Sen. D. Lightbourn and Dr. Carolyn Gomes

Today is December 10th and people around the world are celebrating international Human Rights Day. In Jamaica, a number of non-government organization (NGO) leaders will mark the event with an outdoor radio broadcast on a popular program Independent Talk. For me, this is a very important day, and its commemoration with a radio broadcast is the beginning of a process of public education and awareness, which will definitely help Jamaicans to start the process of claiming their human rights.

Most importantly, Jamaica, which has a history of human rights breaches dating as far back as slavery, will need a comprehensive human rights education program in order to improve peoples’ capacity to claim their rights. This is a necessity at this time because there has never been a deliberate attempt after emancipation to educate the ex-slaves and their children about their newly gained rights. Without such, there will be persistent apathy of  a large number of Jamaicans towards the development of self, community, and country.

View of head table and audience at IACHR Conversation on HR

I attended an event, ‘A Conversation about the Inter-American System of Human Rights’, earlier this month and was pleasantly surprised by the level of interest and curiosity of Jamaicans about the issue. As a matter of fact, they raised a number of issues, which are indicative of their interest and need for more information and education about human rights and the human rights systems at the national, regional and international levels. The main human rights issues that were raised by the audience included:

1. The death penalty, which is currently being debated in Parliament, and which seems to favor its reinstatement
2. Police abuse, excess, and injustice towards people from poor communities
3. Marginalization of the Jamaican poor from national policy and legislative decisions
4. Systemic denial of the rights of the male child and his associated vulnerability to poor education and incarceration
5. Domestic violence and denial of rights of adult males in their homes
6. Absence of youth participation in national planning and development, even concerning them
7. Discrimination and prejudice against people with differences based on religion, disability, age, and sexual preferences.

The fact that Jamaicans insisted on raising these issues, sometimes against opposition, demonstrates that they are ready and yearning for information and education that will better prepare them to claim their rights. Sir Clare Roberts, IACHR Rapporteur for Jamaica, Peoples of African decent and Racism noted that, “the first protection of human rights by an individual is for him to first be aware of his human rights… There is a need to build the capacity of NGOs in Jamaica, so that they can respond to human rights issues.”

Sir Clare Roberts addresses the audience

With all this said, the arguments coming from IACHR and the Jamaican people, at this time, is that we need to ‘buckle down’ and be really serious about this business of human rights. We often times take it for granted because we are not members of marginalized and minority groups. The funny thing though is that we share a common world and the denial of one persons right affects us all.

Let’s imagine for a moment what life was like in the western hemisphere during the 1700s to 1800s–certainly the enslavement and dehumanization of one race of people in relation to another hurt both races. Both were deprived of the opportunity to learn skills that were essential for their survival. Further, we are left scarred with stigmas about the capacities and mannerism of the other. This holds us all back from progress, not just the individual being denied of his/her rights.

Today, I raise my glass to all the people (unrecognized and recognized) around  the world who keep fighting for human rights, equality and justice. I especially celebrate the achievement of Dr. Carolyn Gomes on being awarded the 2008 UN Human Rights Award for her contribution in the field in Jamaica. Her award is a symbol that serious work has started in our country.

Dr. Carolyn Gomes fields questions from the audience

We need to play our part to lobby Government to support the cause of justice and equality in all spheres of life in Jamaica–through policy, legislation, and available and accessible programming. At the individual level let’s increase our awareness and knowledge about human rights and change personal attitudes and behaviors which perpetuate stigma, discrimination, and low and negative expectations of people who are, prefer or dare to be different.

Let us send a message of one love, tolerance, and respect for all humanity!

It is real difficult for me not to throw personal experiences into this picture, especially because I am still a youth, which is quite the contrary to what my birth country, Jamaica, will recognize, as our youth age ends at 24 years. The National Youth Services (NYS), National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD), and other state agencies and ministries do not recognize me as youth, although I am at the regional level. This means that young people in the 25- 30 age cohort in Jamaica have been left out on a limb. We are not morally accepted as adults, and we are not legally recognized as youth. What a conundrum?

In Jamaica the overwhelming majority of those who are unemployed are youth, with employment trending upwards as you move from the youngest, 14 years, to the oldest youth age, 30 years. I must say that in my almost 11 years as a working youth I have not seen or experienced much changes.

Youth work often times limits and predisposes employees to: entry level positions and assistants posts; low remuneration compared to the actual responsibilities of youth and what they generally qualify for; reluctance of agency and organizational leaders to hire youth in leadership positions that they are qualified and experienced for; use of stigmatizing terms to refer to youth in employment, e.g. young Tom come and carry out the coffee; unequal pay and benefits compared to an adult in the same position with the same responsibilities and qualification; disproportional representation of youth in all levels of work and national leadership; and exploitation of youth time in promise for sustainability.

I attended the Commonwealth Youth Lecture (Jamaica) 2008 at the Courtleigh Auditorium on Thursday, October 9. The theme for the event was: “Youth Mainstreaming: The Key to National Development.” It was at this lecture that I encountered the term youth work in Dr. Fatiha Serour’s presentation. Its usage immediately struck a chord in my brain, and it was like giving voice to something that was once mute. On hearing the term, I reached to my friend next to me and said, “Youth work, I never knew that youth do a different kinda work from adults? ” It really woke me up!

Dr. Fatiha Serour

I immediately turned my eyes to the agenda in hand and the presenters who were sitting immediately before me–the most significant role was being played by an adult. While I respect Dr. Serour and found several valuable lessons from her lecture, I believe that she too has contributed to the marginalization of the youth–a key issue which she articulates in her presentation. Looking at the agenda from a youth work perspective, all roles, except that of the Lecture, were entry level and assistants posts–they were all played by youth: welcome, prayer, greetings, cultural item, introduction of speaker, and the vote of thanks. The young man who introduced Dr. Serour even introduced her as a youth–what a calamity?

When will young people wake up and see that they are marginalized in work because the adults refuse to make employment standardized and equally accessible and available despite age, creed, race, religion, etc. Can you imagine that in this day and age, Jamaica a western country, roughly 200 miles outside of the United States of America, does not have an equal employment opportunity Act? Further more, there is absolutely no nondiscriminatory clause to address issues of youth and religion in the Equal Work for Equal Pay Act. What an archaic state of affairs?

We, the youth, need to envision the day when we will be delivering the Commonwealth Youth Lecture, when we have eliminated the concept of youth work, and are able to stand in equality with adults in employment. If we fail to do this, we will fail to exist, as Dr. Serour said in her presentation, the face of poverty was once a woman’s, now it is the face of a Youth. Young people, get up and stand up for your rights!

Greetings, Minister of State

Cultural Item, Commonwealth Youth Lecture, Jamaica, 2008

Introduction of Speaker, Youth Ambassador

Vote of Thanks, Youth Ambassador