Noodle is an excellent Israeli movie about a young Chinese boy who was left behind in the house of an Israeli woman and her amazing journey to bring him back to his mother- נודל
Monday, October 26, 2009
Israel's Illegal Immigrants — and Their Children
Mila Valdez, 40, lives near the central bus station in Tel Aviv. It is thousands of miles from where she was born, in the Philippines. She and her 7-year-old son live a cramped existence in three small rooms plus kitchen and bathroom — plus eight other people. But she is fighting for the right to stay in Israel.
Valdez is among 200,000 foreign workers from East Asia, Africa and Latin America who have found their way to Israel. About half of them are illegal, as Valdez is now. She went to Israel legally but her visa lapsed at about the time she gave birth to her son Jerry. Her apartment is among the Eritrean cafés, Sudanese restaurants and Filipino bars in the streets around the old central bus station — underneath a police advertisement inviting residents to inform on their neighbors' visa status. "I am working as a house cleaner because I'm now illegal," Valdez tells TIME. "My husband was caught in 2007 and he was deported. My son Jerry loves Israel. We're hoping to stay."
And it is Jerry who may be key to her chances. He and another 1,200 children are at the heart of a political battle that cuts across traditional political loyalties, raising fundamental questions about the mission of the Jewish state. Interior Minister Eli Yishai, leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas Party, wants to expel the foreign workers, many of whom are devout Christians, like Valdez, a Roman Catholic. Yishai says their presence "is liable to damage the state's Jewish identity, constitute a demographic threat and increase the danger of assimilation." The government says the illegals and their children must leave Israel once the school year ends in June.
A new police unit, Oz (from the Hebrew for "strength"), has been rounding up illegals and shipping them home. Since July, 800 have been deported while more than 2,000 have left voluntarily. But the government decision to expel children born in Israel has split the ruling Likud party. "Those 1,200 children that were born in Israel and didn't ever know another country are not to be blamed. They should stay here and we should resolve their status," Likud minister Limor Livnat tells TIME. The government is still debating the order and it may yet be countermanded or changed. It has happened before. In 2006, Israel naturalized 567 families with school-age children.
The municipality of Tel Aviv, where most of the immigrant workers live, together with about 17,000 refugees mainly from Darfur and Eritrea, provides free health care and day care for children, including vaccinations and education. Adult health services are provided by Physicians for Human Rights. The Hotline for Migrant Workers has people on call 24/7 to provide welfare and legal advice. "Whoever is in our territory deserves our services," deputy mayor Yael Dayan tells TIME. "It's not a question of grace, it's really a question of right. It's not doing them a favor and it's not how moved we are by these little children. They have added a lot to Tel Aviv society in many ways."
The uncertainty of residency and the constant threat of arrest takes its toll on the children. Parents report nightmares, bed-wetting and clinginess. "I've been there in that situation they are going through right now. I was illegal and I was afraid whenever I saw men in uniforms," says Jenalyn Zuno, 22, a Filipina granted permanent residency in 2006.
The problem may be becoming cyclical. Israel started recruiting workers from East Asia 20 years ago, after the first intifadeh ended the flood of day laborers from the West Bank and Gaza. The migrants support entire families back in their home countries. Noa Kaufman of the Israeli Children pressure group, says Israel encourages deporting workers after five years or when they have children. But then those departing workers are simply replaced by new arrivals who go through the same turmoil. "The recruitment companies only get money for new workers. If a worker moves jobs once he's here, the recruitment company doesn't get any money," she says. "It doesn't make sense that there is no naturalization process for someone who was born here or someone who lived here as a refugee for 10 years. They are people, not machines. You can't expect them not to fall in love, not to give birth."
By MATTHEW KALMAN / TEL AVIV wEDNESDAY 21 OCT. 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Take Action! - Tome Accion!
Write a Letter
Approximate Time: 5-10 minutes/person
Few people take the time to write letters to public officials so a handful of letters can make a big impact. That’s why we recommend that as many people as possible write about human trafficking. It is best if public officials receive a “flood” of letters but writing on behalf of many people is also an effective way of showing that many people care about this issue. If your friends are unlikely to send letters themselves, you might ask them if you can include their signatures on your letter. Personally written letters make a much bigger impact than form letters. By taking the time to write your own letter, you demonstrate that you care deeply about this issue and thought carefully about what you have written.
Escriva una carta
Aproximadamente 5-10 minutos/ persona
Pocas personas utilizan su tiempo para escribir cartas para oficiales publicos, por lo tanto una gran cantidad de cartas haria impacto. Por eso recomendamos que la mayor cantidad de personas posibles escriban sobre el trafico de personas. Es mejor que los oficiales publicos reciban un gran flujo de cartas, pero escribir en nombre de muchas personas ( pedir para que sus amigos firmen la carta) tambien sirve. Cartas personales son mucho mas efectivas que cartas formales. Por tomarse el tiempo para escribir su propria carta mustra que se importa profundamente por el asunto y que penso cuidadosamente sobre lo que escribio.
Sample Letter/Carta exemplo
Your Excellency/Consul General:
I am writing to you as someone who cares deeply about Israel and its reputation in the international community.
I am appalled by the phenomenon of human trafficking in Israel. Thousands of women have been smuggled into the country to “work” as sex slaves. These women are beaten, raped, starved and caged. The state of Israel cannot and must not allow slavery to exist within its borders.
The government must make this issue a national priority. More resources need to be dedicated to cracking down on perpetrators, assisting victims and preventing the continued smuggling of women across the Egyptian border.
As a member of the American Jewish community, I call upon the government of Israel to step up its efforts to fight this atrocity. Israel must invest greater time and resources to become a world leader in the fight to end modern slavery.
I urge you to use every opportunity to help raise this issue to the top of the national agenda.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
http://tfht.org/index.php?section=article&album_id=20
If you want more ideas to take action, click on the title.
