hun Sen and Health Minister Mam Bunheng in a letter they were 'deeply disturbed' by the government's treatment of 40 HIV-affected families.
Over the past two months the government has evicted the families from Phnom Penh to live in metal sheds without running water or adequate sanitation at Tuol Sambo, an area 25km from the capital, it said.
'By bundling people living with HIV together into second-rate housing, far from medical facilities, support services and jobs, the government has created a de facto AIDS colony,' said Shiba Phurailatpam, of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, in a statement issued by the groups.
Rebecca Schleifer of New York-based Human Rights Watch said: 'The housing conditions in Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks for families living there.
'People living with HIV have compromised immune systems and are especially vulnerable. For them, these substandard conditions can mean a death sentence or a ticket to a hospital,' she added.
The Cambodian government has faced mounting criticism of forced evictions throughout the country at the hands of the army and police, which a recent human rights report said has affected more than 250,000 people.
Evictions for development purposes have increased in Cambodia as land prices have risen over the past few years. Critics say the practice is fuelling poverty.
People Living With HIV/AIDS Living in Fear of Forced Eviction
Video by Licadho
Over 30 families living with HIV/AIDS in the "green shed" at the Borei Keila social land concession are facing the prospect of eviction.
The Borei Keila social land concession was meant to be a government sponsored land exchange whereby land was given to land developers in exchange for them building apartments for existing families living on the land.
The land concession has been ongoing for the past 5 years with the apartment allocation process rife with allegations of corruption and unfair practices.
The families living in the temporary "green shed" have been waiting for apartments to be allocated to them for the past 2 years, but they are now faced with the prospect of being evicted again to the Toul Sambo relocation site 20km outside of Phnom Penh.
At Toul Sambo there is inadequate housing, no clean water and is far from any markets, schools, employment opportunities and most importantly medical facilities.
The Borei Keila social land concession was meant to be a government sponsored land exchange whereby land was given to land developers in exchange for them building apartments for existing families living on the land.
The land concession has been ongoing for the past 5 years with the apartment allocation process rife with allegations of corruption and unfair practices.
The families living in the temporary "green shed" have been waiting for apartments to be allocated to them for the past 2 years, but they are now faced with the prospect of being evicted again to the Toul Sambo relocation site 20km outside of Phnom Penh.
At Toul Sambo there is inadequate housing, no clean water and is far from any markets, schools, employment opportunities and most importantly medical facilities.
Open Letter to the Government of Cambodia Regarding the Treatment of HIV-affected Families from the Community of Borei Keila
July 27, 2009
Source: Human Rights Watch
Source: Human Rights Watch
H.E. Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
No. 38, Russian Federation Boulevard
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
H.E. Mam Bunheng
Minister of Health
No 151-153 Kampuchea Krom Boulevard
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Your Excellencies,
The Royal Government of Cambodia has won international recognition for its efforts to provide prevention, treatment, care and support for people living with HIV. However, we the under-signed individuals and organizations write to you now to express our deep concern about the discriminatory and potentially life-threatening treatment of HIV-affected families from the community of Borei Keila in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
On June 18, 2009, 20 HIV-affected families were evicted from Borei Keila and sent to Tuol Sambo, a remote resettlement site created by the government on the outskirts of the city. This eviction took place despite repeated appeals to the government, including from United Nations agencies, more than 18 local and international organizations, and a national network of people affected by HIV.
We have reason to fear that relocations of HIV-affected families are continuing even as we sign this letter.
We are deeply disturbed by the Cambodian authorities' creation of a de facto AIDS colony at Tuol Sambo. Located in a desolate, flood-prone field in a semi-rural area 25 kilometers from Phnom Penh, Tuol Sambo is far away from the jobs, medical facilities, and support services that had been available to Borei Keila residents in the city.
The housing conditions at Tuol Sambo are grossly inadequate in terms of size, fire safety, and sanitation. Residents are crowded into poorly ventilated metal sheds that are baking hot in the daytime. There are no kitchens and no running water in the sheds, which are flanked by open sewers, and only one public well to service the evicted families. According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, these conditions do not meet international minimum standards for temporary emergency housing.
While other homeless people from Phnom Penh are slated for relocation to brick houses at an adjacent site at Tuol Sambo, the HIV-affected families from Borei Keila have been placed in a separate settlement with inferior housing, distinguished by green corrugated metal roofing and walls. Even before the evictees were resettled there, local people referred to the green sheds as "the AIDS village."
The Borei Keila evictions were carried out to make way for a commercial development, which was granted government approval in 2003 with the understanding that the developer would build new housing on site for residents displaced by the project.
With a few exceptions, the HIV-affected families thus far displaced by the development have not been screened for eligibility for the on-site housing - unlike other families who are not affected by HIV. After waiting for two years, the authorities have now acknowledged that at least 11 HIV-affected families previously slated to be sent to Tuol Sambo are in fact eligible for new on-site housing at Borei Keila. To date, however, they remain in Borei Keila and have not yet been provided new housing.
