Full Coverage: Human rights

31.10.2007 NEW YORK, Oct 31 (OneWorld) - Traditionally, it's the kids who receive sweets from the elders on Halloween, but that years-old ritual is getting a makeover this year in hundreds of communities across North America.

30.10.2007 At last, the Government of India, under pressure from 25,000 people, agrees to set up a committee to look into the issues related to land reforms. The protestors hope that the ministerÂ’s announcement was more than mere playing to the gallery.

30.10.2007 An independent United Nations human rights expert claims brutal torture is routine in counter-terrorism operations in Sri Lanka. Nowak also drew attention to the low conviction rate by criminal courts in torture related cases.

29.10.2007 NEW YORK, Oct 29 (OneWorld) - Donald Rumsfeld, the former U.S. secretary of defense, is facing criminal charges in France for ordering the torture of prisoners in Iraq and at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

29.10.2007 They walked from Gwalior to Delhi, covering more than 300 km in less than four weeks. They lost seven of their comrades in this long march to claim lost rights. But it has been sheer disappointment at the end of the road for these 25,000 people, when they were stopped from marching up to the Indian Parliament to make their voices heard in the corridors of power.

27.10.2007 BBC World Service Trust has launched an exciting new training website for journalists on post-conflict justice in Africa. The site includes a handbook, internet resources, news and information on international criminal courts, truth commissions and other forms of transitional justice in five project African countries.

24.10.2007 Amnesty International India is spearheading the campaign to garner support for abolition of death penalty, collecting more than 42,000 signatures. Eminent citizens have written an open letter to the Prime Minister urging the government to support the resolution in the UN General Assembly that seeks a global moratorium on executions.

23.10.2007

19.10.2007 As the Indian state of Orissa reels under poverty and chronic hunger, five billion Indian rupees from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme have been siphoned off by corrupt state officials. Parshuram Rai, Director, Centre for Environment and Food Security, exposes the rot in the state bureaucracy.

18.10.2007 In India, hundreds of women came together to raise their voices against poverty at the WomenÂ’s Tribunal on Poverty on October 17. The event, held at New Delhi, was marked by the release of a womenÂ’s charter on poverty and a visit to the President, reinforcing their rights to be heard.

18.10.2007 The Women's Tribunal Against Poverty, held in the Indian capital on October 17, was one of many tribunals against poverty in the world. Testimonies highlighted that while the country is growing at phenomenal rates, the most marginalised women are getting further impoverished.

16.10.2007 Campaigning for the eradication of poverty is a full time commitment. Yet, this long march too needs a rallying day – and October 17, 2007, is just such a day when global mobilizations are taking place across the globe, all at the call of the Global Call Against Poverty (GCAP).

16.10.2007 Irfan Mufti from Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) feels society has to be organised and mobilized to influence policy. The change may not be immediate, but political influence is bound to grow in future.

16.10.2007 Like many others, the Art of Living Foundation (AOL) will also Stand Up and Speak Out as part of the UN Millennium Campaign to bring poverty down.

16.10.2007 Over 25,000 people are marching 350 kilometres from Gwalior to Delhi, the Indian capital, asking for equal rights to land, forest and water. The Janadesh 2007 campaign focuses on restoring peopleÂ’s self-worth and dignity through issues about their livelihood resources. Jonathan Weedon, an Ekta Parishad volunteer from Scotland shares some of his experiences on the long march to liberty and equity.

11.10.2007 Millennium Campaign Asia Deputy Director Minar Pimple spoke to OneWorld South Asia (OWSA) on how the Stand Up campaign in South Asia is making a difference by changing the perspectives of people on how they are being governed, and how they would like to be governed.

11.10.2007 October 10 marks one year since the Child Labour Act banned children from working as domestic servants. Yet millions of children continue to work in domestic and hazardous occupations and are vulnerable to abuse. Save The Children has called for concerted campaigns to save these lost childhoods.

11.10.2007

09.10.2007 Choirs and anti-poverty campaigners, in a global chain of performance, will sing poverty goodbye on October 17. The Poverty Requiem, a musical piece, tells the story of poverty and how it impacts people. On most of these locations, the choirs will include a Stand Up and Speak Out moment.

08.10.2007 Revered spiritual and humanitarian leader, and founder of the international Art of Living Foundation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will mobilize people to raise their voices and take action against poverty. Sri Sri will lead the action from Bangalore, India on 17 October as various chapters of the Foundation will organize events across the country.