The world faces a global emergency created by the confluence of an unprecedented financial crisis

December 1 2008 The world faces a global emergency created by the confluence of an unprecedented financial crisis, rising food prices, climate change and growing inequities. Civil society groups from around the world show in the Social Watch Report, 2008 that how human rights are being violated as a direct consequence of the same global economic order that created this chaos. After the failure of mainstream strategies, the abandoned principles of social justice and a rights-based approach to development are an essential component of any solution. Some of thh facts over the world:

DID YOU KNOW….

In Argentina, the right to housing is enshrined in the National Constitution, but more than 2.6 million households, or over 25% of the population, live in substandard housing.

In India, economic growth continues to soar at annual rates above 9%, but the wealth created is not being redistributed to women, who make up 63% of the informal workforce, or to members of lower castes or minority groups, of which 35% and 31%, respectively, live below the poverty line.

In Portugal, a human rights ombudsman was appointed by the government to ensure the full realization of the rights of all citizens, but economic and social inequalities are still rampant, with the richest 20% of the Portuguese population earning almost seven times what the poorest 20% receives.

In Yemen, the government has ratified most regional and international human rights treaties, but free expression is nonexistent and participants in peaceful protest movements are often detained arbitrarily and given unjust, disproportionately harsh sentences, even including the death penalty.

In Zambia, the government promised to provide free basic health care for all, but life expectancy rates for people under the age of 40 is among the lowest in the world, and maternal morbidity rates continue to rise.

According to the Basic Capabilities Index computed by Social Watch, the basic necessities of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa will not be fully met in this century unless governments speed up substantially their progress in meeting social indicators.

The Gender Equity Index computed by Social Watch´s shows that gender inequality is still a worldwide issue: the global salary gap between women and men is estimated at 32%, women politicians make up a mere 17.5% of members of parliament, and 60% of the world´s countries have made no progress in recent years in expanding access to education for women.