From the news on: human rights and humanitarian aid [Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence/abuse/war. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Content shown in green (which may be only part of a news story) is about what is generally considered “good news”, but personal history may still make such events triggering. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/.  

From recent news on human rights: 

• “Pope Francis suggests gay couples could be blessed in Vatican reversal”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/03/pope-francis-suggests-gay-couples-could-be-blessed-in-vatican-reversal   

• “Why the government’s plan to overhaul the asylum system is a smart use of resources – and might just work”   https://theconversation.com/why-the-governments-plan-to-overhaul-the-asylum-system-is-a-smart-use-of-resources-and-might-just-work-215061   
  

• “UN and Red Cross call for restrictions on autonomous weapon systems to protect humanity”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1141922   

• “Inquiry to open into claims British soldiers summarily killed 80 Afghans”   https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/09/public-inquiry-to-open-claims-british-sas-soldiers-summary-killings-afghanistan    

• “David McBride facing life sentence as war criminals go unpunished”   https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/david-mcbride-facing-life-sentence-as-war-criminals-go-unpunished,17970  
  

• “ ‘We need to tell people everything’: Portugal grapples with legacy of colonial past”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/05/portugal-grapples-with-legacy-of-colonial-past-slave-trading   
  

• “ “Nothing sufficient was done”: Manville schools sued over transgender student's suicide”   https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/courts/2023/05/09/transgender-suicide-bullying-schools-nj-manville/70181456007/   

• “Over 200 human rights groups call on UK to respect LGBTQ+ lives”   https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/10/04/human-rights-groups-uk-lgbtq-lives/   

• “London police defy ban on badges linked to far right and white supremacy”   https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/14/london-police-defy-ban-on-badges-linked-to-far-right-and-white-supremacy  
  

• “‘If they don’t comply, they die’: families demand royal commission after fatal NSW police shootings”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/10/family-of-fatal-nsw-police-shootings-call-for-independent-inquiry   

This problem occurs in other police forces as well - and is worse when intersectionality brings other factors into play.

From https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-10/apo-nid314892.pdf:
“Evidence shows that there is a strong correlation between various forms of victimisation and survival techniques that are frequently labelled as offending behaviour [by police]. As researchers employing an intersectional analysis have revealed in relation to criminalised women, so-called criminal conduct is frequently resistance and survival responses to the many forms of victimisation to which they have been exposed.” 

That report is summarised at https://ourroyalcommission.com.au/the-force-is-excessive-new-report-says-police-unfit-to-handle-disability/:
“Central to improving police responses to disadvantaged people with disability is recognition that what members of this group require is not a police or criminal justice response. It is rather, a trauma-informed, culturally safe, community-based and holistic social service response.”

The NSW police page on disability focuses on discrimination - see   https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/safety_and_prevention/your_community/disability_and_disability_issues/disability_accordian/disability  

• “Compassionate Business Policies Pay Off”   https://www.advocate.com/voices/compassionate-business-policies-pay-off   

• an examination of the varying rights to privacy of workers   https://theconversation.com/does-your-employer-have-to-tell-if-theyre-spying-on-you-through-your-work-computer-214857   

• “A New York woman is filing a discrimination lawsuit against a deli cashier who brutally attacked her, believing that she was transgender”   https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/10/11/new-york-woman-attacked-tran/   This shows the dangerous incitement of hate speech - including transphobia  
  

• “The Positive Duty under the Sex Discrimination Act | Australian Human Rights Commission”   https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/projects/positive-duty-under-sex-discrimination-act?mc_cid=e5e7d7e1db   and   “Understanding and addressing workplace sexual harassment for retail and hospitality managers”   https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/understanding-and-addressing-workplace-sexual-harassment-retail-and-hospitality?mc_cid=e5e7d7e1db   

• “Californians will be able to delete all personal online data with first-in-US law”   https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/10/california-delete-act-signed-newsom   Now for Australia to follow suit ... and that governor to be hoiked out of office for their transphobic hate   

• a video on the European Union's AI Act from the point of view of human rights   https://youtu.be/zmztJzUVmeQ?si=Mo-PS3VGwr7_Kr5W  

• “The unexpected impact of AI on animals | Peter Singer”   https://youtu.be/xNxbJvCMU0o?si=F6hO13wskqOObI57  

• “Queensland police lodge complaint to hospital over treatment of alleged teenage rape victim”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/13/alleged-rape-victim-queensland-police-complaint-hospital-treatment-news  
  

 

And on humanitarian aid: 

• “New weather-sensing technology created to stop 'preventable' heat-related fatalities in Queensland's elderly”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-14/qld-heat-sensor-weather-tempreture-heatstroke-heatwave-ethos/102956974   

• “Cutting disaster risk will boost equality, improve resilience”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142317    

• “Reducing the risk of disasters will not only save lives but can provide the platform to tackle inequality in places like the Caribbean, that’s according to senior UN officials in the region”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142302  

 

From my links for activism post to aid any activism you decide to do:  

• on NATURAL and OTHER DISASTERS (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter)
  
  
• on HUMAN RIGHTS (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC):
  
• noting the conventions and the Global Compact on REFUGEES
  
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE
  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP on RACISM
  
  
• noting CEDAW on SEXISM
  
  
• noting the laws listed here, the conventions listed here, and principles discussed here, here, here, here, and here, on ANIMALS and the RIGHTS OF ANIMALS and other forms of life
  
  
• noting Article 17 of the ICCPR,   Article 16 of the CRC,   Article 22 of the CRPD,   and   Article 12 (1) of the DRIP on PRIVACY
  
  
• noting Article 8 of the ICCPR,   Article 6 of the CEDAW,   Articles 11, and 32 - 36 of the CRC,   Articles 16 and 27 (2) of the CRPD on SLAVERY
  
  
• noting Articles 2 (1) (also noting this, this, this, and this), 3, 7, 14 (see here and here), 15, 16, and 26 of the ICCPR,   Articles 3, 5 (a), and 6 (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Articles 2, 12 (2), 37, 39, and 40 of the CRC,   Articles 5, 12, 13, and 14 of the CRPD,   and   Articles 1 - 2, 7 (2), 8 (2) (c), 9 - 10, 12 (2), 20 (2), 27, and 40 of the DRIP on the JUDICIARY / JUSTICE SYSTEM
  
  
• noting the CRPD on PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing.