Shows
Human Rights MagazineKurdistan at the center of the water crisisKurdistan is a region in western Asia where political, cultural and environmental concerns overlap to a significant degree. Control of water is of particular importance. In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Selin Abali explores some aspects of the tensions that continue to arise as Kurdish people face challenges to how rivers are managed and to their overall relationship with the water that is central to their lives.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human...2025-07-2532 min
Human Rights MagazineSudanese refugees face obstacles, limited supportMore than four million people have fled the conflict in Sudan since it erupted in 2023, mostly to neighbouring countries where they endure severe hunger. Many wish to leave the region. How is the outside world dealing with this refugee crisis? What are the deciding factors in who may leave and who must stay?In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Charlotte Jean-Gilles talks with experts about the way in which Canada is responding to the needs of those who are trying to escape the violence.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Up...2025-07-1335 min
Human Rights MagazineInternational students in Canada face difficulties and stressInternational students in Canada can face considerable obstacles and sources of stress. There can be financial strain, including finding affordable accommodation. Finding meaningful part-time work can be difficult. There is also concern about exploitation by employers, landlords and criminals posing as immigration consultants.Human Rights Magazine looks into the issue in this episode hosted by Napas Thein, with technical support and outreach by Jing Xiao.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice is...2025-05-2438 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Stephen RappHost Derek MacCuish: My guest today in the Pathways to Peace series of interviews is Stephen Rapp, who is widely respected for his decades of work for justice and accountability in areas of conflict and war crimes.In 2001, he joined the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as part of the effort to prosecute those responsible for the genocide of 1994, and he headed the trial team that achieved the first convictions in history for those in the media who incited genocide. He directed the prosecution of former Liberian President Charles Taylor and others responsible for crimes during more t...2025-04-2531 min
Human Rights MagazineTibetan communities face a new challenge as people leaveThere are an estimated 130,000 Tibetan people living in exile in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Most are in Dharamsala, India, where they continue their traditional customs and language with support from outside. But decades have passed since China occupied their homeland, and the communities have a new challenge. In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Dina Lowe explores their changing situation. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be we...2025-04-0917 min
Human Rights MagazineCorruption in Brazil - what’s changed?Across the world, corruption costs trillions of dollars that should have gone into social and environmental progress. Corruption steals from efforts to reduce poverty, to improve social services and to build schools, hospitals and roads. It leaves little room for democracy and systems of justice.In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Sofia Gobin explores the concern with corruption in Brazil.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues...2025-03-2549 min
Human Rights MagazineFarmers in India remain in poverty - but why?Every year, about 11,000 people who work in farming in India are listed as having killed themselves. The actual number is probably much higher, and in recent years the number of suicides is increasing. High levels of debt, the impacts of climate change and government policy are all factors in the despair of small-scale farmers. In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Aditya Sathe explores the reasons behind the poverty of India’s famers, and possible solutions. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If y...2025-03-0723 min
Human Rights MagazineLow access to drinkable water for indigenous people in Mexico’s wettest regionIndigenous communities throughout the world usually take water directly from rivers, ponds, streams, wells or springs. This often requires people – mainly the women of the community - to carry the water from sources distant from their homes.A recent report to the UN Human Rights Council stated that one of the biggest barriers to indigenous peoples’ access to water and sanitation is that many countries deny the very existence of their indigenous peoples, or just ignore them.In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, and its companion article in the Upstream Journal, Ciara Balhi explores the si...2025-02-2625 min
Human Rights MagazineTradition and tenacity: How Wayuu women sustain La GuajiraMira Cohen explores the situation for Wayuu people who live in an arid peninsula in northern Colombia. La Guajira region, a rapidly desertifying region shared by northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, has been home to the Wayuu indigenous people for centuries. With the presence of one of the largest open-pit coal mines in the world contaminating their land and regional government corruption, Wayuu must take matters into their own hands. Wayuu women uplift their communities by revitalizing indigenous ontology in the fight to preserve their ancestral lands.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine...2025-01-2518 min
Human Rights MagazineThe migrant detention camps in GreeceGreece is a destination country for many refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants from the Middle East and North Africa. The majority of these refugees come from Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, and EritreaGreece currently hosts about 50,000 refugees. They may have expected that Greece would be a gateway to the rest of Europe, but most of them can expect to remain in the country, since they can no longer legally travel deeper into Europe.Since 2021, many of the refugee arrivals have been detained in what are called Closed Controlled Access Centres, which are similar to prisons, with...2025-01-2122 min
