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), noting that many issues have probably not made it into the news that I see: 

• “Mass atrocities in Ethiopia expose the limitations of early warning tools”   https://theconversation.com/mass-atrocities-in-ethiopia-expose-the-limitations-of-early-warning-tools-172244    which also links to   “The Early Warning Project assesses the risk of mass atrocities in countries around the world”   https://earlywarningproject.ushmm.org/   and   “‘Ethnic cleansing’ bleaches the atrocities of genocide”   https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/18/2/204/449611      I touched on other shortcomings in my post at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2023/12/changing-world.html   

 

• “Over 700 a day dying from small arms fire; main ‘weapons of choice’ for criminals and terrorists”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1144867   
  

 

• “‘Abuse in all its forms’: Emotional Folbigg cleared”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2023/12/14/abuse-emotional-folbigg-cleared   “Rhanee Rego was not prepared to name a figure, but said Folbigg would be seeking compensation after a quarter century of wrongful treatment.   ...   The 56-year-old was vindicated on Thursday when an appeal court quashed her convictions for killing her four children following a long legal fight.   ...   Although thankful for her freedom, Folbigg called attention to the plights of others who had been wrongfully imprisoned.”    

 

• “Why I’m blocking certain LGBTQIA publications”   https://medium.com/@notCursedE/why-im-blocking-certain-lgbtqia-publications-32553a978582   “In recent weeks I have seen a lot of really poor content coming out of LGBTQIA publications and so I’ve made the decision to start blocking them”   The problem is transphobia ... Lateral hostility/microaggressions can be a problem within the LGBTQIASB+ communities against other LGBTQIASB+ communities  
  

 

• “Dhudhuroa Perspectives: Reconnecting with People and Country”   https://youtu.be/CDT-bxLiwfY?si=0-R1rq2nKJ4ctvQm    This was a very informative and - for me - relatable talk that covered history (including when people started feeling safer talking about their Indigenous heritage), and the nuances of recognition and land claims   

• “How Nigeria became a trailblazer against male sexual abuse | DW News Africa”   https://youtu.be/QwUbQfVRyyQ?si=KF6bgteILF2YzqOx   I have added this to my post on sexual assault at https://gnwmythrsglossary.blogspot.com/2023/02/sexual-assault-interim-partial-post.html   

• “Australian Human Rights Commission to crack down on employers who fail to actively prevent workplace sexual harassment”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/12/australian-human-rights-commission-to-crack-down-on-employers-who-fail-to-actively-prevent-workplace-sexual-harassment   “Reflecting on its need, Cody told Guardian Australia there was a “heavy burden” on individuals to come forward.   ...   Captured under the law are ... sexist attitudes   ...   Employees, unions and other bodies will be able to make complaints to the commission via an online portal.”   See also   https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/media-releases/positive-duty-employers-commissions-powers-commence   and   https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/projects/positive-duty-under-sex-discrimination-act   Good! The webinar on this was particularly good - and I was pleased to hear good consideration of toxic workplaces, and good discussion on standards of evidence in the webinar   

• “This is a Cult (and I'm tired of pretending it's not)”   https://youtu.be/b2gg4_4GIEg?si=6764M3i2e98kHG1a   Begins with a content warning that it is about cults and suicide. At 2:35: “As for language in this video, I will be using the word cult, but not as a pejorative to other or blame victims. Instead I’ll be using it for the opposite reason - to illustrate how anybody can become a victim and it’s never the victim’s fault.”   The video includes examples of multiple suicides at businesses (at 14:19) and a mass threatened suicide of 150 people unless working conditions improved. What these two companies were said (starting at 16:10) to “have in common is the absolute disregard for humans in the face of profit.” Has a very powerful conclusion from around 17:19  
  

• from the USA:   “Autistic Lived Experience: Testifying Against Electric Shock “Therapy” Before the MA State Legislature”   https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/autistic-lived-experience-testifying-against-electric-shock-therapy-before-the-ma-state-48ae6f1a10cb   This is a powerful article   

• “Autistic Influencer BULLIED off Social Media”   https://youtu.be/Jv0EW2CJws0?si=L-p4g63LmFH-DBiV   One of the things I have often thought is that stimming is an outlet - an expression of joy or a relief of stress, so the “self stimulatory” description always seems weird. In any case, the behaviour shown is unacceptable, and shows deep, crippling character flaws in those who engage in it - including toxic masculinity (and variants and/or toxicity in other areas) and PFD   
  

• “Autism & Society Explained: Prejudice Wears Many Faces”   https://youtu.be/G81iZyRaAZg?si=khcOu_47RvmqomYH   

• dynamic disability   https://youtube.com/shorts/ZxU-v_QJDXg?si=NUyYtM4K4PTSHjSl  
  

• “‘Computer says no’: more employers are using AI to recruit, increasing the risk of discrimination”   https://theconversation.com/computer-says-no-more-employers-are-using-ai-to-recruit-increasing-the-risk-of-discrimination-218598   This has been known to be a problem for quite a few years now  
  

• a UK newspaper has been found guilty of hacking people’s phones   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/entertainment/celebrity/royal/2023/12/16/prince-harry-hacked     
  

• A link to a petition about a proposed security measure in Australia:   https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/joint-letter-in-response-to-australian-esafety-proposed-industry-standards-2?source=direct_link&  
  

My links for activism post may aid any activism  you may decide to do on any/all of these. 

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 & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.