For the other families evicted to Tuol Sambo, the Ministry of Health has reportedly given assurances that antiretroviral (ARV) medication and opportunistic infection treatment will be available to them. It is not clear, however, that the ministry has a sound long-term plan to ensure this. Since the eviction, the government has not directly provided services but has relied instead on nongovernmental organizations to ensure continued access to medicines, for example by paying transportation costs for the evictees to come to hospitals in the city.
In addition, there has been no consideration of the impact on health of the poor living conditions at Tuol Sambo and the lack of income-generating opportunities there. The living conditions at Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks, particularly to people with compromised immune systems. The risk to those people living with HIV can be life threatening. Residents report that the heat in the poorly ventilated metal sheds is so intense that they are usually unable to remain in their rooms during the afternoon and they are afraid that their ARV medication will deteriorate in the heat.
We take this opportunity to state our opposition to the segregation or isolation of people living with HIV, as such policies promote stigmatization and further discrimination and may seriously jeopardize their access to necessary prevention, care, treatment, and support services.
Furthermore, we recognize that people living with HIV need more than just medicines to survive. They need a continuum of care that addresses the psychological, legal, social, and economic consequences of living with HIV, and assures adequate shelter, nutrition, income generation, and access to education and other essential services.
In light of the above, we request the Royal Cambodian Government to:
Yours sincerely,
Organizations:
ACCES
Marseilles, France
ACT UP Philadelphia
United States
Action SIDA Comoros
Union of Comoros
AIDS Action Now!
Toronto, Canada
AIDS Action
United States
The AIDS Consortium
South Africa
AIDS Law project
South Africa
AIDS Project Los Angeles
United States
AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa
Namibia
All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS
Ukraine
Alliance for Holistic and Sustainable Development of Communities
India
American Jewish World Service
United States
Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice
Russia
Asia Catalyst
United States
Asian Harm Reduction Network
Thailand
Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations
Malaysia
Asia Pacific Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS
Thailand
Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers
Malaysia
ASUD
France
Balance
Mexico
BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights
Nigeria
Blood Ties Four Directions Centre
Yukon, Canada
Bolivian Network of People with HIV/AIDS
Bolivia
Brazilian Drug Policy Center - Psicotropicus
Brazil
British Columbia Persons with AIDS Society
Canada
Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Canada
Canadian Harm Reduction Network
Canada
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Canada
Canadian Treatment Action Council
Canada
Center for Reproductive Rights
United States
Center for Health Policy and Innovation.
United States
Centre for Human Rights
Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
South Africa
Children Education Society
Tanzania
中国北京爱之方舟感染者信息支持组织
[in English: China Beijing Ark of Love Infected Persons Information Support Organization]
China
The Secretariat of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV and AIDS
Thailand
Comision Internacional de los Derechos Humanos para Gays y Lesbianas
[in English: International Commission of Human Rights for Gays and Lesbians]
Argentina
Consejo Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Organizaciones No Gubermentales con Servicio en VIH/SIDA
[in English: Latin American and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service Organizations]
Cultura Joven
[in English: Youth Culture]
Mexico
East Europe and Central Asia Union of PWH Organizations
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Egypt
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research
United States
Fundación Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer
[in English: Foundation for Women's Studies]
Spain
Fundación Argentina Pro Ayuda al Niño con Sida
[in English: Argentinian Foundation for the Support of Children with AIDS]
Argentina
GESTOS - Soropositividade, Comunicação y Gênero
[in English: GESTOS - Soropositivity, Communications and Gender
Brazil
Global Action for Children
United States
Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
United States
Global Effort for Women against AIDS
Uganda
Global Forum on MSM and HIV
United States
Global Network of People Living with HIV
Global Welfare Association
Cameroon
Gram Bharati Samiti
[in English: Society for Rural Development]
India
Grassroots Movement for Health and Development
Malawi
Grupo Esperanza y Vida
[in English: Hope and Life Group]
Uruguay
Grupo de Mujeres de Argentina
[in English: Women's Forum of Argentina]
Argentina
Health Equity and Law Clinic
Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
Canada
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
United States
Hepatitis, AIDS, Research Trust
United States
HIV&AIDS Legal Services Alliance
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Hong Guang Alliance
China
Human Rights Watch
United States
Intercambios Asociación Civil
Buenos Aires, Argentina
International AIDS Women's Caucus
Argentina
International Center for Advancement of Addiction Treatment
United States
Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development
Canada
International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS
United Kingdom
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations
Canada
International Drug Policy Consortium
United Kingdom
International Harm Reduction Association
United Kingdom
International HIV/AIDS Alliance
United Kingdom
International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine
Ukraine
International Network of People Who Use Drugs
International Nursing Harm Reduction Network
International Transport Workers' Federation
United Kingdom
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition
Thailand(Secretariat)
International Women's Health Coalition
United States
INTILLA Asociación Civil
Argentina
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
Jamaica
Japanese Network of People Living with HIV
Japan
Lawyers Collective
India
Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat
[in English: Community Legal Aid Institute]
Indonesia
La Liga Colombiana de Lucha contra el Sida
[in English: Colombian Alliance to Fight AIDS]
Colombia
LIGA Bonaerense de Diversidad Sexual
[in English: Bonaerense Alliance for Sexual Diversity]
Argentina
Malaysian AIDS Council
Malaysia
Movimiento Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Mujeres Positivas
[in English: Latin America and Caribbean Movement of Positive Women]
Uruguay
National Council of Churches in India
India
National MSM and HIV Policy Advocacy & Human Rights Task Force
India
Naz Foundation
India
Networking Aids Community of South Africa
South Africa
Oasis de San Juan de Dios
Mexico
People's Health Movement USA
United States
Physicians for Human Rights
United States
Positive Malaysian Treatment Access & Advocacy Group
Malaysia
Positive Women Incorporated
New Zealand
Prevenir es Cuidar
[in English: To Prevent is To Cure]
Argentina
Protection Enfant SIDA
[in English: Protection of Children with AIDS]
Democratic Republic of Congo
PROYECTO SOL
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Raks Thai Foundation
Thailand
Recovering Nepal
Nepal
Release
United Kingdom
Sampada Grameen Mahila Sanstha
India
Senderos Asociación Mutual
Colombia
Sex Workers Concern Group
Hong Kong
Sidaction
France
Society for Women Against AIDS in Africa
Senegal
Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service
South Africa
Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group
Thailand
Treatment Action Campaign
South Africa
Union Alernative Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia
United Belize Advocacy Movement
Belize
Urban Health Research Initiative
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vikas Adhyayan Kendra's
[in English: Center for Development Studies]
Mumbai, India
WITNESS
United States
Women and Law in Southern Africa
Zambia
World Aids Campaign
South Africa
Yayasan Kesehatan Bali
[in English: The Bali Health Foundation]
Indonesia
Youth RISE International
Canada
Individuals:
Tomoko Ako
Associate Professor, Waseda University
Japan
Professor Brook K. Baker
Northeastern U. School of Law, Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy
United States
Chris Beyrer MD MPH
Director, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
United States
Dr. Graciela Biagini
University of Buenos Aires
Argentina
Alan Brotherton
R. Douglas Bruce MD MA MSc
Assistant Professor, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation Scholar, Yale University School of Medicine
United States
Wendy Chapkis
Professor, Sociology and Women & Gender Studies, University of Southern Maine
United States
Slyvia Chirawu
National Coordinator, WLSA Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Joanne Csete
Associate professor, Clinical Population and Family Health, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
United States
Chris Curry MD PhD
Nancy M. Doctor
Attorney at Law
Berkeley, California, United States
Yu Fangqiang
China
Dhan Raj Ghimire
National Coordinator, Children at Risk Network
Nepal
Dr. Rajesh Gopal MD
Joint Director, Gujarat State AIDS Control Society
India
Sofia Gruskin JD MIA
Director, Program on International Health and Human Rights, Harvard School of Public Health
United States
Mauro Guarinieri
Senior International Consultant, Global Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS
Christina T. Holder JD
Uriel and Caroline Bauer Human Rights Fellow, Cardozo School of Law
United States
T. Jayashree
Independent Film maker
Bangalore, India
Ralf Jürgens
Consultant HIV/AIDS, Health, Policy and Human Rights
Thomas Kerr PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Canada
Alana Klein
Faculty of Law, McGill University
Canada
A. Marston
United Kingdom
Laura McGrew
United States
Nicholas mbae Njeru
Kenya
Alice M. Miller JD
David B. Olson
Barrister and Solicitor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Nancy Ordover
Nicholas Bartlett
University of California, San Francisco
United States
Edith Pilkington
United States
Sophie Pinkham
Supattra Pisetpattanakul
Executive Officer, AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific
Thailand
Oswaldo Rada
Colombia
Mindy Jane Roseman JD PhD
Lecturer on Law, Academic Director, Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School
United States
Mahesh Sharma
Executive Board Member, HIV/AIDS and STI Control Board
Kathmandu, Nepal
Daniel Tarantola MD
Professor of Health and Human Rights, School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Australia
Isaac Tita
Réseau Africain des Personnes Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA- Afrique Centrale
[In English: African Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS - Central Africa]
Cameroon
Carole S. Vance PhD MPH
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
United States
Christine S. Waters
Staff Attorney, Legal Services of Central New York, Inc.
United States
Stan Wong
Singapore
Tian Xi
China
cc: Lok Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen
President, Cambodian Red Cross
Dr. Mean Chhi Vun,
Director, NCHADS, Cambodia
H.E. Teng Kunthy
Secretary General, Cambodia National Aids Authority
H.E. Kep Chuktema
Phnom Penh Municipal Governor
Douglas Broderick
UN Resident Coordinator, Cambodia
Tony Lisle
Country Coordinator, UNAIDS Cambodia
Michael O'Leary
Country Representative, World Health Organization Cambodia
Christophe Peschoux
Country Representative, Cambodia Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
No. 38, Russian Federation Boulevard
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
H.E. Mam Bunheng
Minister of Health
No 151-153 Kampuchea Krom Boulevard
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Your Excellencies,
The Royal Government of Cambodia has won international recognition for its efforts to provide prevention, treatment, care and support for people living with HIV. However, we the under-signed individuals and organizations write to you now to express our deep concern about the discriminatory and potentially life-threatening treatment of HIV-affected families from the community of Borei Keila in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
On June 18, 2009, 20 HIV-affected families were evicted from Borei Keila and sent to Tuol Sambo, a remote resettlement site created by the government on the outskirts of the city. This eviction took place despite repeated appeals to the government, including from United Nations agencies, more than 18 local and international organizations, and a national network of people affected by HIV.