Human Rights MagazineSudan's Emergency Response Rooms in the midst of warAs this podcast episode, and its companion article on Upstream Journal were being prepared, the Peace Research Institute in Oslo announced the nomination of Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Sarah Elobaid takes a close look into the work of the Emergency Response Rooms and their impacts, with guests who have direct experience with these youth-led networks.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice...2024-12-1431 min
Human Rights MagazineAI and its impact on human rightsIn this episode, we take a somewhat different approach to our focus on human rights, and look not at a social situation but rather look at technological possibilities. Artificial intelligence is rapidly emerging as a new tool, as computer technology accelerates in the ability of machines to learn and emulate human thinking. Listen as Charlotte Power explores the impact that AI may have on human rights, especially in humanitarian work.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights...2024-10-2821 min
Human Rights MagazineHomelessness - a racial justice issueIn 2023, more than 650,000 people in America were identified as being without permanent shelters, and that’s a record number, the most since counts were started in 2007, and a 12 percent increase over 2022. Oregon has double what would be the national average of people without a permanent place to call home. In this episode, Tawnya Layne explores why so many are homeless, and possible short-term and long-term solutions, in her home state of Oregon.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that...2024-10-0322 min
Human Rights MagazineThe child soldiers of MyanmarThe use of children in combat roles is not new in Myanmar. Both the government and some resistance groups have child soldiers, with tragic results. Hundreds of children have been killed and tortured by the Myanmar army in recent years. In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Yiwen Li speaks with several experts about the issue.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please...2024-01-1418 min
Human Rights MagazineThe repressed democracy of UgandaPresident Museveni of Uganda has retained power since 1986, using violence, arrests and media suppression to maintain the military dictatorship. In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Nkwesi Banage talks with experts about the dynamics of politics and elections in Uganda, and how Museveni has successfully kept power for decades.(Photo: A Ugandan military police officer chases a journalist who was covering Bobi Wine when he had taken a petition to the UN human rights Kampala office protesting continued human rights violations and the illegal detention of his supporters. Photo by Lawrence Kitatta, CC 4.0 licence.)2023-12-0224 min
Human Rights MagazineThe persecution of Fulani people in GhanaThe Fulani people are part of an ethnic group across the Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, comprising between 25 and 40 million people. About 10 million of them are pastoralists, and so they are part of the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world. Almost all are Muslims.In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Pauline Goemans explores the discrimination that Fulani people face in Ghana, and why that discrimination has increased in recent years.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree...2023-11-2923 min
Human Rights MagazineLa Révolution silencieuseCe podcast cherche à capturer la complexité du combat féministe au Maroc dans une ère de réforme politique et juridique.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever you listen to it, and tell your friends about episodes that you find interesting. Why not consider making a financial contribution to help us cover costs? You are always welcome to email...2023-10-1556 min
Human Rights MagazineCambodia garment workers - expression and repression in the garment industryThe garment industry is Cambodia’s largest employer, with more than 850,000 workers. The three largest markets are the European Union, the destination of 40% of the production, followed by the United States at 30% and Canada at 9%. So, if we purchase clothing made in Cambodia, how concerned should we be about whether there were inadequate wages and rights abuse where the clothing is made?In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Marley Markham speaks with experts about the garment factories and the extent to which they do, or do not, support decent working conditions and worker protection....2023-09-1637 min
Human Rights MagazineComing out as an LGBTQ+ refugee in CanadaMany refugees are fleeing conflict or poverty, but many are also seeking to escape from a society in which, because of their sexual identity and/or preference, they face violence and possibly death every day. In this podcast episode and the related article (at upstreamjournal.org), Julia Israel speaks with several guests about what it means for these people as they seek refuge in Canada.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is...2023-06-0622 min
Human Rights MagazineMyanmar women fighting against the military regimeA look into the particular role of women in the resistance to the brutal military regime in Myanmar. Produced by Ruolan Ma, it follows on the podcast episode and article she did last year on the country and the role of journalists there. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever you listen to it, and tell your friends about episodes that y...2023-04-2735 min
Human Rights MagazineAutism – invisible and easily overlooked?Canada provides universal healthcare, but people with autism and their families struggle significantly against many barriers and a lack of service. Support is commonly offered following a diagnosis, but what happens when an individual either cannot get one, or is considered too old for one?Host Emma Nahmiach speaks with experts about the lack of sufficient support for neurodiverse people, and why diagnosis for children (which is lacking) is so important.Read the companion article at The Upstream Journal!The podcast cover includes art from the web site dis assembly, set up by two of t...2023-02-0748 min
