Become a Human Rights Defender On Your Next Visit Home:

Keep Clicking the Pictures; Start Documenting Human Rights Situation on the Ground for Global Advocacy

By Joshua Cooper
UN Human Rights Adviser

On most visits to various communities of KKF diaspora dotting the maps of the world, many smiling members share their personal warmth for their sacred homeland. Many KKF members offer photos of their family and also their land. Upon more time throughout the visit, KKF members provide stories of their families still living on their ancestral territories.

While many are pleased to engage in tourism by visiting Kampuchea Krom, it also offers a unique opportunity to provide the latest information about what is actually happening to the indigenous peoples of the Mekong Delta. On top of bringing back memories, visitors can return with data that allows KKF to document the true conditions of human rights on the ground. As different families visit their kin, it can provide a map to measure the massive and gross violations of human rights of indigenous peoples. This will be the essence of the work for KKF to guarantee the promotion and protection of human rights.

This approach will allow all KKF members to be advocates and not only the Board of Directors. Everyone can become a human rights defender by documenting the authentic conditions Khmer Krom people face in Kampuchea Krom. All people will be able to be a catalyst for positive change in one’s homeland. Through doing exactly what people do now of reconnecting with their family, they can provide essential knowledge to share with KKF to better promote and protect human rights as well as instill the information into the international institution responsible to ensure indigenous rights such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples and UN human rights treaty bodies.

Contact Serey Chau, Giap Tran or Joshua Cooper to obtain a personal copy of the survey.

While one may not be sure what to document, a short survey has been drafted that identifies key indicators that measure the current human rights conditions in the Mekong Delta. Please review this one page survey that is available upon request that provides the exact areas to be alert about when visiting one’s village and to be aware of the developments in the region that enhance human rights and also eliminate fundamental freedoms.

No more shall people return with a photo album of pictures but with an arsenal of advocacy to guarantee an accurate portrayal of the true human rights situation. Everyone can be an agent for promoting positive alternatives in Kampuchea Krom by only adding one more item to travel with. It won’t add weight to ones luggage but will provide moral worth to the liberation of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom struggle for self-determination.

Be informed. Be involved. Make a difference for the future of KKF.

Source: http://www.kkfyc.org/