When you think of your right to travel, you may just think of big trips, but the 13th Human Right is about so much more than that.
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
What Does This Mean?
Yes, this means you can take vacations away from your home. This means you can leave your home country and see the world. As a travel junkie myself, that means a lot to me.
But I know that there are a lot of you out there who aren’t travel junkies. It wouldn’t really be a big deal to you if you couldn’t leave your country because you’re happy where you are and have plenty to do at home. I get that.
This is where the first part of Article 13 becomes important: the right to move within your own country – not just the right to move residences, but the right to leave your town, drive thirty minutes to the next town over that has that restaurant that you love.
The right to hop on a plane to the other side of the country to visit your parents or your best friend.
The right to move to a different town where there are better job opportunities for you.
The right to travel to a distant medical clinic to see a specialist for your chronic health condition.
The right to move miles away from an abusive ex.
This is what the 13th Human Right is about: not just my desire to see the glaciers of Iceland, but your need and right to live your life wherever your life takes you.
Some of us may take that right for granted, but there are many others who are still fighting for it.
Freedom of Movement in Iraq
This year, a plan was proposed in Iraq calling for the internment of up to 280,000 people – mostly women and their children. The government’s reasoning? These women and children are allegedly related to ISIS members.
The plan would affect all spouses, children, siblings, and parents of alleged ISIS members, whether the member is dead, disappeared, or in detention.
The plan is to build or repurpose residential compounds separate from the cities, housing these families in fixed housing or shipping container homes, restricting their ability to leave the compound to limited circumstances, including going to the hospital or courthouse. There would be no employment opportunities inside the compound. Deradicalization programming would be compulsory for all.
“Only after an agreement is secured with local communities and the interned families have completed deradicalization would the authorities allow them to return home.” No time frame has been given for how long this would actually take.
This internment plan not only violates international human rights law, but likely also violates Iraq’s own Constitution, which includes “the right of every Iraqi to free movement, travel, and residence inside and outside of Iraq.”
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