Human Rights MagazineHave a cuppa, and spare a thought for tea workersThe cost of tea for consumers is really low, given the volume of tea that is grown, half of it produced in China by some 80 million people.But it is workers in places like South Asia that have significant problems, where there is a long history of worker exploitation dating to colonial times. Tea workers throughout the region suffer from widespread child labor, gender discrimination, and wage theft because they are usually low caste and poor. Throughout South Asia, workers on many plantations say that they can barely afford food, let alone other expenses, while t...2023-01-1637 min
Human Rights MagazineThe crisis in affordable housing – the Montreal exampleIn Canada, the last time housing was considered to be affordable, relative to income, was in 2004The average price of a home in the Toronto area, the country’s most populated, is more than $1 million. In Quebec too, where the housing market has been historically affordable, there has been a significant decline in affordability over recent years. In Quebec’s largest city, Montreal, new rentals are, on average, 50% higher than the rents in occupied apartments. The vacancy rate is very low, so apartments are hard to find and so some landlords are evicting their c...2022-12-1321 min
Human Rights MagazineConflict-related sexual violence, a discussion about how to respondEsther Dingemans is an expert in programmes that respond to conflict-related sexual violence. She worked for several years in humanitarian programmes on sexual and gender-based violence in several countries in Africa and the Middle East. She is the executive director at the Global Survivors Fund and the Mukwege Foundation.In this episode, she was interviewed by Katie Coyle and Pamela Zambrano, two of the five students selected by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at the NYU School of Law to take part in its Transitional Justice Leadership Program. Katie is now an associate in a...2022-12-0348 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Reem AlsalemFor this episode in the Pathways to Peace series, the focus is on the particular impact of violence and insecurity on women and girls.My guest is Reem Alsalem who, for 17 years until 2016, worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and then became an independent consultant in humanitarian action and refugee protection. She is now the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and s...2022-11-2825 min
Human Rights MagazineKafala in Lebanon - legal slavery?The Kafala system is a form of worker sponsorship that allows private citizens and companies almost total control over the employment and immigration status of migrant workers.Lebanon has some 250,000 migrant domestic workers, most of them women from Africa and Asia. The labour laws do not provide them protections that other workers have, like a minimum wage or pay for overtime, limits on their working hours, or a day off. The Kafala system is one of virtual slavery and exploitation. In this episode, Michel Khneifes explores the dynamics of Kafala in Lebanon.Human Ri...2022-11-2517 min
Human Rights MagazineJournalism in Myanmar despite the repressionIn February 2021, Myanmar military leaders removed the democratically elected party from power and took control of the government.In the year following, at least 1,700 civilians, including children, have been killed by the junta forces and some 10,000 arrested. Media outlets have been closed, and journalists arrested, beaten and tortured. Some have been killed. Yet some independent journalists continue their efforts despite the repression.In this podcast, Ruloan Ma speaks with people directly engaged in journalism in Myanmar.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of b...2022-11-0729 min
Human Rights MagazineProtecting culture and human rights as Amazon loses forestThe world's largest rainforest is in trouble. Trees are being cut down at the fastest rate in years, for their wood and to clear the ground for crops supplying the global food industry.75% of the forest is under stress with this level of deforestation, and with climate change impacts the trees take longer to recover from droughts and there are more fires.Much of the concern about the Amazon is about its important role in mitigating climate change. But there is a human rights dynamic as well. In this podcast, Stephanie Wang speaks with experts a...2022-10-3027 min
Human Rights MagazineImmigration detention in Canada and why it should be abolishedPeople who come to Canada as refugees or migrants without legal status can be held indefinitely in detention centers or provincial jails. They may not have committed an offense and there is no trial, but they are treated as though they are criminals. Find out more in the new podcast episode by Serra Hasiloglu. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever yo...2022-10-0851 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Dan Smith Dan Smith is the director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. With several years' experience with NGOs and international organizations he has written extensively on conflict and insecurity, and I encourage you to read his blog articles at dansmithsblog.com. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever you listen to it, and tell your friends about episodes that you find int...2022-09-1826 min
Human Rights MagazineAssad's crimes against humanity - the Koblenz trialThis episode is the third in a series on Syria by Emma Beilouny. In this one, she gets insights from several people about the brutality of the Assad regime, and the possibilities for holding it accountable for its crimes against humanity. Read the full article at upstreamjournal.org, with artwork by Doğa Atabay,Emma is now also the host of a new podcast series, Ou en sont les femmes, in which she explores the situation of women in the world. The series is in French and, like Human Rights Magazine, is a program of the Upstream Jou...2022-08-2724 min
