Social-, Indenrigs- og Børneudvalget 2017-18
SOU Alm.del Bilag 252
Offentligt
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UN Secretary-General
UN Human Rights Watch
Report by Danish Fathers Association
May 2018
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To:
United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations Human Rights Watch
Copy:
National Danish Police
National Human Rights Institute
National Equality Committee
Danish Ministry of Equality, Children and Justice
Danish Parliament Gender Equality, Children and Justice Committees
The Council of Europe
European Commission DG Justice
Subject: Sever harassment, smear campaigns and surveillance in human rights work
for children and fathers
Addressing and preventing acts of intimidation and reprisals against individuals and
groups seeking to cooperate with the United Nations on human rights have been a
long-standing concern to the United Nations.
The United Nations
–
and particularly its human rights bodies and mechanisms
–
rely
on the cooperation of the people they serve. Individuals and groups engaging with the
UN provide valuable on-the-ground insights and information, alert the UN system to
evolving situations, and push for relevant action to be taken. The freedom to engage
with the UN is a basic exercise of fundamental freedoms and human rights of all, and
must be respected and protected. When those engaging with the UN face intimidation,
threats, imprisonment and worse for doing so, we all lose, and the credibility of the UN
is damaged. The UN as a whole has a collective responsibility to stop and prevent
these reprehensible acts.
Designation of the Assistant Secretary-General for human rights to lead UN
efforts to put an end to intimidation and reprisals against those cooperating
with the UN on human rights
The Secretary-General publicly has expressed his deep alarm over the increase in
reprisals and intimidation against people cooperating with the UN on human rights.
The Secretary-General announced, after consultations with the High Commissioner for
Human Rights, he had asked Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human
Rights, to lead the efforts within the UN system to address intimidation and reprisals
against those cooperating with the UN on human rights. These efforts will build on and
complement existing efforts, and will include strengthened engagement with Member
States and other key interlocutors.
Currently, multiple actors are engaged in responding to reprisals within the UN system,
including OHCHR, the Human Rights Council, special procedures and treaty bodies.
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CHILDREN AND FATHERS
The Danish Fathers Association hereby send its formal notification on what we
experience as sever and systematic harassment of young volunteers and voluntary
leaders, as well as fathers and smear campaign and surveillance of father and children
organizations in Denmark. The Danish Fathers Association was, founded in 1977 being
one of the world first children and father organizations working to protect and
respect human rights and gender equality for women and men, boys and girls.
The Danish Fathers Association submitted in 2015 an UN Examination report on
children and fathers in Denmark as part of the UN human rights examination of
Denmark. We have been a member of the national institute for human rights equality
committee and
has e e tl p ese ted hat is p o a l also the o ld’s fi st
gender equality catalog for children and fathers with 348 items in 12 themes related
to human rights violations and concerns in Denmark and most western world
countries.
We have during our work on a weekly basis experienced sever and systematic
harassment, smear campaigns and surveillance. The harassment are performed by
individuals as well as small groups of people who through harassment try to make it
difficult for our organization to secure human rights and gender equality for both
mothers and fathers as well as a better upbringing for children in families with shared
parenting.
It has not been possible to take legal actions at this stage or to use freedom of speech
by young volunteers, voluntary leaders, nor fathers due to the protection of children
in specific children cases including children that have been, abducted from Denmark
and are wanted by Interpol. The reason behind the hesitation to take action is that
the actions could endanger the children.
EXAMPLES
We hereby provide examples of the harassment of our young volunteers of voluntary
leaders and fathers.
1. Hate speech
We experience a well-k
o
fe i ist
and former journalist on her personal blog
uses images of our young volunteers and leaders with many incorrect statements and
false accusation. Our young volunteers and voluntary leaders with no criminal records
working in legal councils and law firms are, for example shown together with
criminals, murders and child abusers. The individual has recently received a court
decision to remove content, but in media stated she was not, convicted.
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2. Tagging
We experience articles with incorrect information and false accusations being
systematic tagged with our association and volunteers names, so that search engines
on social media find it.
3. Stalking / surveillance
We experience persons follow everything we do on a daily or weekly basis trying to
misuse the smallest issues or issues not related to the Danish Fathers Association
trying to generate scandals and smear campaigns on purpose.
4. Fake news
We experience a small group of well-k
o
fe i ist
journalists in Denmark that on
national media has made several debate or blogs articles, where they despite
professional knowledge about the importance of checking stories and facts, try to
create a
ad pi tu e of hild e a d fathe o ga izatio s.
This with information they
have not checked and very easily could have checked as being wrong and false.
5. Danish Women Organization Awards
We experience that a leading women organization in close personal network with the
above-mentioned individuals and small networks has given awards to some of the
worse hate speakers against fathers we have seen in Denmark. This without checking
the information and facts, causing anger and harassment towards children and
fathers.
6. Hate campaigns doing political reforms
We experience the same women organizations that awards hate speakers misusing
images of our young volunteers, at the same time creating campaigns against rape
and violence against women in what seems to be coordinated with parliament
discussing about political reforms for human rights protection of children and fathers
in general.
