The topic of human rights in Asia is one that encompasses an immense number of states, international governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. All these institutions contribute a variety of services and perspectives towards human rights, covering topics including the enforcement, monitoring, and criticisms of human rights in Asia. There is no single body that covers all of human rights in Asia, as such a diverse and widespread region requires a number of institutions to properly monitor the multitude of elements that fall under the scope of human rights. There have historically been numerous criticisms of human rights in Asia, but a variety of new treaties and conventions now strive to accomplish a level of
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
as they are known on the international stage.
Human rights in Asia are monitored by many organizations (both governmental and non-governmental), a few examples being the
ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was inaugurated in October 2009 as a consultative body of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The human rights commission exists to promote and protect human rights, and ...
(AICHR) and
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
. Tolerance of these organizations varies from state to state, with voluntary intergovernmental programs (i.e. ASEAN) often seeing more state-cooperation than neutral non-governmental organizations would typically receive.
The number of criticisms towards Asian states has dramatically increased in recent decades, with many human rights advocates calling for increased transparency and greater international pressure upon Asian states to refrain from any human rights infractions. Aforementioned calls for international pressure have gone unanswered, however, as most of the international community finds it increasingly difficult to challenge the actions of the growing Asian powers: particularly China. While states have put forward somewhat muted complaints in recent years, non-governmental organizations continue to 'name and shame' states that have shown themselves to be guilty of human rights infractions.
History of human rights in Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
has historically not adopted the same definition of human rights that could be found in Western European or North American countries. The first sign of human rights recognition came in the form of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...
(UDHR) put forward by the United Nations. This declaration, however, was not binding and therefore not enforced. The UDHR had only 51 states worldwide ratify its existence (those who were members of the United Nations); many of the Southeast Asian countries had not yet acquired membership. This primarily Western-based notion of human rights had by no means permeated Southeast Asia; instead, the ideological opposite of human rights was true: there were no expectations of equal treatment based upon socioeconomic, cultural, religious, etc. status.
The
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, the first nation in Asia to form a republic, experienced a long struggle for instituting democratic ideals. In the 1970s, it contested the
Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship, which was eventually ousted through a bloodless
People Power Revolution
The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
in 1986.
[.] Numerous human rights victims suffered under the administration, and in 1983, one of the first Southeast Asian organizations called the Regional Council on Human Rights in Asia formalized the first regional declaration on human rights called the ''Declaration of the Basic Duties of
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
Peoples and Governments''. The nongovernment organization was composed of established Southeast Asian human rights lawyers led by the father of Philippine human rights
Sen. Jose W. Diokno, who was the founder of the largest human rights law firm called the
Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG). The declaration was signed on December 9, 1983, in Manila. In the 21st century, the nation faces a
war on drugs
The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
under the 16th President
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
, who has threatened to declare martial law, similar to Ferdinand Marcos.
Time Person of the Year
Person of the Year (called Man of the Year or Woman of the Year until 1999) is an annual issue of the United States news magazine and website ''Time'' featuring a person, a group, an idea, or an object that "for better or for worse ... has ...
Maria Ressa
Maria Angelita Ressa (, born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in S ...
of
Rappler
Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripple") is a Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa along with a group of fellow Filipino journalists ...
was later charged with libel for her reports on the Duterte administration.
In
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, certain fundamental freedoms are still restricted such as the freedom of assembly. Meetings of any kind are still heavily regulated, requiring a police permit for gatherings of 1 individual or more. Public gatherings for any cause are further restricted by the Singapore government, with many events in recent history being shut down under the pretense of the 'Public Order Act'. Singapore also regularly rejects applications for police permits to gather for assemblies "directed towards a political end".
Singapore has retained and employed the death penalty numerous time throughout history, especially in drug related criminal cases. Executions often take place relatively quickly after conviction and almost never have any transparency. Singapore's LGBTQ community has seen heavy restrictions throughout history, such as the long-standing policy of criminalizing same-sex relations – a policy that remains in place today.
