Human Rights in the News: November 2019
/Curated by Nikki Bambauer
Welcome to the November 2019 edition of Human Rights in the News, Woven Teaching’s monthly collection of important stories from around the world.
Residents of Mindonga settlement stand next to a riverbank. Industrial waste flows through the river.
Interview: A Toxic Mix of Abuses on Congo’s Oil Palm Plantations
Birgit Schwarz & Luciana Téllez-Chávez | Human Rights Watch | November 25, 2019
At least four major European banks fund Plantations et Huileries du Congo S.A., a company which employs thousands of people on its palm oil plantations in Democratic Republic of Congo. Many workers, however, are exposed to toxic chemicals during their work, drastically low wages, or are housed near industrial waste. Learn more >
Illustration of a hand holding a cell phone. The phone’s screen doubles as the lens of a security camera.
Surveillance Giants: How the Business Model of Google and Facebook Threatens Human Rights
Amnesty International | November 21, 2019
In a new report, Amnesty International examines the surveillance practices of Facebook and Google. According to the report, the business models of these tech giants threaten human rights around the globe. Learn more >
Members of Chinese security forces in camouflage on patrol in Xinjiang. A person holding a large gun is seen at the forefront of the photo. (Credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Apparently No One Cares That Much About Ethnic Cleansing
Joshua Keating | Slate | November 18, 2019
Although the international community has known about China’s mistreatment of its Uighur Muslim population for years, few actors have openly criticized the country or made steps toward intervention. With the current rise of authoritarian regimes, are we able to hold governments accountable for ethnic cleansing? Learn more >
A woman wearing a white veil in a Rohingya refugee camp. She appears to be bent over and taking a photo of people out of frame. (Credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images via The Guardian)
The West Wouldn’t Hold Myanmar Accountable for Ethnic Cleansing. Now, a Small African Nation is Stepping In
Param-Preet Singh | Newsweek | November 18, 2019
On November 11, Gambia – a country in West Africa – did what others in the international community did not have the courage to do: it brought a case against Myanmar before the International Criminal Court. In August 2017, military forces in Myanmar led a violent campaign against its Rohingya Muslim population – one that many have considered to constitute genocide. Learn more >
Police chase anti-government protestors in Santiago, Chile (Credit: Claudio Reyes/AFP via Getty Images)
Chile security forces' crackdown leaves toll of death and broken bodies
John Bartlett and Liam Miller | The Guardian | November 25, 2019
Sparked by a protest against fare increases in the country’s capital, the people of Chile have been in a state of unrest since mid-October. In the time since, the government has cracked down harshly and security forces have killed more than twenty people. Learn more >
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