Economic & Social Rights
Human rights violations and environmental degradation are particularly pervasive in the context of large-scale extractive and infrastructure projects. Despite the existence of international standards and legislative codes meant to protect threatened individuals and communities, these rights are often the focus of conflict as powerful interests wish to exploit the natural resources found within and beneath traditional territories.
Human rights defenders are supporting their communities to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the urban settlements of Nairobi
Article by PBI-Kenya
Interview with Dr. Agnes Callamard, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
In February 2020, Dr. Agnes Callamard, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions attended the conference ‘Every Voice Matters – collaborative approaches to safety in Nairobi’s urban settlements’ on an academic visit. In this interview, she speaks with PBI about what human rights activists have shared about the human rights situation in Kenya, impunity, and the role of the international community. She emphasizes the resilience and commitment of the mothers of the victims, youth, and human rights defenders, in the urban settlements.
PBI facilitates meeting with Canadian officials and Colombian human rights defenders
Article by PBI-Canada
Trans rights violations in Honduras under lockdown
Article by PBI-UK
The situation for Honduras’s LGBTQI+ community was already critical before the current health emergency, but the arrival of COVID-19 to this Central American country has led to a double violation of their rights. This is how the Arcoiris LGBT Association describes their situation, explaining that the coronavirus pandemic has had a greater impact on the most vulnerable sectors of the population.
Social distancing disregarded for Mexican migrants and asylum seekers
In late March, a group of 50 - 70 migrants gathered in the courtyard of the Siglo XXI Migratory Station in Tapachula, Chiapas to protest the indefinite extension of detention times, demanding the detainees be released or returned to their countries of origin. The protesters expressed their fear of contracting Covid-19 and announced their intention to start a hunger strike if they were not released. The protest was dissipated by the internal security brigade and the National Guard, who used water jets and pepper spray against the protestors.
COVID-19: Defending Refugees, Migrants and the Internally Displaced
The world is facing a health crisis on a scale unlike anything seen in our lifetimes, bringing suffering, disruption, and dislocation to people across the globe. From Kenya to Indonesia, many of the countries where PBI work is already facing socio-economic dislocation and political disruption.