Si quieres mas ideas para Tomar Accion, de un click en el titulo.
Approximate Time: 5-10 minutes/person
Few people take the time to write letters to public officials so a handful of letters can make a big impact. That’s why we recommend that as many people as possible write about human trafficking. It is best if public officials receive a “flood” of letters but writing on behalf of many people is also an effective way of showing that many people care about this issue. If your friends are unlikely to send letters themselves, you might ask them if you can include their signatures on your letter. Personally written letters make a much bigger impact than form letters. By taking the time to write your own letter, you demonstrate that you care deeply about this issue and thought carefully about what you have written.
Escriva una carta
Aproximadamente 5-10 minutos/ persona
Pocas personas utilizan su tiempo para escribir cartas para oficiales publicos, por lo tanto una gran cantidad de cartas haria impacto. Por eso recomendamos que la mayor cantidad de personas posibles escriban sobre el trafico de personas. Es mejor que los oficiales publicos reciban un gran flujo de cartas, pero escribir en nombre de muchas personas ( pedir para que sus amigos firmen la carta) tambien sirve. Cartas personales son mucho mas efectivas que cartas formales. Por tomarse el tiempo para escribir su propria carta mustra que se importa profundamente por el asunto y que penso cuidadosamente sobre lo que escribio.
Sample Letter/Carta exemplo
Your Excellency/Consul General:
I am writing to you as someone who cares deeply about Israel and its reputation in the international community.
I am appalled by the phenomenon of human trafficking in Israel. Thousands of women have been smuggled into the country to “work” as sex slaves. These women are beaten, raped, starved and caged. The state of Israel cannot and must not allow slavery to exist within its borders.
The government must make this issue a national priority. More resources need to be dedicated to cracking down on perpetrators, assisting victims and preventing the continued smuggling of women across the Egyptian border.
As a member of the American Jewish community, I call upon the government of Israel to step up its efforts to fight this atrocity. Israel must invest greater time and resources to become a world leader in the fight to end modern slavery.
I urge you to use every opportunity to help raise this issue to the top of the national agenda.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
http://tfht.org/index.php?section=article&album_id=20
If you want more ideas to take action, click on the title.
Si quieres mas ideas para Tomar Accion, de un click en el titulo.
El barrio Neve Shaanan
Aprtir del ano 2007, el barrio en Tel Aviv que al principio del siglo pasado albergo a zapateros, carpinteros, matelurgicos, e imprentas, entre otros, se convirtio en un barrio de delincuentes, drogas, indigentes, mafiosos, pobres y trabajadores extranjeros
En el barrio podemos encontrar:
- Mas de 45 casas de masajes
- Mas de 30 casinos ilegales
- Iglesias africanas
- Clubes chinos
- Cafes turcos
- restaurantes rusos
- Sinagogas sefaradies
Es la zona mas contaminada de Tel Aviv, donde los servicios basicos como salud e higiene faltan.
Llaman a la zona "La anarquia del sur", donde la prostitucion callejera y el narcotrafico son cosa del dia a dia.
En el medio del barrio, esta la zona que llaman el triangulo del sexo, limitado por las calles Erlinger, Shlomo Eliasberg y Pin.
En la calle Erlinger, podemos encontrar, 8 casas de sexo y 2 casinos ilegales. En la calle Eliasberg encontramos, 3 casas de sexo, 2 casinos ilegales y la zona de los travestis. En la calle Pin hay 9 casas de sexo, casillas porno 24 horas y 2 casinos ilegales.
Las mujeres que trabajan como prostitutas y los demas trabajadores extranjeros, vienen, en su mayoria enganados con promesas de trabajo de limpieza, cuidar ninos o ancianos. De Ucrania, Moldava, Uzbekistan, Rusia y Latinoamerica. Muchas de las mujeres entran por contrabando desde la frontera con Egipto y en el camino son violadas y maltratadas por los beduinos que las comercializan.
Estas mujeres trabajan 7 dias a la semana, mas de 18 horas por dia y cobran por cliente aproximadamente 120 shekalim; de los cuales 100 van para su empleador y 20 para ellas. Tienen un dia al mes libre (el mismo dia en que les viene su periodo) y son obligadas a trabajar en un regimen de penalizacion y castigo fisico en el cual reciben constantes amenazas de abusos y asesinato, crimenes que la policia y el gobierno israeli no solo no castiga, sino que tampoco hace nada para impedir.
En el 2003, el gobierno aprobo una ley que le permite al estado confiscar las ganancias de los traficantes, pero no se aplica debido al circulo de corrupcion que hay en torno al tema, circulo en el cual hay implicados desde mafiosos hasta parlamentarios, sin dejar de lado a la policia, que colabora con el trafico de trabajadores extranjeros y tambien usa y abusa de lso servicios de las prostitutas y los narcotraficantes al igual que los innumerables religiosos que antes de entrar a la cama cuelgan su kipa, segun testimonios de la propias prostitutas.
Un informe del comite de investigacion parlamentaria, mostro que entre 3000 y 5000 mujeres entran en contrabando anualmente a Israel, son vendidas por sobre lso 8.000 y 10.000 dolares y residen, privadas de su libertad, en aproximadamente 400 burdeles.
A esta altura, todos se deben estar preguntando lo mismo: y el gobierno no hace nada para impedir esto?
Es uno de los negocios que deja mas dinero en el pais, en el que quien participa, se ve envuelto en un circulo de corrupcion hermetico que una vez que se entra ya no se puede salir. Por otro lado, es muy dificil no verse tentado por la cantidad de dindero que se maneja, aunque se pierda de vista el alto precio que se paga y el dano que causan en personas que muchas veces vienen a buscar una oportunidad que su pais no les da y terminan con graves danos fisicos, psicologicos o muertos.
