Chinese experts deliver video messages to UN human rights session

GENEVA - A group of experts from the China Society for Human Rights Studies have spoken through video messages at the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, expressing their views on such topics as the rights of women and children, absolute poverty, leprosy discrimination, displacement, international solidarity, and racial discrimination.

Yang Bochao, a scholar from China University of Political Science and Law, told the council that the Chinese government has always prioritized the fight against trafficking of women, children and other vulnerable groups in its effort to combat human trafficking.

"Meanwhile, the Chinese government cooperates closely with UN agencies to combat human trafficking and violence against women and children," the expert said.

Zha Luo, a researcher with the China Tibetology Research Center, said during a dialogue on extreme poverty that eliminating extreme poverty is necessary and possible, and the Chinese government has made great efforts to fight poverty in Tibet.

China's Tibet autonomous region declared the elimination of extreme poverty in 2019, the expert said.

In a dialogue on the elimination of discrimination against leprosy, Shang Haiming, a scholar from Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said that the number of leprosy patients in China has decreased from more than 500,000 in 1949 to around 3,000, and the disease has been basically eliminated in most provinces.

"While actively controlling the spread of leprosy, China has also launched various forms of publicity campaigns to eliminate discrimination against leprosy patients," Shang said.

On the issue of internal displacement, Wang Jiang, a scholar from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the council that the Chinese government integrates those being displaced into the scope of social security, and provides them with social relief management services.

In another discussion on the independence of judges and lawyers, Wang said that the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will not affect the independence of judges and lawyers at the institutional and legal levels.

It will only help better safeguard the rule of law in Hong Kong, Wang added.

In a dialogue on the issue of international solidarity, Wu Wenyang, a scholar from China University of Political Science and Law, said xenophobia and stigmatization have posed a serious challenge to the international community's united response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is a time for solidarity, for saving lives and protecting human rights, and not a time to politicize the pandemic," Wu said.

Speaking about transnational corporations' responsibility for protecting human rights, Zhu Ying, a professor from Southwest University of Political Science and Law in China, said as an important player on the world economic stage, transnational corporations have a huge influence on the economy, environment, national security, legal system and other aspects of the human society, and therefore should shoulder their social responsibilities.

In a dialogue on racism, Mao Junxiang, executive director of the Center for Human Rights Studies at China's Central South University, called on politicians and media to take their social responsibilities for combating discrimination related to the novel coronavirus.

Spreading discriminatory remarks is a contemporary form of racism "in the name of freedom of speech," Mao said.