Human Rights in the News: May 2019
/Curated by Nikki Bambauer
Welcome to the May 2019 edition of Human Rights in the News, Woven Teaching’s monthly collection of important human rights stories from around the world. Have a topic you’d like to see us include? Leave us a comment and let us know!
Image description: Two Black people, seen from behind. One is wearing red and their hair is styled in long braids. The other is bald and wearing black. (Credit: Robert Alexander/Getty via CNN)
California moves to ban racial discrimination based on hairstyles
CNN | April 23, 2019
The California State Senate has passed a bill that would ban discrimination based on hairstyle. The bill, which is also known as the C.R.O.W.N. Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair), aims to counter Eurocentric standards of professional dress and grooming in schools and workplaces. Learn more >
Image description: Reporters Wa Lone and Kaw Soe Oo, wearing light collared shirts and smiling, seen from the chest up. (Credit: Ann Wang/Reuters)
Two Reuters reporters freed in Myanmar after more than 500 days in jail
Reuters | May 6, 2019
Two Reuters journalists have been released after serving more than 500 days imprisoned in a jail in Myanmar. The pair were arrested in December 2017 for reporting on atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya people in Myanmar’s Rakhine State by the Burmese military. Learn more >
Image description: Outline of China in red against a yellow background. There is a semi-transparent image of an eye in yellow over the shape of China. (Credit: EFF)
Human Rights Watch Reverse-Engineers Mass Surveillance App Used by Police in Xinjiang
Electronic Frontier Foundation | May 7, 2019
Human Rights Watch has released a report detailing the inner workings of a mass surveillance app used by police and other officials in China’s Xinjiang region. Xinjiang is home to Uighurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in China. Learn more >
Image description: Caster Semenya seen from the waist up in a green and yellow jersey. She has one arm raised and is holding a South African flag behind her. (Credit: Citizen59 via Flickr)
Caster Semenya ruling redefines what it means to be female in sport
CNN | May 3, 2019
Caster Semenya is a three-time world champion runner and a hyperandrogenous woman, meaning that she has elevated levels of testosterone. A global sports governing body recently ruled that Semenya will not be allowed to compete unless she medically reduces her hormone levels. Several human rights organizations and experts have decried the ruling. Learn more >
Image description: A Black student in a black and white top sits with pencil in hand, atop a textbook (Credit: Weston Colton/Getty Images/Rubberball)
A new report shows how racism and bias deny black girls their childhoods
Vox | May 16, 2019
A new report by the Initiative on Gender Justice and Opportunity at Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality shows that Black girls are perceived as more mature and less innocent than their white peers. The researchers have termed this process “adultification” and argue that it leads to a higher probability of punitive actions against the child in the education system. Learn more >