7. Book selling based on hate speech
We experience books with hate speech and incorrect information being marketed
and sold on hate blogs in violation of Danish commercial laws being associated with
fathers or father organizations to increase sales and create smear campaigns.
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8. Smear campaigns on Children toys sponsorship
We experience hate speech and incorrect information by the same few well-known
persons, when receiving sponsorships from large companies for example free children
toys sponsorships. Trying to create smear campaigns against the companies so that
they do not support our association working for human rights of children and fathers.
9. Attempt to prevent parliament hearing on children and fathers
We experience attempts to prevent a hearing on children and fathers in the Danish
Parliament by contacting parliament politicians with incorrect information and smear
campaigns that has stopped politicians to participate.
10. Research Institutions contacted with incorrect information
We experience that researcher from international top universities working on shared
parenti
g, hild e ’s health a d
children and father issues with our organization; have
been contacted by a well-k
o
fe i ist jou alist.
They has been, provided with
incorrect information and with an attempt to create a smear campaign.
11. Journalists and media contacted
We experience that journalist and media many times have been, contacted with
incorrect information and false accusations. Among other by
the sa e fe i ist
journalist and a person in the network that has several court decisions for false
accusations admitting among other false accusation of child abuse in court. This to
eate s ea a paig s agai st fathe s a d fathe ’s o ga izatio s.
12. Personal information on voluntary leaders
We experience that
fe i ist jou alist(s)
in direct contact with person(s) that has
several court verdict on incorrect information, including admitted false accusation of
child abuse, tries to find, create and distribute incorrect information about voluntary
leaders on social media and in hate groups.
13. Smear campaign due to UN Woman Committee contact
We experience that fe
i ist jou alist(s)
has followed voluntary leaders personally
trying to create smear campaigns when providing important information about
fathers and children to the UN Gender Equality Women Committee.
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14. Hate groups
We experience the same few persons are behind hate groups on the internet and
Fa e ook ith essages like e e get hild e i De a k
creating systematic
harassment and smear campaigns based on incorrect information. Creating hate and
harassment of fathers and father organizations in general.
15. Lawyers ethics and methods
We experience family lawyers systematically are having a different approach based
on the gender when they represent parents in court and a group of lawyers that are
using the same methods to get fathers out of their child's life. For one lawyer we have
a very large number of fathers who independent of each other have experienced the
same incorrect information and false accusations about violence and abuse in their
children cases. Also the lawyer has tried to represent clients wanted by Interpol for
children abduction at the same time stating she did not know were the mothers were.
16. Family law
We experience that due to family law that historically are based on a single parent
that any father in Denmark and in most western world countries within a few hours
can lose contact to his child and the child to the father using the same unethically and
systematic methods by the mother, mother groups or lawyer.
17. National newspaper
with perso al etwork to k ow
fe i ist
We have experience a national newspaper having editors with personal networks to
feminist allowing them to provide incorrect information to the public without any
professional journalistic checks. If fathers and our fathers associations correct the
information, it is being, ignored by the editors and our comments will be linked online
to the incorrect information to sell more newspapers and create smear campaigns
preventing freedom of speech for children and fathers.
18. Freedom of speech or criminal conduct
We experience that these persons and groups are trying to use freedom of speech for
what seems to be simply criminal conduct.
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19. Violence against women, murder and harassment
We experience systematically use of false accusations and incorrect information by
mothers and woman groups for example in children social cases, where the fathers
cannot be to blame, based gender inequality in family law and welfare benefits.
20. Court verdicts on false accusations
We experience that even though there is court verdicts on incorrect information and
smear campaign it does not have or only have little effect. The institutional human
right protection system does still not protect the victim.
21. Family research based only on mothers
We experience family researchers and national research institutions are presenting
research as 'family research', but really has only asked mothers and not fathers. The
research is showing a one-sided picture of the family situation of the children and the
whole and truthful picture is, kept away from politicians and influencers. Thereby
preventing the necessary changes in the contemporary system to secure human
rights protection, equality of parents and a better upbringing of the children.
22. State funding
We experience a systematic lack of funding of children and father organization
compared to mother and children organizations. State accountants have found illegal
financial support in ministries that children and father organizations have not been
informed about, nor have had, the chance to apply for.
23. Private funds with tax reductions
We experience systematic lack of private funding on specific funds with tax reduction
supporting mother and children organization. Male board members have, in two
cases informed us informally that women executives at two Danish funds personally
did ot like
children and father
o ga izatio s . Causi g hat ould e ge de
discrimination in tax reduced funding.
24. Private funds invitations to mother organization and ministry advisors
We experience that a private fund with tax reduction has invited politicians, ministry
advisors and the specific minister legal personal making Danish Family Law on trips
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jointly with mother organizations without the invitation of children and fathers
organizations.
25. Parliament members being misinformed
We have experience a Parliament member being, incorrectly informed by hate groups
linking to hate blogs with sever harassment of our young volunteers and voluntary
leaders. On mentioning, it was not removed. Court verdicts later declared content on
the hate group linked removed.
