Jakarta’s age-old problem of air pollution reached record heights in 2023, posing significant health risks to its residents. Rafsi Albar scrutinises the government’s response through a human rights lens. The Indonesian public is appalled by the worsening air quality in Jakarta. The city has, for years, been plagued by worsening air quality. However, recent months have been the worst in city history. Recent reports by IQAir consistently rank Jakarta as one of the top 10 most polluted cities since May 2023, with June 14 and August 9 being the days it peaked as the world’s first most po ..read more

This blog post contains references to sexual violence. Please be advised that the post may contain allusions and descriptions that could be triggering for some readers. Reader discretion is strongly advised, and we encourage those who may find such content distressing to approach the material with caution or consider skipping this particular entry. In the Indian state of Manipur over 140 people have been killed and 54,000 displaced following clashes between Meitei and Kuki Zo tribes. The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognizance following footage of two women bei ..read more

The Women Reservation Bill is a substantial piece of legislation aimed at bolstering gender equality in Indian politics. It has undergone a long and intricate journey to reach its current state. While acknowledging the bill’s intent to promote gender equality, Gurmeet Kaur expresses concern about its timing and lack of provisions for OBC women. A survey by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) reports that the OBC population in India is 40.94%. Reading multiple perspectives in the news articles and Op-Eds on the Women Reservation Bill, my thoughts take me back to a lecture delive ..read more

Following the High Court of Australia’s landmark ruling against indefinite detention of illegal migrants, reversing its 2004 decision, Shaharyaar Shahardar explores the vital role the judiciary must play in scrutinising immigration laws globally, ensuring adherence to human rights despite populist pressures. On 9 November 2023, the High Court of Australia delivered a landmark judgement ruling against the indefinite detention of illegal migrants, some of whom have remained in prison for years. The decision overturned an earlier verdict passed in 2004 which justified the indefinite detention as ..read more

Ameera Es-Sabar discusses the concept of silent violence in the context of Canada, drawing parallels between Canada’s exclusionary approaches towards its Indigenous inhabitants and its (lack of) response to ongoing events in Palestine and Israel. By highlighting similarities in Canada’s approaches towards Indigenous peoples both at home and abroad, and its contrasting responses to events in Ukraine and Palestine, she exposes Canada’s silent violence and complicity in national and international state violence.  “Defending human rights and democracy has always been, and will continue t ..read more

The practice of manual scavenging is a violation of human rights that needs to be addressed in health and sanitation policy reform. Caste-based discrimination and lack of technological innovation is at the root of the issue. Arunbalaji Selvaraj, explores how law enforcement, economic empowerment, increasing awareness and upgrading sanitary infrastructure are essential to upholding human rights. Manual scavenging, a practice distinct and far more perilous than regular janitorial work, involves the hazardous and inhumane task of manually handling human waste from dry latrines and sewers. Still s ..read more

Globally, the demographic shift is changing at a faster rate. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 60 or older is expected to rise to 2.1 billion in 2050. As life expectancy increases and fertility declines, the population structure in many countries has shifted to an inverted population pyramid. Despite the global demographic trend, many countries are not fully ready to confront this aging phenomenon. Due to the lack of governmental effort in building age-friendly environments and infrastructures, older adults are negatively influenced in both direct and indir ..read more

Religious, cultural and linguistic minorities have long faced discrimination in relation to their distinctive identity. Although a great variety of minority situations exist, Gypsies[1], Roma, and Travellers (hereafter termed using the acronym “GRT”) can be described as an ‘invisible’ ethnic minority group in the United Kingdom in terms of academic and policy-making discourse, often unseen and unheard, isolated, and lacking impartial evaluation. Of course, the issue of ‘visibility’ is ironic (Clark, 2001). The invisibility of GRT communities in an academic and policy space contrasts with their ..read more

On May 29, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda signed one of the world’s stringent anti-LGBTQ legislations, that restricts LGBTQ rights and introduces harsher penalties for certain types of homosexual acts. While the new legislation enjoys support from a significant portion of the population in this East African nation, it has faced widespread condemnation from rights activists and others abroad. The Act enforces a punishment of life imprisonment for engaging in consensual same-sex acts, and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”. According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual ..read more

Introduction In 2009 the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir released a report entitled ‘Buried Evidence: Unknown, Unmarked and Mass Graves in Indian-Administered Kashmir’. The report documented the existence of 2700 ‘unknown, unmarked, mass graves’ containing over 2900 bodies in three districts across 55 villages in the part of the Kashmir region administered by India. 87.9 % of the bodies discovered could not be identified. In 2017, the State Human Rights Commission of Kashmir called for a detailed investigation to be completed within 6 months. Almost six y ..read more