Over the past year, human rights and humanitarian organizations have documented abuses and human rights violations allegedly committed by the Afghan Local Police. The Afghan Local Police, or the ALP, are essentially local militias that are trained, equipped and paid by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Afghan government to secure ungoverned parts […]
This holiday season I find myself daunted by how to help children in need. Looking at my End of Year Review, there is so much that we need to do to meet the needs of children across the globe and here at home. However, regardless of my beliefs, I am faithful that if we each […]
One in seven girls in developing countries is married before their 15th birthday, usually against her will. Across the globe, more than 60 million girls find themselves innocent victims as child brides, despite the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulation that 18 is the minimum age for marriage. While many countries have adhered […]
It is that time of year again; for many the chill of winter has set in, and as we bundle-up with something hot by the fire, we think about giving to others. Regardless of your religious beliefs, the holiday season reminds us to give back to our communities and others in need, especially children. I […]
This is the first in a 3-part year in review series on war crimes around the world in 2011. Ratko Mladic – Europe’s Most Wanted War Criminal In early April Bosiljka Mladic, Ratko Mladic’s wife told the media that her husband was dead. Less than two months later he was arrested in Lazarevo in […]
In the wake of recent shocking cases of child abuse and neglect such as the Penn State cover-up scandal, the infamous Casey Anthony murder trial and the ongoing global abuse investigations of Catholic Priests, the issue has become headline news. Sadly, most cases of abuse both across the globe and in the United States go unreported, or are reported […]
The online world has been all aflutter in recent weeks over the introduction of two pieces of legislation in Congress: the PROTECT IP Act in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House of Representatives. As PROTECT IP already passed in the Senate, last week the focus shifted to the hearings […]
Family planning efforts in Pakistan Efforts to promote family planning in Pakistan are struggling against the reality that many women are simply not in a position to make such decisions. Pakistan has the regions highest fertility rate with an average of four children per woman. Korean “comfort women” in landmark protest against Japan Korean women […]
Imagine having no country to call your own. For an estimated 12 million people around the world, that is a daily fact. Individuals who are not considered nationals of any country have no written rights. This means no access to health care, no chance to vote, no property of your own, and often no education. […]
The crisis in Syria continues to deteriorate. Recently, the U.N. reported that more than 5,000 people have died in Syria. Yesterday, Human Rights Watch published a report providing firm documentation that the very highest levels of Syria’s government regime gave security forces “shoot to kill” orders. And today, security forces are “clashing” with protestors in […]
Every 90 seconds a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth. That’s 1,000 girls and women a day, more than half a million women every year. Additionally, more than 1 million babies are stillborn each year because their mothers could not access the proper medical care. And yet experts say more than 80 percent of these […]
The issue of exclusive breast-feeding for the first year has been an area of confusion for many mothers in developing nations, especially following the marketing practices of many formula companies to push products in a misleading manner, an issue about which I have previously written. However, for mothers who are HIV-positive, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, exclusive breastfeeding […]
One of the uprisings in the Middle East that has failed to garner a lot of attention is the situation in Bahrain. Even though Bahrainis took to the Lulu Roundabout much the same way Egyptians did in Tahrir Square just days after Mubarak’s ouster and before major protests broke out in Libya, the story itself […]
The field of foreign policy has been described as a ‘city of men’- but as can be imagined, it is not the only discipline where a gender imbalance has been noticed. I asked Patricia Moser, President and one of the founders of WIIS Switzerland, about the situation with respect to international security and security studies. […]
This past weekend we saw the commemoration of the 63rd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, via the celebration of International Human Rights Day on Saturday. While the day was established to be a celebration of our freedoms, many continue to live without their basic rights. Those who are hit hardest by this absence are 86% […]