Category Archives: human rights

Thousands of women unknowingly have intrusive photos shared on Twitter | Technology | The Guardian

Thousands of women have had intrusive photographs, taken of themselves without their knowledge, circulated on Twitter for years.Covert photos taken of women on beaches, public transport and elsewhere have been shared to two hashtags for several years with apparent impunity.The images predominately focus on the women’s breasts and buttocks, but in many, their faces are visible. Some appear to be underage.Guardian Australia has chosen not to name the hashtags so as not to compound the violation of the women’s privacy.

Source: Thousands of women unknowingly have intrusive photos shared on Twitter | Technology | The Guardian

Attacks on Dalits leave Gujarat government wounded – Times of India

Initiating the discussion, senior JD(U) member Sharad Yadav sought a ban on ‘gau rakshaks’ (cow vigilantes) operating in some parts of the country . He said it was a matter of shame that even after 70 years of Independence, atrocities against Dalits, especially women, were increasing.”Who created these ‘gau rakshaks? Why doesn’t the government ban them? What is this tamasha? We talk about Taliban … our caste system has a Taliban-like attitude, we need to discuss that,” he said. Congress and other members joined him, saying the incident only exposes the real face of the `Gujarat model’ promoted by PM Narendra Modi. Observing that youths were joining such groups because of rising unemployment, Yadav said that “in Gujarat, these gau rakshaks say 33 crore gods and goddesses live in the cow. Such superstitions are being spread in this country.”

Source: Attacks on Dalits leave Gujarat government wounded – Times of India

Knesset passes MP-expulsion law | News | DW.COM | 20.07.2016

A spokeswoman for the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, Debbie Gilad-Hayo, described the new law as “one of the most serious legislative proposals in recent years.”It harmed the “very building blocks” of democracy, including freedom of expression, the right to vote and to be elected and the right to representation, she said.The bill was aimed at Arab lawmakers but it would become a “slippery slope” with the potential to affect all Israelis, she added.Last week, parliament drew criticism from the European Union, when it adopted a law requiring non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive more than half their funding from abroad to provide details about donors’ contributions.Critics claimed that legislation would be used to target left-wing groups.

Source: Knesset passes MP-expulsion law | News | DW.COM | 20.07.2016

Republican attacks on Hillary Clinton are more like a witch trial than politics | Angelina Chapin | Opinion | The Guardian

The tirades against Hillary Clinton at the Republican national convention this week have resembled a witch trial more than a political event.In his speech on Tuesday night, New Jersey governor Chris Christie decided to try “something fun” and indict Hillary Clinton for her crimes. The former prosecutor listed her “offences” one by one – she ruined Libya by overthrowing Gaddafi, she helped empower Boko Haram in Nigeria, she negotiated “the worst nuclear deal in history” – and hyperbolically asked “Guilty or not guilty?” at the end of every accusation. The nauseating spectacle was a hit.The crowd cried “Guilty!” and chanted “Lock her up!” with the fervor of townspeople holding torches, ready to storm the town square and burn Clinton at the stake. At least the Republican speakers were consistent: Ben Carson accused Clinton of devil worship since one of her college mentors, Saul Alinsky, acknowledges Lucifer in his book.Christie’s theatrical performance is not surprising. Both he and Donald Trump are the kind of megalomaniacal, testosterone-fuelled politicians whose rhetoric is more suited for the football field than the political stage (Christie actually ended his speech with “Now let’s go get ’em!”). These kind of men deter women from entering politics, when more females representatives is exactly what America needs.The New Jersey governor didn’t only attack Hillary’s track record as secretary of state, he attacked her personality. He said “She’ll bring all the failure of the Obama years with less charm and more lies” and underlined that America needs a “man who is unafraid … a man who wants to lead us.” In other words, this country needs an alpha male with zero political experience rather than a woman who has dedicated her life to public service instead of catchphrases.In case anyone needs a reminder, Congress is already 80% male. According to the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, there will not be gender parity in politics for another century. Of course discrimination has a lot to do with it – white men still symbolize power and competence in American culture – but many women are also turned off by the macho environment that Christie and his ilk perpetuate.Politics is still an alpha male’s game. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich found that women were less likely to apply for jobs that contained words with typically make adjectives such as “assertive” and “aggressive”. Let’s not forget that Donald Trump and Marco Rubio openly talked about penises during a national debate. Then there’s the shouting, bragging and sex scandals that define too many male politicians’ careers. Women who go into politics are also judged more harshly than men. They need to be tough but sensitive, good-looking but not flashy, assertive but demure. No matter what, your haircut will make headlines.

