Blog Post Jul 31, 2023 Threats Against Journalists in Latin America: Harassment, Prison, and Forced Exile A free and independent press is essential to the functioning of a democratic society. It allows citizens to access information and hold their leaders accountable.
Blog Post Jul 30, 2023 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: How Corruption Drives Modern Slavery Slavery was declared abolished in 1981 when Mauritania became the last country in the world to formally outlaw it, but 2023 numbers tell a different story: Today, on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, an estimated 27.6 million people are trapped in modern slavery and 22 million in forced marriages around the world. And the numbers are rising.
Blog Post Jul 28, 2023 Freedom in Focus: HRF Summer Newsletter In this edition of Freedom in Focus, we are excited to share our biggest wins and achievements over the last few months.
Blog Post Jul 19, 2023 HRF Brings UN Attention to Rights Abuses in Congo, Malaysia, and Senegal Last week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted contributions to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) regarding the Republic of the Congo, Malaysia, and Senegal.
Blog Post Jul 13, 2023 All Fabricated: Shein’s Influencer Trip to a Guangzhou Factory In June, the global fast-fashion retailer Shein treated a group of social media influencers to an all-expenses paid trip to Guangzhou, a city in southeast China. Glamorous at the onset, Shein took these “brand ambassadors” — individuals paid to endorse the company’s products — on tours of the company’s “aboveboard” factories. Soon after, the individuals shared raving reviews of the working conditions, suggesting no signs of maltreatment or forced labor.
Blog Post Jul 7, 2023 What’s Happening in Hong Kong? Q&A with HK Activist Sunny Cheung As further proof that the Chinese Communist Party isn’t letting up on infringing on Hong Kong’s autonomy and the freedom of its citizens, police on Monday issued arrest warrants for eight overseas Hong Kong activists for offenses such as foreign collusion and incitement to secession under the national security law.
Blog Post Apr 28, 2023 How Alexander Lukashenko Targets the Women of Belarus They stood in rows, all dressed in red and white — the colors of the independent Belarusian flag, used by the opposition and banned by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. The sight of hundreds of women peacefully marching in protest would become an enduring symbol in Belarus in 2020.
Blog Post Apr 13, 2023 What’s Happening In China’s Concentration Camps? Q&A with Uyghur Camp Survivors As Muslims globally celebrate the holy month of Ramadan with their families, the Uyghur people — many of whom practice Islam — are suffering genocide at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (“Uyghur Region”).
Blog Post Apr 10, 2023 Red-Tagging in the Philippines: A License to Kill February 2023 marked three years in prison for Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a 24-year-old Philippine community journalist and executive director of the independent news website, Eastern Vista. In 2020, the Philippine government accused her of illegally possessing firearms and explosives; Cumpio was reportedly denied “the right to present evidence and prove the utter falsehoods against her.”
Blog Post Apr 7, 2023 Like, Tweet, & Torment: Activists Push Back After news broke that a young Egyptian, Khaled Saeed, had been tortured and killed by police in June 2010, Wael Ghonim created the Facebook page, “We are all Khaled Saeed.”
Blog Post Apr 7, 2023 Like, Tweet, & Torment: Transnational Repression in the Digital Age A typical move in the dictator’s handbook is not only oppressing those within the country but silencing voices of dissent outside the country. And technology has only made it easier.
Blog Post Apr 7, 2023 Like, Tweet, & Torment: Authoritarian Troll Farms “They were attacking him basically every single day, threatening him, trying to silence him. So Jamal felt the whole country was against him – and that was hurting. He said sometimes ‘I feel like I don’t want to talk about anything, I don’t want to expose my opinion.’ “
Blog Post Apr 7, 2023 Like, Tweet, & Torment: Repression by Proxy Authoritarian regimes have been increasingly creative in developing ways to control the digital space and the flow of information. Aside from jailing people for their tweets, monitoring accounts that uncover a regime’s misdeeds, and siccing cyber trolls on dissidents, they have also discovered the convenience of using intermediaries to censor. The message is straightforward: “Help us control social media or lose your business.” It is to repress by means of a proxy.
Blog Post Apr 7, 2023 Like, Tweet, & Torment: Exposing Atrocities on Social Media Using photos and videos in criminal trials isn’t a recent phenomenon. The Nuremberg trials were the first, using images of Nazi concentration camps to bring perpetrators to justice. Today, social media has changed the game entirely.
Blog Post Apr 3, 2023 Freedom in Focus: HRF Spring Newsletter this edition of Freedom in Focus, you’ll learn more about the Human Rights Foundation (HRF)’s recent efforts and achievements.
Blog Post Mar 31, 2023 Women at the Forefront of Democracy: Mobilizing Women and Youth in Madagascar Democracy is facing a myriad of challenges across the African continent, from Nigeria’s flawed presidential election to military coups in the Sahel, from deadly crackdowns on pro-democracy movements in countries like Eswatini, Chad, and Rwanda to Russia’s efforts in the region to fan public cynicism about liberal values.
Blog Post Mar 28, 2023 Women at the Forefront of Democracy: Combatting Oppressive Laws in Saudi Arabia As authoritarianism persists throughout the Middle East and North Africa, it’s crucial to recognize the women’s rights activists who have stood up against these dictators despite severe repercussions. In Saudi Arabia, one of the region’s most repressive regimes, advocating for human rights comes with a high risk.
Blog Post Mar 27, 2023 Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine – What’s a Court in the Hague Got to Do With It? On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova for unlawfully deporting and transferring Ukrainian children to Russia.
Blog Post Mar 24, 2023 Women at the Forefront of Democracy: Strength in Eastern Europe A mere 48 hours after the start of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the Feminist Anti-War Resistance (FAR) emerged in Russia. FAR has since supported citizens detained at anti-war demonstrations and published a newspaper detailing the realities of the war for people outside of activist circles.
Blog Post Mar 22, 2023 World Water Day: Water Insecurity in the MENA Region Fresh, clean drinking water — directly or indirectly — impacts every aspect of our lives. It’s undeniably fundamental to our health and wellness and is critical to sustaining all life on Earth, which is why World Water Day serves as a reminder of its importance.
