Archive for category: Human Rights

Information and stories about human rights.

, ,

Alleviating Poverty Through Criminal Justice Reform in Uganda

Criminal Justice Reform in UgandaFor many low-income households, a single encounter with the legal system can be a financially destructive force. While often viewed through a human rights lens, criminal justice reform in Uganda is a critical component of national poverty alleviation. By trapping vulnerable citizens in cycles of debt and removing primary earners from the workforce, the current justice system unintentionally bars economic mobility.

The Poverty Trap

According to the World Prison Brief, 79,698 people are imprisoned in Uganda. Approximately 46% are pre-trial detainees, revealing a massive hidden tax on the nation’s poorest families. If an individual cannot afford legal representation or bail, they are held in pre-trial detention for months, or even years. If the individual is a primary wage earner, their dependents then lose their primary income, guiding them further into poverty.

The financial instability of the poor is exacerbated by the application of Section 40 of the Civil Procedure Act. While the law intends for civil imprisonment to be a last resort for those who have the money but refuse to pay, in practice, lower courts often jail people simply for being unable to pay their debts. This policy carries a paradox: an individual cannot work because they do not have the means to pay, but they are unable to make money due to the inability to work. This ensures that the debt is never repaid, and the individual is trapped in a cycle of poverty. The Uganda Prisons Service reported that civil debtors increased by 13.3% in July 2025, rising from 581 to 658. Chapter Four Uganda claims this rushed sentencing violates international law and strengthens cycles of poverty.

Penal Reform International

Fortunately, Penal Reform International (PRI) is a non-governmental organization working tirelessly to enact criminal justice reform in Uganda. The group was founded in 1989 by a collection of London-based human rights activists, all outraged about the growing popularity of the death penalty and systemic discrimination. Since its inception, PRI has impacted more than 90 countries and notably collaborated with the U.N. to create the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, otherwise known as the Nelson Mandela Rules. The organization utilizes global advocacy and local cooperation to dismantle unequal prison structures like cash bail that trap low-income households into inescapable cycles of poverty.

In 2024, PRI’s initiatives directly protected the economic stability of thousands:

  • Alternatives to Imprisonment: By negotiating non-custodial sentences for 289 individuals, PRI kept those citizens in the workforce and allowed them to continue supporting their families and contributing to the local economy.
  • Professional Training: Through mediation training for 98 police officers and 81 prosecutors, PRI actively encourages officials to utilize non-custodial alternatives that keep individuals as part of the community and not behind bars.

Incarcerated Women in Uganda

The economic impact of the justice system is disproportionately felt by women. Research by PRI in 2015 showed that 76% of female prisoners in Uganda identify as poor, and 32% never received formal education.

A common barrier to rehabilitation is a lack of employable skills; thus, PRI offers vocational training to foster financial independence post-release. In 2024, 45 women at Fort Portal Women’s Prison participated in carpentry and culinary arts classes to build valuable experience. Moreover, entrepreneurship training was offered to women in Jinja Prison, a newly innovative kind of criminal justice reform. Start-up packs, which contained seed funding, were handed out to participants who would soon return home. In total, 101 women have received entrepreneurship training and start-up packs since the program’s inception in 2021. In 2024, 60% of participants received formal business certification. Penal Reform International has demonstrated that when the justice system prioritizes rehabilitation over incarceration, it can create building blocks for a sustainable, poverty-free future.

Looking Ahead

These initiatives foster hope for the future of criminal justice reform. By equipping individuals with alternatives to incarceration and employable skills, Penal Reform International directly tackles the root causes of poverty. The tangible results of these efforts, which affect hundreds of lives, demonstrate a reformed criminal justice system that can encourage economic empowerment. In this way, the building blocks for a sustainable future have been placed for countless people across Uganda.

– Julia Sanders

Julia is based in Fitchburg, WI, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

, ,

All That Glitters is Gold: Child Labor in the DRC

Child Labour in the DRCConflict has persisted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 1996, internally displacing more people than at any other time in recorded history.

United Nations (U.N.) data from 2022 records 5.6 million internally displaced persons affected by violence that has evolved from warfare involving neighboring countries to a stagnant, fragmented stalemate among more than 100 militia groups in eastern Congo.

The conflict remains peripheral, confined to the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, the capital Kinshasa remains unaffected, intensifying the normalization of this decades-long hostility.

Mining and Congo’s Bloodstained War Economy

Mining communities in the DRC are the heart of the eastern conflict. Seventy-five percent of the world’s cobalt is sourced in the DRC, alongside zinc, copper and gold. Despite mining being the economic backbone of the DRC, these communities remain among the poorest in the country; $24 trillion worth of resources lie untapped, yet those who tirelessly work to uncover them reap little reward.

