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Five heroines to celebrate in young adult fiction

In 2017 it is disheartening to see that young women, the world over, are still subjected to the influence of the hyperfeminine stereotype.

From the sexualised variants found in advertising, to the comical and submissive supporting roles on television and film, hyperfemininity – which portrays women as passive, naive, soft, graceful, and nurturing – has been caricatured and fictionalised since the dawn of creativity.

With this in mind, it is no surprise that the realm of literature is no exception. As a medium used by most as an escape, a means to educate, or promote a message, the world of young adult (YA) literature sometimes gives us self-sacrificing heroines, helpless noblewomen, and those who bide their time until their prince arrives (we’re looking at you Bella).

Despite a tendency to reinforce gender stereotypes, YA literature has also given us examples of strong teens, young adults, and freethinkers who provide an anti-type for the next generation of women to aspire to.

Here are five examples of strong female heroines from YA fiction, who encourage independence and promote girl power.

1. Starr Carter, The Hate U Give

When her best friend Khalil is shot down by a white police officer, Starr has a choice – either reveal her best friend’s killer or keep her friends and family safe.

Starr’s choice not only reveals the rampant class struggle evident in today’s America, but the makings of a fearless teenager whose sense of right and wrong is paramount to her own identity.

The Hate U Give is by Angie Thomas

2. Liesel Meminger, The Book Thief

Spanning decades, The Book Thief brings to life the experiences of Liesel, an adopted nine-year old who lives with Hans and Rosa Hubermann in Nazi Germany during the rise of the Third Reich and the onset of WWII.

Distraught over the loss of her family, Liesel’s life is made even more difficult when she is bullied for not being able to read. But, through perseverance and the kindness of Hans, she soon discovers the power of words. Liesel begins to steal books deemed illegal by the Nazi Party and eventually starts writing her own stories.

Liesel shares her stories with Max, a Jewish former fist-fighter being sheltered by the Hubermanns at the height of the holocaust. Together they find freedom and redemption

through language.

The Book Thief is by Markus Zusak

3. Grace Dawn, Mazin Grace

Award-winning Mazin Grace explores themes of childhood and young womanhood at Koonibba Lutheran Mission in South Australia, through the eyes of Grace Dawn.

Set in the 1940s and 50s, Grace – a fictionalised version of the author’s mother – is the daughter of an unknown Caucasian father and Indigenous mother. Grace begins the search for her father after episodes of bullying and near excommunication lead her contemplate suicide.

The novel tackles difficult themes, including Australia’s colonial history, and highlights the intelligence, resilience and perseverance of its central character, despite the external pressures she faces from her peers, family and society.

Mazin Grace is by Dylan Coleman

4. Jade Moon, The Fire Horse Girl

The Fire Horse Girl follows the life of young protagonist, Jade Moon. Jade is born during the Chinese year of the Fire Horse – a bad omen – and her family believes their daughter is destined to be stubborn, wilful, and far too imaginative.

Jade is given the chance to leave China and move to the United States when her father meets an American, Sterling Promise, who paints a picture of prosperity beyond the confines of their village.

However, Jade’s journey is thwarted by deceit and she soon realises she must use those traits considered by her family as negative to free herself from the chains of tradition and from men who want to use her as kindling to stoke the flames of their desires.

Jade has to use her all bravery and will to get into America and survive there.

The Fire Horse Girl is by Kay Honeyman

5. Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games

And how could we miss out Katniss Everdeen? Katniss lives in a dystopian reality in which a wealthy Capitol city, run by dictator President Snow, exerts both wealth and power over 12 underprivileged and impoverished districts of a post-apocalyptic world.

After volunteering to take her sister’s place in the 74th Hunger Games – a fight-to-the-death competition with an aim to entertain the ‘haves’ and to remind the ‘have nots’ of their place and purpose – this 16-year-old endures a journey of difficult choices and near-death experiences.

Katniss is capable and self-sacrificing and leads a rebellion that sees an army of slaves rise up against their oppressor.

The Hunger Games series is by Suzanne Collins

Agree with the heroines we chose for this blog? Who would you add?

