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Wide-ranging abuses against Indigenous peoples persist across Canada with significant challenges remaining to undo decades of structural and systemic discrimination.

Inadequate access to clean, safe drinking water continues to pose a major public health concern in many Indigenous communities—and continues to impede efforts to advance Indigenous rights in Canada, one of the world’s most water-rich countries.

The government committed to end all drinking water advisories on First Nations reserves by 2021 but, as of September, more than 30 First Nations communities across Canada remained subject to long-term water advisories, which alert communities when their water is not safe to drink. In July, an CDN$8 million settlement agreement was reached in two class action lawsuits against the federal government brought by First Nations communities living under drinking water advisories.

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Costa Rica has many world problems, mainly in its prisons. They are dealing with violence, and poor sanitation, which becomes even worse since they also have overcrowding; with all these people getting sick from poor sanitation, many don't have enough access to health care.

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In a January report, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes wrote “appalling levels of infant mortality” and discrimination against the residents of institutions which were managed by the state and by Catholic priests and nuns. A redress scheme for survivors was announced in November, though a large number of survivors were excluded.

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France have long have a problem with immigration. Many people is afraid that the amount of people immigrating will take away their security and their identity. The far-right party thinks that the immigrations will influence the economy and the amount of people without a job in a bad way. More than 6.5 million immigrants resided in France as of 2018, the most recent year for which definitive census data are available, accounting for about 10 percent of the total population. People have lots of different options about this problem, but the government is trying to compromise step by step how to find the beat solution.

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For the past couple of years Poland's human rights struggle has been clear and very apparent. Like our struggles here in the US, Poland's problem with Women's reproductive rights still affects many people today. Not only that, Poland's Judicial Independence. This ties into the problem with Women's reproductive rights. There is a lack of self awareness in Poland's government. The minister of justice of Poland Zbigniew Ziobro calls for the judicial branch to change following his thoughts after the Judicial branch breaks 6(1).

Sorce - https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/poland#:~:text=Government%20attacks%20on%20judicial%20independence,and%20obstacles%20in%20their%20reporting.

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World Report 2023: Rights Trends in Poland

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Government attacks on judicial independence and rule of law remained a serious concern. Women’s sexual and reproductive rights and activists continued to be under attack. Officials continued to use anti-LGBT rhetoric. Independent media outlets and journalists faced threats and obstacles in their rep…

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In Canada there is a constant abuse towards Indigenous people. There are fights of structural and systemic discrimination that are waiting to be undone. Indigenous  communities are concerned about their access to clean water since their government ended all drinking water advisories on First Nation reserves. Source: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/canada

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Since assuming office in 2015, the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made notable efforts to advance human rights in Canada. Despite progress, serious domestic and foreign policy challenges remain. These include wide-ranging abuses against Indigenous peoples and immigration detainees, including persons with disabilities. Canada's failures to mitigate the impact of climate change and provide adequate government support are also leading to violations in Indigenous communities across the country while compounding risks for people with disabilities and older people. Canada also grapples with serious human rights issues abroad relating to the lack of accountability for abuses by Canadian mining companies and meaningful action to repatriate Canadian nationals unlawfully detained in northeast Syria for suspected Islamic State (ISIS) ties.

Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Wide-ranging abuses against Indigenous peoples persist across Canada with significant challenges remaining to undo decades of structural and systemic discrimination.

Inadequate access to clean, safe drinking water continues to pose a major public health concern in many Indigenous communities-and continues to impede efforts to advance Indigenous rights in Canada, one of the world's most water-rich countries.

The government committed to end all drinking water advisories on First Nations reserves by 2021 but, as of September, more than 30 First Nations communities across Canada remained subject to long-term water advisories, which alert communities when their water is not safe to drink. In July, an CDN$8 million settlement agreement was reached in two class action lawsuits against the federal government brought by First Nations communities living under drinking water advisories.

In September, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rejected the federal government's request for judicial review of two decisions relating to Indigenous children. In 2019, the tribunal found that Ottawa "willfully and recklessly discriminated against Indigenous children on reserve by failing to provide funding for child and family services." The tribunal ordered the government to provide up to CDN$40,000 to each Indigenous child who was unnecessarily taken into government care on or after January 1, 2006.

From May to July, hundreds of unmarked graves were found at former government-funded and church-run residential schools in the provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Approximately 150,000 Indigenous children were removed from their families and communities and placed in residential schools, where they were forbidden to speak their own languages or practice their culture. Many also suffered physical and sexual abuse at residential schools, which operated until the 1990s.

Prime Minister Trudeau called on the Roman Catholic Church, which ran residential schools across Canada, to make a formal apology and publish their records. Indigenous groups and the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called for an independent investigation and resources from the federal government to continue forensic investigations of burial sites at former residential schools.

In June, the Canadian government passed Bill C-15, establishing a framework for implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into federal legislation. The legislation requires that all levels of government affirm Indigenous rights as protected by international human rights standards.

Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls

New data released by Statistics Canada in May found that more than six out of ten Indigenous women reported experiencing physical or sexual assault at some point in their lifetime. The report further found that 83 percent of Indigenous women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or transgender had experienced intimate partner abuse.

In June, the federal government released a report promising a series of "transformative changes" to address persistent discrimination and violence against Indigenous women and gender-diverse people. In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised $2.2 billion in new spending over five years to address the root causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls. Canada has yet to release a federal action plan to address violence against Indigenous women and girls.

Immigration Detention

Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government released immigration detainees at unprecedented rates due to public health concerns. However, a joint Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International report released in June found that Canada continues to detain people on immigration grounds in often abusive conditions. People in immigration detention, including persons with disabilities as well as those fleeing persecution and seeking protection in Canada, are regularly handcuffed, shackled, and held with little to no contact with the outside world. With no set release date, they can be held for months or years. Many are held in provincial jails with the regular jail population and are also sometimes subjected to solitary confinement.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) remains the only major law enforcement agency in Canada without independent civilian oversight. CBSA's unchecked exercise of its broad mandate and enforcement powers has repeatedly resulted in serious human rights violations in the context of immigration detention.

Corporate Accountability

Canada is home to half of the world's mining companies, with operations in nearly 100 countries around the world. Despite its extensive reach, the government has consistently failed to implement promised reforms to hold Canadian mining companies accountable for abuses committed abroad. The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) established in 2018 still lacks the authority to independently investigate or publicly report on human rights abuses involving Canadian extractive companies and has limited capacity to hold responsible parties accountable.

In June, the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights tabled a report calling on the government to introduce legislation requiring Canadian companies to conduct human rights due diligence to "identify, prevent, mitigate and account for any potential adverse human rights, environmental and gendered impacts" caused by their supply chains and operations. The committee also asked the government to consider strengthening the powers of the CORE by granting it the authority to compel witnesses and documents.

In February, a Canadian member of parliament filed a petition in the House of Commons calling on the government to investigate the role of Canadian mining companies in the extrajudicial killings of environmental and human rights defenders in the Philippines.

In March, a Canadian law professor filed a lawsuit against the federal government alleging that it improperly withheld information about its diplomatic interventions on behalf of a Canadian mining company accused of human rights violations at its mine in Guatemala.

In May, over 80 civil society organizations released a letter calling on Canadian mining company Barrick Gold, as well as the government of the Dominican Republic, to reconsider the planned expansion of the Pueblo Viejo gold mine due to concerns about environmental and human rights impacts.

Counterterrorism

Nearly four dozen Canadian men, women, and children remain unlawfully and indefinitely detained in northeast Syria in locked desert camps and prisons for Islamic State (ISIS) suspects and their families. The government of Prime Minister Trudeau continues to fail to take adequate steps to assist and repatriate these nationals, who have spent over two years in filthy, deeply degrading, life-threatening and often inhuman conditions. None of the Canadians has been charged with any crime or brought before a judge to review the legality and necessity of their detention.

In March, Canada with the assistance of a former US diplomat repatriated a 4-year-old Canadian child from one of these camps, but refused to bring her Canadian mother home. The mother was able to leave northeast Syria, but remained stuck in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for over four months awaiting travel documents that Canada needed to provide her in order to come home. Following a court application filed on her behalf in October against the federal government, she was issued a passport and was able to return to Canada in late November. At time of writing, Covid-19 was rapidly spreading across northeast Syria with nearly 30,000 cases reported in the region in September alone. The World Health Organization has warned of "significant risk" of high transmission in the camps.

In June, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development released a report following a parliamentary hearing on the impact of Covid-19 on children in crisis settings and called on the government to "pursue all options possible" to repatriate Canadian children detained in northeast Syria. The committee urged the government to "make every effort" to provide consular assistance to all detained Canadians. Opposition MPs on the committee tabled a supplementary report, recommending that the government act immediately to facilitate the swift repatriation of Canadian children and provide consular services to the detainees.

In September, 26 detainees in northeast Syria and their families in Canada filed an application in federal court against the government for failing to repatriate or help secure the release of these citizens. In September, Kimberly Polman, one of the Canadian detainees, began a hunger strike to protest her lack of medical care.

Climate Change Policy and Impacts

As a top 10 global greenhouse gas emitter Canada is contributing to the climate crisis taking a growing toll on human rights around the globe. Since being elected in 2015, the Trudeau government has repeatedly pledged to pursue ambitious action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, Canada remains the only G7 country whose greenhouse gas emissions have increased substantially since the adoption of the Paris Agreement.

Canada is also the top per capita public financer of fossil fuels in the world and projects increased oil production through 2050. According to the Climate Action Tracker, Canada's commitment to reduce emissions by 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 is not sufficient to meet the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. And Canada is not on track to meet its target.

World governments' failure to tackle climate change is already taking a growing toll on marginalized populations in Canada. Warming temperatures and increasingly unpredictable weather are reducing the availability of First Nations' traditional food sources, and increasing the difficulty and danger associated with harvesting food from the land.