As global demand for technologies rises, the demand for cobalt grows exponentially. Jason Stearns, an expert in the conflict in the DRC, cites the disturbing symbiosis between the conflict and the creation of a military bourgeoisie: “Belligerents on all sides of the battlefield have an interest in continuing the conflict.”

Prolonging violence favors the material interests of this military bourgeoisie, who profit from roadblocks, illegal taxation, controlling artisanal and small-scale mines, smuggling, trafficking, racketeering, along with legal and extra-legal payments linked to military operations.

Mining and the extraction of raw materials, from gold to cobalt, are central to this profitable war economy, but such benefits only reach a handful of individuals and political elites.

Particularly in small-scale and artisanal mining, child labor persists as one of the most pernicious issues of this war economy. High poverty rates lead families to send children into the hazardous conditions of the mines, where they are paid meager wages of $2 a day.

A 2023-24 survey suggests that one in 10 children ages 5 to 17 are subjected to work in dangerous conditions.

One militia commander is recorded, with a problematically normalizing sentiment, saying children make good combatants because they “learn easily” and “obey.”

Child labor in the DRC presents an even darker issue, reaching beyond the informal and dangerous conditions of the mine onto the battlefield.

Failed Peace Brokering

Peacekeeping missions have often focused on a top-down approach. Ostensibly, the investment in peace in the Congo has been immense.

However, an operational review by Congolese and international consultants, funded with a grant from the U.K.’s government aid agency, the Department for International Development (DFID), noted how aid efforts are often infiltrated by fraudsters and corruption inside the DRC. This internal corruption disrupts the impact of vital aid efforts, which hold the promise of alleviating poverty in the DRC’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

Aid, funds from foreign donors and supplies are siphoned off, leaving recipients at a loss. Corruption is often treated as inconsequential, with perpetrators left without sanctions and bribes used to hide corruption. The problem of how to implement foreign aid and donations in a system so rife with corruption remains.

A New Wave of Aid

In 2026, KSQF and UNICEF announced their strategic alliance to prevent child labor in the DRC.

The initiative builds on UNICEF’s TPS+ model, which has had a significant impact, helping to remove 1,015 children from mines in 2024. Five hundred ninety-nine of these children have now been re-enrolled in school. The initiative will remain vigilant, monitoring progress to produce a replicable model of child protection that can be reproduced elsewhere in the DRC and further afield.

Bottom-up approaches have also been implemented through the continued work of the Conflict Resolution Centre (CRC), which focuses on children from rebel groups in mining communities.

The school reintegration program concentrates on child soldiers under 14 and, since commencing work, more than 1,000 children have left armed groups.

The CRC, like UNICEF’s model, seeks to not only offer situational change but to build capacity within these vulnerable mining communities. Vocational training in skills such as carpentry, mechanics, livestock rearing and electronics helps to build alternative income-generating activities.

UNICEF and KSQF are equally generating advocacy and understanding about the conditions children are subjected to as soldiers and in artisanal small-scale mines. This builds upon the efforts of the International Labour Organization (ILO) SCREAM program (Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media). Through SCREAM, teachers, children and the local community have been mobilized, actively protesting the end of child labor in mines. More than 1,800 individuals have been reached by this socio-cultural activity, raising awareness about child labor issues and the intervention needed to prevent it.

Such approaches, directed straight to local mining communities, demonstrate that even amid conflict and corruption, preventing child labor in the DRC is actively being worked toward by creative and targeted aid initiatives.

– Millie Lavington-Owen

Millie is based in London, UK and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

, ,

The Exploitation of Agricoltural Refugee Labor in Italy

Man in hoodie carrying a cardboard box outdoors, representing refugee labour in Italy.The death of four migrant farmworkers in Amendolara, Calabria, on June 1, 2026, shocked Italy. It renewed attention on one of the country’s most persistent human rights issues: the exploitation of refugee labor in Italy. According to reports, the caporali (illegal labor recruiters) killed the workers after they refused to continue working without pay. The tragedy sparked renewed calls from NGOs and institutions for stronger protections for migrant workers and stricter enforcement against labor exploitation.

Thousands of refugees arrive in Italy every year, hoping for safety and economic stability, only to struggle against poverty, insecure employment, and exploitation. Many flee conflict, persecution, or extreme poverty in their countries, only to find themselves trapped in another cycle of deprivation in Europe. Without legal documents, stable housing, and access to regular employment, refugees are particularly vulnerable to abuse in sectors such as agriculture.

How Poverty Fuels Refugee Labor Exploitation

Agriculture is one of the sectors where the exploitation of refugee labor in Italy is most widespread due to the phenomenon known as Caporalato. This illegal system relies on intermediaries, known as caporali, who recruit vulnerable workers for farms while charging illegal fees, withholding wages, threatening workers, or exposing them to unsafe conditions.

