Take strong steps to end racial prejudice
Michelle Bachelet, head of the UN human rights, has called for concrete steps to end racially motivated violence and general prejudice against Africans and people of African descent.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in his report to the UN Human Rights Council, has made a number of recommendations to address the issue.
The report was made mandatory by the Human Rights Council a year ago following the death of George Floyd, a black American, in police custody in Manapolis, Minnesota.
Bachelet called the assassination of George Floyd a "significant case" and said it had drawn the world's attention to human rights abuses, which generally involve people of African descent or people of African descent, allegedly are kept.
The report paints a comprehensive picture of inequality, backwardness and lack of opportunities for people who are vulnerable, trapped in poverty and suffering from a system of social injustice.
The report focuses on fatalities by law enforcement. Bachelet says his office has received reports of at least 190 such incidents involving people of African descent. He said 98% of the cases occurred in Europe, Latin America and North America.
He also said that in all these cases, there was a striking resemblance to the failure to provide justice.
He said three aspects of police-related killings, including police action on juvenile delinquency, stopping and searching in traffic, and first aid to law enforcement officials in mental health issues. Interventions as arrivals for and operations linked to drug trafficking groups include operations by special police forces. In addition, police officers are rarely held accountable for human rights abuses and crimes against people of African descent.
The death of George Floyd is an exceptional case as police officer Derek Shawn, in whose custody Floyd died, was arrested after watching a video made from the cell phones of citizens present at the scene and millions of people watched.
Racial abuses are so rampant that, according to Michelle Bachelet, there is an urgent need to combat traditional slavery prejudices and ensure justice for the people.
His recommendations include recognizing the structure of general prejudice on the basis of race, in order to bring about changes in the system. This includes holding law enforcement officials accountable for their crimes, guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly in demonstrations against racism, and taking steps to compensate victims of racism.
