Amnesty International Australia
Defending Human Rights
For the millions of people who have suffered, and continue to suffer as crimes against humanity go unpunished in Syria, today marks the sixth anniversary of the first major protests that sparked the conflict. Six years. Six years of living in fear of death by constant bombardment from air strikes, deliberate attacks on civilians, homes, …
Continue reading “The war in Syria turns another year older, but is the world any wiser?”
By Imran Mohammad The world has just begun to recognise the Rohingya people. Despite being born in Myanmar (formerly Burma), we are known as ‘stateless’ people, meaning we do not belong anywhere on this earth. It is so easy to be labelled stateless, however the impact on our lives is heartbreaking. Being stateless has left …
Continue reading “My life as a Rohingya: An unrecognised existence”
For those fleeing violence and persecution and seeking protection in a far-off country, the journey is never easy one – in fact it’s more often a nightmare. When combined with constantly-shifting government policy and convoluted bureaucratic processes, that nightmare can be extended for years. This has been the fate of around 24,000 asylum seekers who …
Continue reading “Government sets impossible deadline for asylum applications”
Female genital mutilation (FGM) survivor Khadija Gbla chats to Holly Enriquez about her journey from Sierra Leone refugee to Australian Anti-FGM campaigner. How did your Anti-FGM campaigning begin? I’m a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM). I was mutilated when I was between the ages of 9 and 10 in Gambia. My mum had an …
Continue reading “5 minutes with… Anti-FGM campaigner Khadija Gbla”
Today is a very special day in our human rights calendar. It’s International Women’s Day (IWD). A day in which the incredible feats of women are championed and the inequalities and prejudices against us that still exist today are challenged globally. In 2017 the theme of IWD is #Beboldforchange, so we wanted to shine the …
Continue reading “15 women championing human rights in Australia this year”
For those who watched appalled as Donald Trump won the US presidential election basing his election on a platform of fear, xenophobia and hate, there was always the consolation that his poisonous campaign rhetoric might be a mere vote-winning strategy. Just words. Yet the new President has swiftly backed up this hateful discourse with a …
Continue reading “Same hate, different packaging: President Trump issues new travel ban”
Featuring central characters with a strong social conscience who stand up for a range of human rights issues, to protagonists who champion the importance of strength and courage in the face of adversity, it’s time to shake up your reading list with these inspiring novels. The Color Purple by Alice Walker: Celie Set against a …
Continue reading “7 literary human rights heroes to celebrate”
Good news has come through from our Amnesty colleagues in Malaysia today – Shahrul Izani Suparman, who was sentenced to death in 2009 for drug trafficking, has been officially pardoned. Shahrul was found in possession of cannabis in 2003, when he was just 19 years old. After spending more than six years in detention awaiting …
Continue reading “Good news: Death row prisoner Shahrul Izani Suparman pardoned”
In a blow to the rights of LGBTQI students in the US, President Trump has revoked landmark guidance from the former Obama administration, which allowed transgender students to use the bathroom matching the gender they identify with. “Reversing this guidance tells trans kids that it’s OK with the Trump administration and the Department of Education …
Continue reading “LGBTQI youth in schools: What more needs to be done for students?”
Don Dale youth detention centre. Manus. Nauru. Many Australians visited these places in 2016, if only in their imagination. In reality, a small number of people witnessed firsthand what was happening – or worse, lived through it. Even fewer spoke up about it, but their courage made the difference. Horrors committed every day and long …
Continue reading “On human rights, Australia faces a stark choice”