Refugees and undocumented migrants often accept these conditions because they have few alternatives. Without residence permits or formal employment contracts, they are excluded from labor protections, health care, and social security. Fear of deportation or losing future opportunities to regularize their status discourages many workers from reporting abuse.

This exploitation reinforces global poverty rather than reducing it. Refugees seeking better economic opportunities often remain trapped in low-paid informal work, making it difficult to escape poverty, support their families, or build long-term stability. The result is a cycle in which vulnerability continues across borders.

Organizations Mobilizing for Migrants’ Rights

The situation of refugees is challenging, but some organizations work to improve their conditions and offer solutions to break the poverty cycle.

SIPLA (Integrated Protection System for Agricultural Workers) focuses on protecting migrants from Caporalato in Italy. It is divided into SIPLA North and SIPLA South to address slightly different needs. SIPLA operates locally, creating projects for assistance and training on workers’ rights, and nationally by promoting agreements with companies and large-scale distribution.

By the end of 2022, the Sipla North project reached 1,829 agricultural workers, opened 45 new help desks to assist migrants, and employed over 100 workers to assist exploited refugees. The project fostered collaboration between organizations with the same objective of ensuring respect for agricultural workers.

MILMAT, co-founded by the European Union, promotes labor and social integration on farms and ensures workers’ rights. The project fosters knowledge of rights and promotes the recruitment and respect of migrants. It also creates channels of communication between employers and workers to control discrimination and ensure commitment to work.

Government Action Against Exploitation

Italy has promoted the Decree Primo Maggio to address labor exploitation. Recent government initiatives include regulations aimed at combating digital forms of Caporalato, increasing transparency in recruitment processes, and simplifying access to legal work permits through digital platforms.

Although these reforms alone cannot eliminate exploitation, they represent important steps toward improving oversight and making legal employment more accessible for migrant workers.

– Ilaria Alberti

Ilaria is based in Dublin, Ireland and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

, ,

Helping Hong Kong’s Migrant Domestic Workers

Indonesian domestic workers relaxing in a Hong Kong park, seated together. Hong Kong's Migrant Domestic WorkersYears ago, Anne came to Hong Kong as one of the city’s 380,000 migrant domestic workers. While initially hopeful, she quickly found herself in an abusive situation familiar to many of those 380,000 people. After sinking into a deep depression, she found a way out by calling HELP, a local NGO working tirelessly to pull workers like her out of exploitative domestic labor, and discovered a new life for herself.

Hong Kong is widely known as a global financial hub. This economic international superpower relies on the labor of its massive population of migrant domestic workers who serve wealthy families.

Like many immigrant laborers across the world, MDWs (migrant domestic workers) struggle with exploitation resulting in underpayment. Groups like HELP for Domestic Workers are taking measures to break mistreated laborers free of harsh conditions through advocacy, educational programming, emotional support, and emergency shelter. Anne’s is just one success story.

Facing Hardships

A Stanford University study shows that Hong Kong’s ultra-wealthy 0.001% owns more than half of the city’s income, while the women who run their households often live off less than minimum wage.

Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers tend to obtain fragile visas to work in homes and send money back to their families. They sign contracts from agencies that provide household employers, and those agencies demand placement fees that often lead workers quickly into debt.

According to the Hong Kong Labour Department, contracts dictate that employers must pay MDWs the official allowable minimum wage, but there is no requirement to adjust that rate for inflation, so MDWs end up earning far less than the average person.

Additionally, a mandatory live-in policy results in a total loss of privacy for laborers. They commonly sleep in kitchens, bathtubs and on couches while on call 24/7. If given a day off, it is usually spent out in public in large groups.

The U.S. State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report dedicates an entire segment to the trafficking of migrant domestic workers, explaining that some agencies strategically use debt-based coercion as a pipeline into labor trafficking, sometimes withholding workers’ identification documents until they pay their debts, which can take years. Visa regulations and other systematic obstacles have made it difficult for workers to legally report abuse. However, grassroots efforts have been at work to help the situation for decades now, with growing impacts in recent years.

How HELP Is Helping

HELP for Domestic Workers is a local NGO providing thousands of Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers with counseling, shelter, education on their legal rights, and other adaptive support systems. Volunteers are also taking active steps to help propel workers into higher degrees of success, envisioning a Hong Kong where migrant workers have the chance to achieve their dreams, where they no longer live under exploitation.

In 2025 alone, HELP volunteers provided employment guidance to more than 800 MDWs, emotional support to over 900, and communicated with almost 4,000 people in need through outreach.

