Candlelight vigil for victims of Domestic Violence on Human Rights Day

This picture is from last Thursday's (10 December) vigil held outside East Ham town hall.

The vigil was held to coincide with Human Rights Day and the end of the United Nation’s 16 Days of Action which aimed to raise awareness of violence against women.

The Newham Council lead on domestic and family violence, Executive member Councillor Lakmini Shah, gave a very moving speech about how she had come across a man punching and kicking a women holding a baby in the street and she had to call upon some male bystanders to stop him. She was then able to call the Police and make sure that the women had medical aid and legal advice. The "man" was already in breach of an injunction not to approach the women and is now thankfully in prison (where he belongs).

Over a 100 Newham residents, women, men and children had gathered for a quiet, dignified and peaceful protest at these hideous crimes.

Newham has the 2nd highest rates of reported domestic violence in London and since 2011 there has been at least 6 murders, the highest in London. This last figure makes it clear that Newham DV "problem" is not just down to better reporting and is something that we need to be ashamed of, prioritise and tackle.

Check out here the excellent Scrunity Report on Domestic Violence in Newham.

International Human Rights Day

"The UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day in 1950, to bring to the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.

This year’s slogan, Human Rights 365, encompasses the idea that every day is Human Rights Day.

It celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights, that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values".

The Ten Principles

The UN Global Compact's ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• The International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
• The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
• The United Nations Convention Against Corruption

The UN Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption:

Human Rights

• Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
• Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.  

Labour

• Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
• Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
• Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
• Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. 
   

Environment

• Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
• Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
• Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.   

Anti-Corruption

• Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.