On March 17th, the United Nations Security Council voted to establish a no-fly zone over Libya, which allows for all measures short of foreign occupation. This is an addition to Libya being referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which I wrote about in my blog on March 3rd, and which itself was unprecedented in …
Tag: Human Rights
Mar 17
Understanding Lenses
On Tuesday I wrote about the “Sexy Disaster Effect,” but during the editing process, it came to my attention that portions of my piece could imply several things, which were unintentional, about the residents and countries I was describing. With more thought on the subject, I would like to add additional points to continue the …
Mar 16
Japan’s Punishment: Can we really be this ignorant?
We have all watched in disgust as Glenn Beck has brought himself ratings by speculating on the divinity of the Japanese earthquake of March 11. Even gossip blogger Perez Hilton has come out against an Evangelical perspective on atheist Japan being “woken up” by God. However, before Mr. Beck had a chance to opine on …
Mar 15
The Sexy Disaster Effect
Since 2003, the conflict in Darfur has been in and out of the international public’s awareness. Over the years, governments all around the world have hesitated to label the loss of life happening on the ground as a genocide, since that would have certain ramifications that could involve military intervention and technically breaching Sudan’s sovereignty. …
Mar 08
The Women’s Revolution
A week before the Egyptian revolution began last month, Asmaa Mahfouz, an Egyptian activist, released a vlog that quickly went viral and is widely credited with sparking the protests that eventually ended the thirty-year reign of dictator Hosni Mubarak. In the vlog, Mahfouz challenged any men who did not think women should be protesting to …
Mar 03
Score One for International Law
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard something about the ongoing situation in Libya. The violence there has escalated since the protests began on the 15th of February, and the international community has finally decided to get involved. On the 26th, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution calling …
Mar 01
A Radical Notion that Women are People
Ever since the US House of Representatives became a Republican majority two months ago, the House, along with many state legislatures, have been churning out legislation targeted at limiting women’s rights, redefining victims of sexual assault and placing the lives of fetuses above their mother’s. There are currently three initiatives against abortion at the Federal …
Feb 22
Delivering as One
Imagine you have chest pains, you are light headed, you are nauseous and you have aches in all of your joints. In the Emergency Room, a doctor comes out to evaluate you, and then informs you that no less than four doctors will be operating on you for your illness. Each one has staked a …
Feb 02
De-Gaying Uganda
David Kato, a prominent Ugandan gay rights activist, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in broad daylight at his home in Uganda, dying on his way to the hospital. News of Kato’s death reverberated throughout the world as friends, leaders, activists and human rights organizations paid tribute to a man whose lifelong legacy championed …
Jan 31
Loving to Death
David Kato was probably murdered because of how he loved. That was his only crime. Not because he treated people badly. Not because he stole or created terrorism. His murder probably occurred because he was an openly gay man and an outspoken advocate for gay rights in his country. He was bludgeoned to death on …