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
has a long history of committing numerous human rights infractions that have gone unpunished. Numerous members of the Indonesian security forces have been found responsible for human rights violations including rape, beatings, unlawful detention, etc. but have not be brought to justice. Indonesia's media, while officially deemed 'free press', suffers from intimidation tactics employed by powerful government or business figures. Numerous journalists have been jailed under supposed violations of various criminal and civil defamation laws.
Religious freedom has been an issue of Indonesia for numerous years, despite its constitution dictating complete religious freedom/tolerance. Legal restrictions upon any religion except the 6 sanctioned state religions have existed in Indonesia for decades and are not expected to be lifted any time soon.
Labor laws in Indonesia continue to be harsh, with hundreds of thousands of girls in Indonesia being subjected to involuntary labor. These children are often prohibited from leaving their places of employment and are often abused physically, psychologically, and sexually.
The
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
in early May 2020 urged the
Indonesian government
The term Government of Indonesia ( id, Pemerintah Indonesia) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and ju ...
to immediately release at least 70 Papuan and Moluccan activists. They were arrested during a peaceful protest against the government.
HRW
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ri ...
also requested the government to ensure
freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
in the eastern province of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
in line with the 2018 court ruling.
Central Asia
Human rights in Central Asia The situation of human rights in Central Asia varies little between the region's countries, but are often reported to be a cause of concern among many outsider observers, governmental and non-governmental. Some of the legacy of human rights in the r ...
have received less attention from media in recent years following the outbreak of conflict with Western powers than previous decades, but that is not to say that they are completely overlooked on the international stage by international governmental organizations or non-governmental organizations. Local interest in the adoption and upholding of human rights has also been relatively minimal, with proposed international governmental organizations (IGOs) such as the
Central Asian Union
The Central Asian Union (CAU), later called the Central Asian Economic Union, was an intergovernmental organisation for economic integration between the Central Asian post-Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan between 1994 ...
(CAU) choosing to focus on other issues such as security, economic development, and cultural permeation.
![Central_Asia_-_political_map_2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Central_Asia_-_political_map_2008.svg)
Central Asia has many human rights issues that plague the lives of its citizens. For example,
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
has compiled numerous reports with aims of drawing attention to the fact that
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
remains in a state of conflict, seeing citizen death tolls either stay high or slowly grow; general safety of citizens is an uncertainty in Afghanistan, with human rights violations including
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
, unlawful detainment, etc. by the government and other groups also going unchecked. These human rights violations have existed in Afghanistan throughout recent history and continue to exist today. Furthermore, numerous cases of sexual assault can be found throughout Afghanistan but often receive very little (if any) attention from the government; in fact, the opposite is true: the Afghan government often orders the performance of "virginity checks" upon women which essentially entails governmental sanctioned sexual assault or humiliation.
Looking specifically at
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
, Human Rights Watch reported very few improvements to human rights in 2017 within the state, with the government acknowledging issues such as torture as an issue but doing nothing proactive to combat them. Human rights violations such as torture are considered to be de facto interrogation tools and are likely employed by the government and its police forces. Authorities in Kyrgyzstan registered 199 complaints of torture in 2015, with only 34 cases actually ever being looked into.
Other questionable Kyrgyz actions have included the mid-June proposal of a foreign media blackout to avoid bad international coverage; these constitutional amendments were heavily condemned by both domestic and international journalists.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
is another Central Asian country that has had issues in recent history with human rights violations. Human Rights Watch condemned the Kazakhstan government for the detainment and jailing of peaceful protesters in 2016, with other violations such as restriction of movement and torture also being suspected following detention. Land claim protests are of particular prevalence as of late, with peaceful protests resulting in violent conflict between activists and government forces. The Kazakhstan government has justified said violent reactions by pointing to domestic laws striking freedom of association and assembly from their citizens' human rights, but said revocations of rights has been subjected to heavy criticism by the United Nations, European Union, and Human Rights Watch.
Other Central Asian countries share both similar situations regarding human rights violations and a lack of movement to rectify said violations.
