YOUTH TRAVEL TO GENEVA TO MONITOR UNITED NATIONS’ HEARING

Youth from the Center for Community Alternatives will travel to Geneva, Switzerland on February 16 through 23 to monitor the proceedings of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) as the U.S. State Department and the Department of Justice defend the Bush Administration’s human rights record. The CERD will examine U.S. compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). As an international treaty signed by the US, the ICERD has the force of law in the United States. This marks only the second time since the U.S. approved the treaty in 1994 that it has produced a report and subjected its domestic record on human rights and race to international scrutiny.

The U.S. report, which was quietly released in April of 2007, precipitated a torrent of criticism from organizations, including the Center for Community Alternatives, a member organization of the US Human Rights Network (USHRN), a coalition of over 250 social justice and human rights groups across the country. CCA was integral in researching and producing the Juvenile Justice section of a “shadow” report submitted by the USHRN, a document that is part of the official record of the proceeding. The USHRN report charges the Bush Administration not only with failing to comply with its obligations under the treaty, but also with whitewashing the reality of racial inequality in America. It also highlights CCA’s programs as models to reduce the high drop out rates and incarceration rates of youth of color.

“While the State Department report ignores racial disparities in education and the juvenile justice system, our analysis reveals that educational policies, such as “Zero Tolerance” push young people out of school and into the criminal justice system. While 1 in 10 young (age 22-30) white high school dropouts have been incarcerated by their early thirties, this figure increases to 52 % for African American males,” said Marsha Weissman, the Executive Director of CCA. “The young people who participate in CCA programs offer an example of how these tragic statistics can be reversed. We are excited to be able to bring young people to the UN meeting to observe how ICERD standards frame the right to a quality education as a matter of human rights.”

The ICERD established the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination as the body responsible for monitoring countries' implementation of the treaty. The Convention requires that every two years, signatory countries submit a report to the Committee on their progress in identifying, correcting, and remedying racism and racial discrimination. The Committee is comprised of eighteen independent experts from diverse regions, each of whom serves a term of four years, and is elected based on their “high moral standing and acknowledged impartiality.” The Committee meets twice annually to review and make recommendations on States’ reports.

Youth from the Center for Community Alternatives will be attending the hearings in Geneva to observe and monitor the U.S. presentation to the Committee. They will be available for interviews prior to their departure, and will also be conducting briefings for the press and be available by telephone while in Geneva.

A copy of the Juvenile Justice Shadow report is available at http://www.communityalternatives.org. To view a copy of the full shadow report submitted by the US Human Rights Network, please visit: http://www.ushrnetwork.org/cerd_shadow_2008