Mexico's Supreme Court recognized the right of same-sex couples to adopt children in Mexico City, upholding a core principle of equality.  The Court's decision came in support of a federal law extending the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.  Mexico is now the 11th country to provide equal access to marriage.
 

Homeland Protection or Civil Rights Violations?
Source: The New York Times

Hundreds of immigrants are being taken into detention from domestic trains and buses along our nation’s northern border.  With the jurisdiction to enforce immigration laws within 100 miles of the border, the Border Patrol’s little-publicized transportation checks claim to be another one of 9/11’s nationwide security increases.
 

Since recent forecasts call for more heavy rain in China, civil affairs authorities are planning for the prevention of rain-related disasters.   They ordered the relocation of people in areas prone to flooding and mudslides.  Also, authorities will disseminate disaster prevention information among people in disaster-prone areas.
 

Malaysia Guarantees Rights
Source: Human Rights Watch

Malaysia recently ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  This is an important step in improving the lives of those with disabilities.  The convention will guarantee comprehensive fundamental rights including freedom from discrimination and equal rights.  However, there are still concerns about Malaysia's ability to comply with the convention.

A group of Jamaican policemen were shown murdering a prisoner lying helplessly on the ground in an amateur video filmed by a bystander and aired on Jamaican television.  While citizens and the police department have condemned such acts, these excesses of police action are not uncommon.

Music Saves Medellin Youth
Source: Latin American Press

After failing to stem crime and violence, the city government of Medellin, Colombia, has funded music programs to keep youth from falling prey the to the country’s most pressing social ills.  In the Medellin Music School Network, youth have the opportunity for creative development away from street life. Since the program's inception, youth crime has dropped 30 percent.

In Burkina Faso, a combination of poverty and cultural values deprives many girls of an education and makes the country’s school completion rate among the lowest in Africa.  However, a new initiative is keeping girls in school by supporting activities which generate income for their mothers.

Greater Visibility for African Court
Source: The Namibian

Prominent human rights watchdogs are campaigning for greater visibility of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The seven-year-old court has only heard one case, which was thrown out on a technicality.   Only two African countries have approved of their citizens taking their governments to the court over human rights abuses.

Failing Economy Hits Human Rights
Source: The Guardian

The British Foreign Office made significant budget cuts in its monitoring of human rights violations around the world as part of its plan to fight its budget deficit.  The budget cut will affect how human rights failures are reported by the office, which had produced an annual human rights report.
 

French Deportation of Roma Investigated
Source: Sofia Echo & The Guardian

French actions to deport over 100 Roma, or Gypsies, back to Romania and Bulgaria continues to be a controversial issue within the E.U.  Hostility towards ethnic and religious minorities, like the Roma, undermines recognized human rights law and threatens the E.U.’s solidarity as a geo-political entity.

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According to the U.N. Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA), the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, schools and clinics in the Gaza Strip will need to close starting in September due to an $84 million deficit.  Jonas Gahr Stoere, Norwegian Foreign Minister and head of the U.N. Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, urged donors to honor their pledges to Palestinian refugees.

Kurdish Man Tortured in Syria
Source: Amnesty International

Amnesty International (A.I.) condemns Syrian State Security’s detention of a Kurdish man, Abdelbaqi Khalaf, who is being held without charge.   A.I. believes that Mr. Khalaf has been subjected to torture since his abduction almost two years ago.  Kurds in Syria suffer great persecution, including arbitrary arrest, unfair trials, torture and sometimes even death.

Approximately 30,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been resettled since the 2008 war with Russia.  Along with high unemployment and lack of good farm land, the end of the food assistance program by the World Food Programme could put thousands of families displaced by conflict at risk for hunger next winter.

Uzbekistan Praised for Aiding Refugees
Source: Gazeta.kz

Refugees International praised Uzbekistan for allowing entry to over 100,000 ethnic Uzbek refugees fleeing violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June, 2010.  The Uzbek government provided temporary asylum and requested international assistance from the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross.  Uzbekistan also reached an agreement with Kyrgyzstan to strongly encourage the refugees to return to Kyrgyzstan.