Freedom of the press
The constitution provides for freedom of expression, including freedom of the press. Whilst there are no formal restrictions on the press, actions undertaken by the government and non-government actors overrule the ability that of the independent media to continue their work. [1]
Journalists, of those within the industry, have continuously reported intimidation by government and nongovernmental actors. Media outlets in Suriname have now begun intermittently running articles with only the Initials of the journalists, as opposed to their full names. [1] Some have been chosen to leave pieces anonymous to protect the integrity and identity of the writers. Journalists in Suriname are generally provided a minimal to low wage, making them vulnerable to bias and influence, further jeopardising the credibility of reporting.
On the other hand, the government's media office and those in the private sector, tend to hire private journalists removed from independent media outlets and offer them higher wages. [4] This practice creates difficulty for independent media outlets to retain qualified staff and impede upon their ability to report adequately on governmental activities.
Children's rights
Birth registration
The Civil Registry requires all births to be registered within one week. Failure of registration within the mandated period results in more length process of registration. Offspring are permitted citizenship if at least of the birth parents falls under the Suriname "Citizenship and Residency Law". [4]
Child abuse
In 2017, police registered 35 counts of physical abuse and 212 cases of child sexual abuse, and in 2018, 47 and 256 cases respectfully. [6] Experts believe in actuality that the actual number of abuse cases are significantly higher than that reported. Official arrangements allowing victims to testify in special chambers at legal proceedings has been implemented to avoid intimidation by perpetrators. [4] The Suriname government authorities operate a phone hotline for children requiring confidential advice and aid, servicing an average of to 80 calls daily.
The Suriname Youth Affairs Office actively promotes the awareness of sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol through a weekly television program. [4] The Ministry of Justice and Police operate three child protection centers around the country.
Child labour
Some forms of child labour are still legal and practiced throughout Suriname. Historically, child labour occurred in agriculture, logging, fisheries, mining and the construction industries, as well as street vending. [7] The legal minimum age for most types of employment was 14, and working hours for minors under 14 are restricted to day shifts only, and only under family-owned businesses, small-scale agriculture or special vocational work. [4] Children under the age of 15 were not permitted to work on boats. Children under the age of 18 are by law prohibited to partake in hazardous work; defined as work that can be endangering to life, health and decency. [4]
In 2018, the Suriname government made advancements to alleviate practices of child labour through International Labour Organisation Convention 138 concerning the minimum age for admission to employment; raising the minimum age of work to 16. Laws and regulations surrounding child labour in Suriname are yet to meet international standards. With Article 20 of the Law on Basic Education requiring children to attend school until they are at least 12 not meeting the minimum age for employment of 16, many children are left vulnerable to labour exploitation. [8] A 2017 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report on Surinamese Children's work and education showed that 6.4% (approximately 6,671) of children aged 5 to 14 worked, with 6.6% of children aged 7 to 14 combining both work and school. Suriname's net attendance ratio for primary school showed 96% and secondary school showing 53%. [8]
Women's rights
The law provides for protection of women's rights to equal access to education, employment and property. [1] In July 2014, Suriname's National Assembly passed the Draft Law on Nationality and Residency, amending law number 4, giving women the same right as men to confer their nationality to their spouses and introduces important safeguards to prevent statelessness due to loss of nationality. [3] In August 2018, the National Assembly passed labour legislation protecting pregnant women from being fired. [7] Nonetheless, women still continuously experience discrimination in various facets, including access and consideration in employment, and in rates of pay for equal or like-for-like work.
Rape and domestic violence
The law criminalises the rape of men and women, inclusive of spousal rape, and prescribes penalties for rape or forcible sexual assault between 12 and 15 years imprisonment and fines up to 100,000 Surinamese dollars (SRD). [9] Actions of domestic violence can impose sentences of 4 to 8 years by law. Currently, violence against women remains a very serious and prevalent issue in Suriname, with police receiving over 513 reports of sexual abuse in 2018 and 102 cases of domestic abuse. [10]
The Victim Assistance Bureau of the Ministry of Justice and Police provide resources for victims of domestic violence and continue to raise awareness about domestic violence through public television programs. [7] Police units are professionally trained by authorities to assist in cases of sexual and domestic crimes, for both victim and perpetrator. [1] Shelters for victims and survivors of domestic violence are offered by The Victim Assistance Bureau, and manage on average 40 clientele a year. [9] The Office for Gender Affairs of the Ministry of Home Affairs launched an awareness campaign in May 2018 against domestic violence nationwide. [9]
Sexual harassment
There is currently no specific legislation on sexual harassment, however, prosecutors have cited various penal code articles in filing sexual harassment cases. [9] There are no reported court cases involving sexual harassment in the workplace.
