What's Going On in Human Rights: January 2022

Happy New Year from UoB Amnesty International Society! We hope everyone had a good break and that your January assessments have gone well. We are really excited about being back on campus and continuing our #LetsTalkAboutYes campaign this semester.

In this What's Going On in Human Rights update, we look at the current work of Amnesty International around the globe, as well as signposting some big human rights wins of 2021. Check the end of the post and our socials to find out how you can play a part in ending human rights abuses this semester by getting involved with AI @ UoB!

What's Going On in Human Rights

In 2022, COVID-19 remains at the centre of many discussions around human rights and global equality. Vaccine inequality has proven to be a serious issue in the fight against the pandemic. Around 11 billion vaccine doses have been produced worldwide, but as of the end of 2021, only 7% of people in low income countries received a dose. Not only is this inherently unjust, but vaccine inequality provides more opportunity for mutation and the spread of new variants across populations.

Last year, following an Amnesty International report on the second wave in Nepal, Japan donated 1.6 million vaccines, Bhutan donated 230,000 and the UK donated 130,000 doses. Amnesty International are continuing to campaign for greater vaccine equality across the globe as developed countries seemingly emerge from the pandemic.

Amnesty International is urging against the escalation of armed conflict in Ukraine. Russian military intervention has cost hundreds of civilian lives throughout the ongoing conflict. Now, Russia's threat of military force in Ukraine is causing a crisis for economic and social rights - people's access to healthcare and basic foods and goods is being drastically affected. The conflict is also likely to cause a refugee crisis with the region's economy devastated.

The beginning of February will mark one year since the military coup in Myanmar. Amnesty International continue to fight against the serious human rights abuses taking place under Min Aung Hlaing, with nearly 1,500 people killed, 11,000 arrested and millions facing severe poverty and hunger.

Tomorrow, on February 1st, Amnesty International are releasing their landmark report on violations by Israel against the Palestinian people. AI will offer an analysis of the Israeli government's practices across all it territories and make clear its violations of international law. Follow Amnesty International on social media for updates.

Human rights wins

The new year is a great time to reflect, as well as look forward. See this post from Amnesty's blog on 33 human rights wins of 2021: the examples are vast and varied, from greater access to vaccines in Madagascar, to a Japanese court ruling that it is unconstitutional to not recognise same-sex marriages.

If this has inspired you to get involved in the fight against human rights abuses, now is a great time to join Amnesty International UoB. We meet weekly on Thursdays, 6pm - 7pm. This semester we will be continuing our work on our #LetsTalkAboutYes campaign, to inspire a consent culture on and around campus. Keep an eye on our socials for updates about our meetings, events and socials - including the annual Jamnesty gig, coming on 25th February!