Human Rights in the News: September 2019
/Curated by Nikki Bambauer
Welcome to the September 2019 edition of Human Rights in the News, Woven Teaching’s monthly collection of important stories from around the world.
Gavin Newsom seen from the chest up. He is looking above the camera and pointing a finger. (Credit: Getty)
California bans schools from suspending students solely for disruptive behavior
Aris Folley | The Hill | September 10, 2019
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 419, prohibiting public and charter schools from suspending students in grades 4-8 for “disrupting school activities” or “defying the valid authority” of school personnel. The law is a step forward in ensuring racial equity in schools, as students of color are disproportionately impacted by suspensions. Learn more >
Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar in the rain. Most are holding umbrellas and their faces are obscured. (Credit: IOM/Mohammed)
Genocide threat for Myanmar’s Rohingya greater than ever, investigators warn Human Rights Council
UN News | September 16, 2019
The UN Fact-Finding Mission to Myanmar insists that two years after the genocide of the Rohingya ethnoreligious group, many of the conditions there remain unchanged. Mission representatives insist that the Burmese government has done nothing to investigate the crimes committed by the country’s military against Rohingya communities. Learn more >
Light-skinned hands holding Polaroid-type photos of a blond woman and child at the beach. (Credit: IvanJekic/Getty Images)
Positive Childhood Experiences May Buffer Against Health Effects Of Adverse Ones
Selena Simmons-Duffin | NPR | September 9, 2019
A new study reports that adults who report positive childhood experiences – e.g. feeling supported by family and friends, the ability to talk with family about their feelings – had “72% lower odds of having depression or poor mental health overall as an adult.” Learn more >
LGBT activists protest in Jakarta, Indonesia, in February 2018. A large banner with rainbow stripes is held in front of the group which reads: “I’m gay, I’m lesbian, I am bisexual, I am transgender, I am like you.”
Indonesia is about to pass a law that would criminalize sex outside of marriage
Helen Regan and Masrur Jamaluddin | CNN | September 19, 2019
A new Indonesian bill is expected to become law next week. Its 628 articles will effectively criminalize same-sex relations, penalize women for having abortions, and expand blasphemy law, which will disproportionately affect religious minorities in the majority-Muslim country. Learn more >
Awut Deng Acuil, Sudan’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Relations, seen from the chest up. She is wearing a black top and a bright green blazer.
In new Sudan, Women Want More Freedom, Bigger Political Role
Voice of America | September 19, 2019
Earlier this year, the people of Sudan rose up in protest against Omar al-Bashir, the country’s ruler for three decades. A new civilian government was sworn in last month, but will women gain more freedoms? Learn more >
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