Human Rights MagazineYarmouk, and the future for Palestinians in SyriaEstablished in 1957 as an accommodation for families who were expelled from their homes during the 1948 Nakba, al-Yarmouk camp is considered the capital of the Palestinian diaspora as well as a symbol of resistance to Israel and was home to most Palestinian political parties’ headquarters. Yarmouk’s population reached more than 200,000 Palestinians in the early 2010s and was the vibrant home to many cultural and youth centers, as well as economic, political, and social organizations.Almost all of its residents have fled Yarmouk, located in the district of Damascus, since the beginning of the war more than...2022-07-2520 min
Human Rights MagazineFirst Nations people in Canada’s prisons. “It’s punishment, punishment, punishment. There is no healing.”The number of Indigenous prison inmates in Canada is increasing, while the number of non-Indigenous inmates is going down. Native people serve longer portions of their sentence and are less likely to be granted parole than other prisoners.In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Charlotte Lalonde speaks with several experts about why this is, and what needs to be done to correct what critics consider a problem of systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If yo...2022-05-2629 min
Human Rights MagazineThe sanctions on Syria & their impacts on womenIn this episode, Emma Beilouny explores the impact of the economic sanctions placed on Syria in June 2020, in particular the impact on women and girls. These sanctions are meant to punish the regime for its actions during the civil war, which began just over ten years ago, but they are having a devastating effect on the Syrian people.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please r...2022-04-2221 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest William SchabasMy guest in this episode is William Schabas, the internationally respected expert on human rights law, genocide and the death penalty. He is a professor of international law at Middlesex University in the United Kingdom and a professor of international law and human rights at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He has served on several human rights commissions and fact-finding missions, and has written hundreds of articles on international law.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights a...2022-04-0818 min
Human Rights MagazineNew cookstoves bring health and empowerment to Rwanda womenIn this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Amelia Coleman explores how simple, more efficient cookstoves are having an impact in Rwanda on women’s health as well as their rights and empowerment. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever you listen to it, and tell your friends about episodes that you find interesting. Why not consider making a financial contribution to hel...2022-04-0419 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Agnes CallamardMy guest in this episode of the Pathways to Peace series is Agnes Callamard, the well-known human rights expert who is now the Secretary General of Amnesty International. She has had many roles, including that of the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions from 2017 to 2021.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever you listen to it, and t...2022-03-2816 min
Human Rights MagazineHomelessness in the time of COVIDThe United Nations Commission on Human Rights estimates that there are more than 100 million people in the world who are homeless, people with no housing at all. In this episode of Human Rights Magazine, Florina Lupu examines the situation of homelessness here, in Montreal, the home city of the Upstream Journal and this podcast, in the context of the COVID pandemic, and with her guests explores how the pandemic has changed political responses to homelessness.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that in...2022-03-2131 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Livingston SewanyanaIn this episode of the Pathways to Peace series, Derek MacCuish speaks with Livingstone Sewanyana, the UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order. The founder and executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative in Uganda, he is a lawyer with an extensive scholarly background in human rights, governance and access to justice. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be w...2022-03-1419 min
Human Rights MagazineThe Syria crisis and gender-based violenceGender-based violence targets women and girls in the largest forced displacement crisis in the world with almost 14 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance, 5 million of them women and girls of reproductive age. A rise in gender-based and sexual violence affects vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, tearing families apart and destroying communities. Many Syrians are internally displaced or have fled to neighbouring countries like Turkey seeking refuge or asylum.Kristina Kulessa spoke with five experts about the situation of those women and girls.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The...2022-03-1050 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Sharan BurrowThe editor of The Upstream Journal and Human Rights Magazine, Derek MacCuish, speaks with Sharan Burrow, head of the world's largest trade union federation. The International Trade Union Confederation is acknowledged to be the global voice of working people.From her actions as a labour rights leader in Australia to her engagement at the global level, she has been a strong voice for workers and for women's rights.In this episode she gives her take on the roles of governments, international institutions and civil society in the quest for peace and social cohesion.Human Rights M...2022-02-0821 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Phil BloomerThe editor of The Upstream Journal and Human Rights Magazine, Derek MacCuish, speaks with Phil Bloomer, executive director of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, an organization that reports on rights abuse allegations of more than 10,000 companies worldwide. By providing the subsequent response by the companies, if any, the organization seeks a fair and balanced approach to transparency and accountability.He was asked to discuss objectives of peace in practical terms related to corporate dynamics and power, taking into consideration emerging issues of environmental, social and governance responsibility.Human Rights Magazine is produced by T...2021-12-2023 min
