Access to safe and legal abortion could soon be declared a human right in Europe. Irish reproductive rights advocates and 3 female plaintiffs have brought a case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), claiming harm suffered by Ireland’s abortion ban. Ireland is unique amongst European countries in the extent to which is has […]
Technology and relief A report from the UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation titled New Technologies in Emergencies and Conflicts: The Role of Information and Social Networks turns the spotlight on how mobile communications and social networks can be used in support of crisis response, especially in impoverished or isolated regions that lack established communications and […]
“All human beings, whatever their cultural or historical background, suffer when they are intimidated, imprisoned or tortured . . . We must, therefore, insist on a global consensus, not only on the need to respect human rights worldwide, but also on the definition of these rights . . . for it is the inherent nature […]
Does porn drive sex trafficking? In a world where sex is everywhere and we use motto’s in business, such as “sex sells”, on is left to question where the line of genuine sexuality and harm begins and ends. “The act of rape is merely the expression of the standard, ‘healthy’ even encouraged male fantasy in […]
A new story today by the BBC details the growing problem of police violence in Nigeria. The morgue at the Nigeria University Teaching Hospital overflows with bodies brought in by police, often unnamed but reported to be suspected criminals, such as armed robbers or thieves. In some cases, that may be the case but in […]
The global economic recession has had mixed effects on migration. In some cases it led to clear decreases in remittance-sending, while many migrants also lost their jobs. In the United States, for example, a large number of immigrants worked in low-skilled industries such as construction, where available jobs dropped precipitously after the collapse of the […]
Its that time of year again to give back and what isn’t a better way to give than to take a chance on freedom and a fantastic rug. The GoodWeave™ Program to End Child Labor is running it’s 8th Annual Rug Raffle, which is quickly coming to an end, so get your ticket before its […]
Last Sunday, Swiss voters opted to legally ban the construction of any new minarets in the country. Since then, the topic has been debated online and in the media, with plenty of analysis by people on both sides of the ban on what the minaret ban is really about, or what minarets are really about. […]
The following is a statement from Dr. Michael Gressman of the German Federal Ministry of Justice to War Crimes on the arrest of the two FDLR leaders in late November: German Federal Police arrested Dr Ignace M. and Straton M. upon orders of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office in Germany on Wednesday, 17 November 2009, on […]
Officials: In Ghana, cell phones reduce maternal mortality In Ghana’s Amensie village, where the Millennium Villages project made mobile phones near ubiquitous in 2006, deaths related to childbirth have fallen from 20 per year to zero in 2008, according to local health officials. Local health workers attribute the improvement in part to women’s new-found emergency […]
In 1988, the UN General Assembly expressed deep concern at the pandemic proportions of the AIDS virus, and noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared 1 December 1988 World AIDS Day, the General Assembly thus drafted resolution 43/15. According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV, including 2.1 […]
Things have been difficult for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), pretty much from the start. The one thing the UN-backed court charged with holding the leadership of the Khmer Rouge responsible for their crimes had going for it was that its first defendant, Kaing Guek Eav, better known by his nom de […]
The Economist‘s recent special report on Brazil emphasized the country’s remarkable achievements in the last decade and applauded what it deemed its “take-off.” The magazine’s political leanings were evident in its reluctance to give proper credit to the leftist Lula da Silva government, choosing instead to describe Lula as a lucky leader who had benefited […]
Elections are events that always garner attention. Whether its to see how a particular politician will fare, what direction a country may be headed with its policies, or as a barometer of corruption, elections are covered by the world media regardless of where they occur. Unfortunately, there are places where election coverage can only achieve […]
Eritrea’s ambassador to the European Union, Girma Asmerom, was conspicuously absent. The Europe External Policy Advisors’ moderator had assured everyone that the invite was sent. In an interview published in the September/October issue of the Courier ACP, the ambassador claimed his country to be the most stable in the whole of Africa. But his seat […]