UN expert warns about unfair treatment of pro-Palestinian student protesters in the US
“I’m extremely worried about violent repression of peaceful protesters, arrests, detentions, police violence, surveillance and disciplinary measures and sanctions against members of the educational community exercise the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” said UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, in statement End of official visit to the United States.
United Nation Eastern Human Rights AssociationThe appointed expert said she was particularly concerned about the way protesters were treated unfairly based on their political views – especially pro-Palestinian protesters.
Core constitutional commitments
During Ms. Shaheed’s time in the US, she visited Washington DC, Indiana and Colorado.
Her visit coincided with American students setting up camps on campus in solidarity with the Palestinians, calling for a ceasefire and in many cases demanding that the university divest all assets related to the Palestinian cause. Israel.
She speaks, “These attacks signal a worrying erosion of intellectual freedom and democratic principles in an educational environment.”
Ms. Shaheed is calling on the U.S. Government to reiterate its core commitment to free speech by ensuring all students have unrestricted access to diverse ideas and perspectives.
Academic freedom is threatened
The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern about the 307 education gag order policies and bills introduced in the US since January 2021.
“These policies, expressed through book bans and restrictions on the curriculum, have created a widespread ‘chilling effect,’ hindering the free exchange of ideas and work,” she said. silencing marginalized voices.”
Ms. Shaheed found that underfunding in the U.S. education system has paved the way for other systemic problems, including teacher shortages and challenges supporting student mental health. born.
This disparity in education funding is made worse by an overreliance on local property taxes, which hurts low-income and marginalized neighborhoods.
“Communities need to find ways to allocate capital more equitably between richer and poorer districts to end the cycle of deprivation and racism,” the rapporteur said.
“I also call on the federal government to take decisive action to address disparities in education funding,” she added.
Increase educational rights
The Special Rapporteur called on federal and state authorities to recognize education as a human right while ensuring equitable access for all students regardless of background or identity, income level, place of residence or any other personal circumstances.
Ms. Shaheed also mentioned that despite federal anti-discrimination protections, school safety and police presence in schools in addition to standardized testing and mental health student mental health, are related to but negatively impact those from minority and marginalized communities.
“That is It is important to remove police presence from schools and invest in qualified personnel such as counselors and social workers to create a safe and nurturing learning environment.”, Ms. Shaheed said.
“It is time to change the narrative, prioritizing well-rounded development and social interaction skills over standardized test results that reduce students to mere numbers.”
The Special Rapporteur and other United Nations human rights experts are not employees of the United Nations and are independent of any government or organization. They serve as individuals and do not receive salary for their work.