En el barrio podemos encontrar:
- Mas de 45 casas de masajes
- Mas de 30 casinos ilegales
- Iglesias africanas
- Clubes chinos
- Cafes turcos
- restaurantes rusos
- Sinagogas sefaradies
Es la zona mas contaminada de Tel Aviv, donde los servicios basicos como salud e higiene faltan.
Llaman a la zona "La anarquia del sur", donde la prostitucion callejera y el narcotrafico son cosa del dia a dia.
En el medio del barrio, esta la zona que llaman el triangulo del sexo, limitado por las calles Erlinger, Shlomo Eliasberg y Pin.
En la calle Erlinger, podemos encontrar, 8 casas de sexo y 2 casinos ilegales. En la calle Eliasberg encontramos, 3 casas de sexo, 2 casinos ilegales y la zona de los travestis. En la calle Pin hay 9 casas de sexo, casillas porno 24 horas y 2 casinos ilegales.
Las mujeres que trabajan como prostitutas y los demas trabajadores extranjeros, vienen, en su mayoria enganados con promesas de trabajo de limpieza, cuidar ninos o ancianos. De Ucrania, Moldava, Uzbekistan, Rusia y Latinoamerica. Muchas de las mujeres entran por contrabando desde la frontera con Egipto y en el camino son violadas y maltratadas por los beduinos que las comercializan.
Estas mujeres trabajan 7 dias a la semana, mas de 18 horas por dia y cobran por cliente aproximadamente 120 shekalim; de los cuales 100 van para su empleador y 20 para ellas. Tienen un dia al mes libre (el mismo dia en que les viene su periodo) y son obligadas a trabajar en un regimen de penalizacion y castigo fisico en el cual reciben constantes amenazas de abusos y asesinato, crimenes que la policia y el gobierno israeli no solo no castiga, sino que tampoco hace nada para impedir.
En el 2003, el gobierno aprobo una ley que le permite al estado confiscar las ganancias de los traficantes, pero no se aplica debido al circulo de corrupcion que hay en torno al tema, circulo en el cual hay implicados desde mafiosos hasta parlamentarios, sin dejar de lado a la policia, que colabora con el trafico de trabajadores extranjeros y tambien usa y abusa de lso servicios de las prostitutas y los narcotraficantes al igual que los innumerables religiosos que antes de entrar a la cama cuelgan su kipa, segun testimonios de la propias prostitutas.
Un informe del comite de investigacion parlamentaria, mostro que entre 3000 y 5000 mujeres entran en contrabando anualmente a Israel, son vendidas por sobre lso 8.000 y 10.000 dolares y residen, privadas de su libertad, en aproximadamente 400 burdeles.
A esta altura, todos se deben estar preguntando lo mismo: y el gobierno no hace nada para impedir esto?
Es uno de los negocios que deja mas dinero en el pais, en el que quien participa, se ve envuelto en un circulo de corrupcion hermetico que una vez que se entra ya no se puede salir. Por otro lado, es muy dificil no verse tentado por la cantidad de dindero que se maneja, aunque se pierda de vista el alto precio que se paga y el dano que causan en personas que muchas veces vienen a buscar una oportunidad que su pais no les da y terminan con graves danos fisicos, psicologicos o muertos.
Aumenta el tráfico de mujeres
EL testimonio desgarrador de una chica explotada en IsraelMICHAEL SPECTE(The New York Times. Especial para Clarín).- Irina siempre supuso que su belleza la rescataría de algún modo de la pobreza de su vida de aldea. Hace unos meses respondió a un vago anuncio en un diario de Ucrania, y se subió a un barco que la llevó a Haifa, Israel, con la esperanza de un trabajo como bailarina nudista.A los 21 años, se sentía segura de sí misma, y se alegraba de haberse ido de Ucrania. Israel le ofrecía un mundo nuevo donde por dos semanas todo pareció posible. Pero una mañana la llevaron a un prostíbulo en el que su jefe quemó su pasaporte ante sus ojos.Soy tu dueño, le dijo. Sos mi propiedad y vas a trabajar hasta que te ganes la salida. No trates de escapar. No tenés documentos y no hablás hebreo. Te van a detener y deportar. Entonces te vamos a ir a buscar de nuevo.Negocio globalizadoPasa todos los días. No sólo en Israel, que deportó cerca de 1.500 mujeres rusas y ucranianas como Irina en los últimos tres años. Sino en todo el mundo, donde vender mujeres jóvenes y desesperadas para la servidumbre sexual se ha convertido en la empresa ilegal de más rápido crecimiento en la economía global.La venta internacional de mujeres no tiene nada de nuevo. Durante décadas las asiáticas fueron la mercadería básica. Pero la desesperación económica del mundo eslavo abrió lo que los expertos llaman el mercado más lucrativo de las organizaciones criminales que prosperan desde la caída del comunismo: mujeres blancas que no tiene otro sostén que el de sus sueños. Los mismos explotadores, autoridades policiales y grupos de ayuda acuerdan en que las mujeres rusas y ucranianas son la mercadería más apreciada.Ni Rusia ni Ucrania tienen estadísticas de desempleo, pero presentan una situacion de caos y desquicio económico. Más de los dos tercios de desocupados en Ucrania son mujeres. Más del 80 por ciento de las personas que perdieron sus empleos desde la caída de la URSS son mujeres.Las estadísticas de mujeres vendidas son más difíciles aun de establecer porque se trata de inmigrantes ilegales pero la ONU calcula en 4 millones la cantidad de gente traficada por año, obligada mediante engaño y coacciones a alguna forma de la servidumbre. Sólo a Europa occidental, son traficadas 500 mil mujeres por año.Muchas terminan como Irina. Consternada ante la orden de su jefe de prostituirse, simplemente se negó. Entonces fue golpeada y violada hasta que cedió. Por fin aprovechó una brecha. Hubo un allanamiento del prostíbulo y fue llevada a la única cárcel de mujeres de Israel. Ahora espera