According to the United Nations (UN) data, Peru’s population in 2020 was over 30 million people, out of which 25% are members of indigenous communities (CIA, n.d.)[1] Despite this impressive number and Peru’s apparent will to protect their rights, the native population is still seeing its rights[2] obstructed and its territories illegally reduced. The 51 indigenous …
Underaged Minority Girls in Pakistan Still Allegedly Forced Into Marriage and Religious Conversion Célinne BodingerMedia & Technical CoordinatorGHRTVGlobal Human Rights Defence Underaged minority girls from rural and low-income households in Pakistan are still allegedly abducted, raped, forced into religious conversion and marriage, and kept from their families. Unconfirmed reports estimate that around 1000 young girls, …
Femicides continue to increase due to the lockdown in Colombia Verónica Delgado, June 2021 Women have been historically discriminated against all around the world. There are some specific types of violence against them based on their sex and gender identity, such as femicide. Women are still not untailed to have the same rights and privileges …
Femicides continue to increase due to the lockdown in Colombia Read More »
HAF spotlights Human Trafficking of Minorities in Pakistan The Hindu American Foundation highlights human trafficking of Hindus, Christian girls from Pakistan’s Sindh province. The briefing featured HAF Director of Human Rights Deepali Kulkarni and World Sindhi Congress USA- Director Dr. Saghir Shaikh. Emphasis was laid out on US assistance to focus more on NGOs in …
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Human Trafficking in the Middle East In 2018 exactly 1887 cases1 of human trafficking were reported in the Middle East2. The actual number could be much higher. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, most of the detected victims are adults, while children represent between 5 and 8% of victims. Human trafficking …
Human trafficking in Europe “Educating the public raises awareness and fosters a sense of responsibility – as bystanders, consumers and concerned citizens, we all have a part to play in preventing and countering human trafficking.” (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2021) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its fifth …
The story of REENA MEGHWAR It was reported by the ‘hindupost’ that Reena Meghwar was kidnapped on 13 February by a middle-aged man named Muhammad Qasim from Kario Ghanwar town, Badin, Sindh province. She was forcefully converted to Islam and named Maryam and then married to Qasim. The family had lodged a ‘first information report’ (FIR) …
Shedding light on the depths of human trafficking in Asia Even after long-lasting efforts by the international community as well as single states, human trafficking remains one of the most urgent issues of today´s world. Most cases take place clandestinely and occur in the Global South. Therefore, the topic is not very present in Western …
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Sexual exploitation, forced labour and exploitative begging as the main forms of human trafficking in the Middle East In North Africa and the Middle East, human trafficking is mainly committed for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced labour and exploitative begging. These three forms of trafficking were reported in nearly equal shares in 2018, each …
Association “Accept” and others v. Romania Author: João Victor Stuart GHRD intern: International Justice and Human Rights team LLB Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The case Association ACCEPT and others v. Romania concerns the failure of the Romanian State in protecting the applicants from homophobic verbal aggressions and humiliations, and in conducting …
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Aimilina Sarafi holds a Bachelor’s degree cum laude in International Relations and Organisations from Leiden University and is currently pursuing a Double Legal Master’s degree (LLM) in Public International Law and International Criminal Law at the University of Amsterdam.
She is an active advocate for the human rights of all peoples in her community and is passionate about creating a better world for future generations. Aimilina is the coordinator for the GHRD team of Pakistan, in which human rights violations of minority communities in Pakistan are investigated and legally evaluated based on international human rights legal standards.
Her team is working on raising awareness on the plight of minority communities such as women, children, religious and ethnic minorities within Pakistan.
Marguerite is the coordinator of the team of legal researchers focusing on the Middle East and a legal researcher herself.
She developed her expertise in international human rights law, international criminal law and humanitarian law during her double bachelor in law and political science at Sorbonne-Paris 1 University and her LLM in public international law at Leiden University. Particularly interested in the Middle East for years, Marguerite has acquired a good knowledge of the region and its human rights issues through various field experience, including internships in a cultural service of the French embassy and in a local NGO, as well as a semester in a university in the region. Currently, her main interests are accountability mechanisms for crimes committed during recent armed conflicts, notably in Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the Palestinian case at the ICC, and transitional justice issues.
Nicole has an MSc in International Development Studies with a focus on migration. She is passionate about promoting human rights and fighting poverty through advocacy and empowering human choice. Nicole believes that even the simplest social justice efforts, when properly nurtured, can bring about radical and positive change worldwide.
Mattia is currently in charge of quality checking and improving all the social media and website handles of the Global Human Rights Defence.
With a bachelor in Psychology from Spain and a master in Cultural Anthropology from the Netherlands, Mattia’s passion now lies in Human Rights in regard to the refugee and migrant crisis. Having lived his whole life in East-Arica, Mattia has had the opportunity to work with a vast amount of non-government organisations and health institutions. This has provided him with knowledge in diverse cultural understandings as well as interest in concerning global issues.