South Asia
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – each state having varying degrees of effective human rights policies and/or goals. This region of Asia has seen some dramatic improvements regarding human rights in past years but still has room to improve, especially in human rights genres such as children's rights or women's rights. Some improvements in recent years have included a number of pacts and declarations to combat the world's highest children marriage rate in Bangladesh.
Numerous cases of stalking, sexual assault, and rape have persisted in Bangladesh in recent years and the number of cases reported have continued to increase annually. Sexual and gender orientation has taken strides forwards in Southern Asia recently, seeing the official recognition of a
third gender
Third gender is a concept in which individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither man nor woman. It is also a social category present in societies that recognize three or more genders. The term ''third'' is usually ...
for
Hijras come into effect; policy regarding this third gender, homosexual relationships, etc. has remained somewhat stagnant however, seeing relatively slow implementation of existing goals and the slowing of upcoming rules or regulations. Enforced or involuntary disappearances also continue to be an issue in Southern Asia, with United Nations requests for investigation being continually denied and Human Rights Watch statements simply being ignored.
One of the most prominent and long-lasting issues for Southern Asia, particularly
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, is the problem of arsenic in drinking water.
The
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO) have stated an estimated 40 million people have been poisoned in Bangladesh alone and that local governments have taken few (if any) steps to rectify the problem. The arsenic is thought to come from water filtering through arsenic-rich rocks and local mining activity; the latter of the reasons is difficult to show, however, due to the refusal of Bangladesh to sanction any kind of investigation into the matter.
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
is one of the region's leading human rights advocates, adopting numerous pro-human rights policies and regulations in the past years. Bhutan has officially committed itself to the "enjoyment of all human rights" and has shown progress in recent history via a skyrocketing
gross national happiness
Gross National Happiness (GNH), sometimes called Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH), is a philosophy that guides the government of Bhutan. It includes an index which is used to measure the collective happiness and well-being of a population. Gross Nat ...
(GNH) rating.
The GNH rating is a scale which most experts see as increasingly relevant to gauging success within a country and general citizen happiness. The GNH replaces the standard measurement,
gross domestic product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
(GDP), and its adoption has been considered by many developed nations including Canada and Japan.
While Bhutan has taken steps to rectify historical divisions within the country's population, a clear political inequality remains in Bhutan, rendering some citizens unable to exercise fundamental rights such as freedom of movement or freedom of association.
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
finds itself as one of the leading economic powers of the region, but still is plagued with numerous human rights issues and violations. India has had numerous issues with rape and sexual assault in past years, particular against women and children. The government has condemned these acts but has taken very few steps to truly combat said issues and as a result, they still remain immensely prevalent in Indian society today. Despite policies aimed at helping victims of rape or sexual assault being implemented, victims still face immense shame at hospitals or police stations; it is assumed that while the number of cases is already extremely high, there are many more unreported instances due simply to the potential of humiliation. There are also instances of religious violence in India.
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
is potentially the most volatile country in Southern Asia, seeing citizen-targeting terror attacks stemming from racially or politically motivated conflicts bring about high civilian casualties. Following the appearance of terror groups such as
Al Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...
and
Lashkar-e-Omar, bombings of hospitals, educational facilities, government buildings, etc. became common occurrences, each attack claiming an increasing number of civilian lives.
Enforced disappearances and the use of child soldiers have also seen frequent use through recent years, both of which have received immense international condemnation. The government has taken few steps to fix many of these human rights issues, due both to a lack of motivation and lack of resources. Abuses of women remained a prominent issue for Pakistan in recent decades, seeing instances of rape, sexual assault, forced marriage, etc. rampant throughout the country. Religious minorities in Pakistan have continued to suffer greatly from both terror organizations and the government itself, falling prey to religious policies specifically aiming to eradicate cultural/religious minorities and immense violence by terror groups and government forces alike. Immense fighting in the country brought the creation of millions of refugees; most of which have yet to permanently settle due to the instability of the region.
East Asia
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
is home to many countries that have dominated the international community's attention in recent years. Human rights conditions in many East Asian countries have been the subjects of numerous debates at the international level given the notable international actors which are being examined (i.e. China, Japan, etc.). The varying types of governments found in Eastern Asia have affected their respective countries' transparency regarding human rights; furthermore, these Eastern Asian countries have varying levels of human rights, with some states choosing to uphold the strictest human rights issues while others sanction numerous human rights violations and atrocities.
