Protecting human rights via South-South synergy

Editor's note: The first China-Latin America and Caribbean States Roundtable on Human Rights was organized by China Society for Human Rights Studies, Renmin University of China, and the Fluminense Federal University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday. More than 120 human rights experts and officials from China and Latin America and the Caribbean shared their views on the contributions of China-Latin American and Caribbean states to human rights protection and promotion, and the challenges faced by global human rights governance. Following are excerpts from the speeches delivered by three participants:

Political manipulation of international justice

Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948 is based on the spirit of mutual respect, freedom, justice and equality for all human beings, certain countries have used the 30 articles of the declaration to serve their own narrow political and geopolitical interests, turning the declaration into a weapon to justify even very serious violations of the very principles that the declaration seeks to safeguard.

The United States, for instance, has used its hegemonic role in the world order from 1945 onward to hide its political and geopolitical ambitions under the garb of protecting human rights. From its colonial and imperialist policy in Vietnam to its economic siege of Cuba and overthrow and assassination of former president Salvador Allende of Chile, among many other examples, to its current pretentious behavior in the face of the genocide its close ally, Israel, has been carrying out in Gaza, the US' record of serious human rights violations is simply atrocious.

The best way to honor the principles that gave birth to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is to reveal and highlight to the world how human rights have been, and are being, violated by the US and its closest allies, which hide their power interests (which often results in the most horrendous criminal and genocidal acts) in the discourse on human rights protection.

Fernando Estenssoro, doctor of American studies at Universidad de Santiago de Chile

Beijing has helped better protect human rights

Human rights protection has long been seen through the Western lens, often neglecting the diverse cultural, political and economic contexts of the countries in the Global South. Since the existing world order was established by the Western powers after the end of World War II, it doesn't represent the countries that were marginalized at the time, including a fragile China in the 1940s.

China's rise since the late 1970s has been outstanding. The country has transformed from an agricultural society into a global economic and technological force. The disintegration of the Soviet Union and its associated bloc between 1989 and 1991 gave rise to a world order dominated by a single superpower. In the absence of a competitor that would have restricted their influence, Western leaders have proclaimed the universality of Western principles, claiming certain privileged tutelary powers to regulate the world order, initially formulated based on a "liberal international order" and later in the form of a "rules-based order".

But the impressive rise of China, particularly in the past two decades, has brought about another profound change: China has become a more confident actor on the global stage. Accordingly, much of the international relations literature today tries to answer the question of whether China is a status quo power or a revisionist state.

The answer to this question could point to enormous policy consequences: if China is a revisionist power trying to replace the existing world order with a different type of international order, the status quo countries will strive for containing China's initiatives worldwide. But if China is a status quo power, less harsh measures would be taken by those countries to deal with China.

Grasping the role of China in this field is central to our understanding of the challenges threatening the international system along with our search for answers to better protect and promote human rights worldwide.

China contributes to a core issue of global governance: international human rights. It has ratified a series of laws and regulations including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1980, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2001, and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 2011.

Beijing's main efforts on the global stage are aimed at improving (not replacing) the existing world order, and to abide by the rules of the international human rights regime.

Jorge Eduardo Malena, director of the Asian Affairs Committee, Argentine Council for International Relations

South-South cooperation on human rights to be fortified

Violations of women's human rights during armed conflicts, wars and political upheaval have been addressed by different forums, networks and public policies at the regional level. Although violence against women during war has been a reality since ancient times, the advances made in human rights protection at the global level have not only shaped a new perspective on the violation of women's human rights but also provided tools to ensure such crimes do not go unpunished. Advances in jurisprudence at the global level have been decisive in analyzing the causes of women's human rights violations that have not been legally addressed, such as the case of the "comfort women" in Asia.

The "comfort women" refers to women who were exploited as sex slaves by the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II. Historians and advocacy groups estimate that the Japanese military enslaved more than 400,000 women. The violence suffered by those women has not been adjudicated.

Due to the activism of the advocacy groups — which include historians, lawyers and volunteers — the issue has gained global attention, generating calls for justice even in non-victim countries.

The issue has also deepened South-South cooperation on certain fronts. For instance, Argentina and China collaborated in 2019 to publish the first Spanish-language book on "comfort women", opening the door to broader discourse. In March 2023, a photo exhibition in Argentina on Korean "comfort women" living in China attracted significant media attention, showing the intensifying calls in Latin America for addressing the issue.

But the unresolved issue of "comfort women" is not confined to Asia. It is a global human rights concern, especially with intensifying conflicts in many parts of the world. Latin America, with its own history of gender violence during military dictatorships, has much to offer to this dialogue.

As such, China and Latin America must seize this opportunity to collaborate more deeply to address the issue. First, increasing scientific cooperation on gender violence — through joint research projects and publications — could bridge the knowledge gap between regions. Second, stronger linkages among museums and memory spaces in China and Latin America can help raise awareness about the gender violence through exhibitions that engage and educate the public. And third, there is a need to shift the debate beyond regional tensions in East Asia and focus on building a global human rights agenda that prioritizes the dignity and autonomy of women.

The issue of "comfort women" is not just a relic of the past; it is a reminder of the work still needed to be done to protect women's rights in conflict zones. China and Latin America, two regions often marginalized in global human rights discussions, can become leaders in addressing this issue. By building stronger networks of cooperation, they can challenge the North-South paradigm of women's rights advocacy and contribute meaningfully to the global discourse on human rights. The time to act is now.

María del Pilar álvarez, a professor and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Chinese Studies Program, School of Humanities, National University of San Martín, Argentina.

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