Human Rights

Sixteen years after the campaign of mass genocide in Rwanda, the aftermath of this grave tragedy is still ongoing. On Tuesday March 2, the widow of assassinated President Juvenal Habyarimana was arrested by French Police on an international arrest warrant issued from Rwanda.

It's something we think only happens in far away places and developing countries. A booming black market industry, earning $32 billion dollars annually, more than the worth of Google, Starbucks and Nike combined. Human trafficking for the purposes of selling sexual acts, also known as sexual terrorism, is the use of illicit sex, violence and threats to intimidate or coerce to the state of fear and submission. It's a problem worldwide, but it is becoming more widespread in North America, especially in Canada.

There is little question that international NGO workers have been playing an important role for many Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank. According to a recent Care International report, approximately 80% of the 1.5 million refugees living in these areas are dependent upon humanitarian organisations for livelihood facilities, such as health care, education and access to clean drinking water.

The campaign to bring democracy and human rights to Afghanistan is still an ongoing uphill battle. NATO forces have been at war in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. Afghanistan hasn't had a moment's peace in decades. The current war being fought is the fifth phase of civil war, following a long history of power coups, bloody battles and terrorism that has left millions dead and scores homeless.

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach this week when the Canadian Federal Government and Prime Minister Harper's Conservatives voted to bury an inquiry into the abuse and transfer of Afghan detainees. It isn't the first time our military has been accused of a human rights scandal during peacekeeping missions and the move to postpone the inquiry suggests the government wants nothing more than to stop the flow of information and deflect any kind of responsibility.

After a mass government endorsed massacre on September 28 in Guinea, Africa, the West African Bloc has called for civilian rule, as the vice president assumed power over the country after a failed assassination attempt on President Moussa Dadis Camara last Thursda

Before you decide to purchase some holiday chocolate, you might want to re consider your dessert and treat options this season. With only 28 days til Christmas and a recession in full swing, you might be easily enticed into buying some pretty low cost chocolate on sale. I had never given much thought to chocolate in general, besides having a serious weakness for it. I hadn’t realized until recently, that chocolate and slavery were a serious human rights and poverty issue, affecting millions for several generations.

It could have been a powerful image – America’s first multicultural president promoting the benefits of an ethnically-diverse society to the Chinese – but during his trip to China this week, Barack Obama chose to steer clear of comments that could be perceived as lecturing the Chinese on their (poor) human rights record, and that included any reference to their treatment of their Tibetan and Uyghur ethnic minorities.

Most of us cannot fathom what it is like to live with violence or political strife. We are governed by laws, morals and democratic rights that afford us the protection we require during times of crisis and upheaval. Though our rape statistics in North America continue to go under-reported, rape as an act of war is heavily prevalent in many regions of the world, especially Africa.