Current spatial patterns of HR issues including forced labour, MMR and capital punishment

Forced labour

• 25 mill people are victims of forced labour globally

• 16 mill exploited in economic activities e.g. agriculture, construction, domestic work and manufacturing

• 4.9 mill in forced sexual exploitation

• 4.1 mill in forced labour imposed by state authorities

• Southeast Asia has the highest overall incidence

Examples of forced labour

• garment making in South Asia factories

• digging for minerals in African mines

• harvesting tomatoes in North American farms

• working as domestic workers in East Asian homes

• working on farms in Latin America

Factors that influence global variations of forced labour

Economic:

• poverty

• lack of economic opportunities and unemployment

• migration and seeking work

Political:

• political instability

• conflict

• high levels of discrimination and prejudice

Social:

• gender inequality

• women and children trafficking for sexual exploitation

• entire families enslaved

Environmental:

• escaping climate-related disasters including food and water shortages

• hazardous working conditions in open mines

MMR

• the death of a women while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy

• 295,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2017

• most of the deaths occurred in developing countries

• South Sudan (1150 per 100,000 live births)

• Italy (2 per 100,000 live births)

• since 2000, global reduction in MMR has been 38.4 %

Factors that influence global variation of MMR

• access to treatments for pregnancy and birth complications, especially emergency care

• quality of medical services, especially provision of skilled attendance at birth

• level of political commitment and gov. investment

• availability of info and education

• cultural beliefs, practices and discrimination

• poverty

HR treaties protecting these rights include:

• committee on the elimination of discrimination against women (CEDAW)

• international covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Capital punishment

• the death penalty is a denial of the most basic of HR, states must recognise the right to life

• the UN general assembly has called for an end to the death penalty

• HR organisations such as Amnesty international and HR watch campaign against its imposition as a fundamental breach of HR norms

• in 2018 there were at least 690 executions globally

• there is significant global inequalities in capital punishment

Factors that influence global variations of capital punishment

• differences between countries in the range and type of crimes for which it is imposed

• the incidence of its legality under national law

• the increase in the number of countries in which it is being abolished

• the number of commutations and pardons

• its reinstatement in some countries for threats to state security and public safety posed by terrorism