Turkey: Charges against rights defenders must be rejected

· Taner Kiliç added to indictment of Istanbul 10

· Charges against the 10 increased to include “membership of a terrorist organisation”

Responding to news that a prosecutor has filed an indictment calling for jail terms of up to 16 years on terror charges for 11 human rights activists including İdil Eser and Taner Kiliç, the director and chair of Amnesty International Turkey, John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe Director said:

“This outrageous indictment contains no new evidence but instead repeats absurd allegations against some of Turkey’s most prominent human rights defenders.

“These brave activists have languished in jail for months on end for no reason other than their belief in human rights. For them to have spent even day behind bars is a gross injustice.

“This indictment is little more than a tawdry patchwork of innuendo and untruths and is itself a damning indictment of the flaws in Turkey’s justice system. The court must reject it in its entirety and ensure that our friends and colleagues are immediately and unconditionally released.”

Cambodia must end crackdown on peaceful dissent

The Cambodian authorities’ attempts to shut down the main opposition party ahead of next year’s general election is the latest move in a relentless effort to crush all forms of dissent, however peaceful.

The Interior Ministry has filed a complaint with the Supreme Court asking for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to be dissolved ahead of the elections scheduled for July 2018.

“Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government seem intent on turning Cambodia into a criticism-free state by any means necessary. The attempts to disband the opposition party ahead of next year’s crucial vote is a blatant power grab and another escalation in the authorities’ crackdown on all forms of dissent,” said James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“The international community cannot stand idly by and simply watch as the human rights situation backslides rapidly in Cambodia. Key countries must immediately push the Cambodian government to end the sweeping restrictions on opposition figures’ and human rights defenders’ rights to liberty and to freedom of expression.”

False ‘treason’ charges

The Minister argued that disbanding the CNRP would be justified because new legal amendments passed earlier in 2017 ban political parties from “conspiring with criminals”. This follows closely in the heels of CNRP leader, Kem Sokha, being arrested on trumped up “treason” charges on 3 September 2017. Kem Sokha has been kept in detention since.

The Interior Ministry’s move comes two days after the CNRP deputy leader, Mu Sochua, fled the country. Mu Sochua has told media outlets that she felt compelled to leave Cambodia because she feared arrest on politically motivated charges.

Silencing opposing voices

“The Cambodian authorities’ attempts to jail and harass key opposition figures through baseless and politically motivated criminal charges must end immediately. But the cases of Mu Sochua and Kem Sokha are just the tip of the iceberg,” said James Gomez.

“Human rights defenders and the media have also been targeted through harassment and regulatory measures and criminal charges, creating an extremely tense and difficult situation in which to operate. It is deeply alarming that this co-ordinated attempt to silence any opposing voices is picking up pace.”

Myanmar: ASEAN must do more to tackle Rohingya crisis

Southeast Asian leaders must take urgent steps to address grave human rights violations against the Rohingya in Myanmar, Amnesty International said in a letter sent to the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) today.

The letter, signed by directors of 13 Amnesty International offices across the Asia-Pacific region, called for an emergency ASEAN summit to deal with the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state.

“ASEAN is failing to take a stand as one of its member states carries out a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing.”

James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“ASEAN is failing to take a stand as one of its member states carries out a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing,” said James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“Governments in the region must uphold the commitments to human rights enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, commitments which Myanmar’s military is showing clear contempt for as they perpetrate crimes against humanity against the Rohingya.”

Since a Rohingya armed group attacked dozens of security force posts on 25 August 2017, Myanmar has engaged in an unlawful and brutal campaign of violence against the Rohingya.

Amnesty International has documented numerous human rights violations including unlawful killings and large scale burning of homes and villages.

These are part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing, which in legal terms amounts to crimes against humanity, including murder and deportation or forcible transfer of population. Amnesty International has also confirmed the use of anti-personnel landmines by the Myanmar army.

ASEAN’s only response to the crisis so far has been a bland statement – issued on 24 September, almost a month after the atrocities in Rakhine state had begun – expressing “concern” about the situation and failing to even mention the word “Rohingya”.

Amnesty International’s letter says this response “does not go far enough”.

“What is required is a much more significant response from ASEAN to the crisis in Myanmar,” it states.

The organisation has called on the Government of the Philippines – as the current ASEAN chair – to hold an emergency ASEAN Summit to facilitate discussions with Myanmar on:

Ending the violence, human rights violations and crimes under international law
Ensuring humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and the safe and dignified return of those who wish to go home
Ending entrenched discrimination against the Rohingya
Supporting independent investigations into human rights violations and helping to bring perpetrators to justice

The letter is signed by Amnesty International directors in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan.

