Article on Angop, Cunene, 9 December 2022
Ondjiva - The deputy coordinator of the Human Rights Committee in Cunene province, Sara Tulikeni, called this Friday for people to denounce violations of human rights. Speaking to ANGOP about the International Day for the Defence of Human Rights, she said that denouncements are the best way to end impunity.
She explained that during the current year the committee registered only five cases of denunciation, of which two were homicides, two suspicions of human trafficking and one of physical aggression. She clarified that the homicides were committed by relatives of the victims, while the trafficking involved 24 young people transported from Cuvelai supposedly to work in a quarry and sawmill in Luanda, and a further 23 young people trafficked to Namibia. She said that thanks to the denunciations, the defence and security forces were able to carry out a rapid intervention.
She explained that the number of complaints does not reflect the cases of violations practiced in the region. “Many of the cases do not reach us and when we do hear about them, it is already too late, but for those that do reach us, we have been working with the relevant bodies to be able to hold the perpetrators accountable.” she said.
She admitted that many citizens do not know about the existence of this institution, which is why they are working on its promotion and dissemination. “The committee was created recently and more education and awareness actions are required in the communities, so that people develop the habit of reporting cases of violation. She said that the region has a provincial committee and six municipal committees, intending to take over the communal committees by 2023.
Students at ADPP Cunene Teaching Training School in Oifidi learned about the dignity of the human being, according to the universal declaration of human rights. The opening talk on the day to mark the 74th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights was aimed at raising awareness among the students about the need for prevention, safeguarding and promoting human rights. Speaker Neto Braga Tchipungo said that the action was aimed at promoting human rights, so that students have a body of knowledge on the subject. “The objective is to explain the basic notions of what a human being is, as a member of society and that in the event of violations they do not remain silent but help communities to denounce these practices. In the same vein, staff from the municipal command of the National Police of Cuanhama addressed aspects of “the right to affiliation as human rights.”.
The program also included a consultation visit to the inmates of the Peu Peu prison and a radio debate on the right to image and presumption of innocence.
International Human Rights Day was established by the United Nations on December 4, 1950, in order to celebrate the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on December 10, 1948.
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