A Human Rights Training and Reporting Bill?
Could the new Congress vote to authorize the Department of Justice to conduct training sessions on human rights for all relevant federal agencies, in D.C. and throughout the U.S., and to give the Department of State funding to do what the U.S. agreed to do when it ratified four U.N. treaties?
MCLI is asking this question to really end racism in government under the Obama administration and to cause the U.S. to fulfill its duties under ratified treaties: Convention Against Torture, Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination, International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights, and International Labour Organization Convention on Elimination of Child Labour.
The Bill could authorize funding for the Civil Rights Division of DOJ to conduct training sessions for FBI agents, U.S. Marshals, and everyone in government needing such training so the Depression does not lead to worse discrimination by race and class.
The Bill could provide funding for DOS to:
- — publicize the treaty texts in all federal agencies
- — notify all state attorneys general to notify all relevant state, county, and city agencies
- — prepare and submit the required reports on time to the four U.N. committees: HRC, CERD, CAT, CRC, and ILO
- — respond to the Concluding Observations of each of the Committees fully and on time.
Eric Brenman, Secretary, Berkeley Peace & Justice Commission, says the City decision to make the required reports: "recognizes that human rights are high priority issues for City officials, civil servants, and City Commissions given the knowledge that factual and statistical reports are provided to support the U.S. reports to the [U.N. Committees] , to be reviewed in Geneva and New York."
* The International Committee of the National Lawyer's Guild strongly supports this bill.
* The Four Treaties Task Force of the Social Justice Center of Marin also supports this bill.