European governments return nearly 10,000 Afghans to risk of death and torture

Returns from Europe increase as Afghanistan becomes more dangerous
Europe governments are wrong to claim parts of Afghanistan are safe
2016 was deadliest year on record for civilians and 2017 is going the same way

European governments have put thousands of Afghans in harm’s way by forcibly returning them to a country where they are at serious risk of torture, kidnapping, death and other human rights abuses, Amnesty International said today in a new report.

At a time when civilian casualties in Afghanistan are at their highest levels on record, the new report says, European governments are forcing increasing numbers of asylum-seekers back to the dangers from which they fled, in brazen violation of international law.

The new report, Forced Back to Danger: Asylum-Seekers Returned from Europe to Afghanistan, details harrowing cases of Afghans who have been returned from Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany only to be killed, injured in bomb attacks, or left to live in constant fear of being persecuted for their sexual orientation or conversion to Christianity.

“In their determination to increase the number of deportations, European governments are implementing a policy that is reckless and unlawful. Wilfully blind to the evidence that violence is at a record high and no part of Afghanistan is safe, they are putting people at risk of torture, kidnapping, death and other horrors.”

Anna Shea, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Refugee and Migrant Rights.

“In their determination to increase the number of deportations, European governments are implementing a policy that is reckless and unlawful. Wilfully blind to the evidence that violence is at a record high and no part of Afghanistan is safe, they are putting people at risk of torture, kidnapping, death and other horrors,” said Anna Shea, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Refugee and Migrant Rights.

Afghans forcibly returned from Europe, the report says, include unaccompanied children and young adults who were children at the time when they arrived in Europe. Several people Amnesty International interviewed for the report were sent to parts of Afghanistan they had never known, despite the dangerous situation and impunity for crimes such as torture.

“These returns brazenly violate international law and must stop immediately. The same European countries that once pledged support for a better future for Afghans are now crushing their hopes and abandoning them to a country that has become even more dangerous since they fled.”

Horia Mosadiq, Amnesty International’s Afghanistan Researcher.

“These returns brazenly violate international law and must stop immediately. The same European countries that once pledged support for a better future for Afghans are now crushing their hopes and abandoning them to a country that has become even more dangerous since they fled,” said Horia Mosadiq, Amnesty International’s Afghanistan Researcher.

Forcible returns and civilian casualties soar

The numbers of forcible returns from Europe have soared at a time when civilian casualties recorded by the UN are at their highest levels.

According to official EU statistics, between 2015 and 2016, the number of Afghans returned by European countries to Afghanistan nearly tripled: from 3,290 to 9,460. The returns correspond to marked fall in recognition of asylum applications, from 68% in September 2015 to 33% in December 2016.

At the same time, the numbers of civilian casualties have risen, according to statistics from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

In 2016, according to UNAMA, 11,418 people were killed or injured. Attacks on civilians took place in every part of the country and most of them were carried out by armed groups, including the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State. In the first six months of 2017 alone, UNAMA documented 5,243 civilian casualties.

On 31 May, in one of the largest attacks in Kabul’s history, more than 150 people were killed and twice as many injured when a bomb exploded near several European embassies.

Killed, injured and living in fear of persecution

Amnesty International researchers interviewed several families who hauntingly described their ordeals after being forcibly returned from European countries, losing loved ones, narrowly surviving attacks on civilians, and living in fear of persecution in a country they hardly know.

Sadeqa (not her real name) and her family fled Afghanistan in 2015 after her husband Hadi was kidnapped, beaten and released in return for a ransom. Hazarding a months-long journey, they arrived in Norway with hopes of finding a safe future. The Norwegian authorities denied their asylum claim and gave them a choice between being detained before being deported or being given EUR 10,700 to return “voluntarily.”

A few months after returning to Afghanistan, Sadeqa’s husband disappeared. Days passed without any knowledge of his whereabouts. Hadi had been killed. Sadeqa believes his kidnappers murdered him and now even fears visiting his grave.

The Farhadi family were also forcibly returned from Norway, in October 2016. The following month they were near the Baqir-ul-Uloom mosque in Kabul when it was bombed, killing at least 27 people. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the armed group calling itself Islamic State.