Federal and provincial climate change policies have failed to put in place adequate measures to support First Nations in adapting to current and anticipated impacts of climate change and have largely ignored the impacts of climate change on First Nations' right to food. While the federal government made historic funding commitments in 2021 to support Indigenous food security and Indigenous-led climate monitoring, much more is needed to address the impact of the climate crisis on First Nations and to ensure that appropriate food subsidies and health resources are available to all who need them.

Inadequate government support also compounded risks for people with disabilities and older people during the June 2021 "heat dome," an extreme and foreseeable heatwave that killed hundreds of people in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Lack of proper heat planning and lack of access to cooling and targeted support for at-risk populations contributed to unnecessary suffering and possibly deaths.

Key International Actors

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called for countries to repatriate their nationals held as ISIS suspects and family members from northeast Syria and in March called it " absolutely essential" that Canada do so. In February, the UN special rapporteur for the protection and promotion of human rights while countering terrorism had placed Canada on a 57-country "list of shame" for its failure to repatriate Canadian nationals from northeast Syria. The US has also repeatedly called on all countries to repatriate their nationals.

Foreign Policy

Prime Minister Trudeau has acknowledged the need for negotiations at the World Trade Organization to "resolve" intellectual property issues constraining supply of Covid-19 health products globally, but Canada has not supported the proposal of India and South Africa for a waiver of certain provisions of the TRIPS agreement, only going as far as supporting text-based negotiations for a consensus-based outcome.

In January, Canada issued a business advisory to Canadian companies outlining the legal and reputational risks of working in Xinjiang, China, where their supply chains may be tainted by forced labor. At the June session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Canada delivered a joint statement on behalf of 44 countries, expressing concerns at abuses in Xinjiang, as well as the deteriorating rights situations in Hong Kong and Tibet.

At the February session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Canada as a member of a core group on Sri Lanka supported the adoption of a resolution establishing a new accountability mechanism to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence of international crimes for use in future prosecutions.

In March, Canada joined more than 30 countries in supporting a joint declaration condemning human rights abuses in Egypt, including the crackdown on civil society and political opposition, and called for "accountability and immediate end of impunity."

In April, Canada announced additional sanctions on individuals and entities affiliated with the Myanmar military and issued an advisory for Canadian companies doing business with Myanmar-related entities. In July and August, Canada also imposed targeted sanctions on individuals in Nicaragua and Belarus respectively in response to ongoing human rights violations.

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World Report 2022: Rights Trends in Canada

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Since assuming office in 2015, the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made notable efforts to advance human rights in Canada. Despite progress, serious domestic and foreign policy challenges remain. These include wide-ranging abuses against Indigenous peoples and immigration detainees, including persons with disabilities.

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Albania's strong post-pandemic recovery has been halted, since the war in Ukraine brought shock across the region. The Western Balkans face new challenges such as increase in energy and food prices, high inflation, slow trading and investment because of the war in Ukraine. A prolonged war could potentially lead Albania to more disruption to global trade and energy and food prices, thus further affecting the country's economy.

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Recently, Australia has been experiencing challenges related to Native rights. Australia is home to the oldest continuing culture in the world. Since European colonization began, the rights of the native peoples have been neglected and many have been denied basic human rights. 110 of the 145 aboriginal languages are critically endangered of becoming forgotten. Recently, the Australian government has put policies in place to help close the gap of health inequality that many aboriginals face. The government has also increased the access that natives have to quality education and a fair job market. (Australian Human Rights Commission)

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Authorities pursued ambitious judicial, police, and constitutional reforms. Human rights problems included ill-treatment by law enforcement, interference with freedom of assembly, domestic violence, discrimination against people with disabilities, and violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Russia-brokered truce broke down several times as Azerbaijan made incursions in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. The political opposition blamed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, held ongoing protests, and demanded his resignation.

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Armenia and its neighboring country Azerbaijani clashed in September, resulting in almost 300 deaths and dozens of injuries. (New York Times)

At home, Armenian citizens are struggling against discrimination from the government and healthcare, this discrimination is namley based on disabilities, sexual orientation, and gender identity. (Human Rights Watch)

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On Monday, February 6th a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Istanbul, Turkey. This quake killed 46,000 people between the two countries as well as left hundreds and thousands homeless with a lack of food and water. The following day another strong earthquake and its aftershocks struck again killing and injuring hundreds. This natural disaster damaged 139,000 buildings, 865,000 left without a home and 270 tent cities have been set up. Sadly it has left the streets flooded with rubber for miles.

https://apnews.com/article/2023-turkey-syria-earthquake-government-business-18c9a263e69c786e1f9eb77ff49d221b

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China is going on the offensive as their balloons are shot down over US Territory. Originally, China made the excuse that the balloons were for meteorology, and were lost while in use, but the US suspects that they were actually spy probes. China accused the US of flying balloons at illegal heights on ten different flights. After fighter jets shot one of the balloons down, China aggressively accused the US of overreacting to the supposed mishap of the country's technology. China also claimed that the US sent jet fighters and warships to China at least 657 times last year.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/china/china-accusation-us-balloons-analysis-mic-intl-hnk

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It's been about two weeks since a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon entered American airspace late last month. In that time China's response has shifted from conciliatory to indignant, and now, as the fallout continues, to outright confrontational.

