EThe United Nation Commission of Inquiry was formed and authorized by the Human Rights Council last March 2013, led by retired Australian Judge Michael Kirby, with Serbian Human Rights expert Sonja Biserkoto and U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human rights, senior Indonesian Jurist Marzuki Darusman, to probe the most serious evidence of systematic and grave human rights violations of the reclusive authoritarian state of North Korea. Reports said, North Korea denounced the move as trying to discredit and change its socialist system, but the commission will formally present its findings to the Human Rights Council on March 17, 2014. Accordingly, the Commission recommends steps toward accountability and will refer its findings to the International Criminal Court in Hague.

The Commission also recommends and proposes that the United Nation General Assembly and the Human Rights Council should establish a structure to extend and facilitate efforts to prosecute or render accountable those most responsible for crimes against humanity. Judge Kirby said the Commission's findings will intensify international scrutiny and obliged the international community to face its responsibilities and decide what concrete action it will take to protect the North Korean people. The alleged crimes committed according to reports lists murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortion, sexual violence, forcible transfers and forced disappearances, and persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds.

North Korea is estimated to hold 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners. People and children suffered during the 1990 famine due to the mismanagement of the then regime leader for the purposes of sustaining its political system. Despite years of continuous outside pressure from the United Nations and U.S. due to its nuclear and missile programs, the hereditary regime continued. Attaining justice for the North Korean people may still expect opposition from China and other permanent council members, but the initial steps to render accountable those most responsible for crimes against humanity has been executed.

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Tidbits:

The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) have launched an initiative to tackle bullying and harassment in the shipping industry. Christophe Tytgat from ECSA said that the shipping companies "have the duty of care to raise maximum awareness amongst crew members on the disastrous consequences of harassment and bullying practices.”