Blog 7 Post

This week my blog takes me to Mali in West Africa where the United Nations has reported that extremists who are imposing Islamic law are abusing as well as taking away human rights. It’s reported that these Islamic extremists were abusing women and children in order to recruit soldiers, especially children soldiers to help then in their attempts to continue on with their views. One of the acts that these extremists have been committing, as reported by United Nation Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic, is the quoted “buying of loyalty”. These members are abolishing taxes and paying for fighters and wives. They are trying to build trust by taking away taxes, but at the same time turning around and buying people in a country where the general population lives on about a $1.25 a day. It is also reported that they have allied themselves with al Qaeda to make their way through Mali.

These extremists have also committed other human rights issues by taking control of women and children, and even having instances of rapes and capturing’s. Simonovic was quoted by saying, “During the first phase we had violations that were related to rebels taking control, they included summary execution of the captured soldiers, instances of lootings, of rapes”. He also goes on to say, “"However, what is new now is that human rights violations are becoming more systematic, relating to the takeover of the radical Islamists," he said. "They have now imposed an extremist version of sharia, so the population is suffering a number of human rights violations, particularly targeted at women."

On a recent trip to Mali, Simonovic made claims that the extremists were banning smoking, music, having women covered, and restricting their ability to work. In addition to those issues, it goes as far as these extremists forcing women into marriage by putting costs on them – up to a $1,000 – and pricing child soldiers at around $600.

With all of these issues arising issues, one of the major problems is the question of human rights. The United Nations is trying to attempt to get the situation under control, but so far not a lot has developed in the area. To me, I am completely blown away that a group of people can simply come into a country and strip women and children of their rights. The major question in this case in not only what has to be done, but what can be done? 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/us-mali-crisis-un-idUSBRE8991OI20121010