HELP also uses its platform to amplify media coverage centering Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers, like one HKFP story on loan sharks’ exploitation of migrant domestic workers through online scams and a Tatler piece on how migrant domestic workers are supporting their communities using art. In doing so, they spread further awareness of the issues MDWs face and relentlessly call attention from both the public and government officials to the cause.

A Broader Horizon

Organizations like HELP for Domestic Workers not only provide the help they promise, but they also give hope to unseen yet important Hong Kong communities.

By drawing attention to the voices of Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers, the focus turns to all immigrant laborers, all those victims of exploitation and systematic disregard. Actionable attention like this generates meaningful grassroots movements like HELP, a conglomeration of ordinary people doing their part to aid their communities.

– Aren Lau

Aren is based in Brooklyn, NY, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

, ,

How Kashmiri Women Stand up for Their Rights in a Conflict Zone

Kashmiri WomenIn a world filled with constant fear of militarization and disregard for women’s rights in conflict zones, Kashmiri women have resisted in pursuit of their moral, political, legal and economic rights. Their constant fight and struggle are a testament to the power of standing up for yourself and showing up every day. 

According to a study published in Contemporary South Asia, the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) is one of the most powerful symbols of standing up for women’s rights in conflict zones. Parveena Ahangar, a mother searching for her son who was abducted and mistaken for a militant, started this initiative with the hope of bringing wives, mothers and daughters together to create a political movement. 

Their Form of Resistance

There is a Kashmiri concept called thakawath, which refers to being exhausted from waiting. The APDP reversed this idea by adopting a tactic called “active waiting.” For decades, these women have refused to give up, consistently showing up in society through sit-ins and by holding photographs of their loved ones who went missing.

What makes this brave is how such a simple act of appearing in society challenges the status quo. They prevent society from forgetting their loved ones while also raising international awareness of the human rights violations occurring in their community.

Half-Widows

Half-widows are women whose husbands have disappeared but have not been declared dead. These women face constant uncertainty and economic and social vulnerability. According to Diaspora in Action for Human Rights and Democracy (DAHD), while widows can receive compensation, half-widows cannot. Their in-laws do not support them, do not grant them property rights and do not provide aid to support their children.

Bravery

In response to this issue, Kashmiri women refused to give in to societal expectations. They bravely entered military sites and courts to fight against the government in search of their husbands. They also began relying on their talents, such as agriculture and artistic crafts, to become breadwinners for their families.

Other women, such as Zamruda Habib, founded another organization called Muslim Khawateen, which advocates for women’s voices. According to a report, “[Ahangar] and Zamruda founded activist platforms and organized public resistance because of their own suffering at the hands of the State and their determination to highlight the injustices that they and women like them had suffered. They inspired a generation of young Kashmiri women to highlight social issues and build networks of women to address them.”

Despite mainstream media often overlooking women’s rights in conflict zones, the stories and resistance of Kashmiri women have reached the world in powerful ways. Whether it is a mother holding a photograph in a public space or another woman fighting the legal system, Kashmiri women continue to stand up bravely for their rights. They strive every day to be heard and seen.

– Hasini Muddapu

Hasini is based in Princeton, NJ, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Human Rights in North Korea: 4 Pressing Problems

Human Rights in North KoreaNorth Korea is one of the most surveilled countries in the world and has carried out human rights abuses and imposed severe punishments with limited freedoms. According to Freedom House, North Korea scored 3 out of 100 on the Global Freedom Score, meaning the country is categorized as “not free.” Among the indicators, except for Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights, all other indicators scored 0 out of 4. In addition, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) indicates that North Korea ranks second to last out of 180 countries in 2025. In other words, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) strictly prohibits independent journalism and controls information, including its production and distribution.

