Full Coverage: Human rights

26.02.2006 As Philippines democracy activists prepared to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the toppling of the authoritarian Marcos regime Friday--hoping to "reinvigorate people with the spirit of 1986"--President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo laid down a stifling State of Emergency.

26.02.2006 Dr Arifa Syeda, the chairperson of the NCSW, has demanded the repeal of the Hudood Ordinances that have inflicted injustice of the worst kind on women. She has taken up from where Justice Majida Rizvi of the Sindh High Court left off when she retired. A DAWN editorial lauds the move and looks optimistically ahead.

26.02.2006 Villagers in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, which is one of India's most prosperous states, are migrating to cities to look for work because of a severe drought. Many are working as casual labourers to eke out a living for themselves and their families back home in villages.

26.02.2006 Tired of broken promises, survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster are marching 800 km to Delhi to call attention to the continuing toxic contamination of Bhopal, the absence of adequate healthcare, and other problems.

24.02.2006 Ever stricter border patrols only seem to be causing more death and danger for Latin Americans looking for a better life up north, reports Diego Cevallos.

24.02.2006 The President of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday unveiled a draft blueprint for a Human Rights Council with higher status and greater accountability than the much-criticised Human Rights Commission that meets yearly in Geneva.

24.02.2006 The Children's Human Rights Centre of Albania – CRCA, a major child-rights organisation in the country, issued today its latest report on the situation of child labour and street children. This is the very first in-depth research-report published by a national organisation in Albania, on the situation of the rights of child labourers and street children in Albania. The research is funded by Palme Center and SIDA Sweden, as part of the programme 'The Rights of the Child a Democratic Right'.

24.02.2006 Association of Kerala Government College Teachers (AKGCT) has said that the moves of the State and Central Governments to gradually withdraw from the education sector will have far reaching consequences.

24.02.2006 Special children, instructors and parents associated with 32 institutions in the chennai city took out a rally to draw attention to the lack of governmental interest in the mentally disabled.

24.02.2006 Concerned over the tardy progress in human rights education in the country, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is preparing dossiers for creating awareness in the field among university-level students.

22.02.2006 Several Chinese activists who have supported or participated in a series of protest hunger-strikes since 4 February have been arrested or gone missing.

22.02.2006 Refugees International is not mincing words. President Bush requested $514 million for peacekeeping and other programs in Sudan and they're calling on Congress to put up the bucks...but they need your help to close the deal.

22.02.2006 Public pressure for new action to stop the genocide in Darfur appears to be making inroads with the Bush administration, says Africa Action, but this momentum "has yet to make any difference on the ground."

22.02.2006 With so much focus on IranÂ’s nuclear program, Amnesty International is calling on the EU not to ignore the countryÂ’s increasing instances of human rights violations at this week's meetings.

21.02.2006 Two white-band protesters detained in Ethiopia since November have stated that they intend to plead not guilty. Their next court appearance is on Thursday 23 February.

21.02.2006 Harijans are treated as sub humans and untouchability still persists even after 73 years of formation of HSS. Vast section of society does not seem to be very comfortable with idea of treating Harijans with dignity. Nirmala Deshpande, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) speaks to Ashutosh Bhardwaj.

20.02.2006 Human rights abuses have grown in Iran since the country's new government came to power in August, charges a new Amnesty International report.

19.02.2006 Under 18? You canÂ’t vote and you canÂ’t drink butÂ… you can be put in detention, denied a place in school, forced to find your own place to live and find a means of supporting yourself, if you are a young accompanied asylum seeker and having your age disputed by authorities. Join Student Action for Refugees on a national day of action on Thursday 23 February.

17.02.2006 NepalÂ’s violent armed conflict between Maoist rebels and the government has been placing the civilian population in grave danger, said a report released on Thursday by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHCR) in Nepal.

17.02.2006 Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the creation of a high-level panel to explore how the United Nations can shape a smoother running machine to carry out its worldwide work in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and environment.