We have reason to fear that relocations of HIV-affected families are continuing even as we sign this letter.
We are deeply disturbed by the Cambodian authorities' creation of a de facto AIDS colony at Tuol Sambo. Located in a desolate, flood-prone field in a semi-rural area 25 kilometers from Phnom Penh, Tuol Sambo is far away from the jobs, medical facilities, and support services that had been available to Borei Keila residents in the city.
The housing conditions at Tuol Sambo are grossly inadequate in terms of size, fire safety, and sanitation. Residents are crowded into poorly ventilated metal sheds that are baking hot in the daytime. There are no kitchens and no running water in the sheds, which are flanked by open sewers, and only one public well to service the evicted families. According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, these conditions do not meet international minimum standards for temporary emergency housing.
While other homeless people from Phnom Penh are slated for relocation to brick houses at an adjacent site at Tuol Sambo, the HIV-affected families from Borei Keila have been placed in a separate settlement with inferior housing, distinguished by green corrugated metal roofing and walls. Even before the evictees were resettled there, local people referred to the green sheds as "the AIDS village."
The Borei Keila evictions were carried out to make way for a commercial development, which was granted government approval in 2003 with the understanding that the developer would build new housing on site for residents displaced by the project.
With a few exceptions, the HIV-affected families thus far displaced by the development have not been screened for eligibility for the on-site housing - unlike other families who are not affected by HIV. After waiting for two years, the authorities have now acknowledged that at least 11 HIV-affected families previously slated to be sent to Tuol Sambo are in fact eligible for new on-site housing at Borei Keila. To date, however, they remain in Borei Keila and have not yet been provided new housing.
For the other families evicted to Tuol Sambo, the Ministry of Health has reportedly given assurances that antiretroviral (ARV) medication and opportunistic infection treatment will be available to them. It is not clear, however, that the ministry has a sound long-term plan to ensure this. Since the eviction, the government has not directly provided services but has relied instead on nongovernmental organizations to ensure continued access to medicines, for example by paying transportation costs for the evictees to come to hospitals in the city.
In addition, there has been no consideration of the impact on health of the poor living conditions at Tuol Sambo and the lack of income-generating opportunities there. The living conditions at Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks, particularly to people with compromised immune systems. The risk to those people living with HIV can be life threatening. Residents report that the heat in the poorly ventilated metal sheds is so intense that they are usually unable to remain in their rooms during the afternoon and they are afraid that their ARV medication will deteriorate in the heat.
We take this opportunity to state our opposition to the segregation or isolation of people living with HIV, as such policies promote stigmatization and further discrimination and may seriously jeopardize their access to necessary prevention, care, treatment, and support services.
Furthermore, we recognize that people living with HIV need more than just medicines to survive. They need a continuum of care that addresses the psychological, legal, social, and economic consequences of living with HIV, and assures adequate shelter, nutrition, income generation, and access to education and other essential services.
In light of the above, we request the Royal Cambodian Government to:
- Cease moving HIV-affected families to the Tuol Sambo relocation site;
- Improve conditions at Tuol Sambo site so that they meet minimum standards for adequate shelter, sanitation, and clean water;
- Ensure full access to quality medical services, including antiretroviral treatment, treatment of opportunistic infections, as well as primary health care and home-based care;
- Work with relevant agencies and consult with the families already at Tuol Sambo to address immediate and long-term concerns regarding housing, health, safety, employment, and reintegration into society in a manner that protects their rights and livelihoods;
- Employ a transparent and fair screening process to determine eligibility for on-site housing at Borei Keila, and grant eligible families the housing immediately (including the 11 HIV-affected families already approved by the authorities); for those found ineligible, authorities should provide other adequate housing.
Yours sincerely,
Organizations:
ACCES
Marseilles, France
ACT UP Philadelphia
United States
Action SIDA Comoros
Union of Comoros
AIDS Action Now!
Toronto, Canada
AIDS Action
United States
The AIDS Consortium
South Africa
AIDS Law project
South Africa
AIDS Project Los Angeles
United States
AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa
Namibia
All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS
Ukraine
Alliance for Holistic and Sustainable Development of Communities
India
American Jewish World Service
United States
Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice
Russia
Asia Catalyst
United States
Asian Harm Reduction Network
Thailand
Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations
Malaysia
Asia Pacific Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS
Thailand
Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers
Malaysia
ASUD
France
Balance
Mexico
BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights
Nigeria
Blood Ties Four Directions Centre
Yukon, Canada
Bolivian Network of People with HIV/AIDS
Bolivia
Brazilian Drug Policy Center - Psicotropicus
Brazil
British Columbia Persons with AIDS Society
Canada
Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Canada
Canadian Harm Reduction Network
Canada
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Canada
Canadian Treatment Action Council
Canada
Center for Reproductive Rights
United States
Center for Health Policy and Innovation.
