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: 

• “Map of the Week: The global inequality of life expectancy”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/health/2023/12/02/map-of-the-week-life-expectancy   

 

• “Former Hong Kong activist Agnes Chow flees territory for Canada”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/04/agnes-chow-flees-hong-kong-for-canada-pro-democracy-protests-activist    Although the article stresses the mental health aspects of this, China has a poor track record when it comes to political detainees (see here, here, and here), and I consider it would be reasonable to draw inferences about this activist’s safety. Unfortunately, that may also extend to the activist’s safety in Canada ... (see here)   

• “For domestic violence victim-survivors, a data or privacy breach can be extraordinarily dangerous”   https://theconversation.com/for-domestic-violence-victim-survivors-a-data-or-privacy-breach-can-be-extraordinarily-dangerous-216630   Serious past assaults have also occurred from things such as photos of furniture taken by real estate agents: the risks are VERY real   
  

 

• “Hundreds of Thousands of Afghans are Being Forced to Leave Pakistan”   Global Dispatches   “There is a mounting humanitarian emergency on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since October, hundreds of thousands of Afghans living in Pakistan have fled back to Afghanistan. They are being forcibly repatriated by the Pakistani government which began a crackdown on so-called illegal immigrants, compelling the expulsion of over three hundred thousand Afghans in just the last few weeks.  On the line to explain the unfolding humanitarian crisis is Samira Sayed-Rahman, director of policy advocacy and communications for The International Rescue Committee in Afghanistan. We kick off discussing the reasons for Pakistan's sudden crackdown and then discuss the crisis this is generating inside Afghanistan. We also discuss the complications of international humanitarian relief work in Afghanistan under T______ rule.”   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/global-dispatches-world-news-that-matters/id593535863?i=1000636595431   
  

• “Q&A: UN expert on Australia citizenship-stripping plan and ‘legal fiction’”   https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/2/qa-un-expert-on-australia-citizenship-stripping-plan-and-legal-fiction   We are, after all, the land of the terra  nullius rubbish ...   
  

• “Government’s preventative detention for ex-detainees who pose serious risks set to pass this week”   https://theconversation.com/governments-preventative-detention-for-ex-detainees-who-pose-serious-risks-set-to-pass-this-week-219098   “More than 140 detainees have been released. Of the initial 92, 27 fell into the categories of “very serious violent offences, very serious crimes against children, very serious family or domestic violence or violent, sexual or exploitative offences”.   After the High Court found indefinite immigration detention to be unconstitutional the government rushed through legislation to enable it to monitor the ex-detainees, while it waited for the court to give its reasons for its judgement. The reasons have now been issued, and indicate room for re-detaining people.   As a second interim measure, last week the government introduced a bill to prevent [CS abusers] going near schools, and also preventing ex-detainees who had committed serious crimes contacting their former victims.”   As I wrote initially, this shows the fundamental amathia of relying work arounds to acheive legal outcomes, rather than proper legal action, but it also raises the need for a proper, informed, rational debate in our society about what constitutes punishment, rehabilitation, and management of public safety - especially in the context of behaviour that cannot be modified, let alone modified by detention, such as [CW - CSA] this proposal   See also   “‘Unacceptable risk’ test to determine if freed migrants go back to detention under proposed law”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/04/unacceptable-risk-test-to-determine-if-freed-migrants-go-back-to-detention-under-proposed-law   and   “Beefed up detention laws to be nutted out in parliament”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/12/04/detention-laws   and   “What is the government’s preventative detention bill? Here’s how the laws will work and what they mean for Australia’s detention system”   https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-governments-preventative-detention-bill-heres-how-the-laws-will-work-and-what-they-mean-for-australias-detention-system-219226  
  

 

• the articles that forced someone into outing themselves and got key details wrong are an example of what the tabloid trash does that brings the entire media into disrepute - and weakens the argument that the entire media needs to be free to ensure the big disclosures come out: any reasonable person can see the difference between tabloid trash gossiping about someone vs. disclosures such as about war crimes, etc. The articles reporting on the distress caused is:   “‘Stop’: Natalie Bassingthwaighte blasts trolls and tabloids”   https://qnews.com.au/stop-natalie-bassingthwaighte-blasts-trolls-and-tabloids/   We have an Australian press council (APC) for complaints, but they have been so bad in the past that I haven’t bothered to try anything with them for years - although their guidelines have improved since then, and are now pretty reasonable or close to reasonable.   (For the record, the APC website includes a statement of principles,   “Advisory Guideline - Reporting on persons with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics”,   information for complainants including secondary complaints,   managing unreasonable complaints and complainants)   

• “Analysis of Good Weekend article on trans; World AIDS day”   - Out of the Pan   excellent, IMO, “Analysis of [problematic] Good Weekend article on trans; World AIDS day”   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/out-of-the-pan/id312435652?i=1000636534779   or   https://www.3cr.org.au/outofthepan/episode/analysis-good-weekend-article-trans-world-aids-day  
  

 

• “How Selective Empathy Deprives Black Americans of Restorative Justice”   https://medium.com/the-antagonist-magazine/how-selective-empathy-deprives-black-americans-of-restorative-justice-a31bdbf6fe4d    This is an important point   

• “traditional Wiradjuri name [Wambuul] approved for Macquarie River”   https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/traditional-wiradjuri-name-approved-for-macquarie-river/kkgtljh4z    dual naming works well  
  

• “New Zealand: thousands protest against new government policies that unravel Māori gains”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/05/new-zealand-protest-thousands-maori-government-policies   NZ recently elected a right wing - aka conservative - government, who appear to be starting down the same reactionary, backwards path other such governments have been doing  See also   “Why are younger voters flocking to the far right in parts of Europe?”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/01/younger-voters-far-right-europe   which has some thoughtful, albeit unsettling, comments   

• “Let Indigenous communities control their destiny, Canberra's top public servant says”   https://nit.com.au/07-12-2023/8947/let-indigenous-communities-control-their-destiny-canberras-top-public-servant-says    Which is a key part of what the Voice was about ...   

