2018 has been a ground-breaking year for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) with female scientists winning the Nobel Prize in both Chemistry and Physics. Dr Donna Strickland won the Nobel Prize in Physics, and Dr Frances H. Arnold won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, marking the first […]
Despite one billion people worldwide having a disability, persons with disabilities are among the most forgotten and marginalized groups in any crisis or any armed conflict. On 3 December 2018, The United Nations Security Council Open Arria Formula Meeting addressed the alarming situation of persons with disabilities who live in war-stricken countries. […]
What was once considered as science fiction is now a reality as Chinese Professor He Jiankui has claimed to have edited the DNA of twin girls, resulting in the world’s first genetically edited babies. Current laws allow scientists to do gene editing on discarded IVF embryos that must be destroyed […]
Australia’s remote detention policy has developed a notorious reputation for an ‘offshore processing procedure’ that uses remote Pacific islands such as Nauru as a ‘dumping ground’ for people seeking asylum and protection by boat to Australia. This policy has recently come under mounting pressure as new evidence shows the serious […]
In Iran, the right to education is being stripped from activists. Iranian authorities have been preventing student activists from receiving a graduate education by placing a “star” on their applications, which specify that their application is “missing documents.” Zia Nabavi, an activist and student who was ranked ninth out of over […]
On September 19, 2018, New Zealand celebrated the 125th anniversary of women suffrage. The Electoral Act was signed into law in 1893 and thereby, gave women over the age of 21 the right to vote in parliamentary elections. Therefore, making New Zealand the first country in the world to enact […]
Morocco has finally criminalized violence against women which is being praised as a progressive step for women’s rights, yet further reform is still needed. Law no. 103-13 criminalizes some forms of domestic violence, establishes prevention measures, provides new protections for survivors, and tougher penalties for offenders. Despite these positive reforms, […]
In a recent article, The Intercept reported that Google is developing a new search engine and news app codenamed ‘Project Dragonfly,’ that will be censored to comply with China’s restrictive censorship laws and other legal requirements. The search engine would “blacklist websites and search terms about human rights, democracy, religion, […]
Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for five human rights activists who have been in pretrial detention without legal representation for over two years. The activists are currently being tried for their peaceful activism by Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC), a terrorism tribunal which has been […]
Ongoing police brutality in Brazil is now considered a full-blown human rights crisis. Earlier this year, the Brazilian military police pledged to reduce police killings by 20 percent before the end of 2018 in the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro. However, from January to July, the number of Rio […]