United States
Centre for Human Rights
Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
South Africa
Children Education Society
Tanzania
中国北京爱之方舟感染者信息支持组织
[in English: China Beijing Ark of Love Infected Persons Information Support Organization]
China
The Secretariat of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV and AIDS
Thailand
Comision Internacional de los Derechos Humanos para Gays y Lesbianas
[in English: International Commission of Human Rights for Gays and Lesbians]
Argentina
Consejo Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Organizaciones No Gubermentales con Servicio en VIH/SIDA
[in English: Latin American and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service Organizations]
Cultura Joven
[in English: Youth Culture]
Mexico
East Europe and Central Asia Union of PWH Organizations
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Egypt
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research
United States
Fundación Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer
[in English: Foundation for Women's Studies]
Spain
Fundación Argentina Pro Ayuda al Niño con Sida
[in English: Argentinian Foundation for the Support of Children with AIDS]
Argentina
GESTOS - Soropositividade, Comunicação y Gênero
[in English: GESTOS - Soropositivity, Communications and Gender
Brazil
Global Action for Children
United States
Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
United States
Global Effort for Women against AIDS
Uganda
Global Forum on MSM and HIV
United States
Global Network of People Living with HIV
Global Welfare Association
Cameroon
Gram Bharati Samiti
[in English: Society for Rural Development]
India
Grassroots Movement for Health and Development
Malawi
Grupo Esperanza y Vida
[in English: Hope and Life Group]
Uruguay
Grupo de Mujeres de Argentina
[in English: Women's Forum of Argentina]
Argentina
Health Equity and Law Clinic
Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
Canada
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
United States
Hepatitis, AIDS, Research Trust
United States
HIV&AIDS Legal Services Alliance
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Hong Guang Alliance
China
Human Rights Watch
United States
Intercambios Asociación Civil
Buenos Aires, Argentina
International AIDS Women's Caucus
Argentina
International Center for Advancement of Addiction Treatment
United States
Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development
Canada
International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS
United Kingdom
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations
Canada
International Drug Policy Consortium
United Kingdom
International Harm Reduction Association
United Kingdom
International HIV/AIDS Alliance
United Kingdom
International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine
Ukraine
International Network of People Who Use Drugs
International Nursing Harm Reduction Network
International Transport Workers' Federation
United Kingdom
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition
Thailand(Secretariat)
International Women's Health Coalition
United States
INTILLA Asociación Civil
Argentina
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life
Jamaica
Japanese Network of People Living with HIV
Japan
Lawyers Collective
India
Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat
[in English: Community Legal Aid Institute]
Indonesia
La Liga Colombiana de Lucha contra el Sida
[in English: Colombian Alliance to Fight AIDS]
Colombia
LIGA Bonaerense de Diversidad Sexual
[in English: Bonaerense Alliance for Sexual Diversity]
Argentina
Malaysian AIDS Council
Malaysia
Movimiento Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Mujeres Positivas
[in English: Latin America and Caribbean Movement of Positive Women]
Uruguay
National Council of Churches in India
India
National MSM and HIV Policy Advocacy & Human Rights Task Force
India
Naz Foundation
India
Networking Aids Community of South Africa
South Africa
Oasis de San Juan de Dios
Mexico
People's Health Movement USA
United States
Physicians for Human Rights
United States
Positive Malaysian Treatment Access & Advocacy Group
Malaysia
Positive Women Incorporated
New Zealand
Prevenir es Cuidar
[in English: To Prevent is To Cure]
Argentina
Protection Enfant SIDA
[in English: Protection of Children with AIDS]
Democratic Republic of Congo
PROYECTO SOL
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Raks Thai Foundation
Thailand
Recovering Nepal
Nepal
Release
United Kingdom
Sampada Grameen Mahila Sanstha
India
Senderos Asociación Mutual
Colombia
Sex Workers Concern Group
Hong Kong
Sidaction
France
Society for Women Against AIDS in Africa
Senegal
Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service
South Africa
Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group
Thailand
Treatment Action Campaign
South Africa
Union Alernative Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia
United Belize Advocacy Movement
Belize
Urban Health Research Initiative
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vikas Adhyayan Kendra's
[in English: Center for Development Studies]
Mumbai, India
WITNESS
United States
Women and Law in Southern Africa
Zambia
World Aids Campaign
South Africa
Yayasan Kesehatan Bali
[in English: The Bali Health Foundation]
Indonesia
Youth RISE International
Canada
Individuals:
Tomoko Ako
Associate Professor, Waseda University
Japan
Professor Brook K. Baker
Northeastern U. School of Law, Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy
United States
Chris Beyrer MD MPH
Director, Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
United States
Dr. Graciela Biagini
University of Buenos Aires
Argentina
Alan Brotherton
R. Douglas Bruce MD MA MSc
Assistant Professor, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation Scholar, Yale University School of Medicine
United States
Wendy Chapkis
Professor, Sociology and Women & Gender Studies, University of Southern Maine
United States
Slyvia Chirawu
National Coordinator, WLSA Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Joanne Csete
Associate professor, Clinical Population and Family Health, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
United States
Chris Curry MD PhD
Nancy M. Doctor
Attorney at Law
