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”.
Fromm 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:
- “UN leaders galvanize action for reparations for people of African descent” https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147821 “Reparatory
justice must tackle the grave human rights violations deeply entrenched
in the legacy of colonialism and enslavement, the General Assembly
heard”
- “Haiti: Aid efforts continue amid violence and volatility” https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147741 “‘Extremely alarming’ conditions worsen in Haiti’s capital: UN coordinator” https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147836 “Plundered and corrupted for 200 years, Haiti was doomed to end in anarchy” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/16/plundered-and-corrupted-200-years-haiti-doomed-end-in-anarchy “Successive foreign governments plunged it into unpayable debt and left its citizens in penury” The abuse was started by Napoleon Bonaparte ...
- “RSF voices rejection of new humanitarian aid route to Darfur” https://sudantribune.com/article283580/ “Refugee camps in Chad are overcrowded and running out of aid, and Sudanese refugees keep coming” https://apnews.com/article/refugee-camps-chad-sudan-funds-d94cd10068c53922db5a70eefeaadd62
- “Can Social Media Activism Actually Work? - PBS Voices” https://youtu.be/0IkQ-AxJb8A?si=dG_cJ1dev7lSr37E Yes, is the answer - if it is done correctly Also, “(efficacy of) nonviolent protests” https://gnwmythrsglossary.blogspot.com/2023/04/efficacy-of-nonviolent-protests.html including links to “Post No. 1,614 - How Large Do Movements Have to Be to Succeed?” https://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2020/07/post-no-1614-how-large-do-movements.html and “Powering Learning about Nonviolent Action” https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/index.php/ “The Global Nonviolent Action Database provides free access to information about hundreds of cases of nonviolent action, from all continents and most countries, for learning and for citizen action. The database is a project of Swarthmore College” and https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/browse & https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/search/node?keys=
- “Australian eSafety commissioner puts tech companies on notice over reports t_____-related content still being shared” https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/19/australian-esafety-commissioner-tech-companies-t_____-related-content-shared-google-telegram-meta-reddit- “Australian
eSafety commissioner puts tech companies on notice over reports
terror-related content still being shared Australia’s online safety
regulator ... said there was new violent extremist content,
including _ coming online that the platforms may not be identifying as
quickly” “T________ content lurks all over the internet – regulating only 6 major platforms won’t be nearly enough” https://theconversation.com/t________-content-lurks-all-over-the-internet-regulating-only-6-major-platforms-wont-be-nearly-enough-226219
- “Surviving the white gold rush – life in South America’s ‘lithium triangle’ | Environment | Al Jazeera” https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/3/16/surviving-the-white-gold-rush-life-in-south-americas-lithium-triangle-2
- “Why are people accusing JK Rowling of Holocaust denial?” https://transwrites.world/accusing-jk-rowling-of-holocaust-denial/ “This kind of rhetoric only has one outcome in my opinion. One we’ve been able to measure as we watch the statistics regarding hate crimes against trans people continue to rise at a staggering rate”
- “A major report recommends more protections for LGBTQ+ students and teachers in religious schools. But this needs parliament’s support to become law” https://theconversation.com/a-major-report-recommends-more-protections-for-lgbtq-students-and-teachers-in-religious-schools-but-this-needs-parliaments-support-to-become-law-226309
- “Q&A: Is it time for scientists to rethink how they study sex in research?” https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/15/sex-research-male-female-scientists-cell/ “We
often talk about sex as though it’s an actual part of the body that can
be located, that can then have an effect on that individual’s health.
Actually, sex is something that we assign as a set of categories.
... When we start talking about sex being complex, people assume that
we’re talking about sex and gender minorities like trans people,
gender-diverse people, people with intersex variations. And, yes, we are
talking about those people. But we’re also talking about cisgender
bodies. Women aren’t a one-size-fits-all. There’s a great deal of
variation among women for all kinds of reasons. And that variation is
worth understanding and worth engaging with if we want to actually
address gender disparities in health.”
