Today, the Rio Citizens’ Committee is publishing a report on the human rights situation in the run-up to the Olympic Games, which will take place in Rio next summer. The report, to which Terre des Hommes contributed, documents a number of serious human rights violations. “It is time for the International Olympic Committee to assume its responsibility and act in accordance with the values enshrined in the Olympic Charter,” says Ignacio Parker, Secretary General of the International Federation Terre des Hommes.
An end to the violent resettlement and expulsion of street children, as well as the demilitarization of the police: these are just some of the demands made by the Rio Citizens’ Committee in its report published today on the human rights situation in connection with the Olympic Games.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), recently announced the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio as “Games of social inclusion and a tool for peace, as an instrument against ethnic, racial or gender-based discrimination”. However, the report (see downloads below) presented by the Rio Citizens’ Committee clearly contradicts these promises: it documents numerous violations of children’s rights, labor rights and the right to housing. The report paints a picture of Rio 2016 as a games of exclusion.
The IOC has the opportunity to influence the current undesirable development and minimize the risks for children and young people.
Terre des Hommes therefore calls on the IOC to play its key role:
- The IOC should intervene to end the violent evictions in the context of the construction work for the Olympic Games and prevent further police violence and the displacement of children and young people living on the streets.
- The IOC itself should monitor the observance of human rights during all phases of the Olympic Games and allow external expert bodies to carry out independent checks.
- The IOC must include human rights issues in the award criteria for future Olympic Games and firmly anchor corresponding obligations in the contracts with the host cities.
Together with the Rio Citizens’ Committee, Terre des Hommes states that sport should serve as a tool for education and health and not just economic interests.
Police and military violence against children and young people
Terre des Hommes, in collaboration with the University of Dundee (Scotland), contributed the chapter on violations of children’s rights to the Rio Citizens’ Committee report. It identifies police and military violence and forced evictions from favelas as the main problems:
For example, children and young people living on the streets were expelled in order to make Rio de Janeiro’s tourist attractions more attractive to visitors. Some of them were sent to state juvenile detention centers. Many later reported humiliation and violence. Forced displacement has removed many children and young people from their communities, depriving them of access to education, health services and other important social services. This abuse makes them more vulnerable to exploitation, child labor and sexual violence.
You can order information material about the Exclusion Games in English at web@terredeshommes.ch.
