Human Rights

Testimony

Grading States For Not Degrading People: Human Trafficking Assessments

Author: Mark P. Lagon

Ambassador Mark P. Lagon's testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee of Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations discussed the rankings of individual states in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report released by the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP office). Ambassador Lagon called on the advice of experts in the TIP office to be heeded and the report be reflective of the situation on the ground rather than be politically expedient.

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Testimony

Coping with Public Health Hazards in Post-SARS China

Author: Yanzhong Huang

In his testimony before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Yanzhong Huang discusses China's recent public health crises. He focused on two areas: encouraging further government transparency and emboldening civil society to help enact policy changes.

See more in China, Preparedness, Human Rights, Emerging Markets, Environmental Pollution, Natural Resources Management, Health, Science, and Technology, Global Health, Health and Disease, Public Health Threats

Audio

Women's Empowerment and the Path to Democracy in the New Middle East

Speaker: Nadereh Chamlou
Presider: Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan discusses the connection between women's empowerment and economics, as part of the Council on Foreign Relations' roundtable series on religion and the Middle East.

This meeting was cosponsored by the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initative.

See more in Middle East, Democracy and Human Rights, Democracy Promotion, Democratization, Human Rights, Minorities, Diversity and Foreign Policy, Civil Society, Women, Gender Issues

Primary Sources

Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012

This act grants permanent normal trade relations with Russia and was signed into law on December 14, 2012. See also the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. The U.S. Treasury Department releases sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, which bans specific Russian citizens from entering the United States. The Russian Foreign Ministry recently released a list in response, banning specific U.S. citizens from entering Russia.

See more in Russian Fed., Human Rights, Trade