Menschenrechte und Völkerrecht

Most people in Canada can easily access clean drinking water. In First Nations communities, the situation is different. More than 50 First Nations communities live without access to clean drinking water. The Canadian government has a responsibility to resolve this human rights issue by enacting federal legislation to increase government accountability to First Nations communities, and by working with the communities to establish locally owned water authorities.

Brazil’s government attempts to legalize extrajudicial killings by the police, legitimizing them with the ‘war on drugs.’ Leaders in the international community should instead encourage the Brazilian government to address the systemic inequality fueling drug-related crimes rather than perpetrate violence against its citizens.

As the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic, internal migrant workers in India are struggling to survive during the country’s lockdown. The central and state governments can resolve this tragedy by improving local conditions and developing inclusive policies for internal migrant workers.

In the wake of the first few hundred Syrian refugees voluntarily returning from Lebanon to war-torn Syria, it is imperative that Lebanon reassesses its obligations as a host country. Whilst it is unlikely that Lebanon will become party to the refugee convention, an updated Memorandum of Understanding with the UNHCR could be the solution.

The humanitarian sector has been lagging behind in preventing sexual harassment and abuse committed between humanitarian workers. In the aftermath of the Oxfam scandal, the issue is gaining momentum. But words must be followed by the implementation of robust counter-policies.

While governments quarrel over closed borders, unaccompanied children that migrate to Europe in hope of a better life are often detained in inadequate conditions facing life threatening dangers, missing critical months of schooling and undergoing hardship that no person should endure, let alone a child. There is a need for harmonization of protection standards at the European level and a total abolition of the practice of detaining unaccompanied migrant children.