Human Rights MagazineChild marriage - causes and solutionsMahima Kapur explores the issue of child marriage with a particular focus on the situation in the UK, and speaks with people experienced in the issue about what is needed to end the abusive practice.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever you listen to it, and tell your friends about episodes that you find interesting. Why not consider making a...2021-11-3028 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest John MorrisonThe editor of The Upstream Journal and Human Rights Magazine, Derek MacCuish, speaks with John Morrison, CEO of the Institute for Human Rights and Business. This episode is part of the series Pathways to Peace, in which we hear from people who have been deeply engaged in working for peace and human rights in their various aspects. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Pl...2021-09-2219 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Mary LawlorDerek MacCuish, the editor of The Upstream Journal and Human Rights Magazine, speaks with Mary Lawlor, the UN expert on the situation of human rights defenders. This episode is part of the series Pathways to Peace, in which we hear from people who have been deeply engaged in working for peace and human rights in their various aspects. Mary Lawlor was appointed to her role in 2020 by the Human Rights Council. An Adjunct Professor of Business and Human Rights at Trinity College, Dublin, she founded the NGO Front Line Defenders in 2001 and was its executive director until 2016. ...2021-07-0612 min
Human Rights MagazinePathways to Peace, with guest Marie DennisThe editor of The Upstream Journal and Human Rights Magazine, Derek MacCuish, speaks with Marie Dennis, who has worked for several years with Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace movement. She is the author of several books on peace and nonviolence.This episode is part of the series Pathways to Peace, in which we hear from people who have been deeply engaged in working for peace and human rights in their various aspects. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree th...2021-06-3020 min
Human Rights MagazineCorporate due diligence in human rights - the new EU rules.New Upstream Journal article and podcast episode explores why current legislation does not prevent human rights abuse, what the European Union due diligence legislation will change, and what you can do at a personal level to protect human and environmental rights.Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice issues is important, your support would be welcome. Please rate the podcast wherever you listen to it, and tell your friends about episodes that you find i...2021-06-0916 min
Human Rights MagazineA million Uyghur people imprisoned in China. Why?More than one million Muslim Uyghurs are in Chinese internment camps. Why? What has been happening, and what will be the outcomes? Rachel Ernest Cohen explores the situation with three experts:Darren Byler is a postdoctoral researcher with the China Made project at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His research focuses on Uyghur dispossession, culture work and "terror capitalism" in the city of Ürümchi, the capital of Chinese Central Asia (Xinjiang).Barbara Kelemen, a China-Middle East security analyst, is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies and a research associate for...2021-05-2814 min
Human Rights MagazineCan global rights standards be reached in China's factories?Ten years have passed since UN Human Rights Council endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). Corporate social responsibility has become a mainstream view that serves as a standard for the company to modernize its policies.However, without a legally binding agreement, major challenges remain as businesses in developing countries face difficulties seeking a balance between profitability, productivity, and social responsibility. In newly industrialized countries that pursue a labour-intensive production process, the management system tends to put the workplace condition and worker’s rights as the least important considerations.This episode ex...2021-05-1815 min
Human Rights MagazineChallenges facing the LGBTQ+ community worldwide The global LGBTQ+ community faces many complex and evolving challenges. While from an outside perspective it may seem as though the fight for equality has been won, there is still a long way to go. To understand these issues, Meera Raman, the producer of this episode, spoke with three experts:Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity Xin Ying, executive director of the Beijing LGBT CenterMihika Srivastava, communication program officer at the Astraea public foundation, funding LGBTQ+ organizations around the world. Read Meera's full article at upstreamjournal.org.2021-05-0412 min
Human Rights MagazineTattoo BluesSexism and racism in the tattoo industry.The tattoo industry is being challenged by tattooists all over the world who want to fight the lack of regulation and the systemic power imbalances that lead to abusive behaviour within studios. The world of tattooing is having its own #MeToo movement Read the article by episode producer Meera Raman at The Upstream Journal. Human Rights Magazine is produced by The Upstream Journal magazine. The host, Derek MacCuish, is editor of both. If you agree that informed reporting on human rights and social justice i...2021-01-3113 min
Human Rights MagazineLithium DreamBolivia has a massive amount of lithium. What are the implications for a country with widespread, deep poverty?The Salar de Uyuni is a vast salt flat spanning almost 11,000 square kilometers in the department of Potosí, Bolivia. Here, high in the arid Bolivian Andes, lie the world’s largest brine deposits of lithium, a light metal used in batteries that power everything from cell phones to electric vehicles. Brine lithium technology has the potential to enable Bolivia to escape its history of resource exploitation and instead become an equitable partner in renewable energy markets. But citiz...2021-01-3019 min