26 April 2011

AFRICA:

• Burundi = A bleak, explicit example of how poverty leads to prostitution. (IRIN)

• This story was skewed in a “they risk AIDS” context, rather than “they are forced to degrade themselves, put their bodies and lives at risk because they are women” context. What do you think?

• DR Congo = A “mobile gender justice court” has now tried over 115 cases, convicting 51 people. (PMBZ)

• Mauritania = Slavery in modern Mauritania means hiring girls as young as 10 to be your maid. Suck. (PMBZ)

AMERICAS:

• Uruguay = Voting on a bill “to annul the amnesty that prevents prosecution” for people who committed human rights abuses while acting under the former dictator is sparking heated public debate, and public opinion is against the bill offering amnesty. (GRD)

• USA = Generosity of spirit? Salt Lake City, Utah has installed voluntary parking meters whose profits benefit local people who are homeless. (AOL)

• USA = People in the state of Maryland gathered last night to support Chrissy Lee Polis who was attacked at a McDonald's for being a transgender person. (ADV)

ASIA:

• India = Newly discovered mass graves of people who were Sikh will hopefully propel the government to investigate this 1984 internal genocide. (HRW)

• Sri Lanka = According to a UN report published yesterday, the government's actions against the Tamil Tigers in 2009 which resulted in the deaths of 40,000 people are likely to be qualified as war crimes. (AJ, AI, OHCHR)

• China = As China and the USA meet in Beijing tomorrow to discuss human rights, China has warned diplomats about giving feedback on its domestic policies. (WP)

• Afghanistan = Like a Virgin? If you are not one, you could be persecuted, and doctors may “examine” you to check if you actually are “pure.” Forced or coerced examinations are now considered torture. (IRIN)

MIDDLE EAST:

• United Arab Emirates = Peaceful government protests leads to jail for 5 activists. (HRW)

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• Johnson & Johnson vs. Doctors Without Borders; DWB press release is online here.