Editors’ Picks – Journalists for Human Rights

17 Mar

The War for Water: The Barriers to Clean Drinking Water for Indigenous Peoples in Canada

Sophie Sklar2020 – 2021, Collective & Developmental Rights, Editors' Picks, Social & Economic Rights, The Americas

Access to clean drinking water is not represented equally across Canada, with those living on Indigenous reservations being disproportionately affected by a lack of quality water infrastructure compared to the rest of Canada. Yet according to the United Nations, “The right to water entitles everyone to have access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and […]

31 Dec

A Look into Africa’s Conflict-Ridden Sahel Region in 2020

Derya Ekin2020 – 2021, Africa, Civil & Political Rights, Editors' Picks, Social & Economic Rights

2020 has undoubtedly been a year of mass uncertainty and loss. Worsening climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have elucidated the importance of establishing stability and security within our lives. For families living in the Sahel Region of Africa, the added threat of violent conflict makes for a daunting circumstance. However, years of learning to […]

09 Dec

Beyond Brick Walls: Supporting Montréal’s Unhoused Individuals in the Time of Covid-19

Tess Pilkington2020 – 2021, Collective & Developmental Rights, Editors' Picks, Newspaper, Social & Economic Rights, The Americas

It was not until the frigid temperatures of Montréal winter began to bite that the Government took the plight of the city’s unhoused seriously. As if the disproportionate impact that Covid-19 has on unhoused people is not enough, the inability to conduct social distancing in shelters has left much of Montréal’s unhoused population outdoors to […]

05 Nov

War Profiteering in Canadian Politics: How are Canadians Complicit?

Mackenzie Birbrager2020 – 2021, Civil & Political Rights, Editors' Picks, Middle East, Newspaper, The Americas

In recent decades, Canadians have felt increasingly detached from the misery of war, and consequently, take their human security for granted. As they turn on the news and educate themselves on war-zone conflict, they question the morality of callous governments and war criminals. While such outrage is necessary, it is time that Canadians stop deflecting […]

28 Oct

Why do Northern Canadians pay $14 for ketchup? Food insecurity in the territories

Aarthi Kamatchinathan2020 – 2021, Editors' Picks, Newspaper, Social & Economic Rights, The Americas

Food insecurity seldom comes to mind when considering Canada, a country recognized for its high standard of living. For those in the provinces, it may be shocking to hear the prices that those living in Northern Canada have to pay for such basic necessities. Yet food prices are so exorbitant that Northern Canadians, in particular the Indigenous communities that make up the majority of the population, are unable to sustain their families’ nutritional requirements. Government efforts to combat the issue are continuously insufficient and ineffective, exacerbating the structural inequalities faced by Indigenous populations in Canada.

25 Feb

Presumed Innocent: Cash Bail and Pretrial Detention in the United States

Anne SampognaCivil & Political Rights, Editors' Picks, Newspaper, Social & Economic Rights, The Americas

Kalief Browder was arrested in May 2010 at the age of sixteen; he was accused of stealing a backpack. His bail was set at $3,000—an amount that his mother could not afford. For the next three years, Browder was held in pretrial detention on Rikers Island, a New York City prison notorious for a culture of violence propagated by its guards. While there, he endured two years of solitary confinement which led him to attempt suicide several times. Browder refused multiple plea deals, adamant that he had not committed a crime. Finally, three years, thirty-one court dates, and multiple plea deals later, Browder’s case was dismissed on May 29th, 2013. He was released the next day.

06 Feb

India’s Borders, Open to Whom?

Andjelija Prekic2019 – 2020, Asia, Civil & Political Rights, Collective & Developmental Rights, Editors' Picks, Newspaper

Last month, the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a new set of laws that would allow minority religious groups from neighbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to more easily gain Indian citizenship. While at first glance these policies seem welcoming to targeted minorities, they notably exclude Muslims, raising questions about their true motivations.

03 Feb

US and Iran: Sacrificial Sanctions

Sophie Crawford2019 – 2020, Editors' Picks, Middle East, Newspaper, Social & Economic Rights, The Americas

Contemporary international relations between the United States and Iran are a classic case of prioritizing inter-state objectives over human welfare. Amid rising tensions, people have become more focused on the race for superiority between Iran and the United States, rather than the resulting human suffering and violence.

23 Nov

All Of Them Means All Of Them: The 2019 Lebanese Protests

Andjelija Prekic2019 – 2020, Civil & Political Rights, Editors' Picks, Middle East, Newspaper, Social & Economic Rights

Since October 17th, thousands of Lebanese citizens have been flooding the nation’s city centers in peaceful protest of long-standing government corruption, growing inequality, sectarianism, and poor provision of public services.