Internet Shutdowns and Human Rights: a Look at East Africa

AUTHOR: Beverly Mtui Internet connectivity has become a powerful mechanism for connecting people across theworld, especially in mobilising and taking action against inequality and human rightsviolations. While many struggles are rooted in local challenges, digital technologies andtools, with the internet and social media at forefront positions, enable people to connectacross borders to tackle them with a global force. This enables …

Sudanese Bloodshed: The Human Cost of the War

AUTHOR: Eleonore Dlugosz Donnen “For the people of Sudan, nowhere is safe.”Amnesty International Sudan is, regrettably, invoked whenever violation of human rights is mentioned, so it is necessary to use this blog to shed light on unfolding realities of this devastating conflict. Since 2023, the East African state has been plunged into an armed crisis between the Sudanese Armed Forces …

Ireland’s Direct Provision System: 25 Years Later, Still a Temporary Solution?

AUTHOR: Caterina Loreto  When Ireland introduced the Direct Provision system in 2000, it was pitched as a short-term solution, an emergency measure to house people seeking asylum. Fast-forward more than two decades, and this “temporary” system is still in place, still heavily criticised, and still failing many of the people it was meant to protect. What began as a stopgap …

The Latest in Hungary’s Criminalization of LGBTQ+ Visibility

AUTHOR: Sara B. Gero Four years ago, in 2021, Hungary passed its ‘Child Protection Law’, which was also nicknamed as the Pedophile Law by government officials, and as ‘Propaganda Law’ by NGOs. This legislative package outlaws the portrayal of different sexual orientations, sex characteristics and gender identities in the media, and in schools and churches, as well as near these …

Islamophobia in the name of secularism: France’s request to ban headscarves in sports

AUTHOR: Jessica Giovanella  February 2025. France proposes a bill to ban all ‘ostensibly religious’ clothing and symbols during competition. France already sparked controversy around the hijab before the Paris Olympics of 2024 when it refused that women athletes participate with a hijab. The Olympic games were supposed to be the first Gender equal Olympics, but instead discriminated against Muslim women. …

Iran’s Never-Ending Fight for Women’s Rights

AUTHOR: Inês Alves Tomé For over 40 years, Iran has been suffering from gender apartheid. During this time, the Iranian government has been implementing a regime in which some parts of the population, in particular women, are discriminated against and extremely excluded from participating in normal society. Unfortunately, this discrimination which Iranian women face on a daily basis is still widely …

El Salvador’s Fight Against Gang Violence: Safety Secured or Human Rights Sacrificed?

AUTHOR: Muriëlle van Hagen With 103 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants — 6,369 in total — El Salvador was, in 2015, and had been for many years, one of the most violent countries in the world. The roots of this violence trace back to the civil war between 1980 and 1992, during which more than 75,000 people were tortured, extrajudicially executed, …

Automation of Welfare Systems: The downsides of striving for efficiency

AUTHOR: Annika Kannen Summary: While automation promises to streamline processes and reduce fraud in welfare programs, it often introduces new barriers. Systems like the ones in Serbia, Denmark, and India rely on data aggregation and algorithms to determine eligibility, but they can be flawed, biased, and intrusive. Automation is often thought to be the answer to the inefficiencies of welfare …