insert_link Namibia Human Rights Activist Linda Baumann Advocates for LGBTQIA+ Rights Beyond Labels In a recent interview, Human Rights Activist Linda Baumann discussed the vital importance of LGBTQIA+ advocacy, urging society to see individuals beyond their sexual orientation. She emphasized that access to information and press freedom are crucial for fostering understanding and support within communities, while also recognizing the interconnected nature of human rights issues that affect various groups. Baumann highlighted the challenges faced by individuals who navigate their personal and professional […] todayOctober 24, 2024 20
insert_link South Africa S.A Union Vows to Oppose Proposed Labour Law Amendments South African union federation Saftu has pledged to defend workers' rights against proposed labour law amendments it deems harmful to the working class. The union argues that the new laws would permit employers to dismiss workers without proper hearings, reduce protections for younger and new employees, and curtail workers’ rights in labor disputes. Saftu's general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, stated that the changes would primarily benefit businesses while undermining workers’ power. […] todayOctober 23, 2024 22
insert_link Africa Colonialism and apartheid stripped black South Africans of land and labour rights – the effects are still felt today By Marthinus van Staden, University of the Witwatersrand Land dispossession among South Africa’s majority black population remains a thorny issue 30 years into democracy. Labour law scholar Marthinus van Staden’s new research examines the historical relationship between land dispossession and labour control in South Africa. It explores how the systematic seizure of indigenous people’s land during colonisation and apartheid reduced them from landowners to labourers, under exploitative […] todaySeptember 23, 2024 39
insert_link Africa How to end hunger in sub-Saharan Africa: fight inequality, gender imbalances and climate change By Helen Onyeaka, University of Birmingham A greater part of Africa’s population can’t afford a healthy diet than any other regional population. Food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by climate change, high levels of poverty, rapid population growth, low economic growth, inadequate infrastructure and conflicts. Women are the backbone of agricultural labour in the region. The problems of limited access to land, water and technology faced […] todayApril 18, 2024 18
insert_link Environment Advancing the rights of girls and women promotes justice and is also effective climate action By Grace M. Jaramillo, University of British Columbia Across the world, climate change disproportionately impacts the lives of girls, yet children are often forgotten in climate policy. I recently led a team of student researchers from the University of British Columbia to better understand why this is the case during field research in the Dominican Republic. Our team talked to 45 people, including key policy decision-makers on social […] todayApril 17, 2024 27
insert_link World Critics fear catastrophic energy crisis as AI is outsourced to Latin America By Gerry McGovern, Sue Branford “We walk for the water we need. If we don’t walk, who will give it to us?” asks Juan, a middle-aged man born in the Indigenous rural community of Maconí, Mexico. “It’s a four-hour journey each day to fetch water … Since last year, there hasn’t been rain, and this year it’s the same.” The bean crop has withered and there’s no corn […] todayMarch 22, 2024 158
insert_link Africa Local activist opposes Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation Ghana's parliament has approved a bill criminalising LGBTQ+ identity and the formation or funding of LGBTQ+ groups, punishable by up to three to five years in prison, respectively. The bill will come into effect only if President Nana Akufo-Addo signs it into law. Linda Baumann an activist for the rights of women, and the LGBTQI community says the bill should not be enacted into law. todayFebruary 29, 2024 35
insert_link Africa Climate change, extreme weather & conflict exacerbate global food crisis Global food insecurity has risen substantially since pre-pandemic times, exacerbated by extreme weather, climate change, war and conflict. What the U.N. World Food Program calls “a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions” plays out differently around the world. In this story, three of Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows detail the local situation in their region – from rising inflation and flooding in Nigeria to diminished local food […] todayFebruary 22, 2024 25
Africa Kenya’s sex workers have solutions to their problems, but international NGOs aren’t hearing them By Lise Woensdregt, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam In Kenya, rights organisations run by sex workers have gone into numerous partnerships with international organisations over the past decade. In recent research, I set out to understand whether these relationships worked in favour of the sex workers and their organisations. My research focused on an organisation in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, that supports male sex workers. Kenya’s laws punish activities related to […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 17