Australia violated Torres Strait Islanders’ rights to enjoy culture and family life, UN Committee on Human Rights finds
Indigenous groups from four islands in Australia’s Torres Strait region made a complaint that Australia had “failed to adapt to climate change by, inter alia, upgrading seawalls on the islands and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” When national remedies have failed, specifically in terms of protecting human rights as a result of climate, this decision sets precedent for others in a similar situation. In this specific case, the Islanders “claimed that changes in weather patterns have direct harmful consequences on their livelihood, their culture and traditional way of life. The Islanders indicated that severe flooding caused by the tidal surge in recent years has destroyed family graves and left human remains scattered across their islands. They argued that maintaining ancestral graveyards and visiting and communicating with deceased relatives are at the heart of their cultures. In addition, the most important ceremonies, such as coming-of-age and initiation ceremonies, are only culturally meaningful if performed in the community’s native lands.” Child Identity Protection welcomes this decision as it shows how the protection of the environment is closely linked to the achievement of the child’s right to identity in family relations, including its connected culture and traditions.