While China's increasingly hardline stance plays to its domestic audience, it's also served to expose the inconsistencies and inherent contradictions in Beijing's messaging - severely damaging its credibility, analysts say.

On Monday, Beijing accused Washington of "illegally" flying high-altitude balloons over its airspace more than 10 times since last year, calling the US the "world's largest surveillance empire."

The claim - made without any detail or evidence - was swiftly denied by the White House, which described the allegation as "the latest example of China scrambling to do damage control."

The accusation marks a notable escalation in China's response, and stands in stark contrast to its initial attempt at crisis management. Beijing offered a rare expression of "regret" soon after the discovery of the balloon over Montana, claiming the device was a civilian research airship blown off course.

But the political and diplomatic repercussions have prevented the balloon incident from drawing to a close as quickly as Beijing might have hoped.

When it became apparent the controversy would continue to dominate US headlines and public attention, Beijing's contrition turned to ire.

After American fighter jets shot down the balloon on February 4, China's Foreign Ministry accused the US of "overreacting" and "seriously violating international practice."

The following week, as American officials revealed more information on what they call the spy balloon and the vast surveillance program behind it, Chinese state media blamed the US for engaging in "political performance art" and "hyping up" the "China threat."

Now, Beijing appears to be going on the offensive with its counter-claim about US balloon intrusion.

Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, described China's claims as "a sort of one-upmanship tit-for-tat against Washington's accusations."

"It appears more like Beijing is trying to also portray itself as a victim of US surveillance, instead of being painted over the past week as an aggressor," he said.

On Monday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also accused the US of frequently sending warships and planes to carry out close-range reconnaissance against China, which the spokesman claimed amounted to a total of 657 times last year - and 64 times this January in the South China Sea.

Drew Thompson, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, called China's latest tactic "a large case of what-aboutism."

"They're not addressing the gross violation of US sovereignty that occurred with the surveillance balloon over Montana. They are trying to see perhaps some sort of false equivalency but they're they're struggling to do that. I think they're largely signaling their own population to ensure that they're not overly caught up in the contradiction of China's position," he said.

"And it's been quite contradictory. And it's largely directed towards the domestic audience, which is why I think it lacks credibility with the other countries."

Thompson, a former US Defense Department official, said the US military does use balloons, both tethered and high-altitude, for surveillance, but they are "very careful" to make sure they do not go into other countries' airspace unless it's a cooperative operation.

The US has trained using balloons for surveillance with allies and partners, including with the Philippines in 2022 as part of their annual joint military exercises, according to Thompson.

"'Everybody spies' is a poorly considered trope that does not justify China's intrusion in other countries' airspace. How countries conduct surveillance and reconnaissance matters, just as respect for international law, and the Law of the Sea matters," he said.

Sovereignty over the air

China did not provide any details of the alleged incursions of US balloons into its airspace - when and where they occurred, or whether it responded in any way at the time.

The accusation is also complicated by how China defines its airspace, especially given its contested territorial claims in the South China Sea, experts say.

A country's sovereign airspace is the portion of the atmosphere that sits above its territory, including its territorial waters that extend 12 nautical miles from its land. Above the ocean beyond the 12 nautical mile limit is considered international airspace, where commercial and military aircraft - including balloons - are allowed to engage in overflight without seeking permission, said Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at Australian National University.

But Koh, the military expert in Singapore, said Beijing doesn't necessarily draw distinction between national airspace and international airspace in practice.

"In the past and till recently, the Chinese military had challenged foreign military aerial activities in the international airspace in such manner as though it's national airspace," he said, citing the 2001 collision between a US Navy spy plane with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea as an example.

Koh, who specializes in maritime security and naval affairs in the Indo-Pacific, said existing Chinese official positions espoused on the contested South China Sea clusters, such as the Spratly Islands, did not explicitly highlight the status of the airspace over the claimed waters and terrestrial features, even though the airspace over Chinese-occupied features are claimed as national airspace.

"In recent years, the Chinese military has also been challenging foreign military aerial activities over the Spratlys, including those run by the Filipinos when they flew close to the Chinese-occupied outposts," he said.

Conflicting island and maritime claims in the South China Sea can well extend into the skies, as what China defines as its airspace above the islands and waters it claims as its own may not be recognized by other countries, such as the United States.

China has also undertaken significant land reclamation and built at least seven artificial islands in the South China Sea. But according to international law, an artificial island does not give any airspace sovereignty, Rothwell said.

