Saturday 2 December 2023

From this week’s news on: human rights [Note: Content Warning - links to distressing reports on this topic. 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/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

From this week’s news on human rights (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published):

  • “Review urges major changes to Australia’s ‘oppressive’ national security secrecy laws”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/01/australia-secrecy-laws-review-national-security-information-act   “A landmark review into “oppressive and unnecessary” national security secrecy laws that allowed a government official to be secretly imprisoned in a Canberra jail has recommended major changes to prevent the “shameful tale” happening again. ... The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said he would consider the recommendations but added the government supported the principles of open justice.”  

 

 

 

  • in an indictment of police inaction (and I am particularly thinking of the death threats made against LGBTQIASB+ children), “Josh Cavallo wants ‘criminal’ trolls punished for threats”   https://qnews.com.au/josh-cavallo-wants-criminal-trolls-punished-over-threats/   “Soccer player Josh Cavallo says he sadly still receives “countless and endless” homophobic death threats two years after coming out and wants criminal punishments for the trolls responsible. Josh Cavallo came out as gay in October 2021, in a historic first for his sport.”    and there is also   “Vic Police failures in search for trans woman Bridget Flack”   https://qnews.com.au/vic-police-failed-in-search-for-trans-woman-bridget-flack/   “Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson also conceded the search for Bridget “could have been managed a lot better”. ... The Coroner’s Court of Victoria is examining the deaths of five trans women in a bid to prevent further tragedies. ... The inquest has also heard evidence of trans Victorians’ experiences of discrimination, stigma and exclusion.”  


 

 

 


  • “Sweden’s unions take on T____, to [billionaire owner]’s disapproval”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/11/27/tesla-sweden-union   “IF Metall also said it had been negotiating in Sweden for a “long time”, and the American company had refused to sign a collective agreement – a violation of “basic principles in the Swedish labour market”.”   
  • “Australian privacy watchdog refuses to investigate employer that allegedly accessed worker’s personal emails”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/30/australian-privacy-watchdog-refuses-to-investigate-employer-that-allegedly-accessed-employees-personal-emails   I have never assumed I have a right to privacy on work devices - many companies explain this, some have warning messages, but there is also the issue of, in my opinion, common sense even if there is none of that! However, when companies engage in active monitoring, such as copying passwords (which happened to me once - fortunately I always use two factor authentication), I consider their conduct becomes unconscionable. In the case of this article, the employee's conduct was also unconscionable (and probably illegal), and thus - IRRESPECTIVE of what decision would have been reached - the case would always have moral doubt in the minds of many people, even thought the subsequent conduct of the employer was also unconscionable. This is one of those amathiac cases that should never have happened, and has left every employee worse off as a result   


 

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.


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