The intensity of blast was such that Subhan Farhadi, then two years old, fell from his mother’s arms and was injured. When the family returned home, Subhan began to bleed from his ears. He continues to suffer pain in one ear, several months after the attack.

Farid (not his real name) fled Afghanistan with his family when he was a child. They first made their way to Iran and he subsequently fled alone to Norway, where he converted to Christianity. In May 2017, he was deported to Kabul – the site of the highest levels of violence in Afghanistan, accounting for 19% of all civilian casualties in the entire country in 2016.

Farid had no memories of Afghanistan. Now, he lives in fear of persecution, in a country where armed groups including the Taliban have targeted people for converting to a different faith from Islam. “I am scared,” he told Amnesty International. “I don’t know anything about Afghanistan. Where will I go? I don’t have funds to live alone and I can’t live with relatives because they will see that I don’t pray.”

Azad (not his real name), who also grew up in Iran, fled to the Netherlands with his brother. Returned to Afghanistan in May 2017, he identifies as gay and is fearful that his sexual orientation will be discovered by people who wish him harm. He was so frightened of being returned, he attempted to commit suicide prior to his deportation. “I try to be a man here. I’m losing my mind. I am fearing a lot at night – I am really scared,” he told Amnesty International.

“A poisoned cup”

Far from being ignorant of the dangerous situation in Afghanistan, European governments recognized it when the European Union (EU) signed the “Joint Way Forward,” an agreement to return Afghan asylum-seekers.

In a leaked document, EU agencies acknowledged Afghanistan’s “worsening security situation and threats to which people are exposed,” as well as the “record levels of terrorist attacks and civilian casualties”. However, they callously insisted that “more than 80,000 persons could potentially need to be returned in the near future.”

There is credible evidence that this “need” was expressed in the form of pressure on the Afghan government. Ekil Hakimi, Afghanistan’s Finance Minister, told parliament: “If Afghanistan does not cooperate with EU countries on the refugee crisis, this will negatively impact the amount of aid allocated to Afghanistan.”

Similarly, a confidential Afghan source with knowledge of the agreement described it to Amnesty International as “a poisoned cup” the Afghanistan government was forced to swallow in exchange for aid.

Myanmar / Bangladesh: Rohingya refugees must not be forced home to abuse and discrimination

As a key player in the region the Australian Government has significant influence and must ensure that no Rohingya refugees are forced back to Myanmar
Australia must also increase humanitarian assistance, immediately agree to an emergency intake of Rohingya refugees to Australia,
and use its influence to pressure the Myanmar authorities to end the violence and persecution against the Rohingya people and allow humanitarian agencies and independent investigators access to Rakhine state.

The international community, including Australia, must help ensure that no Rohingya refugees are forced back to Myanmar as long as they remain at risk of serious human rights violations following the army’s vicious campaign of ethnic cleansing, Amnesty International said.

The governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar this week announced that they have established a working group to discuss the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. More than 500,000 Rohingya women, men and children fled a military operation in Rakhine State in little more than a month.

“While it is positive that Myanmar and Bangladesh are discussing options for the safe return of Rohingya to their homes, this must be a voluntary process and not lead to a hasty and reckless effort to push people back against their will. No one should be forced back to a situation where they will continue to face serious human rights violations and systemic discrimination and segregation,” said Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues.

No one should be forced back to a situation where they will continue to face serious human rights violations and systemic discrimination and segregation.”

Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues.

“The Myanmar military’s horrific campaign against the Rohingya in Rakhine State amounts to crimes against humanity. The very first condition that must be met before any repatriation plan becomes reality is an unconditional end to the violence. But this is not enough – the Myanmar government must also end the entrenched discrimination that has trapped Rohingya in a cycle of deprivation and abuse for decades.”

On 2 October in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Myanmar had “shown interest” in taking Rohingya refugees back after a meeting between officials from both countries. Details of the proposal have yet to be made public, and it is unclear if it only covers the recent waves of refugees or those who have lived in Bangladesh for decades.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees were returned from Bangladesh to Myanmar in a large-scale repatriation operation, with the assistance of the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Those returned have continued to face systematic state-sponsored discrimination and waves of violence in Rakhine state.

At the time, rights groups, including Amnesty International, raised serious concerns about people being forced back against their will with minimal consultation, and of international agencies – including the UN – being side-lined during the process.

