Human Rights Recommendations from Iraqi Youth

By John Lee.

The United Nations reports that, based on the conference held in Baghdad on 9th December, Iraqi youth recommend the following to the Iraqi Government:

Fair Trial

1. To establish an independent judicial board to investigate cases that were decided based on vague evidence and to ensure public re-trial.
2. To abolish the practice of arresting relatives of or people connected to a suspect.
3. To provide financial compensations to prisoners whose detention has been recognized as unjustified by a Court.
4. To halt corruption by enforcing the principle of accountability for judges and prisons officials and promote transparency and integrity among public officials.
5. To form a committee specialized in investigating cases of violence, both physical and psychological, against female and male prisoners and to prosecute the alleged perpetrators.

Minorities Rights

1. To draft and adopt a law aimed at fully protecting the rights of minorities.
2. To strengthen the respect for other cultures, including language, religion, and history, within the Iraqi education system.
3. To increase the quote for minority communities in the Council of Representatives or Provincial Councils to ensure their adequate representation and participation in public life.
4. To encourage members of minority communities who have left Iraq to return back to the homeland by developing measures to facilitate their integration.

Freedom of Expression

1. To regulate religious ceremonies for all communities in order not to affect the rights of the other communities and to closely work together regardless of race, color, and religious background.
2. To limit the use of power to prevent people from freely expressing their opinions.
3. To ensure the respect of the right to peaceful association and to uphold the right to freedom of expression and opinion in accordance with the Constitution.
4. To seek public support by organizing public consultation during relevant legislative drafting processes.
5. To stop religious manifestations and display of religious symbols inside all public institutions since institutions are made for the society while religion is for the individual.

The Right to Education

1. To work on the elimination of illiteracy among Iraqi and to implement the law establishing compulsory education, and to create proper environment for education especially in villages and rural areas.
2. To increase the skills of teachers by providing them with training on moderns techniques of teaching.
3. To allocate funds and promote extra-curricular activities and to support the establishment of libraries and scientific laboratories in any educational facility.

Heath and Environment

1. To provide health care centers in schools and educational centers in order to provide medical care, treatment, awareness and health education and to provide these centers with first aid equipment.
2. To build and develop hospitals and health centers, provide them with modern medical equipment especially in villages and rural areas, and improve the skills of medical staff by conducting scientific training courses and using modern equipment.
3. To promote the creation of a healthy environment in Iraq by providing adequate waste containers and impose penalty for those who will continue to pollute the environment.
4. To develop green areas within cities and support the youth advocacy by providing the required tools.

(Source: UN)

(UN image via Shutterstock)