(This letter was originally published in the December 10, 2004, issue of the New Haven Register.)
On Dec. 10, 1948, after the horrors of the Holocaust, the nations of the world adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each year, on this day, we recall that all people deserve dignity, freedom, justice and peace. Yet, as we commemorate this Human Rights Day, people in Sudan are suffering the very abuses the declaration opposes.
In recent months, the Sudanese government has sponsored a scorched-earth policy in Darfur, supporting militia groups in a campaign of terror against civilians. Reports indicate more than 1.2 million Darfurians have been forced from their homes; 70,000 to 80,000 have been killed or died of disease, starvation, or simply lack of water; 10,000 to 20,000 women have been raped.
Conditions for those who remain are dire. The land is barren; scarce water sources have been polluted by dead bodies. Life in Darfur is now marked by a constant battle to escape death, exacerbated by unrelenting wind and sand.
The U.S. government has called the crisis in Darfur genocide. Yet the United States and the United Nations have failed to take meaningful action to prevent further atrocities. If this day of reflection on human rights is to mean anything, we must acknowledge that we are allowing the evils of 60 years ago to repeat themselves.
Today, the African Union launches another round of peace talks between the Sudanese government and the rebels. Because the politics are complex and U.S. media attention has waned, becoming knowledgeable about events in Darfur requires energy.
Nonetheless, it is a worthy undertaking. Consider writing to your members of Congress. Tell them to prioritize the protection of civilians in all negotiations with the Sudanese government.
When Human Rights Watch tried to convince the Clinton administration to recognize the genocide in Rwanda, a senior official replied, "Make my phone ring." It is the least we can do.
Maria Burnett
Samantha Chaifetz
Bonita Meyersfeld
New Haven
Editor's note: Maria Burnett, Samantha Chaifetz and Bonita Meyersfeld are students at the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School.