China's human rights under world scrutiny
China will today feel the heat of the international spotlight as it begins to defend its handling of human rights.
This weekfs meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council will give governments and rights groups a chance to press Beijing on secret executions, jailed protestors, labour ere-education campsf and other types of detention.
Under the new council system, UN member states must report every four years before a three-nation panel makes recommendations. India, Canada and Nigeria will give their view on Chinafs report which focuses on improvements in the countryfs human rights powered by economic development.
The human rights council has no powers to force China to make changes, but it is the world's top human rights body and carries moral powers. Human rights groups say it is essential that China comes under scrutiny. They say a failure to address alleged violations will discredit the UN human rights council.
China's human rights record has been criticised for years. Its review this week coincides with the 20th anniversary of the deadly crackdown on protesters at Beijingfs Tiananmen square, the 50th anniversary of China quelling an uprising in Tibet and the founding of the Peoplefs Republic of China 60 years ago, according to Bloomberg news agency.
Most recently, activists inside China have been drawing attention to what locals call "black jails" „Ÿ detention centres holding protesters without official procedures or right to appeal."These black jails are clearly against the law. But local officials call them legal study classes, and that shows how they treat the law as just a tool for abusing rights," Zhang Jianping, an activist in Jiangsu province told Reuters news agency.
Despite the ruling Communist Party's censorship and crackdowns on dissent, demands for rights are spreading across China. Some rights campaigners said the detentions should be a top issue at the three-day review, which comes as some countries may be more focused on Beijing's potential role in reviving the global economy.
SOS children has been working in China since 1986 when the first children's community was built in Tianjin (also known as Tientsin), a large city about 100 km south east of Beijing. There are now nine SOS Children communities in China, which between them are home to more than 1000 children.
Written by Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children
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