Human rights

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Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people

This is an important case. It was the first time a court recognized the persecution of trans people in Nazi Germany. It was followed a few months later by the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, formally releasing a statement recognizing trans and cisgender queer people as victims of fascism.

Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people
Black and white illustration of a boat on rocky waters

A boat carrying 180 Rohingya refugees vanished. A frantic phone call helped untangle the mystery.

A boat carrying 180 Rohingya refugees vanished. A frantic phone call helped untangle the mystery.
A group of Venezuelan migrants begins the grueling three day trek across the Darien Gap, as they leave the Colombian village of Capurgana.

As Title 42 ends, more migrants from South America are crossing the Darién jungle en route to US

As Title 42 ends, more migrants from South America are crossing the Darién jungle en route to US
On May 1, two large marches weaved across San Salvador in commemoration of International Workers Day. 

El Salvador president's popularity soars with controversial approach to crime

El Salvador president's popularity soars with controversial approach to crime
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives at the Foreign Office to visit Britain's Foreign Secretary in London, Friday, April 28, 2023.

Will Gov. DeSantis win his battle to dismantle DEI programs at state universities?

Will Gov. DeSantis win his battle to dismantle DEI programs at state universities?
Zhemal Gamakharia, Chairman of Abkhazia’s Supreme Council, a regional-level parliament.

Georgian politicians from Russian-occupied Abkhazia run a ‘government-in-exile’

Many people living in Georgia  who fled Abkhazia in 1993 now say they are dissatisfied with the politicians in charge of their needs.  

Georgian politicians from Russian-occupied Abkhazia run a ‘government-in-exile’
Karolina Daremyan bikes just six weeks after receiving her new prosthetic legs at Shriners Children's Boston.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life

UN human rights groups have recorded over 500 children killed and nearly 1,000 injured from the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian hospital system has been overwhelmed, and only a fraction of injured children, like 6-year-old Karolina Daremyan, have been able to make the journey to the US for complicated medical procedures and rehabilitation.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa during welcome ceremonies outside the 16th century Jeronimos monastery in Lisbon, Saturday, April 22, 2023. 

Portugal’s president says country should apologize, 'assume responsibility' for slave trade

This week, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said Portugal should formally apologize for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Portuguese were responsible for selling nearly 6 million people into slavery — mostly in Brazil. Some activists and scholars say an apology is just a start and there's still a long way to go.

Portugal’s president says country should apologize, 'assume responsibility' for slave trade
Indian students in uniform clothing arrive at a government-run junior school in Udupi, Karnataka state, India, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. 

Indian govt removes parts of Muslim history from federal textbooks

The Indian government’s new school textbooks have significant deletions in them related to Muslims in Indian history. Some historians accuse the ruling BJP government of rewriting the country's history to suit its Hindu nationalist ideology.

Indian govt removes parts of Muslim history from federal textbooks
In this photo provided by The Federation Council of The Federal Assembly of The Russian Federation Press Service, lawmakers of Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation listen to the national anthem at a session in Moscow, Russi

In Russia, a novel about a summer romance between two men sparks outrage

Novels about queer topics have been pulled from bookstores in Russia under a recent law that bans all mention of LGBTQ life in popular culture. It's part of a regional crackdown against novelists and poets.

In Russia, a novel about a summer romance between two men sparks outrage
The ambiance of the Bab al-Yemen restaurant in Boston adds to a unique dining experience for customers, Apr. 12, 2023.

At Boston’s first Yemeni restaurant, food, community and tradition are on the menu this Ramadan

Owner Ahmed Mahmood tells The World about his own journey, the political situation in Yemen and how he's created a space for those observing the month of fasting.

At Boston’s first Yemeni restaurant, food, community and tradition are on the menu this Ramadan
People walk through an informal settlement for trash segregators in Bangalore, India.

Waste collectors in Bangalore face discrimination and exploitation

Garbage segregators in India often have to migrate in search of work. Many in Bangalore, India, also face constant harassment from the police and local residents, often facing eviction from informal settlements if they can't afford to pay bribes.

Waste collectors in Bangalore face discrimination and exploitation
Belongings of Halima Ali Maiyanga and Maryam Ali Maiyanga, two of the young women kidnapped by Boko Haram in a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on

Author and human rights activist Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode documented the heartbreaking stories of the Chibok families nine years after the Boko Haram abductions that gripped the world’s attention.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on
The Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center has amplified its social emotional learning curriculum for preschoolers facing pandemic-related challenges.

Chinatown preschool helps families name pandemic-related feelings

Teachers at the Acorn Center for Early Education and Care in Boston’s Chinatown use a curriculum that teaches students how to manage big feelings — especially pandemic-related ones — which families have recognized as a growing need.

Chinatown preschool helps families name pandemic-related feelings
Ghanian activist at a rally near a Ghanaian flag.

Uganda's LGBTQ crackdown could have a ripple effect in Ghana and other African countries

Uganda recently passed a law that criminalizes homosexuality, punishable by death. LGBTQ people and human rights advocates fear that the Ugandan law may empower anti-LGBTQ movements elsewhere on the continent.

Uganda's LGBTQ crackdown could have a ripple effect in Ghana and other African countries