ICFTU ONLINE...

Brussels, September 23 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has added its voice to the cries of outrage at the death yesterday of Sémira Adamu, a Nigerian asylum seeker, while being repatriated by force by the Belgian authorities.

20-year-old Sémira Adamu fled her country to escape marriage, arranged by her parents, to a 65-year-old polygamous man. She had applied for refugee status in Belgium, but her application had been refused. Yesterday, September 22, events took a dramatic and tragic turn during her expulsion on board a Sabena aircraft. To "calm" her as she fought against being taken out of the country, her escort held a cushion against her face. She collapsed and fell into a coma. Sémira Adamu was taken to a hospital, but died shortly afterwards.

The ICFTU believes the Belgian authorities’ insistence on resorting to forced repatriation is at the root of Sémira Adamu’s death. The International Confederation has sent a message of protest to Prime Minister Jean Luc Dehaene and to Interior Minister Louis Tobback demanding an inquiry into the exact circumstances of the young woman’s death, and "severe sanctions against those responsible for these reprehensible acts" once responsibility has been established.

The ICFTU recalls that it wrote to Minister Tobback in August this year about this case, and states that "the circumstances under which the Belgian authorities refused Sémira Adamu refugee status constitute a violation of Belgium’s international obligations, particularly under the terms of the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, ratified by the Belgian State, which guarantees, in article 16(b) a person’s right to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent."

"The indifference of the Belgian authorities towards the risks faced by Sémira Adamu and the decision to expel her proved fatal" says the ICFTU.

The ICFTU Women’s Committee, which represents trade union women on all five continents, believes that "the techniques used in the forced repatriation of Sémira Adamu constitute a violation of the United Nations Declaration on Violence Against Women adopted by the General Assembly in December 1993 which condemns physical violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs."

In 1997, Belgium carried out 3,863 repatriations, 295 of which took place "exceptionally" under escort by the gendarmerie, as in the case of Sémira. Many official sources have confirmed that the "cushion technique" is frequently used to "calm" those being repatriated if they struggle.

The ICFTU fully supports the position adopted by the FGTB in this tragic affair.

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 155, B - 1210 Brussels, Belgium. For more information
please contact: Luc Demaret on: 00 322 224 0212 - press@icftu.org

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