ser repatriada, como otras mujeres rusas y ucranianas indocumentadas.No creo que el hombre que me arruinó la vida sea sancionado, dice. Pueden considerarme una estúpida por venir aquí. Ese fue mi delito, ser una estúpida chica de aldea. ¿Pero se puede comprar y vender mujeres como si nada?Con centro en Moscú y en Kiev, las redes de tráfico de mujeres se extienden hacia el este hasta Japón y Tailandia, donde miles de jóvenes eslavas trabajan contra su voluntad como prostitutas.Viaje al infiernoLas mujeres suelen iniciar su viaje al infierno por opción. En busca de una mejor vida, son atraídas por anuncios locales que prometen empleos, en países extranjeros, con sueldos que en el suyo no podrían ni imaginar.Una vez que pasan la frontera, les confiscan los pasaportes, les coartan las libertades y les quitan todo el dinero. Aun las que están dispuestas a trabajar como prostitutas por unos meses, no sospechan lo que les espera: son obligadas a trabajar en departamentos y prostíbulos clandestinos a razon de 15 clientes diarios, por lo menos 25 días al mes. Lo mejor que les puede pasar es que las deporten. Rara vez hacen denuncias, porque se juegan la vida.El año pasado en Estambul dos mujeres rusas fueron arrojadas desde un balcón y murieron ante la mirada de sus compañeras. En Serbia una chica ucraniana que se negaba a prostituirse fue decapitada en público. En Milán, una semana antes de Navidad, la policía capturó una banda que subastaba mujeres secuestradas en la ex URSS a menos de mil dólares cada una.El Tropicana, uno de los prostíbulos más activos de Tel Aviv, es propiedad de Jacob Golan, A los israelíes les gustan las chicas rusas- dice-. Son rubias, hermosas y diferentes, y están desesperadas, Interrogado sobre si las prostitutas trabajan voluntariamente, se ríe mucho antes de contestar que ése no es su problema. De vez en cuando la policía hace una requisa más o menos anunciada y las chicas que no tienen documentos falsos bien hechos terminan en la cárcel.Situaciones análogas se dan en todos los países donde las bandas de explotadores son poderosas, como Turquía, Alemania e Italia.Traducción: MARTA VASSALLO
La llevaron engañada y luego la obligaron a trabajar en un prostíbulo
La mercancía más apreciada son las rusas, subastadas a 1.000 dólares
Un reparto crudo para las trabajadores emigrantes
por Sigal Rosen
El dia internacional de los emigrantes, 18 de diciembre, fue pensado originalmente para dar a los paises enfitriones una oportunidad de agradecer a los trabajadores emigrantes por los servicios que proporcionan. En realidad, el dia es observado principalmente por las organizaciones de los derechos humanos y las organizaciones de inmigrantes alredor del mundo.
En Israel las autoridades del estado no dan importancia al dia internacional de los emigrantes. Entonces otra vez, tambien no dan importancia a los emigrantes. Aqui, no hay trabajadores emigrantes, solamente "trabajadores extranjeros". Los trabajadores vienen aqui trabajar solamente. Son extranjeros. Extranjeros. No permaneceran. La palabra emigrante connota permanencia; suena casi como "inmigrante", cielo prohibido. Todo el mundo utiliza el termino "trabajadores emigrantes", pero Israel se aferra obstinado en los "trabajadores extranjeros".
En el mundo occidental, hay dos acercamientos importantes para trabajar la migracion: algunos paises animan a emigrantes de ciertos sectores de la poblacion que vengan y se asienten en su territorio, mientras que otros paises intentan proteger su propria identidad cultural guardando a trabajadores emigrantes hacia fuera. Israel, por lo que se, es el unico pais en el mundo que hace ambos. Solamente Israel invita diez mil trabajadores emigrantes cada ano, y al mismo tiempo lo declara desea reducir su numero, asi justificando su propria politica cruel de la deportacion.
Sin embargo, el hecho que Israel no desea que los trabajadores emigrantes se queden permanentemente no significa que deben ser sujetados al abuso mientras que esten aqui. Hace ocho meses, se cancelo la ley la cual ataba a los trabajadores ilegales a sus trabajos y patrones.
Ocho meses han pasado. En la pratica, nada ha cambiado.
El dia internacional de los emigrantes es una buena ocasion para pensar en los trabajadores emigrantes que viven en nuestro pais y como las tratamos. Esperemos que este dia deje algun dia de ser un acontecimiento para crear los derechos humanos basicos para las trabajadores emigrantes, y lo convirtamos en un dia que responde a su proposito original, un dia en el cual expresamos gracias a los trabajadores que llevan en hombros las cargas que deseamos evitar: cuidando a nuestros padres mayores, labrando nuestra tierra, y la construccion y la limpieza de nuestros hogares.
Sigal Rosen es el coordinador para Moked - el telefono directo del orden publico para las trabajadores emigrantes.
The Hotline for migrant workers(HMW), established in 1998, is a non-partisan, not for profit organization, dedicated to (a) promoting the rights of undocumented migrant workers and refugees and (b) eliminating trafficking in persons in Israel. We aim to build a more just, equitable and democratic society where the human rights of all those residing within its borders are paramount civic and political values. http://www.hotline.org.il/english/index.htm
26/12/2006
El dia internacional de los emigrantes, 18 de diciembre, fue pensado originalmente para dar a los paises enfitriones una oportunidad de agradecer a los trabajadores emigrantes por los servicios que proporcionan. En realidad, el dia es observado principalmente por las organizaciones de los derechos humanos y las organizaciones de inmigrantes alredor del mundo.