Berkeley, California, United States
Yu Fangqiang
China
Dhan Raj Ghimire
National Coordinator, Children at Risk Network
Nepal
Dr. Rajesh Gopal MD
Joint Director, Gujarat State AIDS Control Society
India
Sofia Gruskin JD MIA
Director, Program on International Health and Human Rights, Harvard School of Public Health
United States
Mauro Guarinieri
Senior International Consultant, Global Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS
Christina T. Holder JD
Uriel and Caroline Bauer Human Rights Fellow, Cardozo School of Law
United States
T. Jayashree
Independent Film maker
Bangalore, India
Ralf Jürgens
Consultant HIV/AIDS, Health, Policy and Human Rights
Thomas Kerr PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Canada
Alana Klein
Faculty of Law, McGill University
Canada
A. Marston
United Kingdom
Laura McGrew
United States
Nicholas mbae Njeru
Kenya
Alice M. Miller JD
David B. Olson
Barrister and Solicitor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Nancy Ordover
Nicholas Bartlett
University of California, San Francisco
United States
Edith Pilkington
United States
Sophie Pinkham
Supattra Pisetpattanakul
Executive Officer, AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific
Thailand
Oswaldo Rada
Colombia
Mindy Jane Roseman JD PhD
Lecturer on Law, Academic Director, Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School
United States
Mahesh Sharma
Executive Board Member, HIV/AIDS and STI Control Board
Kathmandu, Nepal
Daniel Tarantola MD
Professor of Health and Human Rights, School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Australia
Isaac Tita
Réseau Africain des Personnes Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA- Afrique Centrale
[In English: African Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS - Central Africa]
Cameroon
Carole S. Vance PhD MPH
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
United States
Christine S. Waters
Staff Attorney, Legal Services of Central New York, Inc.
United States
Stan Wong
Singapore
Tian Xi
China
cc: Lok Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen
President, Cambodian Red Cross
Dr. Mean Chhi Vun,
Director, NCHADS, Cambodia
H.E. Teng Kunthy
Secretary General, Cambodia National Aids Authority
H.E. Kep Chuktema
Phnom Penh Municipal Governor
Douglas Broderick
UN Resident Coordinator, Cambodia
Tony Lisle
Country Coordinator, UNAIDS Cambodia
Michael O'Leary
Country Representative, World Health Organization Cambodia
Christophe Peschoux
Country Representative, Cambodia Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
‘AIDS Colony’ Violates Rights
HIV/AIDS and Social Justice Groups call on Government to Halt Evictions of HIV-Affected Families
July 27, 2009
Source: Human Rights Watch
In June 2009, the Cambodian government forcibly relocated 20 HIV-affected families living in Borei Keila, a housing development in Phnom Penh, to substandard housing at Tuol Sambo, a remote site 25 kilometers from the city. Another 20 families were moved there on July 23. The families were resettled into crude, green metal sheds that are baking hot in the daytime and lack running water and adequate sanitation. Just meters away, higher-quality brick housing is being built, with the assistance of a nonprofit group, for other homeless families slated for resettlement at Tuol Sambo. Even before the HIV-affected families were resettled at the site, local people referred to the green sheds as "the AIDS village."
"By bundling people living with HIV together into second-rate housing, far from medical facilities, support services, and jobs, the government has created a de facto AIDS colony," said Shiba Phurailatpam of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS. "It's hard to understand how a government that has received international recognition for its HIV-prevention efforts could so callously ignore the basic rights of people living with HIV."
Dozens of organizations and individuals based in the Asia-Pacific region signed the letter, joined by groups and individuals from many nations, ranging from Canada and the United States to India and Tanzania.
The letter stresses that conditions at Tuol Sambo do not meet minimum international standards for even temporary emergency housing. The shelters are flanked by open sewers, with only one public well for all of the relocated families. They are crowded into the poorly ventilated metal sheds, where the afternoon heat is so intense they often cannot remain in their rooms, and they fear their antiretroviral (ARV) medication will deteriorate.
"The housing conditions in Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks for families living there," said Rebecca Schleifer, health and human rights advocate at Human Rights Watch. "People living with HIV have compromised immune systems and are especially vulnerable. For them, these substandard conditions can mean a death sentence or a ticket to a hospital."
The organizations also expressed deep concern about discrimination against HIV-affected families in the screening and allocation process for on-site replacement housing being built at Borei Keila. After two years of denying eligibility to HIV-affected families for this housing, the authorities have now said that at least 11 HIV-affected families previously slated to be sent to Tuol Sambo are in fact eligible. Those families remain at Borei Keila, but are still waiting for the housing they have been promised.
Increasing property values in Cambodia's capital city have left thousands of urban poor people vulnerable to forced evictions to make way for commercial development. The development of the Borei Keila site was approved in 2003 with the understanding that the developer would build new housing on site for those displaced by the project. With few exceptions, however, the HIV-affected families thus far displaced have not even been screened for eligibility for this housing.
When living at Borei Keila, these people worked as day laborers, motorcycle taxi drivers, cleaners, and seamstresses. Now, most have no prospects of work at or near Tuol Sambo. Their economic situation is worsened by the fact that a return trip to Phnom Penh to go to work or to visit hospitals costs the equivalent of about US$5 - for families who earn only $1.50 to $3 a day.