"One possible interpretation of what China has said is that the United States has launched surveillance balloons over and within the South China Sea - close to one of those artificial or disputed islands claimed by China, and China has identified those as examples of breaches of Chinese airspace," Rothwell said. "But of course, the United States would come back and say: 'Well, we actually don't recognize Chinese sovereignty over these features.'"

In addition to existing territorial disputes, the definition of national airspace is also complicated by the fact that the upper limit of the sovereign airspace is not completely settled under international law.

In practice, it generally extends to the maximum height at which commercial and military aircraft operate, according to Rothwell. Concorde, a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner, operated at 60,000 feet (18,300 meters), setting a precedent for how high national airspace may extend to, he said.

The Chinese balloon was hovering at 60,000 feet when it was spotted in Montana, according to US officials, placing it squarely in US airspace. China did not clarify at what altitudes the alleged incursions of US balloons occurred.

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China goes on the offensive as balloon fallout threatens to damage credibility | CNN

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It's been about two weeks since a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon entered American airspace late last month. In that time China's response has shifted from conciliatory to indignant, and now, as the fallout continues, to outright confrontational.

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The Cyclone Gabrielle is causing a lot of issues in Northern New Zealand.  Extensive thunderstorms striking across the North Island, especially the Bay of Plenty. More than 6,400 people are missing and 28,000 homes are still without power. Supply chains have been disrupted and crops destroyed.
Source:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/19/new-zealands-cyclone-death-toll-at-11-thousands-still-missing

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'Steep mountain ahead,' prime minister says as 11 deaths confirmed so far after storm sweeps north and east of country.

Buildings damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle in the Esk Valley near Napier, New Zealand [File: AFP]

At least 11 people have died and thousands are missing in New Zealand after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the North Island last week.

The cyclone hit the northern part of the island on February 12 and tracked down the east coast, inflicting widespread devastation.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has called Gabrielle New Zealand's biggest natural disaster this century.

On Sunday, police reported two more cyclone-related deaths in hard-hit Hawke's Bay.

More fatalities are possible, Hipkins told reporters in the capital, Wellington because more than 6,400 people are missing.

Lives had been "turned upside down" and recovery was a "steep mountain ahead", he said, pointing to disrupted telecommunications, shortages of freshwater and damaged roads still restricting access to some areas.

Supply chains have been disrupted, causing problems moving goods; crops had been destroyed; and 28,000 homes are still without power, Hipkins said.

Last week, he warned that recovery would take time with power not expected to be restored to some areas for weeks and the cleanup likely to take much longer than that.

After initially setting aside offers of help from the United States and other countries, Hipkins said New Zealand is now accepting them.

On Tuesday, New Zealand declared a national state of emergency for only the third time in its history.

A team from Fiji is to leave for New Zealand in the coming days to assist with its recovery, one of 12 offers of international aid received so far, Hipkins said. Twenty-seven emergency workers from Australia are assisting with relief efforts.

Teams from the Auckland Council carried out rapid building assessments on damaged homes on Sunday in the coastal areas of Muriwai and Piha, about 60km (40 miles) west of the nation's largest city, Auckland.

Emergency authorities and the military have been dropping critical supplies from helicopters to communities stranded since the cyclone, which washed away farms, bridges and livestock and inundated homes.

Police have sent an extra 100 officers to Hawke's Bay and nearby Tairawhiti, including to isolated areas, after reports of looting.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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Thousands missing a week after Cyclone Gabrielle hits New Zealand

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'Steep mountain ahead,' prime minister says as 11 deaths confirmed so far after storm sweeps north and east of country. At least 11 people have died and thousands are missing in New Zealand after Cyclone Gabrielle hit the North Island last week.

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Only 5.2 percent of crimes committed in Mexico are solved, the nongovernmental group México Evalúa reports. Causes of failure include corruption, inadequate training and resources, and the collaboration of prosecutors and public defenders with criminals and other abusive officials. The attorney general never correctly implemented a 2018 reform intended to make the office more independent from the government and more accountable to victims and their families, human rights, and rule-of-law groups reports. In 2021, Congress repealed many of the human rights provisions of the 2018 reform.
source: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/mexico

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The cyclone that hit northern New Zealand is an issue that affected more than 4,500 people, leaving without any contact to loved ones. It is one of the many natural disasters that occurred this year around the world. With many people without power, trucks with emergency supplies from Australia were provided to assist people as rescue teams are still searching for anyone that is caught between debris.

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Brazil still faces political turmoil after thousands of supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed and vandalized the Brazillian Congress on January 8, 2023. Bolsonaro continues to refuse acknowledgment of his election loss, claiming that the process was biased. In addition to a probe on the events of January 8, Bolsonaro faces investigations into potential misconduct during his presidency, which include allegations he knowingly spread disinformation. Recently Bolsonaro stated in an interview that he's planning on returning to Brazil to lead opposition towards the government.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/14/bolsonaro-breaks-silence-says-he-will-return-to-brazil-return-in-march-to-lead-opposition-report-says/

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New Zealand, Oceania ; Mia Martino Per. 5

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New Zealand, Oceania ; Mia Martino Per. 5

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There is a prevalent contemporary world problem within the territory of Oceania. On Monday Cyclone Gabrielle lashed the northern half of New Zealand devastating vast swaths of land and displacing more than 10,000 people, leaving 6 dead. On Tuesday, as the storm arrived, a national state of emergency was declared for only the third time in New Zealand’s history. At the northernmost tip of the country, known as Northland, large areas were still underwater.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/world/asia/new-zealand-cyclone.html

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Since 2021 The Russian government has placed laws in effect that made it possible for law enforcement to harass, harm and arrest people who speak out for human rights. Police and government interfere with lawyers and human rights activists who are desperately trying to make a change.

