Stories about Human Rights from October, 2023
Human rights organizations call for an immediate physical and digital ceasefire in Gaza
Global Voices aligns with human rights organizations in urging an immediate ceasefire, stressing the urgent necessity to stop the loss of innocent lives in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and beyond.
Nepal and Thailand mourn nationals killed in Israel
The bodies of 30 Thai farm workers killed by Hamas have started arriving in Bangkok.
Undertones: Portugal and the myth of the good colonizer
In the 1950s, Portugal's dictatorship overhauled the country's national identity and embraced the theory of the good colonizer. What traces are left of that narrative today?
Why are Taiwanese politics and society still male dominated? Interview with scholar Jhang JhuCin
As Taiwan is gearing for major elections in January 2024, Global Voices talked to scholar Jhang JhuCin about gender relations in Taiwan in politics and society at large.
Jamaicans express disappointment over their country’s ‘no-show’ UN Gaza vote
Jamaica was the only Caribbean nation to not vote on the UN resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza.
What is the Jamaican government's position on Haitian refugees?
Some social media users and human rights organisations are accusing the Jamaican government of being "insincere" and "nonchalant" in its treatment of Haitian refugees.
In Azerbaijan, public transportation does not welcome trans passengers
Public transportation become a place where transphobic stares, harassment and threats of violence are rampant.
In Taiwan, Asia's largest Gay Pride event celebrates gender and sexual diversity
Here is a photo-essay showcasing Taiwan's 21st Gay Pride event in Taipei, also known as Asia's largest visibility event for the LGBTQ+ community, with about 170,000 participants this year.
How the Caribbean influenced domestic work and the ‘international parliament of labour’
'These trans-local struggles took place in the tumult of the late 1960s, inflected by the civil rights movement, the decolonisation of Africa, and broader anti-colonial sentiments in the ‘Third World.’'
Deconstructing the ‘beheaded babies’ misinformation in Israel’s war on Gaza
"We have seen journalists, in particular, spread unverified information that is being used to justify Israeli and even American calls and actions to annihilate an entire population.”
Cameroon's Indigenous Baka people given access to fresh forest resources, but it's a world away from their former lives
Baka people have lived in the forests of southeast Cameroon since time immemorial and are known to be the first custodians of the forest. Their lifestyle and livelihood depend on the forest.
Without official data about trans population in Brazil, civil initiatives try to translate reality
Non-governmental organizations and entities have been the source of data that help visualize what the population of trans people and travestis experience in Brazil, amid the absence of official surveys.
The UK and Sri Lanka: A comparison of two online safety bills
Human rights defender Sajini Wickramasinghe analyses the UK online safety bill to explain how certain serious concerns in the impending Sri Lankan bill can be addressed and tackled.
Interview with Israeli-American journalist Joel Schalit: ‘Israel's government wants to put a formal end to democracy’
Global Voices interviewed Joël Schalit, co-founder of The Battleground, about Israel's war on Gaza. Schalit is an Israeli–American journalist who covers European and Middle Eastern politics, including for Israeli media.
A deep dive into Taiwan's drag scene ahead of Pride 2023
As Taiwan is holding East Asia's largest LGBTQ+ Pride event in late October, local drag shows are experiencing something of a come-back in the island's art scene.
Vanishing memory: Commemorative plaques to victims of Soviet era disappear in Russia amid war and new repressions
Plaques commemorating victims of Stalin’s repressions are being taken down in Russian cities. News about vanishing plaques comes amid almost weekly arrests of activists for anti-regime or anti-war stances.
#VoicesOfChange: A military officer who recognizes the humanity of his enemy
Retired Colonel Velásquez describes how his activism moved from focusing on the military to creating initiatives involving victims of all factions in Colombia's internal conflict.
‘Am I dead?': A witness's testimony from Gaza
'I returned home with the weight of the painful images etched into my mind, a haunting memory that will remain with me for a lifetime.'
New policy requires Chinese influencers to display their personal information on Weibo
Popular mainland Chinese Weibo users must display their real identities, including names, gender, IP locations, and professional and educational background, on their account page starting at the end of October.
Civil society organizations call on tech companies to respect Palestinian digital rights in times of crisis
Tech companies must acknowledge their vital role and responsibility and adhere to business and human rights principles, along with international human rights laws, in upholding and protecting freedom of expression
Malaysian editor of banned book faces police probe for sedition
"Kean Wong’s arrest demonstrates the State’s concerted effort to suppress the public’s ability to both inform and to speak out without fear of censorship."