"The Cambodian government needs to establish a fair and open process for all to receive the housing and services they need," said Kevin Moody of The Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+). "People living with HIV - like all others - need adequate living conditions that do not threaten their health and a way to earn a livelihood, so that they can provide for themselves and their families. Grouping families affected by HIV in this way exposes them to further stigma and discrimination; steps must be taken to end this discrimination now."
The groups called on the Cambodian government to:
July 27, 2009
Source: Human Rights Watch
"By bundling people living with HIV together into second-rate housing, far from medical facilities, support services, and jobs, the government has created a de facto AIDS colony. It's hard to understand how a government that has received international recognition for its HIV-prevention efforts could so callously ignore the basic rights of people living with HIV." - Shiba Phurailatpam of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS.The Cambodian government should urgently address dangerous conditions in a de facto AIDS colony it has created and immediately stop sending HIV-affected families there, more than 100 international HIV/AIDS and social justice organizations and experts said in a joint letter delivered on July 27, 2009 to Cambodia's prime minister and health minister.
In June 2009, the Cambodian government forcibly relocated 20 HIV-affected families living in Borei Keila, a housing development in Phnom Penh, to substandard housing at Tuol Sambo, a remote site 25 kilometers from the city. Another 20 families were moved there on July 23. The families were resettled into crude, green metal sheds that are baking hot in the daytime and lack running water and adequate sanitation. Just meters away, higher-quality brick housing is being built, with the assistance of a nonprofit group, for other homeless families slated for resettlement at Tuol Sambo. Even before the HIV-affected families were resettled at the site, local people referred to the green sheds as "the AIDS village."
"By bundling people living with HIV together into second-rate housing, far from medical facilities, support services, and jobs, the government has created a de facto AIDS colony," said Shiba Phurailatpam of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS. "It's hard to understand how a government that has received international recognition for its HIV-prevention efforts could so callously ignore the basic rights of people living with HIV."
Dozens of organizations and individuals based in the Asia-Pacific region signed the letter, joined by groups and individuals from many nations, ranging from Canada and the United States to India and Tanzania.
The letter stresses that conditions at Tuol Sambo do not meet minimum international standards for even temporary emergency housing. The shelters are flanked by open sewers, with only one public well for all of the relocated families. They are crowded into the poorly ventilated metal sheds, where the afternoon heat is so intense they often cannot remain in their rooms, and they fear their antiretroviral (ARV) medication will deteriorate.
"The housing conditions in Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks for families living there," said Rebecca Schleifer, health and human rights advocate at Human Rights Watch. "People living with HIV have compromised immune systems and are especially vulnerable. For them, these substandard conditions can mean a death sentence or a ticket to a hospital."
The organizations also expressed deep concern about discrimination against HIV-affected families in the screening and allocation process for on-site replacement housing being built at Borei Keila. After two years of denying eligibility to HIV-affected families for this housing, the authorities have now said that at least 11 HIV-affected families previously slated to be sent to Tuol Sambo are in fact eligible. Those families remain at Borei Keila, but are still waiting for the housing they have been promised.
Increasing property values in Cambodia's capital city have left thousands of urban poor people vulnerable to forced evictions to make way for commercial development. The development of the Borei Keila site was approved in 2003 with the understanding that the developer would build new housing on site for those displaced by the project. With few exceptions, however, the HIV-affected families thus far displaced have not even been screened for eligibility for this housing.
When living at Borei Keila, these people worked as day laborers, motorcycle taxi drivers, cleaners, and seamstresses. Now, most have no prospects of work at or near Tuol Sambo. Their economic situation is worsened by the fact that a return trip to Phnom Penh to go to work or to visit hospitals costs the equivalent of about US$5 - for families who earn only $1.50 to $3 a day.
"The Cambodian government needs to establish a fair and open process for all to receive the housing and services they need," said Kevin Moody of The Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+). "People living with HIV - like all others - need adequate living conditions that do not threaten their health and a way to earn a livelihood, so that they can provide for themselves and their families. Grouping families affected by HIV in this way exposes them to further stigma and discrimination; steps must be taken to end this discrimination now."
The groups called on the Cambodian government to:
- Cease moving HIV-affected families to the Tuol Sambo site;
- Improve conditions at Tuol Sambo to meet minimum standards for adequate shelter, sanitation, and clean water;
- Ensure full access to quality medical services, including antiretroviral treatment, treatment of opportunistic infections, primary health care and home-based care;
- Work with relevant agencies and consult with the families already at Tuol Sambo to address immediate and long-term concerns regarding housing, health, safety, and employment, and reintegration into society in a manner that protects their rights and livelihoods; and
- Employ a transparent and fair screening process to determine eligibility for on-site housing at Borei Keila, and allow eligible families to move in immediately (including the 11 HIV-affected families already approved). For those found ineligible, authorities should provide other adequate housing.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Cambodia creating 'AIDS village'
Friday, June 19, 2009
ABC Radio Australia
ABC Radio Australia
Human rights groups have condemned the Cambodian Government for evicting 20 HIV-affected families from their homes.
Officials say the families had illegally settled on state land where the government wants to build new offices for the Ministry of Tourism.
But Amnesty International spokeswoman Sarah Marland says they are being segregated because they have HIV.
"They have been moved into little buildings made of green metal sheets," she said.