En Israel las autoridades del estado no dan importancia al dia internacional de los emigrantes. Entonces otra vez, tambien no dan importancia a los emigrantes. Aqui, no hay trabajadores emigrantes, solamente "trabajadores extranjeros". Los trabajadores vienen aqui trabajar solamente. Son extranjeros. Extranjeros. No permaneceran. La palabra emigrante connota permanencia; suena casi como "inmigrante", cielo prohibido. Todo el mundo utiliza el termino "trabajadores emigrantes", pero Israel se aferra obstinado en los "trabajadores extranjeros".
En el mundo occidental, hay dos acercamientos importantes para trabajar la migracion: algunos paises animan a emigrantes de ciertos sectores de la poblacion que vengan y se asienten en su territorio, mientras que otros paises intentan proteger su propria identidad cultural guardando a trabajadores emigrantes hacia fuera. Israel, por lo que se, es el unico pais en el mundo que hace ambos. Solamente Israel invita diez mil trabajadores emigrantes cada ano, y al mismo tiempo lo declara desea reducir su numero, asi justificando su propria politica cruel de la deportacion.
Sin embargo, el hecho que Israel no desea que los trabajadores emigrantes se queden permanentemente no significa que deben ser sujetados al abuso mientras que esten aqui. Hace ocho meses, se cancelo la ley la cual ataba a los trabajadores ilegales a sus trabajos y patrones.
Ocho meses han pasado. En la pratica, nada ha cambiado.
El dia internacional de los emigrantes es una buena ocasion para pensar en los trabajadores emigrantes que viven en nuestro pais y como las tratamos. Esperemos que este dia deje algun dia de ser un acontecimiento para crear los derechos humanos basicos para las trabajadores emigrantes, y lo convirtamos en un dia que responde a su proposito original, un dia en el cual expresamos gracias a los trabajadores que llevan en hombros las cargas que deseamos evitar: cuidando a nuestros padres mayores, labrando nuestra tierra, y la construccion y la limpieza de nuestros hogares.
Sigal Rosen es el coordinador para Moked - el telefono directo del orden publico para las trabajadores emigrantes.
The Hotline for migrant workers(HMW), established in 1998, is a non-partisan, not for profit organization, dedicated to (a) promoting the rights of undocumented migrant workers and refugees and (b) eliminating trafficking in persons in Israel. We aim to build a more just, equitable and democratic society where the human rights of all those residing within its borders are paramount civic and political values. http://www.hotline.org.il/english/index.htm
ISRAEL: Migrant workers denied rights
Photo: Mel Frykberg/IRIN
Migrant Turkish workers Shaheen Yelmaz (right) and Hikmat Tekin say they are fighting for better working conditions in Israel.TEL AVIV, 23 November 2006 (IRIN) - Impoverished Turkish labourer Shaheen Yelmaz arrived in Israel four months ago dreaming of helping his father pay off his mounting debts.But today the 23-year-old faces a US $14,000 debt of his own, deportation and the possible loss of his family home in Turkey after challenging his employer over non-payment of wages and shocking working conditions."I never wanted money for myself, I just wanted to pay off my father’s huge debts. We were told by Yilmazlar [a Turkish manpower agency that supplies construction workers to a number of companies in Israel] that we could make up to $1,400 a month and more with overtime if we worked in Israel," he told IRIN."Yilmazlar assured us we would be well treated and be housed in good accommodation. However, when I arrived, my dream turned into a nightmare."Yelmaz was sharing a room with eight others - furnished with bunk beds - that was so small that there was no space for their suitcases. They were fed a monotonous diet of rice and lentils and there were only three toilets with no running water for 130 workers."The conditions of the toilets were so disgusting, they were not fit even for an animal," said Yelmaz."We were forbidden from using mobile phones on pain of confiscation and fines and were forced to work an average of 11 hours a day, without being paid overtime. And in our half-hour lunch break we were expected to go home, eat and return to the construction site."In addition to our passports being taken away [by the employer], we needed special permission to leave the premises after work and on our day off. If people left without permission, they were fined and threatened with deportation by the management."The final straw came when Yelmaz found out that he and the other workers would only receive their first payment after three months. He and a friend, 41-year-old father-of-three Hikmat Tekin, decided to challenge their boss."We were told by the management that if we didn't like it, we would be deported without payment and barred from employment elsewhere in Israel," Tekin said.Strict visa regulationsAs he began his battle against his employer, Yelmaz became aware of the strict Israeli visa regulations governing conditions for migrant workers."The issuance of these visas is subject to the workers staying with the same employer stated on the visa and if this condition is broken then the migrant worker is deemed illegal and liable for deportation,” said Sigal Rosen, spokeswoman for Israeli human rights organisation Hotline for Migrant Workers.The Hotline has received more than 20 requests for help from Turkish workers placed by Yizmazlar over the past few years."Many employers take advantage of the visa conditions by withholding wages from uninformed workers and then firing the employees when they owe them significant amounts of money," Rosen said."Often the employer will then inform police that the workers he has just fired are now illegal aliens. The police then arrest and deport them before they can challenge the employer in court,” said Rosen.About 200,000 migrant workers live in Israel, mostly from Turkey, the Philippines and Eastern Europe. Half of them are deemed illegal, with about 5,000 getting deported annually on average, according to Rosen.In March this year, an Israeli Supreme Court judge described the conditions of migrant workers in Israel as a "form of modern slavery" following a petition from human rights organisations.The court further ordered the State to adopt a new employment scheme within the next six months allowing workers to resign without losing their legal status."Although it is difficult for migrant workers to change employers if they find the conditions too terrible, they can ask the manpower agency to find them new employment after three months,” Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Interior Ministry, said.But in reality this does not happen. In general, manpower agencies are reluctant to help migrant workers find new employment as there is no further financial incentive for them once the workers have already been placed, said Rosen.Furthermore, this provision is not available to workers placed by Yizmazlar who are not entitled to seek employment elsewhere.In huge debtMeanwhile, as Yelmaz awaits the Supreme Court's decision on 13 December, following a successful stay of deportation filed by his lawyer, he has found out that he cannot possibly pay off his father's debts.Before leaving Turkey, he and other Turkish workers were obliged to sign blank promissory notes and a labour contract by Yilmazlar, which they said they were not allowed to read or keep a copy of."When the company found out I was leaving, they filled in one of the blank promissory notes that I had signed before coming to Israel," he said."They stated I owed the company $14,000 and that they would repossess my family's home if I did not pay up. The Turkish Embassy couldn’t help me because my signature was on the notes.”He said that he was warned by the company manager that if he returned to Turkey quietly he would be forgiven but if he made any trouble, he would disappear.Yilmazlar’s lawyer, Tal Benenson, told IRIN that he had affidavits signed by Yelmaz and Tekin before a Turkish-speaking notary in Israel, admitting that they were only using Yilmazlar to get into Israel and had no intention of staying with the company once in the country.“They have told a pack of lies which they planned beforehand in Turkey with the help of Turkish workers already in Israel and the aim of these lies is to try and justify their fraudulent behaviour.“Our client has laid out a huge sum financially for air tickets and medicals and is now suing Shaheen and Tekin for 200,000 Shekels [about US $46,450] to retrieve these expenses,” he said.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
LILYA 4 EVER
Movie/Pelicula: "LILYA 4 EVER"
Author/Autor: Lukas Moodyson
Synopsis/Sinopsis:Lilja is 16 years old. Her only friend is the young boy Volodja. They live in Estonia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej. He is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.