![Map_of_China_en_names](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Map_of_China_en_names.svg)
In
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
being such a significant economic and political power on the international stage, naturally their human rights record has been called into question by the international community and numerous non-governmental organizations. After
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
became
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in 2012,
human rights in China
Human rights in mainland China are periodically reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC), on which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and various foreign governments and h ...
have worsened. China has historically been harsh with its critics and this trend has continued in recent history, and enforced disappearances remain a widespread occurrence across China. China has also held the title for the most annual executions in recent years; while official statistics remain state secrets, China still has 46 crimes punishable by death. The
Chinese government
The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...
has claimed that the number of executions has fallen by 60%, seeing only a few thousand executed every year, but there is no credible way to verify these statistics.
General living conditions have improved in recent years, with China successfully lifting millions of people out of poverty and allowing them to meet their basic needs.
Women's rights remain somewhat basic in China but the international community has pushed the Chinese government to adopt improved rights, especially regarding women's rights within the Chinese judiciary system which as of 2013, was slated on the Chinese legislative agenda for the first time as point of discussion.
China also received international criticism for
Xinjiang re-education camps
The Xinjiang internment camps, officially called vocational education and training centers ( zh, 职业技能教育培训中心, Zhíyè jìnéng jiàoyù péixùn zhōngxīn) by the government of China, are internment camps operated by ...
and other human rights abuses against
Hui people
The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the ...
and other ethnic and religious minority groups. While there has historically been suspicion of torture in China, the general attitude towards torture has shifted in recent years; the Chinese government now openly opposes torture and punishes those who partake in it. Regarding the suspicion of torture carried out by the government itself, there have been no official admissions of torture in recent years but the international community has continued to pressure China to adopt various anti-torture laws and ensure that confessions obtained via torture are not considered admissible in the judiciary system.
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
has held its human rights record in immensely high standing, strictly observing basic freedoms such the freedom of assembly, association, and expression. Domestic nationals have in recent history been protected by a strict set of codified working laws in Japan and enjoy a wide variety of workplace rights and freedoms to ensure safety and fair working conditions. The same, however, cannot be said for migrant workers from China and Korea; these foreign workers have historically had no real legislation protecting their working conditions and often fall prey to poorer working conditions and lesser wages. Migrant workers also suffer from other rights infractions, including the prevention of free movement, the prohibition of free communication (i.e. via cellphone, landline, etc.), etc. Japan has historically not had any anti-discrimination laws due to a lack of evidence of any consistent discrimination within the country; this, however, changed in 2017 with the adoption of an anti-hate speech law following the provision of evidence showing a growing anti-Korean sentiment within Japan.
One of Japan's most notable human rights violations over the last decades was the provision of
comfort women
Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese '' ia ...
for their military services, namely before and during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Most of these comfort women were not Japanese nationals, but in fact Korean or Chinese captives captured in combat or purchased on a black market. These women suffered countless instances of sexual assault and rape; something the Japanese government has pledged to reconcile for and find justice for the women. In 2017, Japan began taking steps towards reconciliation by offering official apologies to numerous comfort women and donating 1 billion yen (approximately US$10 million) to Korea's
Foundation for Reconciliation and Healing. Japan has continued their usage of the death penalty in recent years, executing 2 prisoners in 2017 by hanging following their convictions.
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
shares many of the same civil and political liberties as Japan, enjoying a vibrant and relatively liberal society. There have been some instances of the government using outdated laws as a means of detaining those who criticize the government, but these cases are somewhat rare. South Korea is relatively intolerant of the LGBTQ community and has seen numerous cases of discrimination in recent years in numerous arenas, ranging from the judicial system to corporate board rooms. Women in South Korea do not enjoy the same civil liberties as women in European or North American states, instead being pushed into traditional housewife and caretaker roles by their partners. Women have also been fined up to 2 million won when found to have had an abortion without their husband's consent. South Korea also has left their policies regarding North Korea active, meaning any citizen found to be spreading positive North Korean 'propaganda' can be jailed for up to one year.