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There is a prevalent contemporary world problem within the territory of Oceana. New Zealand, being off the coast of Australia, has been hit with a powerful and fatal cyclone as of this Friday morning. Six people were dead and thousands were still unaccounted for after Cyclone Gabrielle lashed the North Island. On Tuesday, as the storm arrived, a national state of emergency was declared for only the third time in New Zealand’s history. As of now, At the northernmost tip of the country, known as Northland, large areas are still underwater.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/world/asia/new-zealand-cyclone.html

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Nearly a year ago Russia launched its war against Ukraine, hoping to annex it and return to the former USSR. Since then, Russia's economy has tanked and many men of military fighting age have left Russia in search of more food, energy, and safety. Multiple sanctions have been placed on Russia since the beginning of the war and instead of an expected growth of around 4% for 2022-2023, Russia's economy is expected to decline by 8% over those two years. Sanctions have hit production in key sectors very hard and it will take a long time for Russia to recover, even after the war has ended.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2022/12/05/russias-economic-prospects-have-gone-from-bad-to-terrible/?sh=12b400da74bc

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On February 6, 2023 There was a giant earthquake in Turkey. During the Earthquake, lots of buildings were falling down and collapsed, and More than 330,000 people died from the earthquake.

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Ever since the former president was ousted last December, anti-government protests have been occurring throughout the Peru. Protestors have blocked roads, airports, and caused the closure of popular tourist attraction Machu Picchu. The Peruvian authorities have been accused of excessive violence, claiming the lives of over 60 people. There were also accusations of racist bias, as a disproportionate number of the victims were Indigenous and campesino protestors.

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Two years on from the peace deal with Ethiopia, Eritrea’s leadership has increased its regional and international diplomatic engagement, but without improving the plight of Eritreans through critical human rights reforms.

Eritrea’s government remains one of the world’s most repressive, subjecting its population to widespread forced labor and conscription, imposing restrictions on freedom of expression, opinion, and faith, and restricting independent scrutiny by international monitors.

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/eritrea

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A French parliament session was suspended on Thursday after the turmoil caused by a far-right MP shouting "back to Africa" as a black colleague posed a question on migrant arrivals to the government.

This re-affirms sterotypes of french politics especially looking at colonial france and how they still "claim" a sizable chunk of land in Africa.

LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon tweeted that the comments were "beyond intolerable" and that the deputy should be kicked out of the National Assembly.

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Across the country there are landfills that are being burned releasing deadly methane. Methane gas is deadly and causes multiple health issues. The government still has yet to do anything because of how cheap it is to burn waste. Also free my boy Flacco he aint do nun wrong.

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Cuba: why record numbers of people are leaving as the most severe economic crisis since the 1990s hits 

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According to "irishnews",
Many Cuban are leaving or fleeing their country because of the economy since the 1990s.  This has been a contemporary world problem for Cubans since their government isn't able to support their own citizens.  In 2022 more than 200,000 thousand people fled from Cuba.
Source:
https://www.irishnews.com/news/uknews/2023/02/17/news/cuba_why_record_numbers_of_people_are_leaving_as_the_most_severe_economic_crisis_since_the_1990s_hits_--_a_photo_essay-3069024/

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As of December 2022, the biggest worry among people in Denmark was inflation, with more than one in five worrying about this. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, have caused rising inflation rates around the world. Behind inflation, Danes worry climate change, as well as health care and the state of the economy.
Source:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221875/biggest-worries-in-denmark/#:~:text=Behind%20inflation%20and%20energy%20crisis,election%20held%20in%20November%202022.

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The people of Peru are rioting against the recent election of Dina Boluarte as the people feel Pedro Castillo is better. They believe she is corrupt and the root cause of the rise in poverty and inequality. Another issue would be how covid affected their whole economy and family life in general negatively.
Source: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/peru

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Criminal investigations into grave abuses committed during the 20-year internal armed conflict that ended in 2000 remain slow and limited. Violence against women, abuses by security forces, and threats to freedom of expression are also major concerns.

Covid-19 had devastating effects in Peru. As of September, the country had confirmed over 800,000 cases and 30,000 deaths. In late August, it had the highest number of deaths per inhabitants in the world. The government established a strict lockdown to respond to the pandemic and, on March 15, declared a state of emergency, suspending some rights, particularly freedom of movement. Starting in June, authorities began easing lockdown restrictions by region and by risk category, the latter including age.

