Time for a human rights check-up

The state of human rights in Australia and overseas will be given a vital health check by an array of experts at an upcoming conference.

The 2012 Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Conference will include discussion of the Arab Spring and the ongoing uprisings in the Middle East. It will also cover universal issues such as global warming, obesity and age discrimination, and Australia-centric issues such as the constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians and the treatment of asylum seekers.

Special guest speaker Sami Ben Gharbia is a Tunisian anti-censorship activist and blogger based in the Netherlands. He is a co-founder of Nawaat.org, an award-winning collective blog about Tunisian news and politics, and serves as Advocacy Director for Global Voices.

Director of the Castan Centre, Professor Sarah Joseph, from the Faculty of Law, said Mr Gharbia was instrumental in supporting bloggers and other online activists in Tunisia.

“Mr Ben Gharbia brought Wikileaks into the closed society of pre-revolutionary Tunisia, pumping out exclusive 'Tunikeaks' via his Nawaat blog. Those leaks primed the country for the pro-democracy demonstrations weeks later," Professor Joseph said.

"Nawaat's curation of social media during the revolution was also crucial, as was Global Voices in bringing Tunisia to global attention. He is also the author of the book "Journey in a Hostile World", which documents his escape from Tunisia,” Professor Joseph said.

Professor and Director of Indigenous Health at Monash University, Dr Kerry Arabena, will be discussing the recognition of Indigenous people in the Australian Constitution at the conference.

“In my speech I will explore the fundamental principles of the founding document of Australia and what these principles say we should stand for. The next referendum provides a time for all Australians to mature as a nation, and to vote yes in a referendum acknowledges where we have come from and can be a defining moment as a society prepared to move forward together,” Dr Arabena said.

“I believe that in a fair society there should be no winners, no losers, just acts of truth, justice and mercy. I hope all Australians realise our roles and responsibilities and join together to leave an honourable legacy for future generations.”

Other speakers include Dr Samantha Thomas, from Monash University’s Department of Marketing, on the war on obesity; Professor Tim Flannery of Macquarie University on global warming and human rights; and Gareth Evans AO QC, the former Australian Foreign Minister and CEO of the International Crisis Group, on the responsibility to protect Libya and Syria.

The Castan Centre for Human Rights Law annual conference is the only annual human rights conference held in Australia. For a full program and further details on the conference visit the Faculty of Law website.

The Annual Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Conference will be held from 8.40am-4.45pm on 20 July at the Spring Street Conference Centre, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne.