Today in Casualties of the Recession: Human Rights

The Amnesty International annual report that came out today has some sobering revelations about those bearing the brunt of the global recession. That's why NEWSWEEK'S Rebecca Shabad flipped through it and chatted with Amnesty's Secretary General about her findings. Here's a briefing:

Just when you think we might've acquainted ourselves with the bleakest aspects of the recession, Amnesty International is right there to get your palms sweaty again. The group says human rights are going by the wayside these days, as the global economic crisis exacerbates preexisting problems and creates a whole new set of its own. Unsurprisingly, it's all hitting hardest in poverty-stricken places that have long been vulnerable to shifting economic winds--mostly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America--as drops in investment and aid have tipped them over the edge into instability.

Human rights violations have been largely ignored for years--the only surprise/news in the report are two words: "worse" and "recession." But that has serious implications. For one, it's aggravated existing problems among refugee and migrant populations, which are coming up against more and more closed doors. As people struggle to meet basic needs and take to the streets to protest, they find they're subject to the same treatment long afforded to political protesters (needless to say, it's not pleasant). In Tunisia, for example, food protests last year left 2 dead and 600 injured. At the same time, as governments are focusing the bulk of their energies on financial problem they're paying less attention to classic problems: violence against women, torture, and violations in the criminal justice system.

Amid all the misery and destruction, at the heart of the report is a basic argument: open markets haven’t been nearly as reliable a path to open societies as supporters had predicted. Irene Khan, Amnesty's Secretary General, cites China and Russia as prime examples of the false promise. “The tendency for governments has been to see poverty as a financial issue, so they invest in the economy and invest in markets. The idea is, if the economy grows then human rights will be taken care of,” she says. “What we’re saying is, actually, if you look more carefully at these situations, if you look at the problems of indigenous people in Latin America or the problems of migrant workers in China or the people who are evicted from slums in India; it’s not economic growth that's the only issue. Financial investment is important, but alongside that, there has to be investment in freedom.”