By Diana Figueroa, Udita Sharma, Tommaso Poli, Elizabeth Mangenje, Giulia Carlini, Tola Akindipe
Each week students at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepare an overview of the past week’s human rights related news stories from around the world.
Dealt A Weaker Hand: Are Left Handed People Discriminated Against? – Rightsinfo
Menstrual Hygiene a Human Rights Issue – Human Rights Watch
The latest global initiative to address the vast inequalities in the world, including health inequalities, is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this agenda has 17 goals that were adopted in September 2015 by all UN Member States, with a rallying call to “leave no one behind”.
To know whether anyone is being left behind, the SDGs need an accountability system that includes monitoring and evaluation. To that end, the campaign has developed 232 targets, and each target has at least one indicator on which all countries must measure and report. In SDG3 (health for all), there are 13 targets and 27 indicators, covering a wide spectrum of health measures from maternal and neonatal mortality to traffic accident deaths and HIV incidence, to name just a few.
However, indicators and their measurement are contentious subjects because they can result in unintended consequences. For example, before the SDGs there were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that covered the years 2000-2015, and had similarly aspirational objectives to halve global poverty and achieve various health and other social targets. Arguments have been made that poorly chosen MDG indicators diverted attention from other critically important life saving programmes. Case studies presented in a compelling ‘Power of Numbers’ series led those editors to conclude that “target-setting is a valuable but a limited and blunt tool, and that the methodology for target-setting should be refined to include policy responsiveness in addition to data availability criteria.”
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project, based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, prepares an overview of related news stories from the week. This summary contains news articles from 18 – 25 August 2017.
You can follow the HRBDT Project on twitter: @hrbdtNews.
By Tola Akindipe, Udita Sharma, Tommaso Poli, Diana Figueroa, Elizabeth Mangenje, Giulia Carlini
Each week students at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepare an overview of the past week’s human rights related news stories from around the world.
Kenya: Attempts to shut down human rights groups unlawful and irresponsible – Amnesty International, Aug 15
Marikana Massacre: Cry for justice‚ five years on – Sowetan Live
Death toll climbs to over 400 in Sierra Leone floods – Al Jazeera
South Sudan is the most difficult place for aid workers: UNMISS -Sudan Tribune
Nigeria: Illiteracy, Poverty Major Causes of Death During Meningitis Outbreak – Emir -All Africa
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project, based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, prepares an overview of related news stories from the week. This summary contains news articles from 11 – 18 August 2017.
You can follow the HRBDT Project on twitter: @hrbdtNews.
By Giulia Carlini, Udita Sharma, Tommaso Poli, Diana Figueroa, Elizabeth Mangenje, Tola Akindipe
Each week students at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepare an overview of the past week’s human rights related news stories from around the world.
World still lagging on indigenous rights 10 years after historic declaration, UN experts warn – UN OHCHR News
Do Astronauts have Human Rights in Space? – RightsInfo
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project, based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, prepares an overview of related news stories from the week. This summary contains news articles from 4 – 11 August 2017.
You can follow the HRBDT Project on twitter: @hrbdtNews.
By Tola Akindipe, Giulia Carlini, Diana Figueroa, Elizabeth Mangenje, Tommaso Poli, Udita Sharma
Each week students at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre prepare an overview of the past week’s human rights related news stories from around the world.
International
Why do some UN peacekeepers rape? -Al Jazeera
Africa
Mass Nigerian arrests for ‘homosexual acts’ in Lagos State -BBC News
US investigating allegations of torture by Cameroon troops -NEWS24
Rwandans set to choose prosperity over human rights in ‘formality’ presidential poll -France 24
More than 250 killed in DR Congo’s Kasai, says UN -Al Jazeera
South Africa: Sex, Shrugs and Policy Holes – Why Partially Decriminalising Sex Work Isn’t Enough -All Africa
By Vivian Ng
Communities used to gather on street corners, sidewalks, parks and public squares. Today, social media platforms are increasingly the forum of choice for individuals seeking to express themselves, communicate, interact, organise, and even mobilise. These online platforms are today’s public square, where free exchange and development of opinions and ideas can happen. However, there are concerns that social media has also become a forum for terrorists, racists, misogynists, or child abusers to thrive. As a result, and particularly in light of recent terror attacks, there is pressure on social media companies to be more proactive in preventing their platforms from being used to radicalise and incite violence. In response, social media companies are investing in more resources to moderate content on their platforms, particularly by expanding teams of content moderators. A critical reflection of the human rights implications engaged by this evolving role and the responsibility of technology companies is necessary. This post will focus on one specific element of the wider debate: an interrogation of the duty of care owed to the so-called ‘private counter-terror workforce’.
Each week the Human Rights, Big Data & Technology Project, based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, prepares an overview of related news stories from the week. This summary contains news articles from 22 to 28 July 2017.
You can follow the HRBDT Project on twitter: @hrbdtNews.
