From the news on: human rights [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence/abuse. 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. 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/. 

Some human rights articles from recent news (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published): 

• “The Power Of Advocating”   https://medium.com/@StevenLaine1977/the-power-of-advocating-01a0f3caf2f2    

• “US judge orders new congressional map in Georgia, citing harm to Black voters”   https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-orders-new-congressional-map-georgia-citing-harm-black-voters-2023-10-26/  
  

• a social media platform “is autogenerating [content] for songs advocating the expulsion of Muslims from India”   https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/10/16/youtube-is-autogenerating-videos-for-songs-advocating-the-expulsion-of-muslims-from-india/  
  

• “Defamation in the internet age: could a $400,000 Australian court ruling silence the notorious online forum Kiwi Farms?”   https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/oct/23/defamation-in-the-internet-age-could-a-400000-australian-court-ruling-silence-the-notorious-online-forum-kiwi-farms    

• “Living guidelines for generative AI — why scientists must oversee its use”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03266-1   

• “Toxic workplaces are the main reason women leave academic jobs”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03251-8   

• “Family of Tasmanian transgender prisoner Marjorie Harwood calls for inquest after Risdon Prison ordeal”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-24/family-calls-for-inquest-transgender-prison-marjorie-harwood/103008676   

• “The Observer announces its pro conversion therapy view”   https://medium.com/@notCursedE/the-observer-announces-its-pro-conversion-therapy-view-83a5a55d8c09    which is extremely disturbing from a paper that claims - wrongly, evidently - to be progressive
  

 

• “As NDIS overhaul nears, participants with psychosocial disability fear for 'unknown 27,000' who may miss out”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-24/ndis-psychosocial-disability-fear-27000-who-may-be-diverted/103000730   

• Employment Assistance Fund (EAF)   https://www.jobaccess.gov.au/employment-assistance-fund-eaf   “The EAF gives financial help to eligible people with disability and mental health conditions and employers to buy work related modifications, equipment, Auslan services and workplace assistance and support services. The EAF is available to eligible people with disability who are about to start a job, are self-employed or who are currently working. It is also available to people with disability who need Auslan assistance or special work equipment to look for and prepare for a job.”   

• “Nigeria to vaccinate 7.7 million girls against leading cause of cervical cancer”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142787   

• “Africa court judge slams member countries for ignoring human rights verdicts”   https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/african-court-criticises-governments-for-ignoring-verdicts-4415034   
  

• “Kenya's Mau Mau veterans seek royal redress from Charles III”   https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/26/kenyas-mau-mau-veterans-seek-royal-redress-from-charles-iii/  
  

• a The Guardian exclusive:   “Australian federal police tested controversial facial recognition search engine, FOI documents reveal”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/24/australian-federal-police-afp-pimeyes-facial-recognition-facecheck-id-search-engine-platform   “Under questioning from Greens senator David Shoebridge in Senate estimates on Monday night, the AFP said that it is now aware that the platform may have been tested for operational purposes on around 10 occasions ... The AFP is “reviewing all use of the platform, and making sure that does not occur again” ... It appears leadership was not aware of these uses until Guardian Australia’s FOI request.   “Pimeyes.com is a particularly dangerous facial recognition tool … and has been repeatedly criticised for enabling unlawful surveillance and stalking,” Shoebridge said, noting the tool is based in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.”   

• “NSW police must speak with mental health experts rather than shoot our loved ones, stepfather says”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/25/nsw-police-must-speak-with-mental-health-experts-rather-than-shoot-our-loved-ones-stepfather-says   This article reveals some staggeringly incompetent, unprofessional, and downright amathiac aspects of current systems   

• “Drug detection dogs often get it wrong, and it’s a policing practice that needs to stop”   https://theconversation.com/drug-detection-dogs-often-get-it-wrong-and-its-a-policing-practice-that-needs-to-stop-215436   
  