• “Tasmania to apply therapeutic approach in raising age of criminal responsibility to 14”   https://nit.com.au/07-12-2023/8948/tasmania-to-apply-theraputic-appeoach-in-raising-age-of-criminal-responsibility-to-14   “Indigenous groups, legal experts and advocates have commended a commitment by the Tasmanian government to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.   They have however noted it falls short of their calls for the raising to be immediate, with the Tasmanian government pledging to implement the reforms by 2029.”  
  

• “I Made a Luhkka For My Sami Friend - With a Brief History of Sami Oppression in Norway”   https://youtu.be/lmetu345cbc?si=EIh70kWOMiO5IpYW   This is another excellent video from this channel - informative, and gives what seems to me to be a reasonable foundation for understanding the discrimination against the Sami  
  

• “Iran uses rape, torture to silence detained Mahsa Amini protesters, Amnesty says”   https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20231206-rape-torture-used-to-silence-iran-s-mahsa-amini-protesters-amnesty-says   

• “NDIS review urges dozens of changes as Bill Shorten under pressure over surging costs”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/07/ndis-review-costs-national-disability-insurance-scheme-bill-shorten   ““Our view is that you can’t fix the NDIS without fixing everything around it,” the report’s authors said. ... The findings have so far been welcomed by disability advocacy groups, who say they are heartened to see the community’s requests put at the centre of the proposals.”   but see also the following, written by a disabled person:   “After more than a decade of the NDIS, has anything changed about the way we value disabled lives?”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/07/after-more-than-a-decade-of-the-ndis-has-anything-changed-about-the-way-we-value-disabled-lives   “Listening to discussions about us as “burdens” and “costs” has been infuriating and wearying. Disabled lives have become reduced to just how much our essential supports cost with no consideration of us as citizens, deserving of a place in the community. ... Most of those kids come from families that can’t afford this allied health support without the NDIS – that extra $150 or $200 a week of support is life-changing for them, now and into the future.   This is why we have public services, to make sure that everyone can get an education, access healthcare and use public transport. The NDIS is another public service, yet doesn’t get talked about like that ... ”   and   “NDIS: advocates call for ‘ironclad commitment’ no participant will lose support before new services in place”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/08/advocates-call-for-ironclad-commitment-no-ndis-participant-will-lose-support-before-new-services-in-place   and   “What’s the difference between ‘reasonable and necessary’ and ‘foundational’ supports? Here’s what the NDIS review says”   https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-reasonable-and-necessary-and-foundational-supports-heres-what-the-ndis-review-says-216074   “The NDIS review found a lack of clarity about what supports should be considered “reasonable and necessary” was at the heart of many of the scheme’s problems ... Foundational supports, for people outside the NDIS, are the sorts of services best funded through grants, contracts or government infrastructure. It would be neither practical nor cost effective to fund them on an individual fee-for-service basis”   and   “Recommendations to reboot the NDIS have finally been released. 5 experts react”   https://theconversation.com/recommendations-to-reboot-the-ndis-have-finally-been-released-5-experts-react-215805   “Key recommendations include:   National Cabinet to jointly design and fund foundational disability support outside the NDIS   navigators to help participants get the services they need   providers to be registered and compliant with new standards   needs assessments to gauge the impact of disability rather than lists of diagnoses for access   more consistent housing supports for people with disability   disability support access for older Australians”   The comments by the experts are nuanced, and do not - fortunately - fall into a simplistic like vs. dislike  
  

• “What Is Autism? Autism & Society”   https://youtu.be/-RSkFB2vLak?si=X3w-OyPI3gL4blrG    

 

• “Commissioner for Residential Tenancies”   Raise the Roof   “Shane and Steph talk to Victoria's Commissioner for Residential Tenancies, Heather Holst, about her role and the problems faced by renters (and especially older renters) in the state.”   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/raise-the-roof/id992767851?i=1000635649320   or at   https://www.3cr.org.au/haag/episode/commissioner-residential-tenancies   
  

 

• “Justice for Bangladeshi Garment Workers”   Accent of Women   “Bangladeshi textiles works in the Ready Made Garment (RMG) industry have been taking industrial action for most of this year in pursuit of an increase in the minimum wage to meet soaring prices on basic commodities owing to an economic inflation crisis. These protests have been met with fierce repression, including reports of at least four workers having been killed by police, and more than 11,000 being charged with violence and vandalism. The secretary of Garment Workers Solidarity, and a garment worker himself, ... was kidnapped in October and then discovered as being arrested on November 14. He is facing ... charges and ... allegations related to setting fire to a car. The Bangladeshi government is using ... arrests to try to stifle what is the biggest uprising of garment workers in over a decade. And meanwhile, workers remain malnourished and struggling to meet the basic requirements of life. My guest today is the President of Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity, Taslima Akter.”   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/accent-of-women/id993578167?i=1000636710724  
  

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.