Human Rights | Council on Foreign Relations

Maternal and Child Health

Women This Week: Shortages of Essential Goods for Women and Children in Gaza

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers April 13 to April 19.

Blog Post by Noël James April 19, 2024 Women Around the World
Health

Women This Week: Heightened Levels of Malnutrition for Women and Children

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers April 6 to April 12.

Blog Post by Noël James April 12, 2024 Women Around the World
Genocide and Mass Atrocities

Remembering the Rwandan Genocide

Thirty years ago, Rwanda’s government began a campaign to eradicate the country’s largest minority group. In just one hundred days in 1994, roving militias killed around eight hundred thousand people. Would-be killers were incited to violence by the radio, which encouraged extremists to take to the streets with machetes. The United Nations stood by amid the bloodshed, and many foreign governments, including the United States, declined to intervene before it was too late. What got in the way of humanitarian intervention? And as violent conflict now rages at a clip unseen since then, can the international community learn from the mistakes of its past?

Podcast with Gabrielle Sierra , David J. Scheffer and Claude Gatebuke April 10, 2024 Why It Matters

Sexual Violence

Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture: Preventing and Addressing Sexual Violence in Conflict

The United Nations recognized rape as a war crime in 2008 through the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1820. Despite this step, sexual violence remains a widespread practice in wars and conflict zones globally. Panelists discuss the extent of sexual violence used as a tool of war and policies that can address it and help prevent future atrocities. The Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture was established by CFR and the family of Arthur C. Helton, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who died in the August 2003 bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad. The Lecture addresses pressing issues in the broad field of human rights and humanitarian concerns. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website. **For those attending virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio and video of this virtual meeting will be posted on the CFR website.**

Virtual Event by Phoebe Donnelly, Madeleine Rees, Rachel B. Vogelstein and Sheryl Sandberg April 8, 2024 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture
LGBTQ+

How (Not) to Talk About Sex in Africa

It is time the LGBTQ+ coalition changed its strategy on the continent.

Blog Post by Ebenezer Obadare April 8, 2024 Africa in Transition
Rwanda

Rwanda 30 Years After Genocide, U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit, ABBA’s Eurovision Legacy, and More

Rwanda marks thirty years since its genocide against the Tutsis; U.S. President Joe Biden hosts the first trilateral leaders’ summit with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.; music fans celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Swedish pop group ABBA’s Eurovision win; and Ekrem İmamoğlu is elected mayor of Istanbul, in a rebuke to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins April 4, 2024 The World Next Week

Rwanda

Thirty Years After Rwanda’s Genocide: Where the Country Stands Today

After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the country has made tremendous strides toward peace and development. But critics say these have come at the cost of political freedoms.

In Brief by Mariel Ferragamo April 3, 2024
Nigeria

When Disability Meets Privilege

Authorities in Nigeria squander an opportunity to make a statement about human dignity and genuine social inclusion.

Blog Post by Ebenezer Obadare April 1, 2024 Africa in Transition
Venezuela

Will the Biden Administration Abandon Democracy in Venezuela?

Biden administration policy toward Venezuela has abandoned concern about democracy and human rights, instead placing oil prices, migration, and presidential politics above them. Will it change?

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams March 30, 2024 Pressure Points
Human Rights

Women This Week: Saudi Arabia to Chair the Commission on the Status of Women

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers March 23 to March 29.

Blog Post by Noël James March 29, 2024 Women Around the World
Refugees and Displaced Persons

How Does the U.S. Refugee System Work?

The United States has long been a safe haven for refugees from around the world. President Biden is working to expand the country’s resettlement program after the Trump administration made sharp cuts.

Backgrounder by Diana Roy , Claire Klobucista and James McBride March 26, 2024 Renewing America
Maternal and Child Health

Women This Week: Gambia Moves to Reverse Ban on Female Genital Mutilation

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers March 16 to March 22.

Blog Post by Noël James March 25, 2024 Women Around the World
Human Rights

The Human Rights Industry

The two largest human rights NGOs, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, dominate the field despite deep problems of bias and inadequate oversight.

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams March 20, 2024 Pressure Points
India

India’s Muslims: An Increasingly Marginalized Population

India’s Muslim communities have faced decades of discrimination, which experts say has worsened under the Hindu nationalist BJP’s government.

Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland March 18, 2024
Demonstrations and Protests

Women This Week: Thousands of Women Gather Despite Protest Ban in Turkey

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers March 9 to March 15.

Blog Post by Noël James March 15, 2024 Women Around the World