4 Pressing Problems

  1. Collapsed Economic System: The Informal Market. A researcher who completed a doctoral degree at the University of North Korean Studies told The Borgen Project in an interview that after the Arduous March, marketization emerged illegally, although the government consistently denied its existence. However, marketization has become an undeniable reality. According to the researcher, Kim Jong Un appears to be attempting to bring markets under state control by reinforcing trade through the public market system rather than the informal markets known as Jangmadang. In the early stages, the government introduced the concept of “8.3-earners” and initially turned a blind eye to private income generation. Recently, it has sought to increase wages in state-owned enterprises to narrow the gap between official wages and market prices, the researcher added. However, he also noted that the government used the market as a tool to control the population and stabilize the regime, which has contributed to wage inequality and distorted market conditions.
  2. Problems Caused by the Lack of Medical Systems and Services. North Koreans commonly sought treatment from private doctors rather than public doctors. Many patients waited outside the homes of doctors who were known for their ability to treat diseases. Public hospitals and clinics often failed to provide proper treatment unless patients offered bribes. Although private doctors lacked modern medical facilities, they often had sufficient skills to provide treatment and direct access to medications. As a result, many people chose to see private doctors in order to receive proper treatment and medications. In addition, the use of drugs such as opium and methamphetamine became widespread. Many residents reportedly died as a result of opium abuse. Despite serious side effects, some continued using it. It was sometimes regarded as a panacea. According to Daily NK, some North Koreans believed that regular opium injections could prevent heart attacks and strokes and used them as a substitute for medicine. Methamphetamine and opium were illegal, but officials often overlooked their use because the DPRK could not provide adequate medical care and medicine to people living in poverty. Beyond this, North Koreans who lacked sufficient medicine relied on folk remedies during COVID-19 due to shortages of vaccines and antiviral pills. North Korean state media reported that patients drank boiled honeysuckle water and used herbal medicines to address COVID-19 symptoms. Some folk remedies, such as willow bark, known for aspirin-like properties to treat inflammation and fever, were used. However, these methods were not a substitute for modern treatment for COVID-19. Furthermore, liver cancer treatment was limited due to the lack of modern surgical facilities. Reports indicate that some relied on brown rice tea and herbal tea made from burdock roots. These alternative treatments became widespread due to chronic deficiencies in the medical system and prolonged border closures following the pandemic.
  3. Human Rights Concerns. The North Korean government enacted three laws: the Youth Education Guarantee Act, the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act and the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act. These laws aim to restrict cultural influence from South Korea. Authorities have reportedly imposed severe penalties, including death sentences, for distributing South Korean media content. For example, according to El País, authorities publicly executed a 22-year-old man after charging him with watching and distributing 70 songs and three South Korean television series. Freedom of expression and access to information have regressed due to punishments imposed for sharing foreign media. In response, the United Nations (UN) adopted resolutions in 2024 condemning the human rights situation in North Korea. The resolutions addressed severe and pervasive restrictions on fundamental freedoms. During the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee, UNGA adopted a resolution on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, co-sponsored by 61 countries.
  4. Controlled Information and Misinformation. The government has used misinformation campaigns for decades as part of its propaganda strategy. Reports suggest these efforts aim to create hostility toward adversaries and influence public opinion. North Korean misinformation has also affected international relations, contributing to tension and confusion. During COVID-19, the government claimed that South Korea spread the virus by sending infected objects across the border, according to Voice of America (VOA). Although COVID-19 caused deaths and suffering beginning in 2020, the government reported zero cases to the World Health Organization (WHO). It officially acknowledged an outbreak in May 2022. Many humanitarian groups attempted to deliver assistance in North Korea but faced significant challenges due to restrictions on international humanitarian aid. According to VOA, the DPRK did not allow humanitarian aid workers into the country, and Kim Jong Un referred to humanitarian aid as a “poison pill.” Although many organizations attempted to provide assistance, government control and lack of transparency limited the distribution of aid. Continued monitoring of humanitarian and human rights conditions remains important.

Looking Ahead

While significant challenges remain, continued international monitoring, humanitarian engagement and diplomatic dialogue offer potential pathways toward improved human rights in North Korea. Sustained attention to human rights, health care access and transparency can help lay the groundwork for gradual progress and greater protection of fundamental freedoms.

– Yunjaelee

Yunjaelee is based in Vancouver, Canada and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

, , ,

Fragility and Rule of Law in Peru

Fragility and Rule of Law in PeruFragility and the rule of law in Peru remain closely intertwined with political instability, corruption and low public confidence have weakened the rule of law in Peru, limiting equal enforcement and protection of citizens’ rights.

These challenges limit accountability, restrict access to justice and disproportionately harm low-income and marginalized communities, reinforcing cycles of poverty. Peru has made economic gains over the past two decades, but since 2023, 29% of the population still lives in poverty with rural and indigenous communities facing the highest vulnerability.

Structural Weaknesses in Peru’s Justice System

Public confidence in Peru’s institutions is extremely low. According to the World Justice Project’s 2022 general population poll, only 36% of Peruvians believe high-ranking officials will face accountability for breaking the law, a modest improvement from 2018. Moreover, 84% of respondents believe most or all members of Congress are involved in corrupt practices with 78% stating the same of political parties.

This erosion of trust weakens democratic legitimacy and reduces incentives for people to engage with formal institutions, leaving vulnerable communities exposed to abuse and exclusion. Therefore, fragility and the rule of law in Peru directly shape the country’s ability to reduce poverty and promote inclusive development.

Peru has approximately 10 judges per 100,000 inhabitants, below the OECD European average of 18. Access to justice is uneven; only 27% of Peruvians with recent legal problems received professional assistance, 19% struggled with costs and 47% experienced stress or health hardships. Rural and Indigenous populations are disproportionately affected, reinforcing legal inequality.