"They look distinct from other homes in the area, so it's already being referred to as the 'AIDS village'.
"You can imagine the stigma and discrimination these people are already facing."
Officials say the families had illegally settled on state land where the government wants to build new offices for the Ministry of Tourism.
But Amnesty International spokeswoman Sarah Marland says they are being segregated because they have HIV.
"They have been moved into little buildings made of green metal sheets," she said.
"They look distinct from other homes in the area, so it's already being referred to as the 'AIDS village'.
"You can imagine the stigma and discrimination these people are already facing."
Amnesty International Condemns Cambodian Government's Eviction of 20 Families Living with HIV/AIDS
Source: Amnesty International
Families Relocated to "AIDS Village" with No Electricity, Clean Water or Sanitation, Reports Human Rights Organization
WASHINGTON - June 18 - Amnesty International has condemned the Phnom Penh authorities for evicting 20 families living with HIV/AIDS from their homes in Borei Keila this morning. They have been moved outside of the city to a resettlement site, Tuol Sambo, where there is no clean water or electricity and limited access to medical services.
“Tuol Sambo is grossly inadequate and the authorities are well aware of this,” said Brittis Edman, Amnesty International’s Cambodia researcher. “It is often referred to as ‘the AIDS village’ and the inhabitants live with no access to clean water, electricity or proper sanitation.”
“The site’s long distance from the city hampers access to health services and jobs, adding to the risks. The families have urgent humanitarian needs, including clean water, larger living space, access to medical services and food supplies. There is a real risk that the health of the evicted families will deteriorate there.”
Tuol Sambo is in a semi-rural area where the housing is built from green metal sheets. When Amnesty International visited the site in April 2009, it was perceived by villagers in the vicinity as a center for people living with HIV/AIDS.
The affected families have expressed fears that they will face further discrimination and stigmatization because of their HIV status if forced to live in this separate, distinct enclave. Prejudice against these families may be exacerbated by their poverty and lack of job opportunities.
When evicted, the families were compensated with inadequate re-housing in Tuol Sambo and 50 kilograms of rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, water jars and 250 U.S. dollars from the Municipality of Phnom Penh and the Ministry of Tourism. Last Friday, they were coerced into the move and told that anyone who disagreed would not receive compensation.
“It's unacceptable that the authorities didn’t explore other alternatives before deciding to evict these 20 vulnerable families,” said Edman. “Tuol Sambo shouldn’t have been an option.”
Background
Borei Keila is a large poor urban community which the government designated as a social land concession for residential development in 2003. The Borei Keila concession was intended to be a land-sharing arrangement between a private developer, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and residents. The agreement gave the developer 2.6 hectares of land for commercial development, in exchange for constructing new housing for the original residents on two hectares of the land. The remainder, consisting of 10 hectares, was to be returned to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.
In March 2007, the Municipality of Phnom Penh resettled the families who lived in Borei Keila against their will and reportedly with force, in temporary shelters built mostly out of corrugated metal sheets. The authorities told them that they would stay there for a few months only, to pave way for the construction of a number of residential multi-storey houses.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
“Tuol Sambo is grossly inadequate and the authorities are well aware of this,” said Brittis Edman, Amnesty International’s Cambodia researcher. “It is often referred to as ‘the AIDS village’ and the inhabitants live with no access to clean water, electricity or proper sanitation.”
“The site’s long distance from the city hampers access to health services and jobs, adding to the risks. The families have urgent humanitarian needs, including clean water, larger living space, access to medical services and food supplies. There is a real risk that the health of the evicted families will deteriorate there.”
Tuol Sambo is in a semi-rural area where the housing is built from green metal sheets. When Amnesty International visited the site in April 2009, it was perceived by villagers in the vicinity as a center for people living with HIV/AIDS.
The affected families have expressed fears that they will face further discrimination and stigmatization because of their HIV status if forced to live in this separate, distinct enclave. Prejudice against these families may be exacerbated by their poverty and lack of job opportunities.
When evicted, the families were compensated with inadequate re-housing in Tuol Sambo and 50 kilograms of rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, water jars and 250 U.S. dollars from the Municipality of Phnom Penh and the Ministry of Tourism. Last Friday, they were coerced into the move and told that anyone who disagreed would not receive compensation.
“It's unacceptable that the authorities didn’t explore other alternatives before deciding to evict these 20 vulnerable families,” said Edman. “Tuol Sambo shouldn’t have been an option.”
Background
Borei Keila is a large poor urban community which the government designated as a social land concession for residential development in 2003. The Borei Keila concession was intended to be a land-sharing arrangement between a private developer, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and residents. The agreement gave the developer 2.6 hectares of land for commercial development, in exchange for constructing new housing for the original residents on two hectares of the land. The remainder, consisting of 10 hectares, was to be returned to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.
In March 2007, the Municipality of Phnom Penh resettled the families who lived in Borei Keila against their will and reportedly with force, in temporary shelters built mostly out of corrugated metal sheets. The authorities told them that they would stay there for a few months only, to pave way for the construction of a number of residential multi-storey houses.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
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We are people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights. Our purpose is to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. We investigate and expose abuses, educate and mobilize the public, and help transform societies to create a safer, more just world.
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