Lilja es una adolescente rusa de 16 años, abandonada por su madre, que lleva un vida miserable en una empobrecida ciudad de la antigua Unión Soviética. Rodeada de droga y miseria, la única manera que tiene de poder comer es vendiendo su cuerpo. La esperanza llega el día que conoce al atractivo Andrei, que la promete un vida mejor en Suecia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkHFc8-DzOU
Author/Autor: Lukas Moodyson
Synopsis/Sinopsis:Lilja is 16 years old. Her only friend is the young boy Volodja. They live in Estonia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej. He is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.
Lilja es una adolescente rusa de 16 años, abandonada por su madre, que lleva un vida miserable en una empobrecida ciudad de la antigua Unión Soviética. Rodeada de droga y miseria, la única manera que tiene de poder comer es vendiendo su cuerpo. La esperanza llega el día que conoce al atractivo Andrei, que la promete un vida mejor en Suecia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkHFc8-DzOU
Haaretz Hamuvtachat
Movie/Pelicula: "Promised Land" / "La Tierra Prometida"
Author/Autor: Amos Gitai
Synipsis/Sinopsis: A night in the Sinai desert. A group of men and women keep warm around a camp fire under the moonlight. The women come from Eastern Europe. The men, who normally walk their herds in the area, are Bedouins. Tomorrow, they will secretly cross the border. Tomorrow, Diana and the others will be beaten, raped and auctioned off. They will be passed from one hand to another, merchandised by Anne into Hanna's hostess club, victims of an international network of trafficking women. One night in the club, Diana meets Rose. Their encounter is a sign of hope into the women's descend into hell.
Una noche en el desiero de Sinai. Un grupo de hombres y mujeres se calientan alrededor de un fuego de campamento bajo la luna. Las mujeres vienen de Europa del este. Los hombres son beduinos. Al día siguiente, cruzarán la frontera en secreto, y las mujeres serán golpeadas, violadas y subastadas como mercancía.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy7-mXFJdGE
Author/Autor: Amos Gitai
Synipsis/Sinopsis: A night in the Sinai desert. A group of men and women keep warm around a camp fire under the moonlight. The women come from Eastern Europe. The men, who normally walk their herds in the area, are Bedouins. Tomorrow, they will secretly cross the border. Tomorrow, Diana and the others will be beaten, raped and auctioned off. They will be passed from one hand to another, merchandised by Anne into Hanna's hostess club, victims of an international network of trafficking women. One night in the club, Diana meets Rose. Their encounter is a sign of hope into the women's descend into hell.
Una noche en el desiero de Sinai. Un grupo de hombres y mujeres se calientan alrededor de un fuego de campamento bajo la luna. Las mujeres vienen de Europa del este. Los hombres son beduinos. Al día siguiente, cruzarán la frontera en secreto, y las mujeres serán golpeadas, violadas y subastadas como mercancía.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy7-mXFJdGE
Eize makom nifla
Movie/Pelicula: "WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE"
Author/Autor: Eyal Halfon
Synopsis/Sinopsis: Franco, an ex- policeman, who became an agent for a violent gangster, rediscovers himself with the help of Jana, a prostitute from Ukraine. Zeltzer, a melancholic farmer follows the tracks of Jana's photograph only to find out that the only person he can trust is one of his Thai workers, Visit. Aloni, A tough ranger, persecutes the Thai workers for illegal hunting as he finds himself preoccupied with his handicap father. The only one who can assist the ranger is Eddie, a Filipino caretaker. Eddie is addicted to gambling and becomes involved with the the Boss, the violent gangster from the first story. All the characters eventually reach the same point in the desert - for different reasons, and one dramatic resolution.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
A living hell
Thousands of sex slaves bought and sold each year face danger, threats, violence; run-aways dealt with quickly: one home in Moldavia firebombed; Tel Aviv exhibit explores 'women as chattel'
By Miri Chason
Published: 03.18.05, 09:18 / Israel News
TEL AVIV - Several dozen women have successfully escaped the grip of pimps that have turned their lives into a living hell. These women live in a secret shelter in Tel Aviv until they testify against their former pimps, then they are deported to their countries of origin.
Thursday, some of them went public as part of a new exhibition in Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station, sharing the harsh details of their experiences.
The exhibit, called "Over the Road," focuses on the public's approach to women as chattel. It is intended to be a harsh protest against the underground brothels that continue to flourish despite legislation banning them.