Sexual exploitation
The commercial sexual exploitation of children, the sale of children, child prostitution and practices related to child pornography is prohibited under Suriname law. The legal age of sexual consent is 14. Trafficking- inpersons legislation holds the sexual exploitation of a persons younger than 18 illegal. Suriname criminal law penalises persons responsible for the offering or procurement of child prostitution, with fines of up to SRD 100,000 and up to six years imprisonment. [1] Criminal Law prohibits child pornography, carrying fines up to SRD 50,000 and up to six years imprisonment. [6]
Indigenous and tribal rights
Suriname is the only country in the Americas that has not yet legally recognised the collective rights of the indigenous and tribal peoples to the lands and resources they actually occupy. [2] The individual indigenous and tribes and the Maroon tribes, who are of African descent, are recognised by the Suriname government, but hold no separate status under national law, and no effective demarcation of their land. [11]
Maroons are tribal people in Suriname who are descendants of African slaves. They were brought to Suriname mainly in the 1600s and later fled the slave plantations and established independent communities in the interior where they now live in conditions comparable to indigenous tribes. [12] Maroons participate in regional governing bodies, as well as in the National Assembly, and were part of governing coalitions. [13]
Many Amerindians and Maroons live in rural and under-developed areas with minimal and restricted access to education, employment, and medical and social services. [13] The groups participate in decisions affecting their tradition and culture, however are permitted limited influence over the decisions impacting the exploitation of energy, Minerals, timber and other natural resources on their traditional lands. [13] Thus, these populations continue to face problems regarding illegal and uncontrolled logging and mining. No laws grant the communities the right to share in the profit created from the exploitation of resources on their land. [11]
Human rights in Brazil include the right to life and freedom of speech; and condemnation of slavery and torture. The nation ratified the American Convention on Human Rights. The 2017 Freedom in the World report by Freedom House gives Brazil a score of "2" for both political rights and civil liberties; "1" represents the most free, and "7", the least.
Japan is a constitutional monarchy. The Human Rights Scores Dataverse ranked Japan somewhere the middle among G7 countries on its human rights performance, below Germany and Canada and above the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and the United States. The Fragile States Index ranked Japan second last in the G7 after the United States on its "Human Rights and Rule of Law" sub-indicator.
The protection of basic human rights is enshrined in Constitution of Malaysia. These include liberty of the person and prohibition of slavery and forced labour. At the national level, legislative measures that exist to prevent human rights violations and abuses can be found in acts and laws on issues that either have a human rights component or relate to certain groups of society whose rights may be at risk of being violated. Human rights groups are generally critical of the Malaysian government and the Royal Malaysia Police. Preventive detention laws such as the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance 1969 allow for detention without trial or charge and as such are a source of concern for human rights organizations like Suara Rakyat Malaysia.
Bolivia's constitution and laws technically guarantee a wide range of human rights, but in practice these rights very often fail to be respected and enforced. “The result of perpetual rights violations by the Bolivian government against its people,” according to the Foundation for Sustainable Development, “has fueled a palpable sense of desperation and anger throughout the country.”
According to the U.S. Department of State's annual report on human rights in Mali for 2003, Mali's government generally respects the human rights of its citizens and observes relevant constitutional provisions and prohibitions.
Technically speaking, Paraguayan law prohibits discrimination on grounds of gender, race, language, disability, or social status, but there is nonetheless widespread discrimination.
