When one thinks about discipline, it is not surprising if China happens to be the first thought that appear in one’s mind. China has been well known for its discipline in a majority basis, but what triggered the population to act the way they do? Within China, people take the phrase, “action speaks louder than words” quite literally, meaning they would often resort to force to discipline either one’s child or anything that behaves improperly in that matter. Prisons have always been known as a place for those who have done harm against others or society as a whole to receive punishment, which is, to lose their freedom for a period of time depending on the severity of the crimes committed. What may seem to be a well guarded place under government jurisdiction could very well be corrupt on the inside, in a sense where the governing power within the facility may not be exactly righteous in relation to justice and fundamental human rights as stated within the Universal Declaration. Torture, in all its forms, have been considered as an infringement of human rights within the Universal Declaration, which are signed by many countries as a form of acknowledgement that such actions are in fact inhumane and participation to follow the guidelines were expected. China, one of the participating countries, have often been accused of human torture by the victims, most of which have derived from prisons. Many testimonies have been made over the past years by the victims about the different forms of torture they have experienced and endured while serving their sentences. Although China had signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, its methods of discipline have still been rather physically harmful, and its purpose mainly to strike fear in exchange for one’s cooperation. Although China has been slowly improving into a more civilized country, where human rights are becoming recognized, communism is still its primary form of governing system, therefore it will take more time for China to move on to adopt the democratic system used by western societies, which recognizes fundamental human rights and freedom. Since torture of human beings goes against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, religious views, moral ethics and political standards, it may affect the reputation and respectability of a country.
Universal Declaration Violations
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was established by the United Nations in December 1948, outlines the fundamental human rights that are guaranteed to all people. Within it contains thirty articles that clearly state specific grounds of protection on human rights abuse. Torture, which is a form of physical or mental abuse, is primarily used for punishment or extraction of information or confessions. Within the twenty-first century in which we live in, human torture in all its forms have been banned by the United Nation and protected under section three and five of the Universal Declaration. Even though China had signed the Declaration, there has still been many reported cases of ill-treatment or torture within prisons testified by the released prisoners. Even though Chinese officials have denied this fact, stating that they are mere rumors, it may be logically hard to believe that torture does not exist within China. “Du Zhongxing, director of the Prison Administration under the Ministry of Justice, said the Chinese government prohibits the practice of torture, beating or ill-treatment of prisoners…” Even though prisons are designed solely for security to detain the criminals from escaping back into the society, it is also designed to keep the inmates safe from harm while they serve their sentence. As testified by former prisoners of China, the right to liberty, security or life, as guaranteed by article three of the Universal declaration was not a luxury they had, for many forms of torture had been reported. Such inhumane forms of punishment include the use of electric batons, “disciplinary bed”, and “hugging the metal door”. Of course, the list goes on but the stated few are some of the most excruciating forms of torture. With the many forms of inhumane punishment, it is fairly self explanatory that article five of the Universal Declaration has also been violated. The lack of hesitation for the guards to conduct such forms of torture may be supported by the idea that the injury or death of an inmate could easily be excused. “According to HRIC’s source, guards are well aware that they will face no repercussions for ill-treatment short of the death of a prisoner, a situation that entrenches brutality as an expedient in maintaining “order” in the prison.”
Ethics and Morality Issues
Ethics is defined as the righteous action in contribution to the greater good which comes in direct relation with morality. Ethics itself could also be further categorized as personal and social, which deals with individuals or the country itself. As for China, both categories of moral ethics are lacking. This could very well be supported by the countless amounts of torture cases within prisons and also the government’s level of concern for this matter, despite their signing of the Universal Declaration. The forms of torture as stated before include the use of electric batons, “disciplinary bed”, and “hugging the metal door”. The use of electric batons serves the purpose of punishing and striking fear into the inmates, and even for the sheer enjoyment of the guards. “Electric batons! The guards use them all the time…Once my entire upper back was blue. It was extremely painful for a long time afterward.”As stated within this testimonial, the guards clearly demonstrate no signs of hesitation or ethical values for that matter. Another form of excruciating torture which also directly violates articles three and five of the Universal Declaration is the “hugging of the metal door”. As explained by the officials of Human Rights In China (HRIC), “the inmate has his wrists and ankles shackled to or around a metal door. Standing upright in this position soon becomes unbearable…. HRIC’s source said this punishment could be imposed for up to 12 days at a time” This form of torture is unheard of in today’s society and violates not only the articles of the UDHR that was voluntarily signed by the Chinese government, it also violates all forms of religious, moral and ethical codes of behavior. As for the Chinese government, no apparent attempts of ending such actions could be seen. On the other hand, it is quite suspicious because of the fact that reporters conducting interviews of inmates are always under close surveillance by security personnel, and at times even physically prevented from meeting. This demonstrates no other logical explanation other than the fact that the Chinese government is intentionally trying to prevent the truth from reaching the world.
Economic and Political Issues
China is a steadily growing country in terms of economics and politics. This is apparent with the many contributions that are made internationally, such as the hosting of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Although China has been improving politically over the years with a big role within the United Nations, there are still many decisions not approved of by the world. Such incidents include the current issue with Tibet, with the arrest of fifteen peaceful protesting monks on March 10.As a result, many around the world fear that they may be facing ill-treatment which in turn, also lead to protests about China’s hosting of the Olympics and its promise to improve human rights. Over the past years, China’s relation with Tibet had always been poor since Tibet’s attempts of separation as an independent state. This is supported by the countless amounts of cases where Tibet monks have been captured for performing acts such as peaceful protests. The sentences for actions otherwise approved of by the rest of the world, were not short. As stated in a testimonial by Dorje, a 38 year old Tibetan Monk, “We were five monks when we protested in 1992. It was during a big meeting when we took Tibetan flags and shouted that Tibet is an independent country and that the Chinese should leave.” Dorje had served a thirteen year sentence starting from June 30, 1992 until June 30, 2005 with his five of his fellow protesters, one of which died under torture. Since there are still recent cases of political decisions made by the Chinese government which goes against human rights, whether or not China will take its promise of improving human rights seriously is still questionable.
Recommendations for Improvement
In the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, China had voluntarily agreed to follow the rules and guidelines on human rights guaranteed to all people. Under the religious teachings of China’s largest religion of Buddhism, ill-treatment towards others also violates its beliefs as defined by the golden rule. As for the ethical issues, torture of human beings in all its forms are considered inhumane for the world’s societies had concluded that everyone has the right not to be subjected to any form of cruel or degrading treatment. In the political sense, China is an improving country where it has become more open towards the world in the past years. Although it may still adopt the strict methods of discipline left behind from the early years, the world is demonstrating its disapproval in hopes of allowing China to recognize the true meaning of human rights and equality.
There are several recommendations that would help China improve in terms of preventing torture from occurring any further. Such recommendation includes:
1. the removal of equipments that may be used for torture within the prisons such as electric batons, the installation of surveillance cameras within prisons directly linked to government agencies responsible for protection of human rights.
2. Also, the government may resort to other forms of punishment such as reasonable fines instead of resorting to arrest even for minor offenses.
3. Lastly, it would help the government overall to adopt a more diplomatic way of questioning suspects instead of forcing innocent people to admit crimes they had not committed.
If the government of China would take these recommendations under serious consideration, then the political image and the reputation of the country would certainly change for the better. China is one of the fastest growing countries in the world both politically and socially, therefore it will definitely improve in the near future.