RightsUp

In September 2015, the UN adopted the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all people. For the first time, these goals explicitly aim to bring human rights and economic development into conversation with one another. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be realised by 2030, each with their own targets. Goal number 5 is to ‘achieve gend...

In September 2015, the UN adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all people. These are the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to be realised by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals replace and build on the Millennium Development Goals, which were established in 2000 with targets set for 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals make some important chang...

Almost exactly a year ago, in January 2017, the UK Department of Education published a report by the Disabled Students Sector Leadership Group (DSSLG) which offered guidance on how universities and other higher education providers could better support disabled students. In short, the report found that institutions of higher education could do much more to make learning and teaching more inclusive...

The EU has played an important role both internationally and domestically in EU member states, in developing and protecting equality rights in the interest of ensuring peace and security. UK and EU equality law has evolved very much in parallel, with regular exchange and cross-pollination. Today, equality commissions in the UK handle the protection and enforcement of equality law. The present Equa...

Just this morning, news broke that the UK has reached a deal with the EU. Theresa May announced that there would be no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement would be upheld, and that EU citizens’ rights would be protected in the UK. Few details about the agreement are available, and there are still many questions about how these very critical elements of the d...

There are many ways in which private businesses hold financial and political power akin to states. They also commit violations and abuses of power akin to states. But are they held accountable in the same way that states are? This episode is all about whether corporations should have human rights obligations – should they be responsible for upholding and defending human rights the way that we expe...

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, what is the future of environmental justice and human rights in the United States and the world? We talk with environmental human rights expert and lawyer, Nick Stump, about what we can learn from the experiences of the Appalachian region of the U.S. Appalachia is known for coal mining, and it became a f...

In May of 2016, the Obama administration issued federal guidance that stated transgender people are protected according to United States civil rights law preventing sex discrimination in schools. It was a historic move, in response to a wave of cases making their way through federal courts regarding discrimination against transgender people. But in February 2017, the newly elected Trump administra...

Since the 1973 Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, abortion has been legal in the United States. But terminating pregnancy remains a controversial issue, and it plays a surprisingly large role in American politics. In this episode, we talk to Carol Sanger, professor of law at Columbia University and author of 'About Abortion: Terminating Pregnancy in 21st Century America' about why abortion is su...

The Human Rights Act incorporated the rights guaranteed in the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. In this episode, we look at the Human Rights Act in a past interview with Sir Keir Starmer, MP for Holborn and St. Pancras, currently Shadow Brexit Secretary, and former Director of Public Prosecutions for the Crown Prosecution Service. Interview(s) with: Sir Keir Starmer, MP Produced by...

In the 19th century, the Contagious Diseases Acts were passed in the UK and Ireland to curtail the spread of venereal disease among military personnel in certain cities. In this episode, we talk to Dr Anne Hanley, a Junior Research Fellow at New College, Oxford, about why this legislation had such a disproportionate effect on women and what we can learn from it today. Produced by: Dr Kira Allmann...

In the six years following the Arab Spring, there has been a notable increase in death sentences and executions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In this episode, we talk to James Lynch, Deputy Director of the Global Issues Programme at Amnesty International, about the death penalty in MENA countries, the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and the prospects for abolition in the future. Produc...

On 24 January 2017, the UK Supreme Court ruled in the case Miller and Dos Santos vs. Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. The Court decided that the Government does not have a prerogative power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Instead, an act of parliament will be needed to begin the process of the UK leaving the EU. In this episode, we bring back Professor Alison Young, a...

The UK Supreme Court is expected to deliver a decision on the case Miller and Dos Santos vs. Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on January 24th. The question before the Supreme Court is whether the Government or parliament has the power to invoke Article 50 and start the process of the UK leaving the EU. In this episode, Dr Kira Allmann talks to Professor Alison Young about the case...

RightsUp #RightNow is a series of mini episodes in the RightsUp podcast series that explores current events dealing with human rights issues. On 11 January, members of a public bill committee in the UK parliament voted against an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill that would have made sex and relationship education compulsory in all schools. In this episode of RightsUp #RightNow, we ta...

Episode 3 of RightsUp (released 08 July 2015) Interviews with: Arushi Garg, Indira Jaising Produced by: Kira Allmann, Max Harris, and Laura Hilly

Episode 2 of RightsUp (released 21 May 2015) Interviews with: David Bilchitz, Karl Laird Produced by: Kira Allmann, Max Harris, and Laura Hilly

Episode 1 of RightsUp (released 06 May 2015) Interviews with: Mary Anne Franks, Holly Jacobs, Jessica Mason, Clare McGlynn, Ann Olivarius, Erika Rackley Produced by: Kira Allmann, Max Harris, and Laura Hilly