Thousands sold each year
The women say the exhibit is primarily intended to reach the customers of their former bosses - the individuals who keep the business rolling along.
Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of women, men and children are sold each year. In Israel, 1,000-3,000 women are sold annually, all for the sex industry.
Volunteers from the Center to Help Foreign Workers and the Clinic for the Fight Against Women Trafficking at Hebrew University have collected many testimonies of women victims of trafficking and documented the way in which they were brought to Israel.
Testimonies Testimonies
K., from Russia, worked on Erlinger Street in Tel Aviv. K., from Russia, worked on Erling Street in Tel Aviv. She says her boss would “fine” his workers “for everything—if I asked to have a shower between customers, if I went out without permission. At first we had enough food, but after a while it they said it was too expensive. We barely had enough soap—and during the dirtiest time of my life.”
N. N. says her pimp used the women for bartering. “If he wanted vegetables from the supermarket, he would 'give' one of the girls to a worker in exchange for the vegetables. He bartered us for food, jewelry and other things.”
Y., from Moldava, says she was forced into sado-masochism. Y., from Moldova, says she was forced into sado-masochism. “Customers would beat us. They had special instruments. They would drip hot wax all over my body and force me to do painful, degrading things. Of course they enjoyed it, they paid extra for it. "
One woman, also from Moldava, said she received no wages for her services. “(My boss) told me he bought me for 50,000 shekels, and that I had to 'return' the money (by working for free) before I could start to earn wages. They also made me pay 50 shekels a day for food and condoms "
Locked Door Locked Door
N., from Ukraine, worked on Peretz Street in Tel Aviv, explains why women do not run away. “We all dreamt of escaping, but they even managed to steal the dream from us after someone did leave. A week after she disappeared, her family's home was firebombed in Moldova. "
She says they were given one rest day per month: the first day of their period. “The first day we could take off. The rest of the time I was having my period, I had to use a diaphragm to prevent bleeding. But I had to continue taking customers.”
Nowhere to run Nowhere to run
"We had nowhere to run," says H. from Ukraine. from Ukraine. “The door was always locked, bars on the windows, and there was a closed-circuit TV in each room.
"And even if you managed to get out-where would you go? What would you do? What would you do? Several customers were police officers, and other cops would check our visas and leave. So who would we have turned to for help? So who would we have turned to for help?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3062297,00.html
Para leer en espanol de click en el link.
By Miri Chason
Published: 03.18.05, 09:18 / Israel News
TEL AVIV - Several dozen women have successfully escaped the grip of pimps that have turned their lives into a living hell. These women live in a secret shelter in Tel Aviv until they testify against their former pimps, then they are deported to their countries of origin.
Thursday, some of them went public as part of a new exhibition in Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station, sharing the harsh details of their experiences.
The exhibit, called "Over the Road," focuses on the public's approach to women as chattel. It is intended to be a harsh protest against the underground brothels that continue to flourish despite legislation banning them.
Thousands sold each year
The women say the exhibit is primarily intended to reach the customers of their former bosses - the individuals who keep the business rolling along.
Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of women, men and children are sold each year. In Israel, 1,000-3,000 women are sold annually, all for the sex industry.
Volunteers from the Center to Help Foreign Workers and the Clinic for the Fight Against Women Trafficking at Hebrew University have collected many testimonies of women victims of trafficking and documented the way in which they were brought to Israel.
Testimonies Testimonies
K., from Russia, worked on Erlinger Street in Tel Aviv. K., from Russia, worked on Erling Street in Tel Aviv. She says her boss would “fine” his workers “for everything—if I asked to have a shower between customers, if I went out without permission. At first we had enough food, but after a while it they said it was too expensive. We barely had enough soap—and during the dirtiest time of my life.”
N. N. says her pimp used the women for bartering. “If he wanted vegetables from the supermarket, he would 'give' one of the girls to a worker in exchange for the vegetables. He bartered us for food, jewelry and other things.”
Y., from Moldava, says she was forced into sado-masochism. Y., from Moldova, says she was forced into sado-masochism. “Customers would beat us. They had special instruments. They would drip hot wax all over my body and force me to do painful, degrading things. Of course they enjoyed it, they paid extra for it. "
One woman, also from Moldava, said she received no wages for her services. “(My boss) told me he bought me for 50,000 shekels, and that I had to 'return' the money (by working for free) before I could start to earn wages. They also made me pay 50 shekels a day for food and condoms "
Locked Door Locked Door
N., from Ukraine, worked on Peretz Street in Tel Aviv, explains why women do not run away. “We all dreamt of escaping, but they even managed to steal the dream from us after someone did leave. A week after she disappeared, her family's home was firebombed in Moldova. "
She says they were given one rest day per month: the first day of their period. “The first day we could take off. The rest of the time I was having my period, I had to use a diaphragm to prevent bleeding. But I had to continue taking customers.”
Nowhere to run Nowhere to run
"We had nowhere to run," says H. from Ukraine. from Ukraine. “The door was always locked, bars on the windows, and there was a closed-circuit TV in each room.
"And even if you managed to get out-where would you go? What would you do? What would you do? Several customers were police officers, and other cops would check our visas and leave. So who would we have turned to for help? So who would we have turned to for help?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3062297,00.html
Para leer en espanol de click en el link.
Israel's sex trade booming
Human trafficking in Israel rakes in more than USD billion a year, findings in annual parliamentary survey show
By Miri Hasson
Published: 03.23.05, 12:44 / Israel News
TEL AVIV - Thousands of women are being smuggled into Israel, creating a booming sex trade industry that rakes more than USD one billion a year, a parliamentary committee said on Wednesday.
The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, headed by Knesset member Zehava Galon of the left-wing Yahad party, commissioned the report in an effort to combat the sex trade in Israel. Findings showed that some women are 3.000 and 5.000 smuggler annually to Israel and sold into the prostitution industry, where they
constantly subjected to violence and abuse.
