Human Rights Day: A mark in IFLMS-SCORP

By Thatyana Ernani (Brazil). Translations: Portuguese.

Human Rights Day was remarkable in the still recent SCORP history within IFLMS. SCORP activities, up until now, were limited to the local committee from Faculdade de Medicina de Marília – FAMEMA. In this special SCORP date, however, two other local committees, from Universidade Federal do Ceará – UFC and Universidade Federal de Pernambuco – UPE, also celebrated Human Rights Day.

UFC, in partnership with the Associação Comunitária de Ajuda Mútua do Pirambu – ACAMP, visited the slum quarter of Pirambu, one of the largest in Latin America. On Saturday, the 9th, along with the social photographer Robson Oliveira, the students met and photographed everyday scenes of the slum quarter. The scenes were shocking: kids playing in big, open air garbage disposals, a group of youths bathing in an extremely dirty beach, and so on. Along their walk, students from UFC talked to the inhabitants – and only by getting some attention, they were already very happy.

On Sunday, the 10th, in ACAMP’s centre, the students had feijoada (a typical Brazilian dish with black beans and pork) for lunch. They had their meal with representatives from the Central Única de Favelas (CUFA), from the Movimento dos Sem-Terra (MST), and from the local community. Ana Débora Uchoa Soares, one of the students from UFC, described the rest of the day as the following:

"After that, there was a brief meeting, in which we showed the movie with the photos presentation, and discussed the subject! This part was really good! Listening to DIFFERENT opinions from DIFFERENT groups is a very enriching experience! Then came the time for games! Basketball in the square, volleyball on the beach! And of course, members of IFLMS were playing! The whole evening was about recreation, hip hop (yes, that’s it… we even had hip hop with the bros and the gals ;)), and an available microphone for whoever wanted to ask for something! The night was the most beautiful moment… We put up a white blanket on a barrack in the square, and projected on it the images of the previous day. Do you know what it feels like to see the children’s eyes shining as they see their photos projected so that everyone could see them?"

The inhabitants were very happy with the visit from UFC’ students, they thanked them a lot, and the movie that was made has already been sent to Fortaleza’s mayor, demanding action to be taken in Pirambu’s area. And of course, the students were even more motivated to continue with SCORP’s activities in their local committee!

In UPE, the campaign took place only on the 10th, just like in Marília, with FAMEMA. As the majority of the students was already on vacations, the activities were a lot simpler – but not less significant!

In the court of the cultural space of UPE, copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were distributed while a LORP, Diego, sang and played song related to human rights and peace.

IFMSA-SCORP… I wish one day I can say that these two committees that opened its doors to SCORP have motivated another two committees, and these two, another two, and so on, till every local committee from IFLMS has a very active SCORP!

Dia dos direitos humanos: Um marco no SCORP-IFLMS

By Thatyana Ernani (Brazil). Translations: English.

O Dia dos Direitos Humanos foi marcante na história ainda recente do SCORP – IFLMS. As atividades do SCORP, até então, estavam limitadas ao comitê local da Faculdade de Medicina de Marília – FAMEMA. Nesta data especial para o SCORP, entretanto, outros dois comitês locais, da Universidade Federal do Ceará – UFC e Universidade Federal de Pernambuco – UPE, também comemoraram o Dia dos Direitos Humanos.

A UFC, em parceria com a Associação Comunitária de Ajuda Mútua do Pirambu – ACAMP, visitou a favela de Pirambu, uma das maiores da América Latina. No sábado, dia 9, junto com o fotógrafo social Robson Oliveira, os alunos conheceram e fotografaram cenas cotidianas da favela. As cenas foram chocantes: crianças brincando em lixões, um grupo de jovens tomando banho numa praia imunda e assim por diante. Ao longo da caminhada, os alunos da UFC conversavam com os moderadores – e só destes receberem atenção, ficavam muito contentes.

No domingo, dia 10, na sede da ACAMP, os alunos almoçaram feijoada com representantes da Central Única das Favelas – CUFA, do Movimento dos Sem-Terra – MST e com membros da comunidade. Ana Débora Uchoa Soares, participante da UFC, descreveu o restante do dia assim:

“Depois houve uma breve reunião, onde mostramos o filme com a apresentação das fotos e discussão do assunto! Essa parte foi muito boa! Ouvir opiniões DIFERENTES de grupos DIFERENTES é uma experiência engrandecedora! Daí veio a hora dos jogos! Basquete na pracinha, vôlei na praia! E é claro os membros da IF jogando! Foi a tarde inteira de recreação, hip hop (isso msm.. teve até hip hop com os mano e as mina;)) e microfone aberto pra quem quisesse reivindicar algo! A noite houve o momento mais lindo... Colocamos pendurado num barraco na pracinha um lençol branco e projetamos as imagens feitas no dia anterior. Sabem o que é ver o olhinho das crianças brilhando vendo a foto delas sendo projetadas para todos verem?”

