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Global Scans · Civil Rights · Weekly Summary


  • The acknowledgement of racism in Britain favours an intersectional framing of street harassment and leads to greater consideration of the risk of racial targeting. Policy & Politics Journal Blog
  • Concerns persist over the human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly regarding women's rights, even two years into Taliban rule, including worries about access to education and employment opportunities for women. ThePrint
  • Aid contributes to global security by tackling threats to human security, such as human rights violations, disease, population growth, environmental degradation, peacemaking, and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics
  • The future trajectory of global inequality hinges on the growth rates and inequality trends in India and large African countries, as well as the looming threat of climate change. Forum New Economy
  • Concerns are growing that government's failure to assert ownership and control over the products that it helped develop will exacerbate inequities of vaccine access both in the US and in low income countries. The BMJ
  • Located in the state of Georgia, LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels will produce 10 million gallons of SAF and renewable diesel per year from low carbon and certified ethanol, meeting US and global standards. Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability in India
  • Biden hopes that the economy that he is selling with higher wages and better jobs - alongside a sturdy democracy and protecting women's rights - will be enough for people to look past the rising prices of the past few years. The Independent
  • Governments will abuse surveillance technology with no hesitation or accountability until there are global norms and regulations to protect human rights in the digital age. Human Rights Watch
  • While HRW's report acknowledges the Chinese government uses the claim of political sensitivity regarding Xinjiang as a carte blanche to quash discussion on human rights abuses, it argues car companies could still do more to minimise the risks of relying on aluminium produced by forced labour. The Guardian
  • In Guatemala, freedom of information requests apparently showed the government citing the threat of ISDS proceedings as a reason not to suspend another Canadian-owned goldmine, despite human rights groups saying it violated Indigenous rights. The Guardian
  • The Chinese government's continued use of forced labour in Xinjiang, and the failure of car companies to adequately address forced labour risks, underscore the need for governments to require companies to map their supply chains and eliminate links to forced labour and other human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch
  • Uyghur human rights groups have expressed concern that the SAIC-Volkswagen plant in Xinjiang could both be a site for forced labour itself and could be sourcing parts or materials produced with forced labour. Human Rights Watch
  • Even without operational control of joint ventures, carmakers still have a responsibility under the UN Guiding Principles to use the leverage they do have to ensure joint ventures address the risk of forced labour and other human rights abuses in their supply chains. Human Rights Watch
  • Car companies have a responsibility under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to prevent or mitigate the risk of forced labour and other human rights abuses directly linked to their operations by their business relationships, including through their supply chains. Human Rights Watch
  • In assessing the risk of aluminum companies' participation in labour transfers, aluminum industry experts told Human Rights Watch that aluminum smelting is a highly technical process, relying largely on specialized workers, which could make it harder for companies to absorb labour transfer workers. Human Rights Watch
  • Despite the risk of exposure to forced labour through Xinjiang's aluminum, some car manufacturers in China have succumbed to government pressure to apply weaker human rights and responsible sourcing standards at their Chinese joint ventures than in their global operations. Human Rights Watch
  • Operation Lone Star has most likely strengthened illicit actors who profit from the heightened fears of migrants and the blocked or impeded opportunities for people to request asylum in the United States, which is their right under US law. Human Rights Watch
  • 2024 will be the year when Data Privacy will meet AI head-on, and getting the balance of innovation, regulation and protection right will depend on the development of regulatory control. IT Pro
  • The hard-Right Identity and Democracy Group, which includes Marine Le Pen's RN and the Alternative for Germany party, could go from being the fifth to the third-largest bloc in the EU parliament in 2024, which experts warn could weaken support for net zero in the European Parliament. The Telegraph
  • AI expands the pool of workers, improves labour income and could potentially reduce inequality, whichis particularly interesting in a South African context. Mining Weekly

Last updated: 11 February 2024



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