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
has suffered from a poor record of human rights throughout history, seeing numerous cases of torture and assault on the part of both the government and individuals. Mongolia abolished the death penalty in 2017, but it has since been proposed to reintegrate the death penalty into the judicial system by the newly elected president. Mongolia has also seen a high number of domestic abuse cases in recent decades and has taken no real steps to rectify the situation. Mongolia is also the home to a number of migrant workers; these workers have yet to be officially recognized by the Mongolian government and therefore have been given no official rights.
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
has been and continues to be the home of some of the world's worst human rights conditions. Numerous reports documenting appalling human rights violations have been compiled by North Korean defectors, outside NGOs, etc. North Korea has been accused of a number of human rights violations including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and forced abortion. North Korea has also restricted all basic civil and political liberties for its citizens, including any kind of freedom of movement or association while also providing no forums for political input. Women in North Korea continue to face a wide range of abuses including non-criminalized marital rape, forced marriage, and sexual torture; these acts are undertaken by both the government and other family members (typically husbands, fathers, etc.). North Korean prison facilities have also historically provided some of the worst living conditions in the world, likely being the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths of recent decades. These prison camps house mainly political prisoners and typically entail harsh (if not fatal) labor, regular torture, violent sexual assault and/or rape, and other appalling human rights violations. North Korea has fallen under harsh criticisms from the international community for years and their abominable human rights records remains a regular topic of conversation within the
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...
as a potential threat to global peace and security.
Monitoring and Regulatory Institutions
As the Asian region is home to a plethora of states each with varying degrees of human rights standards and general values or cultures, it comes as no surprise that Asia does not share one central authority regarding human rights.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
![The_universal_declaration_of_human_rights_10_December_1948](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/The_universal_declaration_of_human_rights_10_December_1948.jpg)
While a number of countries within today's greater Asian region were not members of the United Nations at the time it passed the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...
, most of those who were chose to vote in favor of it (i.e. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India). This declaration has 30 articles all pertaining to various facets of human rights; for example:
* Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
* Article 9: No one shall be subjected to
arbitrary arrest
Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of ...
, detention or exile.
* Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The UDHR was created in hopes of establishing a standard of living for people around the world, ensuring humane conditions for people regardless of their state. The UDHR is still considered the central authority regarding human rights, though it holds no binding power over states and therefore is still regularly ignored by numerous states when alternatives better serve state-interests.
ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
As mentioned above, the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
(ASEAN) can be considered the most established socio-economic regional organization in Asia. ASEAN operates solely in South East Asia, with member states including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei, and Laos. While ASEAN initially focused on economic development in South East Asia, it has recently started to expand its scope of operation into other areas of South East Asian society (i.e. human rights). In 2009, ASEAN formed the
ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was inaugurated in October 2009 as a consultative body of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The human rights commission exists to promote and protect human rights, and ...
hoping it would assist in the promotion and regulation of human rights conditions in the region. The commission created and later unanimously adopted the newly drafted
ASEAN Human Rights Declaration In 2009, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) established the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights to promote human rights in the ten ASEAN countries. By mid-2012, the Commission had drafted the ASEAN Human Rights Declar ...
in November 2012 which called for basic and fundamental rights for all citizens in Southeast Asia.
The declaration has 40 articles which include:
* Article 3: Every person has the right of recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Every person is equal before the law. Every person is entitled without discrimination to equal protection of the law.
* Article 11: Every person has an inherent right to life which shall be protected by law. No person shall be deprived of life save in accordance with law.
* Article 22: Every person has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. All forms of intolerance, discrimination and incitement of hatred based on religion and beliefs shall be eliminated.
* Article 33: ASEAN Member States should take steps, individually and through regional and international assistance and cooperation, especially economic and technical, to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of economic, social and cultural rights recognized in this Declaration.