- “NSW Police shot Western Sydney man Bradley Balzan after stopping him for wearing a hoodie - ABC News” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-17/nsw-police-shot-western-sydney-man-bradley-balzan-inquest/103592578 In
my opinion, the mislabelled practice that appears to have led to this
killing is actually incompetent community service/policing - there is
NOTHING efficient or good about it (except the minds of emotionally damaged people) “A dangerous numbers game” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-18/how-proactive-policing-quotas-sent-nsw-police-searches-soaring/103579210 “It’s
a big call but UNSW Professor Vicki Sentas, an expert in policing
practices, backs it. “I do think that it’s likely that the vast
majority of searches in this state are conducted unlawfully,” she told
the ABC.”
- “Victims of crime should be provided with legal representation, Victorian inquiry finds” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/18/victoria-victims-of-crime-legal-representation-sexual-assault-survivors “Victims of crime feel “silenced and sidelined” from the moment they speak to police through to when the courts finalise their case, with a landmark Victorian inquiry calling for sexual assault survivors in particular to have legal representation.”
- a The Guardian exclusive reports “Focus on youth crime may be influencing bail decisions for children, Victorian judge says” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/21/focus-on-youth-may-be-influencing-bail-decisions-for-children-victorian-judge-says “Exclusive: supreme court judge says ‘it is a cause for concern’ if public policy is considered over individual merits of a case”
- “Kumanjayi Walker inquest: court releases mock certificates awarded by NT police unit” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/18/kumanjayi-walker-inquest-court-releases-mock-certificates-awarded-by-nt-police-unit-ntwnfb “Awards
depict bikini-clad woman, Usain Bolt and Aboriginal flag as police
investigate questions of racism raised by former officer Zachary Rolfe
WARNING: This article contains offensive images and content” “Racist awards allegedly handed out to NT cops have been released by the coroner” https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/racist-awards-allegedly-handed-out-to-nt-cops-have-been-released-by-the-coroner/11gxaicwn “Police commissioner slams 'disgraceful' certificates” https://nit.com.au/18-03-2024/10325/inquest-reveals-racist-nt-police-award-certificates “The
Northern Territory's top police officer is outraged by a series of
racist awards allegedly handed out by the force's elite tactical
response unit.” “Bail laws a 'devastating betrayal' of Indigenous kids” https://nit.com.au/18-03-2024/10316/bail-laws-a-devastating-betrayal-of-indigenous-kids “Chris
Minns is accused of betraying Aboriginal children, with his proposal
for tougher NSW bail laws labelled punitive and likely to increase the
number of Indigenous youths behind bars.” “Outrage after Victoria ditches plans to give children presumption of bail” https://nit.com.au/20-03-2024/10381/outrage-after-victoria-ditches-plans-to-give-children-presumption-of-bail “ ‘No one cares’ : Outrage at the Queensland Government for failing to protect vulnerable children before their death” https://nit.com.au/18-03-2024/10329/no-one-cares-outrage-at-the-queensland-government-for-failing-to-protect-vulnerable-children-before-their-death “New online dashboard to help monitor over-representation of Indigenous children in out-of-home care in Queensland” https://nit.com.au/21-03-2024/10395/new-online-dashboard-to-help-monitor-over-representation-of-indigenous-children-in-out-of-home-care-in-queensland
- “Thorpe's call to federal government to act on deaths in custody reforms backed by crossbench” https://nit.com.au/21-03-2024/10391/thorpes-call-to-federal-government-to-act-on-deaths-in-custody-reforms-backed-by-crossbench
- “Australia’s ‘superficial’ Harmony Week must be dumped: Greens’ Mehreen Faruqi | SBS News” https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australias-superficial-white-washed-harmony-week-must-be-dumped-greens-say/j8vjit6oi This highly problematic and, indeed, superficial week was created by the evil white supremacist John Howard when he was PM. It, as he did from Parliament, has to go
- “Peak public health body says Close the Gap report shows need to harness power of First Nations leadership” https://nit.com.au/20-03-2024/10371/peak-public-health-body-backs-recommendations-of-new-closing-the-gap-report
- “Infant, Name Once Known” https://www.sapiens.org/culture/infant-name-once-known-poem-jenny-l-davis/ “A
poet-anthropologist of the Chickasaw Nation honours infant remains
historically used in teaching collections at the University of
Illinois.”
