By Abagail Cacovic
This article explains how human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal activity in the world and how the recent COVID-19 pandemic in conjunction with social media have impacted its profitability. It explores the downfalls with the COVID-19 pandemic and social media, but also it’s ability to cause a positive impact by curbing human trafficking.
Read MoreBy Nicholas Sturos.
South Korean courts have interpreted the term “medical practice” to encompass the act of tattooing. As a consequence, virtually all tattoo artists in South Korea operate illegally, and are at the risk of criminal sanctions. This interpretation violates multiple Korean constitutional freedoms including the freedom to art.
Read MoreBy Julia Moran.
Haiti’s government is now largely vacant. Gang violence has overtaken the country, with many Haitians living in fear of violence or displacement. Who will intervene to help stop it?
Read MoreBy Madelaine Ackermann.
The Indonesian government passed a new criminal code in December 2022 that infringes on several international human rights laws and standards, including the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and sexual freedom. These new laws discriminate against women, LGBTQ communities, and religious minorities, and it may criminalize any valid criticisms of the new code itself.
Read MoreBy Dylan Vogel.
In October, the Supreme Court of Japan affirmed a decision by the Intellectual Property High Court (IP Court) that allowed copyright holders to seek royalties from performances put on by instructors at music schools, but not from those held by students. The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers, and Publishers (JASRAC) sought to allow member artists and those it advocates for to collect royalties from all uses of copyrighted works at music school.
Read MoreBy Luke Barbrick.
For 30 years, the lawmakers of Wales have taken remarkable legal steps to restore their ancient language, Welsh. Welsh is one of six known languages of the Celtic group, a branch of the Indo-European language family. Celtic languages also include Irish, Scots Gaelic, Manx, Cornish, and Breton, most of which are spoken in the British Isles. Many scholars now believe that Celtic developed nearly 6,000 years ago, making it one of Europe’s oldest language groups.
Read MoreBy Noah Thelen.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), statistics on alcoholism are a concern globally, with roughly three million deaths each year attributed to the disease. As of 2021, alcoholism is the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. Lithuania has recognized increasing rate of alcohol consumption and has undergone studies to prevent growing tragedies.
Read MoreBy Natalie Glitz Grumhaus.
Climate change affects the whole planet, but the rising seas are affecting low-lying islands and coastal areas in the most immediate ways. The smaller island states in the Pacific have been notably affected, as five islands of the Solomon Islands have fully disappeared into the Pacific Ocean, and many others are slowly losing their land and are likely to join the first five within the next several decades.
Read MoreBy Aaron Hoover.
The Mongolian government has taken many steps over the last two decades to decrease the prevalence of domestic violence and to provide services to victims. UN Women reports that, as of 2018, in Mongolia the Lifetime Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence rate was 31.2 percent with violence occurring within the last twelve months at a rate of 12.7%. These rates compare to its neighbor, Kazakhstan, with rates of 16.5% and 4.7% respectively.
Read MoreBy Frankie Salamida.
As of January 27, 2022, there were almost 1,500 people in Australian immigration detention facilities. The Migration Act was originally introduced in Parliament in 1958 and was envisioned as a temporary and “exceptional” measure to deal with a particular grouping of people. These designated persons were Indochinese unauthorized boat arrivals. In 1992, the Migration Reform Act was introduced and extended mandatory detention to all “unlawful” non-citizens. Most “unlawful” non-citizens are usually granted temporary legal status.
Read MoreBy Michael Reingold.
Taiwan’s constitutional reforms and democratization show how Taiwan was able to legalize same-sex marriage and cement other fundamental rights into its democratic foundations. Much of Taiwan’s development of fundamental rights and freedoms have been through so-called “judge-made rights,” marking a change and diversion away from maintaining a “brief list of rights and freedoms explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.”
Read MoreBy Albert Chang.
Estonia’s approach to cybersecurity is a combination of European Union regulations, Estonia’s interpretations of EU law, and collaborative efforts between Estonia and the private sector to minimize the risk in digitization. As a member of the EU, Estonia is subject to the EU’s data protection law under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR is commonly held as “the toughest privacy and security law in the world.”
Read MoreBy Madeline Jones.
Iraq’s rape-marriage law permits a rapist to evade punishment if his victim consents to marriage. Women are pressured to marry their rapists to preserve their reputation and family honor. Repeal of Iraq’s rape-marriage law is essential to promoting gender equality and to provide protection and justice to victims.
Read MoreBy Anna Henson.
During preliminary proceedings, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held that The Gambia has standing to bring suit against Myanmar for actions taken against the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This is the first ICJ case where a country, located on a different continent and lacking immediate personal injury, has been able to sue another country on the basis of both countries being a party to a UN convention.
Read MoreBy Jennifer Churay.
Countries should provide this assistance to Venezuelans for two reasons: (1) humanitarian and (2) political. Humanitarian assistance is needed because, without a global response, conditions for Venezuelan refugees will worsen as regional host countries become increasingly unable or unwilling to provide aid. Conditions in Venezuela are so severe that human rights violations may ensue because access to life-sustaining resources and immigration protections guaranteed by international human rights agreements are not being delivered.
Read MoreBy Ilina Krishen.
Narratives around Jina “Mahsa” Amini’s death and the ensuing mass protests erase the crucial fact that Amini was a Kurdish woman. The examination of Amini’s death, policing of women’s bodies, and women’s freedom in Iran must place much needed attention towards Iran's long-oppressed Kurdish minority. More importantly, Jina Amini’s name and Kurdish identity should not be erased.
Read MoreBy Haley Wehner.
The world’s largest known source of cobalt, a crucial metal in the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, is hidden beneath the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) fertile red soil. Without cobalt, people around the world would not be able to send emails, check social media, operate an electric car, or fly home for the holidays. Approximately seventy percent of the cobalt consumed worldwide is produced in the DRC, outpacing its two nearest rivals, Australia and Russia. Overall, it is believed that the DRC contains undeveloped mineral resources worth $24 trillion.
Read MoreBy Brittany Macaddino.
On February 4, 2022, comprehensive sanctions were placed on an international superpower for the first time since the end of the World War II. The United States, European Union, and others coordinated their efforts against Russia to stifle their economic abilities and hinder their invasion of Ukraine. Nearly a year later, sanctions against Russia are expected to tighten in 2023. But are the sanctions imposed against Russia working the way major powers intended, and is it sustainable for the world economy to continue imposing them?
Read MoreBy Kaitlin Lapka.
In June 2022, Pope Francis visited Canada in an attempt to repair the Catholic Church’s historical relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Calling his tour a “penitential pilgrimage,” the Pope “humbly beg[ged] for forgiveness” for the Church’s past actions but refused to take one final step Canada’s Indigenous communities demanded: Renounce the Discovery Doctrine.
Read MoreBy Taylor Schanz.
At the end of 2022, thousands of protestors took to the streets across eighteen different cities in China. Instead of protest signs, individuals were holding blank white A4 paper, calling for the Chinese government to end its zero-COVID policy. While protests are not an uncommon occurrence in China, this was the first time since the failed pro-democracy movement in 1989 that a protest has reached this magnitude and earned the name “white paper revolution.”
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