While the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration has been ratified by all ASEAN member states, there is still evidence of human rights transgressions in the region despite codified laws against said actions existing. The very existence of this declaration, however, shows progress regarding the acknowledgement of basic human rights in a region that traditionally expressed no interest in recognizing human rights regulations.
Center for Economic and Social Rights
![CESR_Official_Logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/CESR_Official_Logo.jpg)
The
Center for Economic and Social Rights
The Center for Economic and Social RightsCESR is an international human rights NGO that aims to transform the dominant global economic system into one based on human rights standards that provides dignity for all people and protects the planet.
...
(CESR) focuses on a collection of rights, including political rights, economic rights, social rights, etc. The CESR works throughout the entirety of Asia, often cooperating with the
Asia Pacific Forum
The Asia Pacific Forum (APF) is one of four regional networks of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) within the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs. The APF formerly accredited NHRIs for compliance with the United Nations' Pari ...
(APF) when working of improving rights situations in regions where the CESR does not have an established presence. The CESR opts to improve human rights conditions and regulations throughout Asia by supporting
National Human Rights Institutions
A national human rights institution (NHRI) is an independent state-based institution with the responsibility to broadly protect and promote human rights in a given country. The growth of such bodies has been encouraged by the Office of the United ...
(NHRIs). Rather than attempting to enact change as an international actor, CESR and APF provide a variety of services and support options to NHRIs across Asia under the pretense that these domestic National Human Rights Institutions will be able to push for change much more efficiently than an international organization would.
Some benefits to National Human Rights Institutions include:
* NHRIs have a legally defined relationship with the state, which gives them authority to monitor compliance with international human rights norms
* NHRIs rely on a broader set of advocacy tools than the judiciary or civil society groups as well as a quasi-judicial competence to receive complaints and scrutinize law and practice; they provide advice, assistance and capacity building to government
* Uniquely positioned between government, civil society and the UN human rights system, NHRIs can bring together various governmental and non-governmental actors
* As permanent institutions, NHRIs are able to track issues over extended periods to identify trends in the level of rights fulfillment
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia
![Logo-ahrca-en)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Logo-ahrca-en%29.jpg)
The
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA) is a French independent human rights organization founded in 2006. This association focuses primarily on human rights monitoring, reporting on numerous human rights infraction including torture, abysmal working conditions,
LGBTQ
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
restrictions, media repression, etc. The AHRCA monitors states that lie within Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Rather than enacting change themselves, AHRCA heavily relies upon international rights mechanisms to bring change to Central Asia. The AHRCA focuses include but are not limited to:
* Protection against torture
* Support for political prisoners
* Protection of Refugees
* Freedom of Religion
Recent activist initiatives include the AHRCA calling for an international boycott of Uzbek cotton as it relies heavily upon compulsory child labor when harvested.
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
(HRW) is widely regarded as one of the world's most reliable nongovernmental human rights organizations. HRW was established in 1978 and monitors countries around the globe, publishing more than 100 annual reports and generating extensive media coverage of human rights infractions. Furthermore, HRW meets regularly with state governments and intergovernmental organizations (i.e. the United Nations, European Union, African Union, etc.) to provide policy advice, briefings, etc. Aside from the extensive monitoring HRW published annually, the organization also focuses heavily on facilitating change in the regions they work within. For example, HRW actively organizes and covers protests or activist movements against a wide variety of issues (i.e. garbage burning in Lebanon). HRW has been involved in the Asian region for numerous years, regularly releasing various reports and criticisms on every Asian country. These reports focus on a number of issues, including fundamental freedoms, women's rights, child labor, etc.
The European Union
![Flag of Europe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Flag_of_Europe.svg)
In addition to the previously-mentioned regional governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations that contribute to East Asian human rights regulation and oversight, the European Union (EU) has played an active role in recent years. Whilst the EU has previously not been expected to intervene in East Asian human rights questions, the institution's commitment to th
Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulation Agreementexpanded EU jurisdiction to cover global human rights violations, including those that transpire within East Asia. Initial draftings of this regulatory framework began on December 9, 2019. On November 17, 2020, the European Council formally established the Agreement. The framework is specifically committed to “developing a new horizontal EU global human rights sanctions regime to tackle serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide”.