On November 9, Congress ousted then-President Martín Vizcarra citing an obscure constitutional provision allowing it to declare that the presidency has been "vacated" if the president faces "moral incapacity." Manuel Merino, the head of Congress, took office on November 10, but resigned five days later amid massive protests and reports that the police used excessive force in response. On November 17, Congress appointed Francisco Sagasti as the new interim president.

Confronting Past Abuses

Efforts to prosecute grave abuses committed during the armed conflict have had mixed results.

Almost 70,000 people were killed or subject to enforced disappearance by the Shining Path, other armed groups, or state agents during the armed conflict between 1980 and 2000, Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimated. The vast majority of those killed were low-income peasants; most spoke indigenous languages.

Authorities have made slow progress in prosecuting abuses committed by government forces during the conflict. As of September 2019, courts had issued rulings, including 46 convictions in 88 cases, Peruvian human rights groups reported.

Former President Alberto Fujimori was sentenced in 2009 to 25 years in prison for killings, kidnappings, and various corruption-related offenses. In 2017, then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski granted Fujimori a "humanitarian pardon," citing health reasons. In 2018, a Supreme Court judge overturned the pardon. Fujimori returned to prison in January 2019, and the following month, the Supreme Court's Special Criminal Chamber upheld the judge's decision to overturn the pardon.

An investigation into Fujimori's role in forced sterilizations of mostly poor and indigenous women during his presidency was still ongoing at time of writing. As of November 2019, 5,247 people had registered as victims of forced sterilizations committed between 1995 and 2001, the Ministry of Justice reported.

Courts have made little progress in addressing abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture, committed by security forces during the earlier administrations of Fernando Belaúnde (1980-1985) and Alan García (1985-1990). In 2019, the Supreme Court ordered a new trial of Gen. Daniel Urresti for the 1988 murder of journalist Hugo Bustíos, overturning the National Criminal Chamber's 2018 not-guilty finding, arguing the chamber had not properly evaluated the evidence. In January 2020, Urresti was elected to a seat in Congress.

At time of writing, criminal investigations continued into the role of former President Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) in killings and other atrocities committed in 1992 at the Madre Mía military base, in the Alto Huallaga region, and in their cover-up.

In 2018, then-President Martín Vizcarra established a genetic profile bank to help search for those disappeared during the armed conflict.

Police Abuse

Police used excessive force in Lima against demonstrators protesting the removal of President Vizcarra in November. While demonstrations were largely peaceful, some protesters became violent, including by throwing stones at the police.

Police officers arbitrarily dispersed peaceful demonstrations and used excessive force, including tear gas and other "less-lethal weapons," against peaceful protesters and journalists. Police officers, including in plain clothes, also engaged in some arbitrary detentions. Over 200 people were people were injured and two protesters died.

Security forces have also used excessive force when responding to largely peaceful protests that sometimes turned violent over mining and other large-scale development projects, the Ombudsman's Office and local rights groups have reported. Three civilians died in the context of protests between June 2019 and June 2020. In August, three protesters were killed and 17 people, including 6 police officers, were wounded during protests by indigenous people against an oil company in the Amazonian region of Loreto.

Decree 1186, issued by then-President Humala in 2015, limits the use of force by police. However, Law 30151, passed in 2014, granting immunity to police who kill in "fulfilment of their duty," may make it impossible to hold accountable police officers who use excessive force resulting in death.

In March 2020, Congress approved a so-called Police Protection Law, which could seriously aggravate the risk of police abuse. The law revokes the provision in Decree 1186 requiring that any use of force be proportionate to the gravity of the threat. It also limits judges' authority to order pretrial detention for police officers accused of excessive use of force.

Some cases of abuse by police and soldiers in enforcing the Covid-19 lockdown have surfaced in local media reports. In one, an Army captain was caught on video slapping a teenager in the face for violating lockdown restrictions.

In August, the police raided a clandestine nightclub, operating against Covid-19 regulations, resulting in the deaths of 13 people in a stampede. Video footage appears to show police closing a door, the only escape route. The Ministry of Interior stated that police denials that they closed the door were "false information."

Freedom of Expression

Threats to freedom of expression continue to be a concern in Peru, with some journalists facing criminal prosecution for their work, including under Peru's overbroad anti-defamation laws.

In late 2018, the archbishop of the northern region of Piura filed a criminal defamation complaint against journalists Paola Ugaz and Pedro Salinas, for a series of stories on sexual abuse by members of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Catholic society. In April 2019, Salinas received a one-year suspended prison sentence, 120 days of community service, and a fine of approximately US$24,000. By August 2019, the archbishop had withdrawn his complaints, the cases were closed, and Salinas's conviction was revoked. But by then, a former manager of a real estate company mentioned in the stories had filed a new complaint against Ugaz. It remained pending at time of writing.

Throughout 2020, Ugaz was named in seven more criminal cases, including three allegations of defamation arising from her stories on sexual abuse. They all remained pending at time of writing.