Os moradores ficaram muito felizes com a visita dos alunos da UFC, agradeceram bastante e o filme que foi gravado já foi enviado para a prefeitura de Fortaleza, exigindo ações na área de Pirambu. E claro, os alunos ficaram ainda mais motivados para continuar com atividades do SCORP no comitê deles!!!

Na UPE, a campanha aconteceu apenas no dia 10, assim como na FAMEMA. Como a maioria dos alunos de lá já estava de férias, as atividades foram mais simples – mas nem por isso menos significativas!

No pátio do espaço cultural da UPE, foram distribuídas cópias da Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos, enquanto um LORP, o Diego, cantou e tocou músicas relacionadas aos direitos humanos e paz.

SCORP-IFMSA... Espero um dia poder dizer que destes dois outros comitês que abriram o SCORP, mais outros dois da IFLMS sintam-se motivados, e que cada um desses motive mais dois, e assim sucessivamente, até que todos os comitês locais da IFLMS tenham um SCORP muito ativo!

Derechos para todos los días

By Thatyana Ernani (Brazil). Translations: English, Portuguese.
Traducido al castellano por Hsiu-Lin Ausón (Ecuador).

Hoy, cuando pensé en escribir sobre derechos humanos, lo primero que se me vino a la mente fue decir cómo ellos están presentes en mi vida diaria. Como estudiante de un curso PBL (Aprendizaje por resolución de problemas), tengo más libertad de discutir y cuestionar lo que quiero con mis amigos en los casos de estudio que recibimos.

Ahora, al final del año, ha habido muchas discusiones sobre derechos humanos y salud. En un caso de estudio, fuimos guiados a verificar si había alguna ley en Brasil que proteja a los trabajadores juveniles. Leímos el Estatuto de los niños y adolescentes, y vimos cuáles son las leyes especiales y derechos que ellos tienen.

En otro caso, más polémico, estudiamos las interrogantes éticas y legales con respecto al aborto. En Brasil, el aborto legal ocurre en dos situaciones: 1) cuando la vida de la embarazada corre peligro y 2) cuando la embarazada ha sido violada. Luego surgió una pregunta: de acuerdo a nuestro código médico de ética, un doctor no puede ser forzado a realizar un procedimiento con el que no está de acuerdo. Por otro lado, nuestra constitución especifica que un doctor no puede negar tratamiento a un paciente. Qué pasa entonces? Cuál documento tiene mayor importancia?

Otra pregunta que siguió fue qué es la vida. Si todos tienen derecho a la vida; desde qué punto de partida, o a qué edad es válida esta afirmación? Y la píldora del día después, ya que éstas evitan la formación de la vida, va su utilización en contra de los derechos humanos? Y de quién, si ni siquiera se ha formado un embrión?

Mis colegas y yo hemos enfrentado muchas preguntas similares. Es por ello que no puedo estar de acuerdo cuando alguien dice que sólo las personas de las áreas sociales deben ocuparse de los derechos humanos y leyes. NO ES ASÍ!!!! Todos tenemos el deber de conocer y reclamar sobre derechos humanos –no sólo los nuestros- sino los de los demás. Están ahí para protegernos! Como estudiante de medicina, este es el instrumento más poderoso que podemos usar para ayudar a mejorar la calidad de vida y salud.

Esta es también la razón por la que la educación en derechos humanos es tan importante. Empieza por ti mismo/a. Conoces la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos? NO? Corre hacia lo correcto – infórmate.

Human Rights Issues in Mexico

By Carlos Gómez (Mexico).

Hello everyone, im gonna post an old article i write a few months ago and send it to the yahoogroups, is about some human rights issues happening in Mexico, is a little old so i didnt mention Oaxaca, but that's the theme for another article.

HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN MEXICO

Mexico has more than one hundred million habitants, it’s a country with a rich culture of thousands of years, we try to move on a globalizated world, with new technology, new discovers, a whole new way of thinking.

