Human rights are key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals

by SALIL SHETTY

My husband broke my nose and hit me with timber over the back of my head. I went to the police to tell them to arrest him – they said they would do it but they didn’t." Margaret*, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea.

Sadly, Margaret’s story is all too familiar in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Across PNG, two thirds of women experience physical violence at the hands of their husbands. It is such a common occurrence that the women Amnesty International interviewed about domestic violence in the PNG Highlands were puzzled about why they were being asked about such an obvious fact. Outside the home the violence faced by women in PNG can be as extreme as ‘payback’ rape in connection with tribal fighting and murder for those accused of witchcraft.

Despite the horrific statistics and stories, the Government of PNG have done little to protect victims of gender-based violence. The lack of ineffective policing to prevent and investigate gender-based violence, or provide an effective remedy to victims, means violence against women goes largely unpunished.

Violence against women in PNG is reinforced by strongly held cultural biases and patriarchal and religious views, which all play a part in upholding the traditionally negative view of a women’s role in society. More often than not this translates into law, where women are discriminated against or simply ignored. What goes on behind closed doors is viewed as a private matter so police either choose to simply ignore cases, or worse still, in many cases they sexually assault women in their protection. Violence against women in PNG is not seen as an issue of gender equality or human rights.

Like the other members of the United Nations, the Government of PNG committed to improving gender equality as one of its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. The MDGs represent an unprecedented promise to address global poverty, adopting eight targets addressing a range of issues from extreme poverty and health to education and living standards to be met by 2015.

But, a decade on, the fate of the MDGs is in doubt. The UN has issued a clear warning that many of the MDGs will not be met in time unless efforts are radically ramped up. Even by the most conservative estimates, more than a billion people are being left behind.

Amnesty International’s work over the years has shown how discrimination and exclusion can often cause or exacerbate many of the problems the MDGs seek to address. In rich countries as well as developing ones, vulnerable people on the fringes of society are frequently subjected to violations of their right to adequate housing, health, water, sanitation, and education, among others. They are often left out of consultations about things that will affect them, or ignored when they try to make their voices heard. As Amnesty has also shown, equality and inclusion are essential for making things better.

Ten years on, it is worthwhile to reflect upon where we are and where we need to go to meet the MDG goals. The architects of the MDGs established the original targets as a starting point for progress. They always intended that states should set their own individual targets, adapted to their national contexts but within the MDG framework. This was left for states to do so voluntarily. Unfortunately, most countries have chosen not to act.

Some countries have adopted targets above the MDG level. For example, Latin American and the Caribbean countries have expanded their commitments on education to include secondary education. In Africa and South Asia, Kenya, South Africa and Sri Lanka adopted targets stronger than the MDGs for access to water and sanitation. Peru has taken steps towards addressing health barriers for poorer women and Nepal has explored improving maternal health care.

These countries have shown that it is possible to adapt the MDGs to address some of their most pressing needs and to bolster the rights of some of their most vulnerable people. The rest of the world should be working to do the same.

We have an opportunity to ensure that the political momentum around the MDGs can be used as a catalyst to bring about the far deeper and longer-term change that is necessary for people living in poverty.

But this can only be achieved if world leaders make a commitment at this month’s MDG Summit to uphold the human rights of those who need the greatest support. Discrimination against women and exclusion of the marginalised must be addressed in all MDG efforts, if they are to be effective.

To achieve this, all governments should make an honest assessment of their progress on the MDGs. They should work to end discrimination and promote equality and participation, ensuring that progress towards the MDGs is inclusive, aimed at ending discrimination, guaranteeing gender equality and prioritising the most disadvantaged groups.

Finally, they should remember that the Millennium Declaration – from which the MDGs are drawn – promised to strive for the protection and promotion of all human rights, civil, cultural, economic, social and political rights, for all.

As the members of the UN gather this month to reflect upon the progress made on the MDGs, little has changed for the women in Papua New Guinea. There is still no law specifically against domestic violence. Police themselves are often part of the problem: telling victims that domestic violence is simply a “family issue”. And there is still no proper state funding for women’s shelters and emergency services, so it’s left to charities and churches to help women fleeing violence. For the women of PNG there is still little help, and little hope that things will improve anytime soon. It is up to us to help change that.

Salil Shetty is the Secretary General of Amnesty International