For rural and Indigenous populations, geographic isolation and financial barriers make courts nearly inaccessible. Without reliable legal protection, people face higher risks of land dispossession, labor exploitation and environmental harm; all factors that deepen poverty and inequality.

Political Interference and Judicial Independence

Political interference has further undermined judicial independence in Peru. According to America’s director at Human Rights Watch, Juanita Goebertus states that “Peru’s Congress has severely weakened one of the last standing independent bodies that could serve as a check on its abusive practices.” As a result of these weakened oversights, it has reduced institutional autonomy and limits the ability to investigate corruption and organized crime. 

High-profile prosecutions, such as former President Martin Vizcarra’s, illustrate perceived selective enforcement and politicization, limiting public confidence in judicial impartiality.

In August 2022, Peru granted immunity to security forces accused of human rights abuses during the 1980–2000 internal conflict, halting more than 600 cases and overturning 156 convictions, raising concerns over international obligations.

Civil Society and Legal Accountability

Civil society organizations play a critical role in expanding access to justice and monitoring government conduct. However, recent legislation has introduced new restrictions on non-governmental organizations. The Guardian reported that new laws allow fines of up to $500,000 against NGOs that support legal actions against the state, potentially affecting hundreds of organizations involved in legal advocacy and human rights protection. These measures risk reducing legal support for marginalized communities and weakening external oversight, further undermining accountability under the rule of law in Peru.

As funding and advocacy space shrink, poor and marginalized populations lose essential support networks, making it harder to challenge abuses or access public services. This further illustrates how fragility and the rule of law in Peru compounds economic vulnerability.

Consequences and Reform Prospects

The erosion of the rule of law in Peru has measurable governance consequences. According to the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, Peru’s rule of law score stood at -0.54 in 2023. These negative scores reflect weak confidence in contract enforcement, judicial independence and legal predictability. 

The OECD Justice Review emphasizes the need for reforms focused on strengthening judicial independence, expanding access to justice in underprivileged regions, improving institutional coordination and safeguarding civil society participation.

Government and NGO Responses To Rule of Law Challenges

Despite persistent challenges, government programs and NGO initiatives are working to strengthen the rule of law in Peru. One major effort is the Justice Sector Support Project (JSSP‑2), led by the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in collaboration with Peru’s Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and funded by the U.S. State Department. Launched in 2022, this program operates across all 34 judicial districts and seeks to consolidate judicial reforms, improve Peru’s capacity to combat complex crimes, prevent and detect corruption, and strengthen access to justice, especially for vulnerable and Indigenous communities. It builds on a previous five‑year project and has included nationwide oral litigation workshops with more than 600 participants, as well as practical training for prosecutors and police on environmental law and crime investigation.

Peru’s experience demonstrates the close relationship between state fragility and the erosion of the rule of law. There is empirical evidence that reveals low public confidence in accountability mechanisms, limited judicial capacity, political interference in legal institutions and growing constraints on civil society. Together, these factors undermine the effective functioning of the justice system and weaken democratic governance.

– Madison Brown

Madison is based in Nottingham, UK and focuses on Good News and Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

, ,

Fighting Poverty Among People With Albinism in Malawi

People With Albinism in MalawiMalawi has one of the highest rates of albinism in the world; an estimated one in 130 people is born with the genetic condition, more than 134,000 in total. Albinism causes a lack of melanin pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes, significantly increasing the vulnerability to sun damage and, therefore, skin cancer. Yet for those living with albinism in Malawi, health risks are only a fraction of the struggle.

Harmful superstitions have fueled discrimination and ritual attacks, with some erroneously believing that some body parts of people with albinism bring wealth or good fortune. These dangers leave individuals with albinism isolated and economically vulnerable. Growing advocacy efforts are helping to challenge stigma, improve access to protection and build safer, more inclusive opportunities for Malawians with albinism.

Poverty and Discrimination Among Malawians With Albinism

Of the 134,000 Malawians with albinism, 53,000 are primary and secondary school age. From an early age, many Malawian children with albinism face bullying and discrimination at school. Social exclusion, alongside misinformation about their condition, causes many to withdraw or drop out entirely.

Without a full education, opportunities for higher-paying or skilled employment become limited, increasing the likelihood of lifelong poverty. Those who struggle to find work are often pushed toward low-wage, outdoor labor, such as farming or manual jobs, which places them under direct sunlight for long hours and heightens health risks.

Health concerns further compound these economic barriers. As melanin helps protect the skin from ultraviolet exposure, people with albinism are highly susceptible to severe sunburn and skin cancer. Access to sunscreen, protective clothing and dermatology services is limited, particularly in rural areas. Both medical challenges and threats of violence trap individuals with albinism in a cycle where discrimination and poor health drastically narrow opportunities for mobility and economic participation.