The EU has been monitoring East Asian human rights development for several years now, as demonstrated by the issuance of several public statements condemning countries for committing violations. One of the earliest statements dates back to 2009 when the EU publicly scrutinized the Chinese government for executing nine Christian citizens.
Despite the novelty of its active engagement with East Asian human rights oversight, the EU's most substantial efforts can be recognized with regard to the ongoing anti-Uighur violence that is occurring in the Xinjiang province of China. In February 2020, the EU issued a statement arguing that China's Chen Mingguo is responsible for “arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment inflicted upon Uighurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities, as well as systematic violations of their freedom of religion or belief”. In addition to these accusations, the EU orchestrated a variety of travel bans and asset freezes within Xinjiang's operational borders, thus demonstrating the effectuation of tangible, policy-based sanctions in the face of East Asian human rights violations.
Significant human rights violations
2005 Andijan unrest
![Chapel_in_Andijan_01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Chapel_in_Andijan_01.JPG)
The 2005
Andijan
Andijan (sometimes spelled Andijon or Andizhan in English) ( uz, Andijon / Андижон / ئەندىجان; fa, اندیجان, ''Andijân/Andīǰān''; russian: Андижан, ''Andižan'') is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, ...
Unrest human rights violation took place in Uzbekistan and is one of the worst mass civilian executions in recent history, seeing civilian death tolls estimated to be between 200 and upwards of 1500. This human rights violation was prompted by the government's reluctance to release 23 local businessmen who had been charged with extremism, fundamentalism, and separatism. A small militia group gathered outside of the prison where these businessmen were being held and broke them out in the early hours of the morning, killing a number of prison guards and holding various government officials captive. Uzbek citizens took to the streets in support of this prison break, occupying Babar Square to protest governmental corruption, unjust judiciary systems, etc.
[''Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe''. Warsaw. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 28 March 2018.] Government forces blocked all roads to the square in hopes to contain the protest, but many simply walked past military forces on foot and joined the protest. There were early reports of gunfire exchanged between civilians and military forces, but the protesters in the Babar Square were not deterred and remained in the same location. Between 5pm – 6pm, the government initiated a large offensive upon the Babar Square without any warning. The Uzbek armed forces used sniper rifles, assault rifles, and armed personnel carriers (APCs) against the protesting civilians, indiscriminately firing upon men, women, and children alike.
There were later reports of armed forces systemically executing immobile injured civilians and moving hundreds of bodies into mass graves. Despite the government claiming it took action solely against supposed terror groups embedded within the protest, Uzbekistan came under heavy international criticism following the Andijan massacre.
Khmer Rouge genocide
The
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
genocide was carried out by Cambodian communists between the years of 1975 and 1979. This political group had been slowly increasing its population while simultaneously being armed by groups such as the
Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
and the
North Vietnamese army
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed win ...
. Following the Khmer Rouge's victory in the
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War ( km, សង្គ្រាមស៊ីវិលកម្ពុជា, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) was a civil war in Cambodia fought between the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khme ...
in 1975, the group began the mass killings that would plague the countries for the next half-decade. Death tolls during the Khmer Rouge genocide are estimated to be between 1.5 and 3 million, with at least half of those numbers being politically motivated executions. Those who were not subjected to politically motivated executions died either from abysmal work conditions or disciplinary torture followed by execution. The Khmer Rouge regime strictly enforced its social engineering policies, most of which focused on the recreation of an agrarian society.
[Frey, Rebecca Joyce (2009)]
''Genocide and International Justice''
Infobase Publishing. pp. 266, 267. . This focus brought the mass-eviction of the Cambodian urban population and later the forced marches of the urban population into rural areas in order to work farming (typically rice) institutions. Furthermore, the Khmer Rouge expected production of rice per hectare to triple from 1 ton to 3 tons; this expectation did not account for the immense inefficiency created by placing an urban population in typically rural jobs.