As the Environment and Human Rights Coordinator, Célinne is passionate about the health of our planet and every life on it.
Prerna Tara graduated from Leiden Law School with an LLM in Public International Law. She practiced in the India before starting her Masters. She has assisted in pro- bono cases and interned at some of the best legal firms in India which has brought her face to face with the legal complexities in areas of corporate law, white collar crimes etc. Her work at GHRD deals with human rights research spanning throughout the globe.
She is currently heading the Promotions Team and University Chapter of Global Human Rights Defence. Her background is the one of European and International Law, which I am studying in The Hague. She has previously gained experience at Women´s Rights organizations in Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey over the past years.
She has been working for Global Human Rights Defence in the Netherlands since 2020. Her focus now is concentrated on the Human Rights and Minorities Film Festival and the cooperation of GHRD with students across the country.
Bianca has widespread knowledge about social problems and human rights issues, with a specific focus on social justice in Africa and the empowerment of communities and individuals. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Stellenbosch University as well as a Master’s degree in Social Work and Human Rights from Gothenburg University. She has participated in courses on Women’s Leadership at Stellenbosch University, and has worked with organizations such as AIESEC towards furthering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She also has experience in working directly with marginalized and vulnerable groups in South Africa while qualifying as a Social Worker.
Bianca is the coordinator for a group of interns doing research and reporting on Human Rights topics in a range of African countries. Her focus is on ensuring that these countries are monitored and have up to date reports and research conducted in order to allow relevant and updated information to be produced.
Alessandro Cosmo obtained his B.A. with Honors from Leiden University College where he studied International Law with a minor in Social and Business Entrepreneurship. He is currently pursuing an LL.M. in Public International Law at Utrecht University with a specialization in Conflict and Security.
As GHRD’s E.U. Youth Ambassador, Alessandro’s two main focuses are to broaden the Defence’s reach within E.U. institutions and political parties, as well as mediate relations between human rights organizations abroad seeking European funding.
Alessandro believes that human rights advocacy requires grass-roots initiatives where victims’ voices are amplified and not paraphrased or spoken for. He will therefore act on this agenda when representing Global Human Rights Defence domestically and abroad
Hiba Zene holds a Bachelor’s degree in International and European Law from The Hague University and, has significant legal knowledge in the field of international human rights law. She actively advocates for the protection of all human rights of vulnerable minorities and marginalised groups. Focusing, specifically on the human rights of children and women in Africa.
Hiba is the coordinator and head researcher for GHRD Africa. As a human rights defender for GHRD she has examined and investigated various human rights abuses, violations and issues in Africa. She has led research missions addressing issues on Statelessness in Kenya, Child Abuse in Uganda, and Teen Pregnancy in Kenya.
Senior Paralegal at PGMBM (Amsterdam office), working to bring justice for victims of wrongdoing by big corporations, with a focus on human rights and environmental law.
Previously, Thaís worked as a Visiting Professional at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, providing legal advice on international human rights law and international criminal law. She also worked at the State Court of Justice of the Rondônia State (TJRO) in Brazil from 2013 to 2017, initially as a legal clerk and posteriorly as a legal advisor to judges. In 2016 she served as the regional representative of the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Procedural Law (IBRASPP) in the State of Rondônia, Brazil and during her bachelor’s degree, she worked as a Research Assistant at the Research Group ‘Ethics and Human Rights’ of the Federal University of Rondônia for over three years.
Fairuz Sewbaks holds extensive legal knowledge regarding international human rights, with a specific focus on human rights dealings taking place in continental Africa. She holds a bachelor’s degree from The Hague University in public international law and international human rights and successfully followed advanced human rights courses at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. She furthermore participated in the Istanbul Summer School where she was educated about the role of epidemics and pandemics in light of human rights.
Fairuz is the coordinator and head researcher for GHRD Africa. Her primary focus is to establish and coordinate long-term research projects regarding the differentiating human rights dealings of vulnerable and marginalized groups in continental Africa, as well as conducting individual research projects.
Priya Lachmansingh is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in International & European
Law at the Hague University of Applied Science.
As GHRD’s Asia & America human rights coordinator and GHRD Political Advisor, Priya’s
prominent focus is to highlight human rights violations targeted against minority and
marginalized groups in Asia and America and to broaden GHRD reach within Dutch political
parties and as well seek domestic funding.
My name is Fabian Escobar, L.L.B. International and European Law candidate to The Hague University. I was born in Honduras and been living in The Netherlands, more specifically Amsterdam the last 8 years. I am passionate about Human Rights, Civil and Political Rights, fighting racism, and empowering women and ethnic minorities. In GHRD I am the coordinator for the Europe Team, I am thankful for being part of this team and that I have been given the opportunity to learn and apply my learning.