• “Queensland Police Union president _ condemned for comments claiming Path to Treaty legislation would give Indigenous criminals 'free pass'”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-25/police-union-ian-leavers-truth-treaty-first-nations-mark-bailey/103018512   which is the sort of comment that reinforces the impression of rampant racism in the Qld police - amongst other problems and backwardness   - see also “Calls for Queensland police union chief to resign over ‘outward racist ideology’ expressed in Courier Mail”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/27/calls-for-queensland-police-union-chief-to-resign-over-outward-racist-ideology-expressed-in-courier-mail   and   ““Reprehensible”: Human Rights Commissioner slams Qld Police Union President's treaty claims”   https://nit.com.au/26-10-2023/8333/human-rights-commissioner-slams-police-union-president   and   ““Blatantly racist” : More than 30 community leaders call on Police Union president to resign”   https://nit.com.au/28-10-2023/8366/blatantly-racist-more-than-30-community-leaders-call-on-police-union-president-to-resign  
  

 

• “Online data free-for-all sparks calls to reform outdated Privacy Act”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/2023/10/25/data-privacy-act-reform    and   “The 23andMe data breach reveals the vulnerabilities of our interconnected data”   https://theconversation.com/the-23andme-data-breach-reveals-the-vulnerabilities-of-our-interconnected-data-193615  
  

 

• “Australian journalist Cheng Lei describes her detention in China as psychological torture”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-25/cheng-lei-speaks-out-730-china-journalist/103014128   

• “Over 114 million displaced by war, violence worldwide”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142827  
  

• “Winter looms for Nagorno-Karabakh’s (already forgotten) refugees”   https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2023/10/25/winter-nagorno-karabakh-forgotten-refugees   
  

 

• “As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea”   https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/world-looks-elsewhere-china-stirs-trouble-south-china-sea   and   “Beijing’s interest in the Middle Corridor”   https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/beijing-s-interest-middle-corridor   

 

• “The need for truth-telling is more urgent than ever if we are to change hearts and minds for future referendums”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/26/the-need-for-truth-telling-is-more-urgent-than-ever-if-we-are-to-change-hearts-and-minds-for-future-referendums   

• “NT opposition says they will oppose Treaty”   https://nit.com.au/26-10-2023/8336/nt-opposition-says-they-will-oppose-treaty  

• “Indigenous leaders may not propose new agenda to replace voice to parliament until next year”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/25/indigenous-leaders-may-not-propose-new-agenda-to-replace-voice-to-parliament-until-next-year    and, on a similar theme from New Zealand,   “Who are the ‘kōhanga reo generation’ and how could they change Māori and mainstream politics?”   https://theconversation.com/who-are-the-kohanga-reo-generation-and-how-could-they-change-maori-and-mainstream-politics-215694   

• “Treaty and Inclusion the Only Way Forward: My Open Letter to the Political Parties”   https://theaimn.com/treaty-and-inclusion-the-only-way-forward-my-open-letter-to-the-political-parties/   
  

• “A no vote is no reason for corporate Australia to stay silent or back away from Indigenous issues”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/25/a-no-vote-is-no-reason-for-corporate-australia-to-stay-silent-or-back-away-from-indigenous-issues  
  

• “I mourn the loss of Australia’s Indigenous voice vote – and won’t forgive the media’s mendacity | Thomas Keneally”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/18/loss-australia-indigenous-voice-vote-media-mendacity-thomas-keneally   

 

• “Why is there a gender gap in the electric vehicle market? And how can it be fixed?”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-27/electric-vehicle-gender-gap-research-australia/102971180   
  

 

From my links for activism post to aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these:

• on MISGOVERNANCE, MAL-/MIS-/NON-FEASANCE, MISCONDUCT, CORRUPTION (noting international  agreements and monitoring)
  
  
• on INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
• noting particularly Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter, the 1928 Pact of Paris used in post-WW2 trials, the "laws" of war and IHL and Article 20 of the ICCPR on WAR / CONFLICT:  
  
  
• on DEMOCRACY, SOVEREIGNTY / SELF-DETERMINATION, AND GOVERNANCE (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects):
  
  
• on HUMAN RIGHTS (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC):
  
• noting Article 19 of the ICCPR on FREEDOM of POLITICAL EXPRESSION
  
  
• noting Article 7 of the ICCPR,   and   the CAT on TORTURE 
  
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE
  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP on RACISM
  
  
• noting CEDAW on SEXISM
  
  
• 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 Articles 6 (1), 7, and 8 (see here) of the ICESCR,   Article 5 (e) (i) (ii) (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Article 11 (1) (a - c) of the CEDAW,   and   Article 27 (1) of the CRPD on WORK and FAVOURABLE WORK CONDITIONS
  

 

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, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.