Human Rights

Now that you have managed to make it through the Thanksgiving holiday, your mind has begun to drift away from thoughts of turkey and stuffing, not to mention pumpkin pie, to thoughts of holiday giving.  Today the Christmas shopping season officially begins, as Black Friday consumes shoppers across the country.  It’s the American way to look for […]

Today Americans are sitting down for what is, for most, the biggest meal of the year, spending the day with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. The day is one where we are able to escape the chaos that has become our everyday lives and take a moment to gather around tables covered in bountiful […]

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently published a working paper, Maternal Health in Afghanistan.  The paper is co-authored by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, fellow and deputy director of CFR’s Women and Foreign Policy program, and Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program. […]

It’s been quite a year for human rights. Almost as soon as the year began, popular revolts shook the foundations of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Using the power of social media, people organized in opposition to autocratic rule across the Arab world. In Tunisia and Egypt, these movements overturned (or at least […]

Outrage in Turkey over the verdict of a rape case is being heard following the verdict by the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals (Turkey’s highest court). The case involved alleged gang rape of a 13-year-old girl in 2002, for which the court has ruled that the child had consented to sex with her 26 accused […]

“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they can grow up in peace.” – Kofi Annan Universal Children’s Day […]

 The Easter Rising was an rebellion staged in Ireland, by Irish republicans seeking the end of British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic. Over a six day period during Easter week, Easter Monday 24 April to 30 April 1916, more than 250 civilians were killed, 28 of who were children aged between two and 16.  A lecturer […]

I loved Robin Wright’s new book, Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion in the Islamic World. (And thanks to The Clash for inspiring the title!) The book couldn’t be more timely given current events. It is a smart, provocative and compelling read, and I recommend it for anyone who is interested in what happened across […]

Last week, Victor Bout, the infamous Russian arms dealer, was convicted by a New York grand jury on four counts of conspiracy to sell weapons to Colombian rebels. But, that is just the tip of the iceberg for this so called “merchant of death.” A former member of the Soviet Military and Intelligence Services, Bout […]

In May 2010, Israel raided a flotilla of aid ships determined to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza which activists claim violates international law by imposing collective punishment on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. Nine activists were killed in the raid, which created a major international incident for Israel and Turkey, where the […]

The heinous crime that exploits, abuses, rapes and enslaves millions upon millions of children is hardly a new story.  As a society we have become more open and aware of the issues of modern slavery and human trafficking, but we envision the facts  as distant, far removed realities. Sadly modern slavery impacts some 27 million men, […]

Monday, October 24th was World Polio Day, and while the day gained global attention by much of the press, it was just any other day for most of us. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), polio has declined from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to 1,349 reported cases in 2010. Today the only […]