The forcible return of refugees violates the principle of non-refoulement, an absolute prohibition in international and customary law on returning people to a territory where they could face a risk to their lives or other serious human rights violations. In order for any return process to be truly voluntary, Rohingya must also be provided with alternatives to return, including the option to seek international protection.

“Rohingya refugees must be allowed to go back to their homes voluntarily and in safety and dignity. The Myanmar government must make every effort to rebuild communities and villages destroyed by fighting, and to end the entrenched discrimination and segregation of the Rohingya which lies at the heart of this crisis,” said Audrey Gaughran.

The Myanmar authorities had earlier indicated that any returning refugees would need to be “verified”, and may be required to provide evidence of citizenship or residence in Myanmar.

“The Myanmar authorities have for years denied the Rohingya citizenship and deprived them of other ways of proving their identities. It is unreasonable to expect people running for their lives to ensure they have the necessary documents as part of a ‘verification’ process,” said Audrey Gaughran.

“There is also a real need for international and UN oversight of any repatriation process. Bangladesh has shown exceptional generosity by opening its borders and hosting hundreds of thousands fleeing in desperation over the past month. The international community must step up to help Dhaka deal with the current crisis and its aftermath.”

In recent weeks, Bangladeshi officials have also spoken publicly about a need to establish “safe zones” inside Myanmar. Such “safe zones”, however, have a chequered history when established in other conflicts. For example, both in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993 and in Sri Lanka in 2009, “safe zones” failed to prevent mass killings and other human rights abuses against people on the run.

“Calls for safe zones, however well intentioned, should be treated with extreme caution. Past experience shows that such areas can not only facilitate violations against those displaced, but could also prevent people from fleeing to safety. In Rakhine state such areas could also further entrench the isolation and segregation of the Rohingya community,” said Audrey Gaughran.

Also concerning is an announcement in early September by the Myanmar authorities that they will establish displacement camps and settlement zones in northern Rakhine state.

Displacement camps established in Myanmar for mainly Rohingya people after waves of violence in 2012 have been little more than open-air prisons where women, men and children live in deplorable conditions, with the government restricting the access of aid agencies. They have cemented the isolation of tens of thousands of Rohingya people from the outside world.

“The international community must send a clear message that it will not allow a repeat of 2012. Donors must establish red lines and make clear that they will not fund any proposed ‘solutions’ leading to forced returns from Bangladesh, or the displacement and continued segregation of the Rohingya. Failure to do so would not only support the continuation of human rights violations, it would make the international community complicit in them,” said Audrey Gaughran.

11 truths of life as a volunteer

Ever wondered what it’s really like to be a volunteer for Amnesty International? Amnesty Australia Community Organiser Amanda Atlee gives a rundown of what you can expect as a new volunteer in the charity sector.

1. It’s a whole new world

Beginning a new volunteer role is equal parts exciting and terrifying. You have no idea what it is going to be like. Even though you have read the Role Requirements we all know that volunteering can take you on a whole bunch of twists and turns. Often you will be doing things you never expected!

Volunteering for me has been probably one of the best experiences in the last few years. It has really brought me out of my shell and shown me what I can achieve when I put my mind to it.

– Losa Morrison, QLD LGBTQI Network Convener

2. I know exactly what I’m doing…

A gif of pop star and actor Justin Timberlake pulling an awkward face to camera while being interviewed on a talk show. — © Gfycat

So much is going on! You have been shown a bunch of documents that you are likely to never find again. You forget everyone’s names and you are just trying to get by.

There’s not really a standard day for me – I’m doing a lot of things that change every day.

– Emily Obrien, NSW Community Organising Intern

3. I should have taken that job at Apple

A gif of a woman typing at a computer and pulling a funny face. This is a scene from a UK comedy television show called 'Black Books'. — © Giphy

The patience of volunteers is tested on a daily basis by prehistoric computers or photocopiers that like to jam! No matter how many times you desperately press keys, click on icons or shout profanities sometimes you just need to sit back and breathe. Or better yet, grab a coffee.

4. Go team!

A gif of cartoon characters (The Turtles) giving each other a high five with the word 'Cowabunga' flashing across it. — © Giphy

One of the best parts of volunteering is being constantly inspired by the people around you. You get to meet and work with some incredibly clever and committed people.

