Human Rights Magazine

For 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 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 with your comments.

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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 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 with your comments.

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In 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 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 with your comments.

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The 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 about those human rights concerns.

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 with your comments.

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People 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 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 with your comments.

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 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 interesting. Why not consider making a financial contribution to help us cover costs?  You are always welcome to email with your comments.

Support the show

This 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 Journal. You can find out more at upstreamjournal.org.

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 with your comments.

Support the show

Established 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 ten years ago. The area is now mostly bombed out, after clashes between the Syrian government forces and the rebels, a siege, and ISIS occupation. They fled to other parts of Syria or to neighbouring countries and have lost their livelihood or financial means. As they try to overcome the layered obstacles of being Palestinian and refugees from Syria, they wait for the reconstruction of their homes. But the questions remain: when and how?

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 with your comments.

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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 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 with your comments.

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In 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 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 with your comments.

Support the show