The Association of Persons With Albinism in Malawi

The Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) is the country’s leading grassroots advocacy group for the rights, safety and economic inclusion of people with albinism. APAM documents attacks and human-rights violations, presses police and government to act and, through engagement with local communities, demands better protection and services. In recent years, the group has shifted its focus from emergency response to long-term inclusion.

It now implements school outreach programs to reduce stigma, supports leadership and entrepreneurship training to help members transition into safer, higher-quality work and advocates for policy measures. APAM also partners with health-focused NGOs to expand sunscreen distribution, vision care and dermatology referrals, recognizing that health protection and socioeconomic well-being are interlinked. By combining case documentation, public education and policy advocacy, APAM has helped place albinism on Malawi’s national agenda.

It has prompted the government and donors to commit to sustained funding for protection programs, a vital step in breaking the cycle of discrimination and poverty.

Standing Voice

Standing Voice is an international nonprofit working in Malawi (and across Africa) to deliver long-term, scalable solutions for people with albinism. Rather than focusing only on crisis response, the organization operates programs that prioritize individuals’ safety, attending school and participating confidently in public life. In the health sector, Standing Voice establishes clinical networks and provides access to sunscreen, dermatology and low-vision services.

These are critical interventions that enable people with albinism to participate in school or the world without being sidelined by illness. On the education and livelihoods front, the organization works to reintegrate children into schools and provide vocational and livelihood support. This enables adults with albinism to access safer and more sustainable employment rather than outdoor, high-risk labor.

Additionally, like APAM, Standing Voice undertakes advocacy to break cycles of stigma, violence and exclusion by amplifying the voices of people with albinism and influencing policy. Its holistic strategy links protection with economic empowerment, addressing both root causes and outcomes of poverty for Malawians with albinism.

Final Remarks

People with albinism in Malawi continue to face preventable dangers and barriers that limit both their safety and socioeconomic participation. Yet, the progress led by advocacy organizations, health initiatives and community education shows that these challenges are not inevitable. With continued investment in protection, accessible health care and inclusive employment, Malawians with albinism can build secure, independent futures.

– Elysha Din

Elysha is based in Guildford, UK and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

, ,

3 Organizations Defending Migrants’ Rights in Austria

migrants' rights in austriaAustria is a prosperous country with an enviable location at the epicenter of Central Europe. It calls seven countries its neighbor, so it is little wonder that the country experiences a significant migrant footfall. It also boasts one of the strongest social systems in Europe, meaning that support for unemployed, sick or injured people is generous in comparison to Austria’s European counterparts.

The country offers a bright outlook for many fleeing conflict or poverty. However, many migrants slip through bureaucratic cracks. Whether it is due to a lack of education, inability to speak the native language or legal setbacks when applying for work permits and residency documentation, many migrants find themselves in a legal gray zone that strips them of any meaningful way to make money and integrate into the country.

That is where organizations like Ikemba, Südwind and Megaphon come in. Armed with expertise in social integration, knowledge transfer and legal counsel, and access to invaluable resources, each works tirelessly to defend migrants’ rights in Austria, help them get a footing in the job market and secure a fulfilling future.

Ikemba

“We need humanity.” That is Ikemba’s resounding call on its homepage, and it is this philosophy that informs all the work it does in Graz’s underprivileged migrant communities. Its focus is on equipping migrants, low-threshold families and “hard-to-reach people” with skills that will increase their chances of a sustainable future.

A combination of social integration, help with language skills, cultural education and health support has seen Ikemba empower underrepresented communities. Courses include “Low-threshold A1 German courses for women” and “Empowerment communication course on the topic of ‘Health,’” among others. By offering this kind of education free of charge, Ikemba is one step closer to its vision: a society in which diversity is lived and valued. It is essential when it comes to fighting for migrants’ rights in Austria.

Südwind

While Südwind’s core focus is climate justice, the charity recognizes that this goes hand in hand with poverty and social inequality. Climate justice is innately connected to human rights and global sustainable development, which is why it fights for fair working conditions across every stage of international supply chains and campaigns for international solidarity and access to food and education for all.

It is no mean feat. Tackling all these major societal issues simultaneously takes a strong vision and an airtight strategy. The charity invests a significant portion of time in educational workshops that are carried out across the whole country ,the Südwind magazine and international PR campaigns that inform readers about climate justice and its impacts on migration and disadvantaged communities.

Megaphon

Taking a different approach to Südwind and Ikemba, Megaphon recognizes the bureaucratic challenges that many migrants face when in Austria. Its mission is to keep as many migrants as possible out of financial precarity by offering them the opportunity to sell its street magazine, Megaphon, without any work permits.

