We all know that the no-fly zone and military action in Libya is ongoing, but what few people know is that the action was undertaken using the Responsibility to Protect doctrine and as such is fairly controversial. The United Nations enacted Responsibility to Protect (RtoP or R2P) during the 2005 UN World Summit as a …
Tag: Human Rights
Aug 03
Free Contraception for All
World Breastfeeding Week was kicked off Monday with the passing of a historical extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Obama Administration. The guidelines of this heavily-debated policy expands on last year’s passed reforms in healthcare regarding free-of-charge preventative services such as …
Jul 29
Women in War and Peace
“For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” –Eleanor Roosevelt It is more dangerous in most conflict-stricken areas to be a woman than to be a soldier. Yet, women’s experiences during times of war are often ignored …
Jul 29
Disability-Friendly Budget Cuts
Currently, the debt ceiling and potential budget cuts for 2012 are arguably the most debated topics in U.S. politics. Other contributors to this blog have already discussed in detail the consequences that budget cuts could have on children’s schooling, academic research and education, and foreign aid. Shaunak, a fellow Program and Research intern with the …
Jul 27
Understanding Buyers of Sex
Eliminating Commercial Sexual Exploitation In order to eliminate the problem of commercial sexual exploitation, we must look at the demand side of the problem. After all, without buyers of sex, there would be no sex industry. By understanding the who, what, where, when, and how of sex buyers, strategies can be implemented to decrease the …
Jul 20
Violence against Women with Disabilities II
In my previous post, I raised the issue of violence against women with disabilities. Research and statistics have helped to raise awareness in our society about domestic and gender-based violence. However, as I discussed previously, the link between violence and disability is still very under-researched, and the consequence is that many women with disabilities are …
Jul 15
Ugandan Sex Workers Ward off Police Rape
It should come as no surprise that prostitution is a dangerous, yet pervasive, profession for individuals around the globe. Whether involvement is due to free-will or force the consequences can be detrimental or deadly. It exists in many forms and individuals, most of the time women and children, enter this lifestyle for a variety of …
Jul 13
King Crops: The dangers of monocrops (part II)
2)Biofuels: a Trojan horse? In a previous post I discussed one of the reasons why some crops (such as corn and soybean) have gained so much importance in our agriculture. Our food system and our food quality are set up in a way that inevitably increases the demand of these two crops, and economical and …
Jul 11
The Arab Spring Reaches Eastern Europe
It seems that the revolutionary spirit of the Arab Spring has spread from North Africa and the Middle East all the way to troubled Belarus in Eastern Europe. Belarus has been called “Europe’s Last Dictatorship” ever since 1994, when the “Last Dictator” Alexander Lukashenko came to power in a highly contested election. In a distinct …
Jul 08
Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Gender inequality is a deplorable reality that runs rampant across the globe. Women are vulnerable to injustice at home, work and in their communities. Socially, economically, politically and culturally, women have been treated as second class citizens throughout history. In the workplace, women earn less money on average than their male counterparts and face a …