human rights
11-year-old Paraguay rape victim has baby, stokes abortion debate
By Reuters — August 14, 2015
ASUNCION (Reuters) An 11-year-old rape victim gave birth in Paraguay on Thursday after being denied termination of her pregnancy by doctors and judicial officials, stoking the debate over abortion in the overwhelmingly Catholic country.
Ugandans mark gay pride, but stigma tempers joy
By Reuters — August 10, 2015
ENTEBBE, Uganda (Reuters) Several dozen Ugandans marked Gay Pride on Saturday, cheering that such a parade could go ahead in a country that only last year tried to impose long jail terms for gay sex.
Civil rights hero Jonathan Daniels memorialized at National Cathedral
By Mary Troyan — August 7, 2015
A stone carving of Daniels joins those of Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks.
Let Cecil the lion’s death shine light on Zimbabwe’s human rights abuses (COMMENTARY)
By Brian Pellot — July 29, 2015
(RNS) The Internet melted when news broke that a Minnesota dentist had killed Zimbabwe’s most beloved big cat. Allow me to steal Cecil’s spotlight for a moment with five facts about the country’s egregious human rights record.
Malaysian activists question role of Muslim ‘fashion police’
By Reuters — July 21, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) Women in Malaysia, long seen as a moderate Islamic nation, have been denied entry to government buildings on the grounds their skirts were too revealing, fanning fears of growing conservatism in a country with large non-Muslim minorities.
Eritrea’s gross religious freedom violations force many to flee, UN report says
By Fredrick Nzwili — June 10, 2015
(RNS) The religious abuses are among a host of widespread human rights violations that are forcing its citizens to undertake deadly voyages to Europe through North Africa, the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights said.
Gay Muslim filmmaker risks death in pilgrimage to reconcile faith and sexuality
By Reuters — June 9, 2015
LONDON (Reuters) Millions of Muslims each year make the arduous and exhausting hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, but for one filmmaker, it was a journey that could have cost him his life.
Forced sex camps prepare girls for child marriage in Zambia and Mozambique
By Reuters — May 22, 2015
CASABLANCA (Reuters) Girls as young as eight are forced to go to camps where they are shown how to please a man in bed in order to prepare them for married life, activists said at an international conference on ending child marriage.
The ‘Splainer: Who are the Rohingya and why are they fleeing Myanmar?
By Brian Pellot — May 19, 2015
(RNS) Thousands of Rohingya have left Myanmar this spring and at least hundreds are now stranded at sea. Who are these Rohingya and what are they running from? Let us 'splain ...
Obama heads to Myanmar as ethnic and religious tensions percolate
By Thomas Maresca — November 12, 2014
SITTWE, Myanmar (RNS) As Myanmar steps into the spotlight this week, the worsening plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority is casting a shadow over the country's hopes for democratic reforms.
Report: 8 countries on UN Human Rights Council restrict religious freedom
By Brian Pellot — December 31, 2013
LONDON (RNS) A new report says eight current and incoming member states of the U.N. Human Rights Council were among 24 countries to imprison believers and atheists in 2013 for violating local laws that restrict freedom of religion or belief.
Brazil’s police take Bible classes to reduce stress
By Janet Tappin Coelho — October 28, 2013
(RNS) Amid concerns about police brutality, Brazilian military police officers are taking Bible study classes during their working hours to help them deal with stress and improve their personal and family lives. But the Christian-based course has hit controversy.
Atheists rally for persecuted unbeliever in Indonesia
By Kimberly Winston — July 19, 2012
(RNS) The atheist community has embraced the cause of an Indonesian man, Alexander Aan, who was beaten and jailed after denying God’s existence on Facebook and posting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. By Kimberly Winston.
Is Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng pro-life?
By David Gibson — May 30, 2012
(RNS) During the dramatic diplomatic negotiations over blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, anti-abortion groups in the U.S. hailed Chen as one of their own. But Chen is now in the U.S., and he may not be as ``pro-life'' as some of his American supporters assumed. By David Gibson.
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