Human rights are largely respected in Switzerland, one of Europe's oldest democracies. Switzerland is often at or near the top in international rankings of civil liberties and political rights observance. Switzerland places human rights at the core of the nation's value system, as represented in its Federal Constitution. As described in its FDFA's Foreign Policy Strategy 2016-2019, the promotion of peace, mutual respect, equality and non-discrimination are central to the country's foreign relations.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Suriname may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Suriname. Since 2015, hate speech and discrimination in employment and the provision of goods and services on the basis of sexual orientation has been banned in the country. Same-sex marriage and civil unions are not recognised by law. Nevertheless, Suriname is legally bound to the January 2018 Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling, which held that same-sex marriage is a human right protected by the American Convention on Human Rights.
Human Rights in Andorra are guaranteed under the Andorran constitution. The State Department considers Andorra to have few human rights concerns.
Human rights in Austria are generally respected by the government; however, there were problems in some areas. There were some reports of police abuse and use of unjustified force against prisoners. Antisemitic incidents, including physical attacks, name-calling, property damage, and threatening letters, telephone calls, and Internet postings occurred during the year. There was some governmental and societal discrimination against fathers, Muslims and members of unrecognized religious groups, particularly those considered "sects". There were incidents of neo-Nazi activity, rightwing extremism, and xenophobia. Trafficking in women and children for prostitution and labor also remained a problem.
The status and social roles of women in Mali have been formed by the complex interplay of a variety of traditions in ethnic communities, the rise and fall of the great Sahelien states, French colonial rule, independence, urbanisation, and postcolonial conflict and progress. Forming just less than half Mali's population, Malian women have sometimes been the center of matrilineal societies, but have always been crucial to the economic and social structure of this largely rural, agricultural society.
Human rights in Mauritania is generally seen as poor according to international observers, including Freedom House, the United States Department of State, and Amnesty International.
Human trafficking in Canada is prohibited by law, and is considered a criminal offence whether it occurs entirely within Canada or involves the "transporting of persons across Canadian borders. Public Safety Canada (PSC) defines human trafficking as "the recruitment, transportation, harbouring and/or exercising control, direction or influence over the movements of a person in order to exploit that person, typically through sexual exploitation or forced labour. It is often described as a modern form of slavery."
The human-rights situation in Benin is considered to be generally above average for sub-Saharan Africa.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Macau, a special administrative region of China, face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. While same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in 1996, same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples remain ineligible for some legal rights available to opposite-sex couples.
Eswatini, Africa's last remaining absolute monarchy, was rated by Freedom House from 1972 to 1992 as "Partly Free"; since 1993, it has been considered "Not Free". During these years the country's Freedom House rating for "Political Rights" has slipped from 4 to 7, and "Civil Liberties" from 2 to 5. Political parties have been banned in Eswatini since 1973. A 2011 Human Rights Watch report described the country as being "in the midst of a serious crisis of governance", noting that "[y]ears of extravagant expenditure by the royal family, fiscal indiscipline, and government corruption have left the country on the brink of economic disaster". In 2012, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) issued a sharp criticism of Eswatini's human-rights record, calling on the Swazi government to honor its commitments under international law in regards to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. HRW notes that owing to a 40% unemployment rate and low wages that oblige 80% of Swazis to live on less than US$2 a day, the government has been under "increasing pressure from civil society activists and trade unionists to implement economic reforms and open up the space for civil and political activism" and that dozens of arrests have taken place "during protests against the government's poor governance and human rights record".
Egypt is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor and forced prostitution.
Niue is a country in the South Pacific Ocean with an estimated population of 1,190. Since 1974, it has been self-governing in free association with New Zealand. Niue controls its own internal affairs, while New Zealand retains responsibility for its defence and external relations and is required to provide necessary economic and administrative assistance.
The Federated States of Micronesia is a United States Associated State consisting of 4 states across the Western Pacific Ocean. The estimated population in 2015 was 105,216. Formerly the FSM was a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) but in 1979 formed its own constitutional government. FSM has a written constitution which took effect in 1979 and has been amended only once in 1990. By virtue of membership in the United Nations, the FSM abides by the UN Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Key human rights concerns in FSM include judicial delays, government corruption, discrimination against women, domestic violence and child neglect.
Human rights in Norway protect the fundamental rights of all persons within the Kingdom of Norway. These rights are safeguarded by Chapter E of the Constitution of Norway or Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov, as well as the ratification of various international treaties facilitated by the United Nations. The country maintains a dedicated commitment to human rights and was the second country to ratify the European Convention on Human Rights.