For me it’s actually been a really great social venture – able to make a lot of really good friends who I still hang out with outside of Amnesty.

– Dorothy Tran, NSW Branch Committee Member

Volunteering at Amnesty you feel like you’re a part of a great big team whose knowledge, connections and work you can harness.

– Emma Allen, VIC LGBTQI Network Convener

5. Someone asks you why you don’t get a ‘real job’

There are many reasons why volunteers drag themselves out of bed and it is definitely not for the money or the glory.

For some, it’s the feeling that you’re doing something good in the world; that you’re giving back to the community. For others it is trying to learn more, develop skills and establish networks in the hope that someday, somewhere, you will be able to get paid for doing this work that you love so much. But above all, volunteers believe in what they’re doing. That is why 6.4 million people throughout Australia choose to volunteer.

6. Uh-oh!

Accidentally sent an email to the entire address book? Didn’t BCC hundreds of contacts? Put a kiss after your name on an email to the Director? The look of absolute horror on the faces of volunteers and interns is comical.

Don’t worry it happens to everyone!

7. How do I answer the phone here?

An animated gif of Dory from the animation film 'Finding Nemo' with a speech bubble next to her asking: 'Where am I?' — © Giphy

Volunteers are often multitasking a range of responsibilities. Students who volunteer for us are usually balancing studying with part time work. For others, it may mean juggling full time work and family commitments and fitting in a few hours each week to give back to their community. So it’s no surprise when some volunteers are confused about what to do when the phone rings. How do I greet people on this thing, again!?

I’m a Computer Programmer and when I’m not at Amnesty I’m at home gardening, working or spending time with my wife.

– Paul Toner, Ipswitch Group

I’m studying postgrad at RMIT. I work as a Communications Manager and in my spare time I volunteer for Amnesty and Transgender Victoria.

– Jade Peters, VIC LGBTQI Network Convener

8. So much information

An animated gif of two characters (male and female) from the UK television show 'Miranda' looking disgusted with the words 'Ooh, too much information!' flashing across the screen. — © Giphy

Whether it is developing skills in research, mail merge or event promotion, volunteering gives you hands-on experience in an area you are passionate about. You could use these new skills to bolster your resume or to organise your personal life. The possibilities are endless!

Volunteering gets you outside of your comfort zone and you learn a bunch of new things. It really makes you stretch yourself and enables you to decide how you really feel about this issue or that issue. It’s a bit of hands on time to really get in there and make a bit of change. I think everyone should volunteer.

– Lindsay Jenkins, SA ARTillery Coordinator

This is a great chance to expand my skills and gain valuable experience, and to do it with an organisation whose goals I support and whose work I love.

– Emma Allen, VIC LGBTQI Network Convener

9. Free food

An animated gif of a group of Corgis (dogs) running into the kitchen for food. — © Giphy

As soon as an office email circulates mentioning there is cake in the kitchen there is a stampede of volunteers, interns and staff. With any offering of free lunch, cake or coffee you pretend you don’t want to take it but really it’s one of the highlights of your day.

10. Woo!

An animated gif of Bastian Bux and Falkor from the movie 'The Neverending Story'. In the gif Bastian is flying through the air on Falkor's back and punching his fist into the air victoriously. — © Giphy

The indescribable feeling when you get a win – you finally finished that project, your funding proposal was approved, you convinced someone to sign your petition or you had a conversation with someone who cares. It makes it all worthwhile.

I was once able to sit in on a video conference with a women’s rights leader from Afghanistan and hearing about the impact of Amnesty International’s work over there was really really inspiring and makes me want to keep going.

– Amy Thomas, Youth Advisory Group and QUT Group

I love going out to schools and talking to young people about human rights. It’s great when they are asking questions and really engaged in the discussion. It feels good to know that young people care about these things.

– Andrew Beaton, WA Schools Coordinator

11. When a new round of volunteers start

An animated gif of the character Pei Mei from 'Kill Bill' thoughtfully stroking his long white beard. — © Gfycat

By now you are so wise. You have entirely forgotten your initial anxiety and doubt. Now you’re the one making the documents and processes, introducing people and helping to support the newbies. You are the Yoda (or Pei Mei) of volunteers.

Become a volunteer or activist

Join our global human rights movement today and work alongside other like-minded people to protect human rights and change people’s lives.

