In April, the United Nations contacted the Trump administration and warned them that repealing the Affordable care Act and leaving millions without health coverage would violate the US’s legal obligations under international human rights treaties.
Yesterday, the Trump administration and the US Congress ignored these warnings.
When governments fail to stand up for human rights it is up to the people and civil society to stand strong and speak up.
In 1945, on the ninth day of testimony at the Nuremberg Trials, the prosecutors introduced a damning piece of evidence - a film that showed the gas chambers at Dachau. Nineteen Nazi war criminals were convicted, and the Nuremberg Trials helped establish an international system of criminal law that included the adoption of the Genocide Convention.
The Genocide Convention has some of the strongest protections under the law for victims, but its effectiveness rests on states fulfilling their obligations to prevent, suppress and punish genocide.
I’m back very recently from meetings in Brussels and London and we are not alone! The growing resistance to Trump’s actions to undermine women, including by censoring abortion-related speech globally, is real and growing.
I am convinced that the Trump debacle has opened up unforeseen opportunities to make radical advances to improve the rule of law, including women’s rights.
I was invited to meet with the EU officials to discuss ways the EU could fight the US abortion restrictions. I presented at a parliamentary briefing and we equipped European policy makers with charts and memos on the likely impact of the restrictions on EU humanitarian aid.
Over one month ago Donald Trump reinstated and expanded the Global Gag Rule. As organizations around the world wait for official guidelines on what the expansion means, GJC and other women's rights groups are already working hard to combat these deadly restrictions on women's healthcare.
Today, GJC participated in the She Decides Conference in Brussels. The conference brought together representatives from governments, civil society and women on the ground with the aim of joining forces to mitigate the impact of the decrease in US funding from Trump's Global Gag Rule.
Women have been the leaders of successful resistance movements around the world. From the women of Liberia's mass action for peace, to mothers in Argentina and women's groups in Burma, women's rights activists are often the first to speak out against the rise of extremism.
After the women's march on January 21st, which was the largest peaceful day of protest in US history, GJC and other women's rights groups are keeping the momentum going.
Join GJC in DC on March 8th, the day of the nationwide Women's Strike, as we protest against Trump's reinstatement and expansion of the Global Gag Rule.
The Trump administration is feeling the pressure. All around the country people have been coming together and standing up to his dangerous policies, saying, “We won’t go back.”
Both at home and abroad, GJC knows that fighting back works.
We invite you to join us this week as we stand together with the legal community in New York City to protest an agenda that violates human rights.
This week the courts are standing up to Trump, proving once again that the law can stop tyranny in its tracks.
GJC knows what resistance looks like.
Last week we saw pictures of men signing executive orders that negatively impacted the lives of women, minorities and vulnerable populations in the United States and around the world.
This week we saw pictures of women judges, protesters, senators, congresspeople, and lawyers leading the fight against these dangerous policies.
GJC's motto has always been, "when women have a say in governing, the world becomes a better place." Today, we are seeing how true that is. GJC is fighting harder than ever. Stand with us.
After World War II, there was a human rights revolution that resulted in strong treaties and human rights laws. These laws are underscored by the recognition that there are rights so fundamental that they transcend borders and individual policies.
GJC was founded to move these laws from paper to practice.
Donald Trump's presidency will test this foundation of human rights law like never before. Our legal experts have spent years studying, researching and fighting for the enforcement of international law to build a global system of justice founded on gender equality. We are ready to fight back against whatever action Trump takes that threatens this rule of law.
Courage is contagious. Stand with us.
Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0
August 12th was the anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Because of Florence Nightingale we have laws guaranteeing all war victims equal rights to medical care.
A new report, “They Came to Destroy” : ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis, confirms that ISIS is committing genocide against the Yazidi including through gendered non-killing crimes such as rape and sexual violence against enslaved Yazidi women and girls.
This month, GJC participated in the UN's first World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, Turkey from 23-24th, 2016. With our presence there, we took leadership in promoting the rights of women and girls under international humanitarian law.
GJC’s side-event, “Making IHL Work for Women and Girls,” was the only event at the summit on IHL and gender, and focused on advancing the rights of women and girls in conflict.
This Mother’s Day it is important to remember that when women have a say in governance, the world becomes a better place. This is why GJC works to empower women and ensure their equal rights around the world.
A recent example of this is our work on gender and genocide. I just wrote a blog post on how crimes against women are often overlooked and go unpunished. GJC is demanding accountability and action in face of these crimes.
Thank you,
Akila Radhakrishnan
It has been two years since Boko Haram abducted nearly 300 Chibok Christian schoolgirls. The global rallying cry to “Bring Back Our Girls” has not stopped Boko Haram from targeting women and girls with heinous crimes including kidnappings, rapes, forced pregnancies, forced conversion, and murder by forced suicide.
While the Chibok girls remain in captivity, Boko Haram continues to act with total impunity abducting an estimates 2,000 more women and girls.
The fundamental ideologies of groups like Boko Haram and ISIS rely on women being chattels, inferior, and disposable. The global call to “Bring Back Our Girls” must go beyond rescue and include a demand for global justice for all women and girls suffering under extremists.
Today, on International Women’s day, it is important to not forget the thousands of women and girls still being held captive by ISIS. The subjugation of women and girls and the horrific violence inflicted on them are strategies of terror and genocide used by ISIS to achieve their aims.
In a historic and strongly worded resolution, the European Parliament declared the atrocities ISIS continues to commit against religious minorities constitute genocide. This is the first time the European Parliament has acknowledged ongoing atrocities as genocide.
We are so honored to strive for justice and equality with friends and partners like you. Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2016!
With Gratitude,
Janet, Phyu Phyu, Akila, Stephanie O, Stephanie J, Michelle, Grant, Zoe, Kay, Anji, Pinky & Magda
Nadia Murad Basee Taha, who was held captive by ISIS and managed to escape, bravely told her story to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.
The Burmese (Myanmar) election is front page news across the globe, and the results are demonstrating many victories for Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD). This election shows how urgently the people of Burma want change. However, the bleak stuctural barriers to democracy, especially the Constitution that guarantees 25% of the parliamentary seats and blanket immunity to the military are even more apparent.
.jpg){kind=link}