- “We deserve a reality in which women’s lives count, not their deaths” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/16/we-deserve-a-reality-in-which-womens-lives-count-not-their-deaths “The women allegedly murdered so far in 2024 in Australia had full, rich lives that were taken from them. But why should we have to humanise women only after their deaths?” “The murder of women is an Australian scandal. So how do we defeat the monster tormenting our nation’s soul?” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/20/the-of-women-is-an-australian-scandal-so-how-do-we-defeat-the-monster-tormenting-our-nations-soul “Sexual harassment is still common in workplaces, with employers urged to step up” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-18/our-watch-national-sexual-harassment-in-workplace/103592822 “Women traumatised after being denied pain relief during childbirth as experts bemoan system failure’ ” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-19/women-denied-pain-relief-during-childbirth/103601032 “Sudan women’s groups demand UN probe into rape in conflict zones” https://sudantribune.com/article283529/
- “Beaumaris Board of Inquiry not as public as advised and expected, nor as other inquiries” https://www.change.org/p/services-supports-for-survivors-communities-impacted-by-child-sexual-abuse/u/32436337 Some
of the comments in updates have, in my opinion, made incorrect
statements about what other enquiries do or don’t do - which, in
fairness, I may know as I follow politics more closely than many others
and thus see the less publicised enquiries. However, this update does
raise points that need to be responded to
- “Cam's childhood was turned into social media content. She's now fighting for rights she never had | SBS Dateline” https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/article/cams-childhood-was-turned-into-social-media-content-now-shes-fighting-to-protect-other-kids-right-to-privacy/tu2hluulz Others have also raised the problems involved in over-sharing of children’s lives (including CSA). I would not blame the child for breaking off all relations with the so-called “parent”
- “Attempts to access Kate Middleton’s medical records are no surprise. Such breaches are all too common” https://theconversation.com/attempts-to-access-kate-middletons-medical-records-are-no-surprise-such-breaches-are-all-too-common-226303 “Best
practice digital health systems typically try to restrict ... access
... Large health-care providers and insurers, including major
hospitals or chains of hospitals, have a worrying history of digital
breaches. ... we need to incentivise Australian organisations to
improve how they handle sensitive health data ... so organisations
act as responsible custodians rather than negligent owners of health
data. We also need to step-up enforcement of data breaches and make it
easier for victims to sue for breaches of privacy.” Also, data needs only to be held IF it is genuinely necessary - thinking of company access to medical information
- “Uber 'flouted the law' for years, say experts. Now the tech giant is paying the price and faces more pressure to ‘clean up its act’ ” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-19/uber-explainer-lawsuit-global-rideshare-settlement-tech-gig/103601192
- “What is the problem with a non-compete clause?” https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/work/2024/03/21/non-compete-clause-problems “There have been moves to ban them in the US and Austria, and the UK along with other European countries are proposing to enhance regulation with mandatory limitations and transparency. In Australia, Treasury has expressed concern in response to findings in the government’s “2023 Employment White Paper” that non-compete restraints are “potentially hampering job mobility, innovation, and wages growth in industries where they are prevalent”. ... the presumption at common law – which is the law created by court decisions and precedents – is that they are void and unenforceable unless they are protecting a legitimate business interest” The article assesses specific issues and possible actions - including political
- “Affordable housing beyond reach in all Australia’s eastern capitals, data shows” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/20/affordable-housing-beyond-reach-in-all-australias-eastern-capitals-data-shows
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.
Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024 NO AI
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