26. Media programs stopped
We experience national television programs on children and fathers human right
issues being stopped or editors not daring to bring programs on children and fathers
human rights issues due to the risk of harassment and smear campaigns.
27. Risk of media harassment
We experience media and journalist not daring or being, allowed by editors to make
positive and professional interviews on children and fathers due to the risk of
harassment and smear campaigns from
fe i ists
28. Violence against children and fathers
We experience sever psychological, financial and physical violence against children
and fathers due to gender discrimination that are being ignored
29. Lack of statistics on violence against children and fathers
We experience lack of understanding and financial support, hereby statistics of
violence against children and fathers due to gender discrimination, making the
numbers for violence and financial support to women higher. This is creating an in
balance in the general understanding of violence against children and parents in
general.
30. Children, parent and lawyer Murders
We experience murders of lawyers and attempt to murder fathers being glorified
by hate groups
–
and we experience murders of children by parents due to sever
gender discrimination, that we believe could have been and should have been
prevented.
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This is just some of the examples we experience in our human rights work for children
and fathers. Having the same respect for women and men, boys and girls.
The Danish Fathers Association has for the protection of children ignored the sever
harassment, smear campaigns and surveillance, but have urged the human rights
institutional protection to take actions.
Its seems very clear that the method used is to create hate and fear of children and
fathers and children and fathers organizations to prevent political reforms and a
modernization for ordinary citizens and children and fathers in general in respect of
family life and human rights for all citizens.
The patterns, persons and networks involved is, well documented today. It seems
that the patterns in Denmark is identical for many western world countries.
OUR HUMAN RIGHTS FOCUS
The main, focus of the Danish Fathers Association is related to the UN Children
convention article 2 and 7 as well as the Human Rights convention and the European
Human rights convention articles 8, 14 and 17. We do see clear human right violations
on a daily basis in most western world countries without institutional protection.
Convention on the rights for the child:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx
Article 2: States Parties shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present
Convention to each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind,
irrespective of the child's or his or her parent's or legal guardian's race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property,
disability, birth or other status. 2. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to
ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on
the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child's parents,
legal guardians, or family members.
Article 7: The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right
from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and. as far as possible, the
right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.
European Convention on Human Rights:
https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf
Article 8 Right to respect for private and family life 1. Everyone has the right to respect
for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. 2. There shall be no
interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in
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accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of
national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the
prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the
protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
Article 14 Prohibition of discrimination. The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set
forth in this Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as
sex, race, color, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.
Article 17 Prohibition of abuse of rights Nothing in this Convention may be interpreted
as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or
perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth
herein or at their limitation to a greater extent than is provided for in the Convention.
THE HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION IS MISSING
For years the Danish Fathers Association on behalf of children and fathers has tried to
get the institutional and formal human rights protection organizations involved and to
understand and address the human right issues and harassment of children and
fathers. However, this has not been possible and we experience clear gender
discrimination in the institutional human rights protection support.
This is some examples:
The National Danish equality committee
The national Danish equality committee has received more than 25 principle human
cases as example of violations for children and fathers. However, the committee does
not address the UN children convention, nor the human right convention in its work,
but only the Danish legislation. Because the Danish family legislation today is violating
the basic human rights of children and fathers the committee has to use the UN
conventions, but it does not. Even though Denmark is committed to both the UN
convention for the child and the European convention for human rights.
The National Danish Human Rights Institute
The same situation applies to the national Danish human rights institution that from
several years of experience simply do not have the knowledge and understanding of
children and father issues. IN the advisory committee of the institute, there are two
women organizations present and one LGBT organization. However, no children and
father organizations, which seems to be a clear violation of the Danish Gender
E ualit A t. O e of the thi gs e ha e e pe ie e is that the i stitute eithe do ’t
ha e a k o ledge a out the hild e a d fathe ’s issues a d he the a e
confronted state it is politically based when it is done by women and not political
based when done by men, having the effect that the situations are handled all
differently and are excused as political free speech although being harassment.
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The Danish Gender equality ministry
The Danish Gender Equality ministry are every year publishing a governmental
strategy on equality. However, it seems clear that knowledge about children and
fathers is simply not present. The gender equality catalog is normally, based on
women issues instead of an equal representation of the 3-5 most important issues for
women, men, boys and girls.
The National Danish Police
We experience that the national Danish Police in many situations are doing a good
work. However, it is also clear that the national police are being, affected by woman
campaigns and do not have understanding and support towards the systematic
harassment, smear campaigns and surveillance against fathers and children and
fathers organizations that are very clearly more than just single incidence, both
systematic and sever harassment in the Human Rights work.
Law firms
We experience lawyers and law firms not daring to handle cases, where they know
they will receive smear campaigns and harassment by women groups.
ATTACHED:
UN Examination Report by the Danish Fathers Association, 2015
Council of Europe resolution on children and fathers, 2015
On Behalf of the Danish Fathers Association
Jesper Lohse, MBA & Chairman
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
www.foreningenfar.dk
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