Offering an empowering alternative to begging on the street, Megaphon recognizes the legal battles that many migrants face in Austria and offers them legal counseling regarding visas, permits and residency. And while profits for the magazine are always welcome, the organization’s main objective is to get its vendors into meaningful and long-lasting jobs that secure a sustainable future for themselves and their families.

Looking Ahead

All three organizations are cornerstones of the social sector in Graz. Whether defending migrants’ rights in Austria by loudly taking to the streets to protest or quietly managing tedious paperwork that makes migrants’ lives easier, each proves how important such organizations are in lifting people out of poverty for the long term.

– Saroj Spickett

Saroj is based in Graz, Austria and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

, ,

Being Poor in Venezuela

Being Poor in VenezuelaTo feel trapped in a country that is meant to be your home — a place of refuge, comfort and safety — is now the reality of more than 80% of households in Venezuela, with more than half living in extreme poverty. Being poor in Venezuela has become a familiar, looming presence under the rule of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Demand for Change

According to the BBC, for two decades, Maduro’s regime has inflicted suffering across Venezuela. Following a government-controlled election, Maduro claimed a third successive term, crushing hopes for change.

With renewed control over the country’s foreign policy, Maduro banned platforms such as Binance – a global cryptocurrency exchange – and social media platform X, which provide visibility into Venezuela’s economic crisis. Without such visibility, Venezuelans remain at the mercy of a corrupt regime and stay trapped in a cycle of being poor.

Mass Exodus: Searching for Safety

Being poor in Venezuela has become a daily struggle after decades of hyperinflation, leaving the country in dire straits. Citizens face extreme poverty, with an average income of just $0.72, and since the bolivar no longer functions as a viable currency, many must seek alternative means for survival.

Victims of this crisis now seek refuge in neighboring countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), “nearly 8 million Venezuelans have been forced to flee” in search of safety and economic stability.

A Call for Action

Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo González denounced the National Electoral Council’s (CNE) recent election results. Analysts at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) outlined a “Day After” Postcrisis Recovery and Reform Framework, calling for comprehensive institutional reconstitution to restore political and economic stability.

To be successful, they emphasize how global powers such as the United States and other countries can support Venezuela through the crisis – especially the devastating realities of being poor in Venezuela, where citizens face systematic hardship and lack access to basic resources.

United Against Corruption

Maduro has succeeded in isolating Venezuela’s global markets, economically imprisoning citizens and limiting access to foreign currencies. Being poor in Venezuela now means navigating a collapsed economy with few lifelines.

Jorge Jraissai, the president of the Economic Inclusion Group, urges individuals to support organizations such as the Human Rights Foundation, which work to give Venezuelans a fighting chance against currency collapse.

In his analysis, The Role of Freedom Tech in Venezuela’s Fight for Freedom, Jraissai explains how the Human Rights Foundation has united activists and developers to create new digital solutions. Cryptocurrency platforms such as Binance, he argues, play an essential role in helping people to safeguard their earnings and access global currencies. These tools allow Venezuelans to bypass government restrictions and achieve economic autonomy.

Digital Lifelines

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF), a non-governmental organization (NGO), which operates to alleviate poverty and protect human rights globally, with a focus on countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. Founded in 2005 by Venezuelan human rights advocate Thor Halvorssen Mendoza, HRF continues to provide initiatives such as the Oslo Freedom Forum, which brings together activists and technologists to promote global freedom.

HRF raises awareness about the threats of authoritarianism and poverty. In 2023, its policies appeared across top major media outlets including CNN, CNBC, The Atlantic, POLITICO, Newsweek and the BBC. According to HRF, the organization received 17.8K media mentions, $772M in earned media value, and 23M social media Impressions.”

To support innovative solutions, HRF’s advocacy efforts “protect activists, journalists and other civil society leaders targeted by authoritarian regimes.” 

The organization developed the “Tyranny Tracker,” a research tool that analyzes and identifies countries most vulnerable to political oppression. Its methodology classifies nations as either democratic (103 countries: 2.2 billion), Hybrid Authoritarian Regimes (40 countries: 2.7 billion) or Fully Authoritarian Regimes (57 countries: 3 billion).

By supporting NGOs like HRF, global citizens can stand in solidarity with Venezuelans and help combat the devastating effects of being poor in Venezuela.

From Survival to Renewal

Poverty in Venezuela does not represent an unbreakable chain – it demands unity and action. Digital technology, institutional change and global collaboration could provide Venezuelans a fighting chance against poverty. 

– Gabriela E Silva

Gabriela is based in Addlestone, Surrey, UK and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels