Human Rights
2022
We support Ukraine because it represents the sacrosanct right to build one's own future
Ukraine is supported by many countries because it represents the right to build one's own future, in peace within the safety of their borders, without the threats of aggression. Peace, principles, justice and self determination are sacrosanct. That is why the Ukrainians do not want war. They want to live harmoniously among their own people, sharing the culture and heritage with their neighbours and the world.
“I still have hope that we will all return to our warm home and beautiful city” — Interview with Syrian refugee, Somaya
In another piece from our series "Diaries from Refugee Camps", Atika Harba talks to the Somaya, a mother of three and a refugee inside a Lebanese refugee camp. Are you a refugee and would like to share your story inside this series? Please contact us.
Vlady Hell: Putin Strikes Again!
In the August 2020 issue of The Gordian titled Russian Roulette: Why Putin’s Referendum Victory is a Threat to Humanity we published an article cheekily called Vlad the Terrible. It listed a range of crimes committed by Putin ranging from mass murder to mass deceit.
Five benefits of legalising drugs that may change your perspective
Legalising drugs would make drug use safer, but the bigger impact of moving to a regulated drug market is that it would defy racism, reduce chaos and violence and make us wealthier.
“My religion is myself and my nationality is my heart”: Five days inside a refugee’s diary
During her internship with UN-aligned, Jihan Al-Assad was asked to write about her life inside the refugee camp in Lebanon. Her experiences, along with those of other refugees are published in a new series titled Diaries from Refugee Camps.
Peeking Behind the Fig Leaf: Our Journey to Sexual Liberation
Society is a raft made from the wreckage of our dreams and fears. Space is limited and we struggle to keep aboard, scrambling for the middle ground so we do not have to witness those sacrificed at the rim: pushed, or slipping, or just unable to grab a hold.
Is circumcision abuse?
Mutilating the sexual organs of a child, circumcision, in the name of culture, religion or dubious preventative medical claims is outrageous and a blatant breach of the child’s human rights.
Poems for a Better World: When People Gather
Where do we start? You haven't a clue. "Well there's nothing that just I can do". But what if your neighbour thought that too? And their neighbour thought they didn't matter. Changes happen when people gather...
Disheartening revelations about the UNHCR in Lebanon — A refugee’s perspective
The primary mission of the UNHCR is to provide emergency assistance to those forced to flee their homes, but how is this achieved in the current reality, especially in a Lebanon?
Citizenship is a construct, our primary duty is to humankind
Our silence is pernicious and yet we seem to not care; not when caring can threaten the comfort zones we have become so used to. Here are five points that will shed some light on the issue of migration.
Domenico Lucano declared as UN-aligned Person of the Year
UN-aligned has chosen Domenico Lucano as its Person of the Year 2021. The ex-mayor of the Italian town of Riace has been chosen for his vision regarding the integration of refugees into their destination of choice, while at the same time revitalising a dying town.
“Every day my heart squeezes with sadness and pain”: An Interview with Amna, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon’s Arsal Camp
During her internship with UN-aligned, Atika Harba was asked to write about life inside the refugee camp in Lebanon. Atika, who at the time of publishing, was a 17-year-old refugee, wrote several articles and diaries that gives readers a glimpse inside the difficult life of inside the refugee camp.
2021
Still Life Without Flowers: A Glimpse Into The Arsal Refugee Camp
First, I will talk about my place of residence in one of the camps in Lebanon, Arsal, and how I was able to adapt to this difficult life, which does not resemble life at all. It is only days that pass without taste.
Cherry picking justice: 9 rings of moral tunnel vision
Deluded people generally believe that they would have been on the right side of history, without ever really questioning whether they are on the right side of what is making history. Sure, now, most people are convinced that they would have been against slavery, child labour, the burning of heretics and cannibalism… but given their same mindset, would they have been? All those practices were legal or socially acceptable; and sadly, for most of us, that social acceptability is what defines our morals.
Syrian Refugees Heading for Another Tough Winter
The mere mention of the word ‘refugee’ immediately evokes scenes of pain, sadness, hardship and cold. Syrian refugees in Lebanon seem fated to suffer in all seasons.
Poems for a Better World: Silence
i Silence is explicit Silence is complicit Complicity is violence So in the violence of our silence Let us take stock of our complicity ii Our complicity silences truth Muffles honour, rapes innocence The same innocence we plead Confronted by shattered delusion “We didn’t know” iii We wished to not know Blinded, deafened, deadened We turned away Bedecked ourselves in laurel Which now turns to rue iv Our silence - yours and mine - is explicit It is complicit It is violent And in its complicit explicit violence We too have bloodied our souls About Ayesha Kajee Ayesha Kajee, a South African human rights activist and political analyst, has written poems and stories since childhood, but rarely publishes them due to ingrained perfectionism. She was runner up for the Babishaiku haiku prize in 2016.
Poems for a Better World: Terra Australis Incognita
Read Dean Gessie’s winning submission to the 2021 UN-aligned poetry competition.
Security Council Arria-Formula meeting on Myanmar
On July 29, the UN had a Security Council Arria-Formula meeting on the deteriorating situation in Myanmar. US ambassador and senior advisor for political affairs, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, summarised the dire situation, stating: “Humanitarian aid workers inside Burma are sounding the alarm.
5 Reasons Why You Should Not Trust The United Nations
The United Nations: the devil you know I met someone from a peculiar land with a completely messed up political system yielding a society that was plagued with poverty, oppression, corruption and strife. I commiserated until I found out that there actually was an alternative party that, given the chance, would put things right, yet nobody seemed to care about it.
Led by extremists, bombed by extremists - Gaza in the midst of insanity
Your past is in front of your eyes, it’s 2014, 2012 and 2008 all over again. You cannot escape it, visual reminders are scattered all over the city.
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