Human Rights in the News: March 2020
/Curated by Nikki Bambauer
Welcome to the March 2020 edition of Human Rights in the News, Woven Teaching’s monthly collection of important stories from around the world.
Rainbow flags in the air at London Pride 2019 (Credit: Daniel James via Unsplash)
Use of religious beliefs to justify rights violations must be outlawed says UN expert
UN News | March 2, 2020
The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief recently urged states to repeal gender-based discrimination laws enacted with reference to religious considerations. In countries around the world, religious laws often affect women or LGBTQ+ individuals disproportionately. Learn more >
Antonio Guterres from the chin up, looking slightly to the left (Credit: Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)
UN chief urges immediate global cease-fire to fight COVID-19
Edith M. Lederer | ABC News | March 23, 2020
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate ceasefire to all conflicts around the world. He stated that the world faces “a common enemy — COVID-19” which doesn’t care “about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith.” Learn more >
A woman wearing a rainbow-striped balaclava is detained by police in riot gear in Valparaiso, Chile (Credit: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)
A day without women: Strikes in Mexico follow huge rallies
Josue Gonzalez and Frank Jack Daniel | Reuters | March 9, 2020
Millions of Mexican women took to the streets for a second day on March 9, following demonstrations on International Women’s Day, March 8. The demonstrations were intended to show what life would be like without women. Protests also took place elsewhere in Latin America, including Chile. Learn more >
Several people using wheelchairs playing basketball (Credit: John Bompengo/Radio Okapi)
Disability Rights Bill Offers Hope in Congo
Karolina Kozik and Jean-Sébastien Sépulchre | Human Rights Watch | March 11, 2020
The Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to pass its first law on the rights of persons with disabilities. Humanitarian crises in the country increase the challenges facing people with disabilities, but supporters are hopeful that this bill will help. Learn more >
Uzbekistan’s Bibi-Khanym Mosque, with two bright blue domes (Credit: LoggaWiggler/Pixabay)
New Uzbekistan law grants citizenship to nearly 50,000 stateless persons
Tyler Gillett | Jurist | March 22, 2020
The president of Uzbekistan recently signed legislation granting citizenship to half of the country’s stateless population. Much of the statelessness in Uzbekistan and the surrounding region was caused by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Learn more >
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