The report, issued annually, said some 10,000 such women currently reside in about 300 to 400 brothels throughout the country. They are traded for about USD 8,000 - USD 10,000, the committee said.
The U.S. State Department ranks Israel in the second tier of human trafficking around the world, saying the Jewish State does not maintain minimal conditions regarding the issue but is working to improve them.
Israel passed a law in 2003 that would allow the state to confiscate the profits of traffickers, but watchdog groups say it is rarely enforced.
Most foreign prostitutes in Israel come from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Russia and many are smuggled in across the Egyptian border.
The committee found that the women work seven days a week for up to 18 hours every day and that out of the NIS 120 paid by customers, they are left with just NIS 20, while the rest of the money is passed on to their traders.
The prostitutes face constant threats of abuse and murder, the report said, and Israeli law does little to help them. Delays in trial dates and prolonged hearings force the women to remain exposed to violence for more than a year until they are called in to provide testimony, and courts rarely collect early testimonies, as permitted by law.
To help combat the problem, the committee recommended that the state prosecutor's office refrain from making plea bargains with sex traders. It also advised to raise the threshold of punitive measures and pushed for financial compensation for sex trade victims.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3060127,00.html
Para leer en espanol de click en el link.
By Miri Hasson
Published: 03.23.05, 12:44 / Israel News
TEL AVIV - Thousands of women are being smuggled into Israel, creating a booming sex trade industry that rakes more than USD one billion a year, a parliamentary committee said on Wednesday.
The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, headed by Knesset member Zehava Galon of the left-wing Yahad party, commissioned the report in an effort to combat the sex trade in Israel. Findings showed that some women are 3.000 and 5.000 smuggler annually to Israel and sold into the prostitution industry, where they
constantly subjected to violence and abuse.
The report, issued annually, said some 10,000 such women currently reside in about 300 to 400 brothels throughout the country. They are traded for about USD 8,000 - USD 10,000, the committee said.
The U.S. State Department ranks Israel in the second tier of human trafficking around the world, saying the Jewish State does not maintain minimal conditions regarding the issue but is working to improve them.
Israel passed a law in 2003 that would allow the state to confiscate the profits of traffickers, but watchdog groups say it is rarely enforced.
Most foreign prostitutes in Israel come from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Russia and many are smuggled in across the Egyptian border.
The committee found that the women work seven days a week for up to 18 hours every day and that out of the NIS 120 paid by customers, they are left with just NIS 20, while the rest of the money is passed on to their traders.
The prostitutes face constant threats of abuse and murder, the report said, and Israeli law does little to help them. Delays in trial dates and prolonged hearings force the women to remain exposed to violence for more than a year until they are called in to provide testimony, and courts rarely collect early testimonies, as permitted by law.
To help combat the problem, the committee recommended that the state prosecutor's office refrain from making plea bargains with sex traders. It also advised to raise the threshold of punitive measures and pushed for financial compensation for sex trade victims.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3060127,00.html
Para leer en espanol de click en el link.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
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.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Version en español: http://www.un.org/es/documents/udhr/
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 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
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.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Version en español: http://www.un.org/es/documents/udhr/
The 12 "new" tribes of Israel
By Andy Faur
8 - Foreign Workers
Totalling to a population of approximately 250,000 people, although no official data can accurately state the exact number. There are people that come from all over the world: Romania, Russia, Thailand, Phillipines, Polond, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Senegal, Ghana, and countless other so-called Third World countries.
This is a relatively new phenomenon in the Israeli landscape. Starting in the 1980's as a way of overcoming shortages of workers (mostly Palestinians) in the agricultural, constructional and other sectors of the economy. This came as a result of the continued closure of the territories in the first Intifada.
This phenomenon has been and still is expanding up to this present day. They live in all parts of the country, but their main concentration is around the old central bus station in Tel Aviv, where there can be an appreciation of a cultural, social and educational underworld, of the mosts exciting (which is of great concern for many people ...).
Approximately half of the people in this group are living illegally in the country. Either because their work and residence permits have expired or they chose to stay and work illegally (despite the risks) before returning to their country of origin and, perhaps, start a new life in the land of milk and honey. This is a very complex problem for the police and the government of Israel, having to deal with this difficult and confronting sensitive issue.
Another aspect, which does not develop in this article is the size of the worker's rights and human rights of those who enjoy (or not, as in most cases) these people.
The whole arcticle can be read in: http://www.hagshama.org.il/es/recursos/view.asp?id=1315
8 - Foreign Workers
Totalling to a population of approximately 250,000 people, although no official data can accurately state the exact number. There are people that come from all over the world: Romania, Russia, Thailand, Phillipines, Polond, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Senegal, Ghana, and countless other so-called Third World countries.
This is a relatively new phenomenon in the Israeli landscape. Starting in the 1980's as a way of overcoming shortages of workers (mostly Palestinians) in the agricultural, constructional and other sectors of the economy. This came as a result of the continued closure of the territories in the first Intifada.
This phenomenon has been and still is expanding up to this present day. They live in all parts of the country, but their main concentration is around the old central bus station in Tel Aviv, where there can be an appreciation of a cultural, social and educational underworld, of the mosts exciting (which is of great concern for many people ...).
Approximately half of the people in this group are living illegally in the country. Either because their work and residence permits have expired or they chose to stay and work illegally (despite the risks) before returning to their country of origin and, perhaps, start a new life in the land of milk and honey. This is a very complex problem for the police and the government of Israel, having to deal with this difficult and confronting sensitive issue.
Another aspect, which does not develop in this article is the size of the worker's rights and human rights of those who enjoy (or not, as in most cases) these people.
The whole arcticle can be read in: http://www.hagshama.org.il/es/recursos/view.asp?id=1315
Exodus 23:9
"You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt."
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