Egypt: LGBTI crackdown of arrests, anal examinations

Egyptian authorities have arrested 22 people over the past three days alone, stepping up a campaign of persecution against LGBTI people in the country which began after a rainbow flag was displayed at a Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo provoking a public outcry.

The arrests bring the total number of people who have been detained based on their perceived sexual orientation to 33 – 32 men and one woman – since the Public Prosecutor announced an investigation into the rainbow flag “incident” on 25 September. The Forensic Medical Authority has carried out anal examinations on at least five of those arrested.

“In a matter of days the Egyptian security forces have rounded up dozens of people and carried out five anal examinations signalling a sharp escalation in the authorities’ efforts to persecute and intimidate members of the LGBTI community following the rainbow flag incident,” said Najia Bounaim, North Africa Campaigns Director at Amnesty International.

Torture

“Forced anal examinations are tantamount to torture – there is no scientific basis for such tests and they cannot be justified under any circumstances.

“The scale of the latest arrests highlights how dangerously entrenched homophobia is within the country. Instead of stepping up arrests and carrying out anal examinations, the authorities must urgently halt this ruthless crackdown and release all those arrested immediately and unconditionally.”

All 33 people detained are facing prosecutor interrogations and significantly expedited trial proceedings.

According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, at least 10 people were arrested between 28 and 30 September and put on trial yesterday, alongside another six who were arrested earlier in the week. The verdict in the trial of all 16 men has been scheduled for 29 October.

Rainbow flag investigation “absurd”

On 1 October one man was detained in the Mediterranean port city of Damietta in relation to the rainbow flag incident. Six further people were also detained in Cairo in the last 48 hours for promoting “habitual debauchery” through online dating applications and four further arrests took place from a flat in Giza, also in the last 48 hours.

The authorities also detained one woman suspected of raising the rainbow flag at the concert. She has been charged with “promoting sexual deviancy” and “habitual debauchery” in the first such incident involving a woman in years.

“The Egyptian authorities’ announcement that they are investigating the rainbow flag incident as a criminal act is utterly absurd. No one should be punished for expressing solidarity with LGBTI individuals or based on their perceived sexual orientation,” said Najia Bounaim.

“This is the worst crackdown against people based on their perceived sexual orientation since the mass arrests of 52 people following a raid on the Queen Boat, a floating nightclub on the Nile, in 2001.”

Amnesty International is calling on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the 33 who have been detained and halt all plans to carry out further anal examinations. Such tests violate the prohibition against torture and other ill-treatment under international law.

Previous arrests

On 23 September, a day after the Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo, a 19-year-old man was arrested on charges of “debauchery”. He was sentenced last week to six years in prison, followed by six years of probation.

Two other men who were arrested last week are currently detained in Agouza police station in Cairo and are due to stand trial on 11 October. Another two men were arrested on 28 September and are detained in Dokki police station in Cairo.

Las Vegas Attack Shows Utter Contempt for Human Life

Following a mass shooting yesterday in Las Vegas, Margaret Huang, Amnesty International USA executive director, released the following statement:

“Last night’s shooting in Las Vegas demonstrated an utter contempt for human life, and our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks and the city of Las Vegas. But thoughts must be backed up with actions to protect people from this kind of violence. No one’s life should be threatened just by walking down the street, going to school or attending a concert.

“The U.S. government must uphold its obligations under international law and address gun violence as the human rights crisis that it is. It is critical to reform the current patchwork of federal, state and local laws to ensure everyone’s safety and security.”

As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the U.S. government is obligated to protect people from gun violence.

Tragic Manus Island death proves situation increasingly desperate

On learning of the reported death of a refugee who had been held in the Australian-run detention centre on Manus Island, Kate Schuetze, Pacific Researcher at Amnesty International said:

“This tragic and avoidable death is the sixth death related to the Manus Island centre, and the ninth overall connected to Australia’s offshore processing regime.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has blood on his hands. This death proves, yet again, that offshore processing is untenable, and must end immediately.

This death comes only a few days after a small number of refugees were offered asylum in the United States, making the situation increasingly desperate for those who are left behind in Australia’s offshore processing centres.

Australia must immediately ensure the safety of all people held on Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The fairest and quickest way to ensure safety for all remains bringing them to Australia to process their asylum claims, and welcome refugees into our community.”