John Anaya, special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, visited Canada for nine days in October 2013 to interview First Nations communities and government officials, after the United Nations (UN) criticized the country for its treatment of aboriginal citizens. In September, Canada had its third Universal Periodic Review by the Human Rights Council (HRC), … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: October 2013
World Polio Day highlights politics of vaccination in Pakistan
Pakistan has emerged as a focal point of global polio eradication efforts following this year’s World Polio Day on Oct. 24. The day came at the heel of a deadly bomb attack by the Taliban on an immunization team on Oct. 7 in the city of Peshawar. This was the latest of a series of … Continue reading
No winners, but many losers in aftermath of the U.S. government shutdown
Shortly after the United States government shutdown began at midnight on October 1, Republicans and Democrats immediately began placing the blame on one another. Senate Majority Leader and Democrat Harry Reid put the blame on Republicans when, on October 1, he told the Senate “Government is closed, because of the irrationality of what is going … Continue reading
Liberia considers large-scale education reform
Ten years after the end of its civil war, Liberia is still working to rebuild itself. The 14-year war did much to destroy existing Liberian institutions, including their education system. In August of this year, all of Liberia’s 25,000 high school students took the state university entrance exam – not a single student passed. Nelson … Continue reading
The high-stakes gamble of gold mining
Profit and human safety are often two mutually exclusive entities in the context of gold mining operations. This unfortunate phenomenon is particularly well illustrated in the coastal town of Paracale in the gold-rich Philippines. In this town, illegal and unregulated mining operations provide a primary source of livelihood for many residents. Paracale residents prefer to … Continue reading
American gun control: does change come from Congress or from people?
Due to a rise in mass shootings in recent years, debate over implementing stricter gun laws has seized the United States yet again. While it is impractical to ban firearms altogether, enforcing tighter gun control would not restrict or threaten any basic rights that gun enthusiasts currently enjoy. It would simply make the country more … Continue reading
The media and the shooting of Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old child-activist from the war-torn Swat Valley, Pakistan, was shot in the head and neck and nearly killed by Taliban soldiers on her way home from school in October of 2011. Although Malala had led an active campaign championing women’s rights to education worldwide since 2008 and had her experiences featured in … Continue reading
Washington Redskins team name under attack
National Football League (NFL) team the Washington Redskins has been heavily criticized for the name of their team, a name that is said to offend Native Americans. The recent controversy began when President Barack Obama said, in an interview to the Associated Press on Oct. 5, that if he were the owner of the team … Continue reading
Burma’s forgotten refugee crisis
In the midst of one of the greatest refugee crises in history, the stories of the Rohingya people are easily silenced. While media outlets and UN resolutions focus on Syria’s displaced millions, the atrocities being committed against the Burmese minority quickly fade in the rear view mirror. After a 2010 general election in which military … Continue reading
McGill University hosts Third Annual Indigenous Awareness Week
For its third consecutive year, McGill’s lower field was crowded with students, staff, and community members, coming together to witness an inclusive, colourful pow-wow that would launch Indigenous Awareness Week. From September 23rd to 27th, McGill was host to various events such as numerous informational talks by professionals in their fields, interactive workshops in making dream-catchers, … Continue reading
Review of “La Source”: storytellers who make a difference
Patrick Shen’s documentary, La Source, screened on Friday, Sept. 27, at Cinéma du Parc as part of the 2013 Montreal International Black Film Festival. The film features Josué Lajeunesse: a native Haitian whose dream to bring potable water to his village outside of Port-au-Prince was sidelined when political instability drove the single father of four to … Continue reading
Somali population faces repatriation threat after Westgate attack
Late September, tragedy struck the sprawling metropolis of Nairobi, Kenya when a group of al-Shabaab militants initiated a violent terrorist attack at Westgate, an upscale mall popular with tourists, as well as middle to high class Kenyans. Lasting more than four days from Sept. 21 to 24, the 80-hour incident led to the deaths of … Continue reading
When state secularism denies rights: a Canadian case
Religious expression constitutes an essential part of our human rights, thus the banning of such expression from the public sphere implies a direct violation of our rights. Indeed, this type of prohibition inevitably triggers controversy, as recently observed in Quebec, where the Parti Quebecois (PQ) has introduced their proposed Charter of Quebec Values. If this Charter goes … Continue reading
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