Source: Republican attacks on Hillary Clinton are more like a witch trial than politics | Angelina Chapin | Opinion | The Guardian

In ‘political correctness’ debate, most Americans think too many people are easily offended | Pew Research Center – Kinda obvious… PC term was “invented” by conservatives who wanted to have a good excuse for using words that hurt others – not in the majority.

Among blacks, 67% say people should be more careful with language to avoid offending people of different backgrounds, while just 30% say too many people are easily offended by language these days. Among whites, opinions are reversed: 67% say too many are easily offended, compared with 32% who think more care should be taken to not offend others.

Source: In ‘political correctness’ debate, most Americans think too many people are easily offended | Pew Research Center

Trump captures GOP nomination as convention speakers focus their fire on Clinton – The Washington Post – “Focus fire? A shooter’s term – wtf. And the e-mail version headline was: “In Trump’s moment of triumph, Clinton is in the crosshairs” Who is suggesting that Hillary Clinton should be assassinated or that Trump wants her shot?” 

The Republican National Convention’s first two nights have been striking for the unusual amount of time spent demonizing Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.

Source: Trump captures GOP nomination as convention speakers focus their fire on Clinton – The Washington Post

Kashmir on Fire | Inter Press Service

Kashmir is bleeding once again. Many innocent civilians have been brutally killed and many more injured by the Indian security forces. Surprisingly, there is a deafening silence in the local media. No views, no comments whatsoever have appeared. Strangely, the media, which is otherwise very active and springs into action on the slightest violation of human rights, kept mum as if Kashmiris are not human, their blood carries no importance and is cheaper than water. Many nowadays are voicing serious concerns about the rights of drug addicts killed by the police but not a single word for Kashmiris.Views and opinions apart, there was a complete blackout in the local print media about the recent incidents of human rights violations in the Indian-occupied Kashmir by the Indian military and paramilitary forces against those protesting the killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani, who was extremely popular among the masses. As a result, dozens of innocent Kashmiris were killed, over 2,100 have been injured, 400 of whom critically. People have been denied access to basic emergency services and right to health. There have been incidents of violence, harassment and shelling of teargas in hospitals to prevent access to hospitals and restrict the movement of ambulances. The brutality can be gauged from the fact that Indian Security Forces used pellet guns above waist-height, resulting in many injured, including those who lost their eyesight.The use of excessive force against innocent civilians, protesting over extrajudicial killings, is deplorable and a blatant violation of the right to life, right to freedom of expression and opinion, right to peaceful protest and assembly, and other fundamental human rights. In fact, Indian forces have since long employed various draconian laws like the Jammu and Kashmir Disturbed Areas Act, and the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act in killing the Kashmiri people, and for the arbitrary arrest of any individual for an indefinite period.

Source: Kashmir on Fire | Inter Press Service

Man cleared of raping teenager in his sleep – “Swedish Judges – some – suffer from an infinite capacity for self-delusion to excuse rape.”

The condition of sexsomnia, from which the man is not believed to have been suffering at the time, according to Aftonbladet, came to national attention in 2014 when a suspected sleeping rapist in northern Sweden was cleared by an appeals court.

Source: Man cleared of raping teenager in his sleep – The Local

Black Lives Matter Is Not a Hate Group 

Many of its harshest critics claim that Black Lives Matter’s very name is anti-white, hence the oft-repeated rejoinder “all lives matter.” This notion misses the point entirely. Black lives matter because they have been marginalized throughout our country’s history and because white lives have always mattered more in our society. As BLM puts it, the movement stands for “the simple proposition that ‘black lives also matter.’”The backlash to BLM, in some ways, reflects a broad sense of unease among white people who worry about the cultural changes in the country and feel they are falling behind in a country that is rapidly growing more diverse in a globalizing world. We consistently see this phenomenon in surveys showing that large numbers of white people believe racial discrimination against them is as pervasive, or more so, than it is against African Americans.It’s the same dynamic that researchers at Harvard Business School described in a recent study: White people tend to see racism as a zero-sum game, meaning that gains for African Americans come at their expense. Black people see it differently. From their point of view, the rights pie can get bigger for everyone.Black Lives Matter is not a hate group. But the perception that it is racist illustrates the problem. Our society as a whole still does not accept that racial injustice remains pervasive. And, unfortunately, the fact that white people tend to see race as a zero-sum game may actually impede progress.

Source: Black Lives Matter Is Not a Hate Group | TIME