We are trying, but there is something that cannot let us move forward. A man can evolve only if he knows how to interact with others human beings. The intolerance, the discrimination don’t let us become a better country,

Honestly I don’t know where to start, every issue is important. The intrafamiliar violence is an issue that has been there like forever, this kind of violence is refer to all ways or situations of abuse or battered of any member of a family to another. The risk sectors of the family are the women, the children and the elderly people. There is a lot of causes, but the common cause may be the called “machismo”, ill explain the typical example of abuse, the father thinks he is the owner of the children and the wife, and so he believes he has the right to mistreat them. This is a vicious circle, the husband mistreat (in many possible ways) the wife, this can contain serious problems like alcoholism, then the wife tire of being abuse, discharge all her courage on the children, the children grows up thinking that is how life is, so he gets married and has children, and it goes on…

The education is the solution to this terrible problem, make stronger bonds between the members of the family. Actually the members of the families that suffer this problem can go the special agency of the government to solve the problem. A well know agency is the DIF (Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia - National System for the Integral Development of the Family), this agency gives social attendance to this people.

Also NGO’s gives this kind of attention, like the CNDH (Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos – National Commission of the Human Rights), who cares about all Human Rights, from Children Rights to Prisoners Rights.

Another issue in Mexico is the migration, the immigrants rights, both mexicans going to USA and other people coming to Mexico. These immigrants most of them illegal suffer a lot of injustice during their way to USA. People who gives “rides” to the north border abuse of these people stealing their money. And also the police who catch them steal and abuse them.

There is the INAMI (Instituto Nacional de Migración – National Institute of Migration) cares about the dignity and the rights of the immigrants.

A big issue is about the murders of women in Ciudad Juarez (in the north border with el Paso, Texas). It has been more than 10 years when in 1993 the police found a woman that was reported as “dissappear”, dead in a place near Ciudad Juarez. More than 400 women has been murder and more than 600 has dissappear. No one can tell who kills these women, and why, there has been people arrested but even then the murders dont stop. A civil association called “Nuestras hijas de regreso a casa A.C” (Our daughters returning home) was created by the mothers of all those girls that has been killed or kidnapped.

The violation of the human rights by the public security forces (police) is a common topic. Recent events like the one in the community called “San Salvador Atenco”, when more than 4000 cops made a violent operation to evacuate landlords in order to evacuate them to build an airport in the lands.

The problem of who is the owner of the lands, the people from the community or the government is very complex. More than 200 people were arrested.

After these people were liberated, they denounce acts of sexual agressions againts the women, and torture against the men by the police.

These are the main issues in Mexico that has been on the news for several months and years, but there are some more hidden, and i think is our duty to find them and denounce them.

Bibliography:

www.cndh.org.mx - National Comission of Human Rights
www.inami.gob.mx - National Institute of Migration
www.dif.gob.mx - Integral Development of the Family
www.mujeresdejuarez.org
www.violenciaintrafamiliar.org

The IFMSA Statement on Universal Children's Day

By Yelena Petrosyan (Armenia).

20 NOVEMBER 2006 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE

On the occasion of Universal Children's Day, the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) calls on the world to keep its commitment and act to reduce the mortality rate among children under five, by two thirds, as per the Millennium Development Goal number four. The IFMSA Standing Committee on Reproductive health including AIDS (SCORA) is dedicating the November issue of its newsletter to the prevention of child labor, child prostitution and the right to reproductive health education. In addition, many active members of IFMSA Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) are organizing child art exhibitions, which include refugee and local children’s paintings.

Every year, almost 10.5 million children die before their fifth birthday - that's 30,000 children each day. Most of these children live in developing countries and die from a disease or multiple illnesses that could be treated or prevented easily. Malnutrition contributes to over half of these deaths. Since the beginning of time children had not only been the symbol of prosperous future of mankind, but also the most vulnerable step in generation change. Even in modern society where human rights are well protected, we can still see many examples of children’s rights abuse.

Over the past few years, IFMSA has extensively focused on projects and activities regarding children, with special emphasis on refugees and illegal migrants. These projects have ranged from Christmas parties in refugee camps to basic health care, children’s art exhibitions and even god parenting. A large number of projects have been set up to raise awareness amongst school children regarding important issues such as conflict prevention, refugees and asylum seekers, and reproductive health. Being the voice of medical students worldwide, IFMSA and its members have always felt their responsibility in improving the life of the younger generation, regardless of their social status and country of origin.

IFMSA is one of the biggest student organizations in the world with over one million members in 92 countries worldwide. In official relations with the WHO since 1969, IFMSA is recognized as the international voice of medical students. Its activities include 7,000 medical student exchanges a year and a wealth of student-led projects which fall into four main fields of interest: medical education, public health, human rights and peace, and reproductive health including HIV/AIDS. All IFMSA activities have the ultimate motive of and preventing conflicts through friendship and increased global understanding.

On Behalf IFMSA Team of Officials 2006 – 2007