State Dept Plagiarizes Itself:'07, '08, '09 Gay Jamaica Reports
Let's talk cut-and-paste human rights accountability from the State Department under President Obama, and the annual country reports. While this year's survey of gay and HIV/AIDS related citations and abuses is probably the largest ever, it's maddening to see that the report for Jamaica and its serious violations against gay people, is not nearly as reflective of what happened in 2009 as it ought to be.
As this blog has well documented, as have so many other gay blogs and news outlets, 2009 was another year of hostilities and violence for gay Jamaicans, and the only significant difference in the latest Jamaica report over last year's is that it mentions the murder of a white non-Jamaican, the British honorary consul John Terry.
I certainly don't intend to belittle that citation, but there was plenty of new violence and troubles for native, black Jamaicans, and the annual human rights report from the U.S. State Department has done a piss-poor job of accurately informing Congress and the American public about the continuing anti-gay violations.
Questions must be raised as to why Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton think it is acceptable to cut-and-paste Jamaica's annual gay human rights record, with marginally changes. We've got to advocate for reality of the previous year to be truly reflected in the annual surveys. This current approach is a real disservice to America's commitment to protect the human rights guarantees of gays around the world.
Let's put more of the evolving truth into the reports. Here's another idea for State to implement. Inform us of what embassy personnel did about the anti-gay abuses. Just stop with the cutting-and-pasting.
From the annual reports:
J-FLAG
The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals, and Gays (J-FLAG) continued to report human rights abuses, including police harassment, arbitrary detention, mob attacks, stabbings, harassment of homosexual patients by hospital and prison staff, and targeted shootings of homosexuals. Police often did not investigate such incidents.
The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals, and Gays (J-FLAG) continued to report human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, mob attacks, stabbings, harassment of homosexual patients by hospital and prison staff, and targeted shootings of homosexuals. Police often did not investigate such incidents.
2009The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals, and Gays (J-FLAG) continued to report human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, mob attacks, stabbings, harassment of homosexual patients by hospital and prison staff, and targeted shootings of such persons. Police often did not investigate such incidents.
Steve Harvey Murder
Authorities postponed the trial of six suspects arrested for the 2005 robbery and murder of Lenford "Steve" Harvey, and it had not been held by year's end.
The trial of six suspects arrested for the 2005 robbery and murder of Lenford "Steve" Harvey, initially begun and then postponed in 2007, was scheduled to recommence in January 2009.
The trial of six suspects arrested for the 2005 robbery and murder of prominent gay rights advocate Lenford "Steve" Harvey, initially begun and then postponed in 2007, was scheduled to recommence on January 25, 2010.
Gay Prisoners
Male inmates deemed by prison wardens to be homosexual were held in a separate facility for their protection. The method used for determining their sexual orientation was subjective and not regulated by the prison system, although inmates were said to confirm their homosexuality for their own safety. There were numerous reports of violence against homosexual inmates, perpetrated by the wardens and by other inmates, but few inmates sought recourse through the prison system.
Male inmates deemed by prison wardens to be homosexual were held in a separate facility for their protection. The method used for determining their sexual orientation was subjective and not regulated by the prison system, although inmates were said to confirm their homosexuality for their own safety. There were numerous reports of violence against homosexual inmates, perpetrated by the wardens and by other inmates, but few inmates sought recourse through the prison system.
Male inmates deemed by prison wardens to be gay were held in a separate facility for their protection. The method used for determining their sexual orientation was subjective and not regulated by the prison system, although inmates were said to confirm their homosexuality for their own safety. There were numerous reports of violence against gay inmates, perpetrated by the wardens and by other inmates, but few inmates sought recourse through the prison system.
People With HIV/AIDS
No laws protect persons living with HIV/AIDS from discrimination. Human rights NGOs reported severe stigma and discrimination against this group. The ILO worked with the Ministry of Labor on a program to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS in the workplace and to assist employers in designing policies for workers with HIV/AIDS. Although health care facilities were prepared to handle patients with HIV/AIDS, health care workers often neglected such patients.
No laws protect persons living with HIV/AIDS from discrimination. Human rights NGOs reported severe stigma and discrimination against this group. The ILO worked with the Ministry of Labor on a program to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS in the workplace and to assist employers in designing policies for workers with HIV/AIDS. Although health care facilities were prepared to handle patients with HIV/AIDS, health care workers often neglected such patients.
No laws protect persons living with HIV/AIDS from discrimination. Human rights NGOs reported severe stigma and discrimination against this group. The ILO worked with the Ministry of Labor on a program to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS in the workplace and to assist employers in designing policies for workers with HIV/AIDS. Although health care facilities were prepared to handle patients with HIV/AIDS, health care workers often neglected such patients.
I think you're misunderstanding the nature of these worldwide annual reports (which come out on a range of mostly congressionally mandated topics - human rights, religious freedom, trafficking in persons, etc.). They are not "reporting" in the journalistic sense, nor are they meant to be (embassies have neither the staff nor the latitude to carry out field work or even to do extensive secondary research).
ReplyDeleteInstead, they are markers of progress (or, as here, its lack), laid out according to a fairly rigid formula that embassy officers are strongly discouraged from altering. So if they are the same from year to year, its that the official issues being covered - laws, official practices, etc. - haven't changed significantly.