Elke dag zijn de medische teams van Dokters van de Wereld getuige van duizenden mensen die geen toegang hebben tot basale medische zorg. Ze zijn slachtoffer van omstandigheden of regels, zonder daar zelf invloed op te hebben. De onlangs ingevoerde maatregelen door de Amerikaanse president Trump hebben directe en zeer negatieve gevolgen voor de fundamentele mensenrechten van mensen zowel in de Verenigde Staten als daarbuiten.

Omdat de maatregelen indruisen tegen onze waarden heeft het internationale netwerk van Dokters van de Wereld een verklaring afgelegd:

 Not Now, Not Ever

A call against Trump’s policies

Doctors of the World – Médecins du monde (MdM) is an international humanitarian network with volunteers and staff running 440 programs in 80 countries in Europe, Africa, Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania.

Every day we witness the personal struggle of thousands of vulnerable people who are the victims of circumstances beyond their control, who lack access to basic medical care. Some policies recently put into place by President Trump violate the fundamental human rights of these people, and others who are in our care, and are in direct opposition to the values of our organization.

Three of our core values have been challenged by the actions of President Trump:

We believe in equal rights for women: this is not the first time that the Mexico City Policy, also known as the Global Gag Rule, has been instituted on the first day of a new administration. Every Republican president since Reagan has done so, and every Democratic president has repealed it just as quickly. But for President Trump, what was a harsh, punitive, and harmful law that has apparently backfired on its proponents by resulting in more abortions, not fewer, and unsafe ones at that, was not enough. Mr. Trump’s version of the Gag Rule may have an impact on every aspect of global health funding by every agency of the US Government. In the end, this policy is likely to nullify, and to reverse, many of the impressive gains that have been made in the health sector globally over the last several decades. The impact will be greatest on women and on their children. We believe strongly that every woman, by virtue of her humanity, has the right to decide when and whether to have children or not, has the right to social equality, economic equality, political equality, and perhaps most importantly to us, an equal right to a healthy and dignified life.We believe in the humane treatment of prisoners of war and, indeed, of all people detained, arrested, and imprisoned. We find it abhorrent and detestable that the President of the United States should suggest that the US Government employ barbaric and illegal means to extract information it feels might be useful just because he believes, with no evidence to support him, that “torture works.” We strongly support the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.We believe that all individuals who flee their country in times of political upheaval, civil strife, war, or out of fear of persecution on the basis of their political views, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion, have the right to seek refugee status. The United States refugee resettlement program has long been the most important in the world. We believe that the recent Executive Order imposing an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria, severe restrictions on immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries, and suspending all refugee resettlement for four months is unfair, inhumane, and will have negative consequences on the health of many who will be forced to remain in conflict areas against their will..

And so, we raise our voices, as physicians and health workers, on behalf of all those who are targeted by these unjust policies, not only in protest, but in clear and resounding affirmation of our own values, ones that we will not sacrifice or abandon, not now, not ever.

Dr Ron Waldman – MdM USA

Dr Françoise Sivignon – MdM France
Dr José Félix Hoyo Jiménez – MdM Spain
Dr Javier Meritano – MdM Argentina
Dr Michel Roland – MdM Belgium
Dr Nicola Bergeron – MdM Canada
Dr Heinz-Jochen Zenker – MdM Germany
Dr Nikitas Kanakis – MdM Greece
Dr Jean Bottu – MdM Luxemburg
Dr Abilio Antunes – MdM Portugal
Paul Meijs – MdM Netherlands
Dr Frédérique Jacquerioz – MdM Switzerland
Dr Anders Björkman – MdM Sweden
Ms. Janice Hughes – MdM UK
Gaël Austin – MdM Japan

 1st February 2017