Today the Citizens' Committee of Rio is publishing a report on the human rights situation in the run-up to the Olympic Games, which will be held in Rio next summer. The report, in which Terre des Hommes has collaborated, documents a series of serious human rights violations. "It is time for the International Olympic Committee to assume its responsibilities and act in accordance with the values set out in the Olympic Charter," said Ignacio Parker, Secretary General of the International Federation Terre des Hommes.
An end to the violent resettlement and expulsion of street children and the demilitarisation of the police: these are just some of the demands made by the Citizens' Committee of Rio in its report published today on the human rights situation in connection with the Olympic Games.
It is true that 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". But the report (see downloads below) presented by the Citizens' Committee of Rio contradicts these promises very clearly: it documents numerous violations of children's rights, labour rights and the right to housing. The report paints a picture of Rio 2016 as games of exclusion.
The IOC has the possibility to influence the current undesirable development and to minimize the risks for children and adolescents.
Terre des Hommes therefore calls on the IOC to play its key role:
- The IOC should intervene to stop the violent evictions during the construction works for the Olympic Games and to prevent further police violence and the displacement of children and young people living on the streets.
- The IOC should itself monitor the observance of human rights during all phases of the Olympic Games and allow independent monitoring by external specialist bodies.
- The IOC must include human rights issues in the award criteria for future Olympic Games and include corresponding obligations in the contracts with the host cities.
Together with the Citizens' Committee of Rio, Terre des Hommes states that sport should be used as a tool for teaching 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 child rights violations to the Rio Citizens' Committee report. It includes Police and military force and Forced evictions from favelas identified as the main problems:
In order to make the tourist attractions of Rio de Janeiro more attractive to visitors, children and young people living on the streets were displaced. Some of them were committed to state youth detention facilities. Many later reported humiliation and violence. Forced resettlement tore many children and adolescents away from their environment and thus lost access to education, health services and other important social facilities. This abuse makes them more vulnerable to exploitation, child labour and sexual violence.
Information material about the Exclusion Games in English can be found at web@terredeshommes.ch order.
