The Council of Europe’s resolution earlier this month to prohibit the circumcision of infant boys for religious reasons has ignited another round to the “foreskin wars”. This time it’s about the rights…
Banged up: a Bill on prisoners’ voting rights is presently before parliament.
PA Archive
The news that Peter Chester and George McGeoch have had their Supreme Court appeal against the ban on prison inmates voting dismissed will cause few people on the outside to lose much sleep - in fact the…
The threat to human rights should be a central focus of climate change action.
Flickr/The World Wants a Real Deal
Climate change has been considered under many lenses – economic, geopolitical, diplomatic and developmental. However, human rights are rarely considered. Instead, they are a peripheral concern for the…
The not just cold, but troubled waters of the Russian Arctic.
Will Rose/Greenpeace
Russia’s overreaction in prosecuting Greenpeace protesters, including the two journalists, is set to unfold into an international scandal that will seriously damage country’s global reputation. So far…
We can’t hope to ensure basic human rights until we learn to respect our differences and welcome diversity in society.
Image from shutterstock.com
When considering contemporary human rights issues in Australia – our denial of refugee rights, the disproportionate number of Indigenous children in juvenile detention and racial vilification on public…
It’s getting crowded up there.
Copyright, European Space Agency, ESA
George Clooney revealed details last week about “his” spy satellite over Sudan, which he funds to keep an eye on the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who has been accused of war crimes. The Satellite…
Ordinary rendition: Abu Qatada has been returned to Jordan to face trial.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Abu Qatada was deported to Jordan from the UK in the early hours of Sunday morning to face terrorism charges. For the British home secretary, Theresa May, it was a triumph in the face of a judiciary which…
With inadequate resources, it’s as difficult to deliver choice as babies.
Flickr: David Swift Photography
For decades there has been a struggle between those arguing for women’s wishes to come first when it comes to childbirth and those who believe that a healthy baby is the only important consideration…
Mobile coffins: dozens of British service personnel have been killed in the army’s Snatch Landrovers.
Wikimedia Commons
The recent Supreme Court decision to allow families of British personnel killed in Iraq to sue the government for negligence set up a barrage of cries about the judgment making it impossible for our armed…
How long ago did we acquire the right to privacy? When was it formalised? In this country it would be only in the year 2000, the year in which the Human Rights Act came into force; it incorporated the…
Another High Court challenge to the Gillard government’s indefinite detention of ‘legal black hole’ refugees has experts calling for alternatives.
AAP/Jeremy Piper
The Gillard government is facing another High Court challenge to its indefinite detention of the 55 refugees to have received adverse security assessments from ASIO. These continuing legal troubles, along…
Julia Gillard meets with Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 2011 CHOGM meeting: should Australia boycott the 2013 meeting in Sri Lanka over human rights concerns?
AAP/Daniel Munoz
Given its long association with the Commonwealth, it is no surprise that Sri Lanka is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in November this year. These biannual meetings are normally…
Campaigners say the Australian government should take a stronger stance against Chinese occupation and human rights abuse in Tibet.
EPA/Narendra Shrestha
In the past week, the number of Tibetan self-immolations in protest against the Chinese occupation has risen to 111 since 2009. Despite the increasing numbers of Tibetans self-immolating and general unrest…
Every Parent’s Nightmare tells the true story of Australian Jock Palfreeman, caught in Bulgaria’s corrupt legal system.
ABC TV/AAP
Australians running into trouble with the law overseas is a common topic in the news. The coverage is usually fleeting, ending with the announcement of a conviction or, less often, an acquittal. Belinda…
Three little words in a draft bill threatened both free speech and the bill’s existence.
j / f / photos
One news item buried among all the discussion about the early election announcement, Craig Thomson’s arrest and Moses Obeid’s testimony to ICAC yesterday was a statement from the Attorney-General, Nicola…
We were delighted to be elected to the security council, now we must make the most of our tenure.
AAP/Andrew Gombert
Now that Australia has taken its seat on the UN Security Council, it is worth considering how we might make a difference. Former diplomat Bruce Haig has recently dismissed Australia’s new role as chair…
One of the outcomes of the 21st Summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Phnom Penh, was the adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration by the ten member states. It has been…
The stories of real people are often missing from media reports on asylum seeker detention centres.
AAP
Greater transparency and improved access for the media to interview asylum seekers in detention is required say human rights lawyers, after three separate incidents of self-harm at the Nauru processing…
While FGC is common in Africa, the practice is illegal in many Western countries.
Flickr/tlupic
Female genital cutting (FGC) – also known as female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision – is widely practised in Africa and has been described by UNICEF “one of the worst violations of the…
Infant male circumcision violates aspects of international human rights law, which Australia is bound to uphold.
Chris Woods
In an article published recently on this site, “Male circumcision policy ignores research showing benefits”, the authors stated some alleged benefits of infant male circumcision and argued the Royal Australasian…