The urban population simply did not have the required skill set to achieve the goals of the Khmer Rouge and many were executed as economic saboteurs (labelled as such due to their production rates). Executions were carried out at first with firearms, but following an ammunition shortage, Cambodian teenagers were armed with blunt melee weapons and forced to carry out executions on enemies of the Khmer Rouge. An estimated 20,000 mass graves have been discovered since the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. In 2014, Khmer Rouge leaders
Nuon Chea
Nuon Chea ( km, នួន ជា; born Lao Kim Lorn; 7 July 1926 – 4 August 2019), also known as Long Bunruot ( km, ឡុង ប៊ុនរត្ន) or Rungloet Laodi ( th, รุ่งเลิศ เหล่าดี), was a Cambodian co ...
and
Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan ( km, ខៀវ សំផន; born 28 July 1931) is a Cambodian former communist politician and economist who was the chairman of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as ...
received life sentences for crimes against humanity.
The Daoxian Massacre
![President Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/President_Richard_Nixon_and_Mao_Zedong.jpg)
The
Daoxian
Dao County () is a county in Hunan Province, China, it is under the administration of Yongzhou prefecture-level City.
Located on the southern margin of the province, it is adjacent to the northeastern border of Guangxi. The county borders to the ...
Massacre occurred during China's cultural revolution and lasted for 66 days between the 13th of August and the 17th of October in 1967. Those who were massacred were suspected to be enemies of the
Communist Party of China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
(CPC). Typically, local CPC members and revolutionary enthusiasts carried out unofficial arrests; those arrested and later executed by aforementioned local CPC members or militias received a brief, unjust trial where those judging were the same individuals who had ordered the arrests themselves. Victims were killed in a number of ways, including shooting, beatings, and decapitation. Furthermore, those who carried out these executions supposedly on behalf of the CPC would be rewarded with high wages, improved living conditions, etc. It is important to note that while the CPC did not officially sanction these militias and paramilitary groups executing counterrevolutionaries, it did not take any measures to stop these unsanctioned executions until numerous complaints from those who survived the Daoxian Massacre reached the top level of government. The killings ceased following the deployment of the 47th Field Army force but those who partook in the executions were never punished.
Genocidal rape in Bangladesh
The 1971
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
saw members of the
Pakistani military
The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...
and their supporting militias rape between 200,000 and 400,000 women and girls in an attempt of ethnic extinguisher. The Pakistani military leaders had declared Bengali freedom fighters as "Hindus" and that their women were simply spoils of war for the military to use as they saw fit.
[ Herbert L. Bodman, Nayereh Esfahlani Tohidi 1998, p. 208.] Women were held in special camps where they were repeatedly raped by rotating Pakistani army groups; these women could only escape the camps by hanging themselves with their hair – an action that led to the military shaving the heads of all the camp's inmates. Those who were not subjected to these rape camps would typically be raped, killed, and bayoneted in the genitalia.
[ Arens 2010, p. 128.] While the Pakistani military attempted to keep these systematic rapes out of international media, numerous human rights agencies and media outlets published reports or stories regarding this genocidal rape; Pakistan subsequently came under immense international criticism, reprimanding them for their actions. While the Pakistani military argues there were no more than a few hundred cases of rape, which were simply the actions of deviant soldiers, it is much more likely that the military had adopted a policy that could extinguish the Bengali people.
See also
*
Andijan Civil Unrest 2005
*
Asian Values
*
Human Rights in Central Asia The situation of human rights in Central Asia varies little between the region's countries, but are often reported to be a cause of concern among many outsider observers, governmental and non-governmental. Some of the legacy of human rights in the r ...
*
Human Rights in East Asia
The situation of human rights in East Asia varies between the region's countries, which differ in history and political orientation, as well as between contexts within each country. Issues such as refugees fleeing East Timor, the Cambodian killi ...
References
External links
Human Rights in ASEAN , Human Rights in ASEAN Online PlatformTowards a region where everyone enjoys human rights , Asia Pacific ForumHuman rights violations endemic in South AsiaBhutan’s Human Rights Record Defies ‘Happiness’ Claim
{{Human rights in the Middle East
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...