Personal concern for human rights

Press, 16 August 1985, Page 14

Personal concern for human rights

By

CAROLE van GRONDELLE

A long-term concern for human rights has taken a Christchurch woman to the New Zealand executive committee of the wellrespected organisation, Amnesty International. A committed Quaker with a background in teaching and social work, and now a mother of three, Valerie Clements is the first South Island representative to sit on the seven-member committee.

Although elected to the committee in June, on-going international campaigns and plans for national fund raising have kept her busy since then.

A Christchurch benefit show at the Theatre Royal on August 25, featuring such well-known celebrities as David McPhail, Jon Gadsby, Jim Hopkins and Malcolm McNeill is claiming her time.

Much of her time is also spent on co-ordinating local and regional groups’ actions against the torture, imprisonment, ill-treatment, or disappearance of people in targeted areas overseas.

The two main areas of concern in the world at present are Central America and southern Africa, she said. Problems in these areas often demand an instant response from local Amnesty groups in terms of letters, submissions, and telexes to foreign Governments. Mrs Clements also tries to get people not necessarily members of A.I. to protest at the treatment of political dissidents. These may be people with a

natural vested interest in the tortured prisoner or person who has disappeared, for example, doctors, lawyers, trade unionists, or church leaders. The success rate of Amnesty’s work is probably incalculable, although Mrs Clements said that the response from prisoners released is often positive.

“They say that it did help when letters came through from around the world. If authorities are aware that the international community is aware of what is happening they are more likely to follow the course of law. No Government likes to be seen as not doing this,” she said.

Mrs Clements’ concern for human rights began at

an early age. While at university, during the sixties — “a time of questioning” — she became conscious of the political reality of many people in other parts of the world.

When she and her husband, Kevin, travelled in 1970 through parts of east Asia that awareness became more personal.

In 1974, they spent time in Hong Kong, with Kevin teaching sociology at the university there, and Valerie teaching at a secondary school. “At the time I did a lot of reading on China. Peoples’ civil liberties were very vulnerable,” she said.

Dealing with political refugees on an individual level became possible when a position at the United Nations in Geneva came up in 1982.

For two years Kevin and Valerie worked with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and for the United Nations Human Rights Commission. “That sort of experience enables you to realise the extent of the problem,” she said. “For instance, I remember an Iranian woman talking first-hand of torture. She had experienced physical abuse, cigarette burns, electric shock.”

“In New Zealand it is hard to believe or imagine. But it happens.” Mrs Clements’ commitment to Quaker ideals is also an inspiration to her work for Amnesty International. Quaker philosophy is both pro-people and propeace, she said. “It is a philosophy of doing things to avert war, and human rights violations against innocent people.”

KATHARINE WHITEHORN

If the latest round of African coups, mauled dogs and Government bullying of the 8.8. C. has slipped my attention somewhat, I apologise. I have been in the middle of a 30-year reunion. All those years ago in America, six of us shared a house for a year at Cornell University — two Americans, one Chinese, A Filipino, a Finn and me. I say ‘house’ — it was actually a bit of a museum that looked as if it had been designed by Charles Addams. In its kitchen we shared our meals, cooking in pairs; the only rule was that I, who couldn’t cook, and the Finn, who could, but mainly fishheads, should never be on together. I don’t know what wizard put us all together, but we learned a lot from each other.

By the end of the year it no longer mattered whether we liked one another or not, we were family; and we’ve kept up — by a yearly letter and various visits — Americans to Finland, the Filipino to London, everyone to the States — off and on ever since.

This year we met (all but one) in London, and have been sharing gleeful meals and meetings for days.

Looking back on the dear old college days — Mary McCarthy’s “The Group,”