In September, Salinas said unknown people in a neighborhood where he and Ugaz own houses were asking about them and their personal schedules.

Women's and Girls' Rights

Gender-based violence is a significant problem in Peru. The Ministry of Women reported 166 "femicides"-defined as the killing of a woman in certain contexts, including domestic violence-in 2019, and 111 from January through October 2020.

During the Covid-19 lockdown (March-June), the ministry reported 28 femicides, 32 attempted femicides, and 226 cases of sexual abuse against girls.

Women and girls can legally access abortions only in cases of risk to their health or life.

In 2014 the Ministry of Health adopted national technical guidelines for such legal therapeutic abortions that have since been challenged in two separate court filings by anti-abortion groups. Both cases were dismissed but appeals remained pending at time of writing.

Many women and girls face barriers to access legal abortion. In October 2020, "Camila," an indigenous girl, presented a petition before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, claiming that authorities denied her an abortion even though she was raped and the pregnancy put her life at risk.

In 2019, a Lima judge declared that a 2009 Constitutional Court ruling that had banned free distribution of emergency contraception pills was no longer applicable. In late October, however, an appeals court revoked the Lima judge's ruling on procedural grounds.

In July 2020, Congress amended the Organic Law on Elections to establish gender parity in congressional elections, requiring that 40 percent of candidates be female by 2021, 45 percent by 2026, and 50 percent by 2031.

Disability Rights

Peru has a legal framework recognizing full legal capacity for people with disabilities, but electoral authorities (RENIEC) have failed to take action to include in the electoral register people with disabilities who were previously under guardianship, depriving them of their right to vote. At time of writing, the Peruvian executive branch had not issued enabling legislation to fully implement legal capacity for people with disabilities.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Same-sex couples in Peru are not allowed to marry or enter into civil unions. In recent years, courts have begun recognizing same sex-marriages contracted by Peruvians abroad. In November, the Constitutional Tribunal denied recognition to a same sex-marriage contracted abroad.

In April, the government decreed a gender-based Covid-19 lockdown, allowing men and women to leave home on separate days. The rules did not account for transgender people, and media reported several cases of police abuse against them. The government reversed the measure shortly over a week after passing it, noting that most shopping was happening only on women's days.

In August, the Ministry of Justice issued a resolution allowing same-sex partners of public health workers to access state benefits in the event of Covid-19-related deaths.

Also in August, a judge ordered the civil registry to allow transgender Peruvians to change their name and sexual identification on national identity documents. The registry's appeal of the ruling remained pending at time of writing.

In March 2020, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found Peru responsible for the arbitrary detention and rape of a transgender woman at the hands of police, marking the first time it has ruled on a complaint of torture related to a victims' gender identity or sexual orientation.

Human Rights Defenders and Community Leaders

Human rights defenders and environmental activists, as well as other community leaders, have been threatened and killed in recent years. In April 2019, the Ministry of Justice established measures to protect at-risk human rights defenders and their relatives.

In April 2020, Arbildo Meléndez Grandes, an indigenous leader and environmental defender, was killed in the central Andes region of Huánuco. In May, Gonzalo Pío Flores, an indigenous leader and environmental defender, was killed in the central region of Junín.

Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Migrants

More than 480,000 Venezuelans were seeking asylum in Peru at time of writing, the largest number of registered Venezuelan asylum seekers in any country. This is in part because temporary residence permits are no longer available in Peru. Since 2019, applying for asylum has become the most straightforward way to regularize status.

More than 800,000 Venezuelans live in Peru. More than 486,000 received temporary work permits before the government stopped issuing them in 2019. The permits allowed them to work, enroll their children in school, and access health care.

The government has see-sawed on whether to require Venezuelans to show passports to enter the country. The requirement would close the door to many, as obtaining a passport in Venezuela is extremely difficult. In October 2018, a judge annulled a passport requirement that had been established that August. But in June 2019, the government passed a resolution requiring all Venezuelan migrants to apply for a humanitarian visa at a Peruvian consulate before entering. A lawsuit against the resolution by a coalition of non-governmental organizations was pending at time of writing.

In May 2020, lawmakers introduced a bill that would annul all previously issued temporary residence permits and criminalize undocumented immigration with up to five years in jail.

Key International Actors

In May, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expressed concern about the critical health situation of indigenous communities in Peru, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In August, UN experts on business and human rights urged Peru to ratify the Escazú Agreement, a treaty that seeks to strengthen transparency, political participation, and access to justice mechanisms in environmental matters. In October, Congress voted not to approve the treaty.

Peru is an active member of the Lima Group, a coalition of states seeking to address the human rights crisis in Venezuela.

In September 2018, Peru and five other countries referred the situation in Venezuela to the International Criminal Court prosecutor to determine whether a formal investigation by the court is warranted.

As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Peru has supported resolutions spotlighting human rights abuses, including in Belarus, Eritrea, Iran, Syria, Myanmar, Nicaragua, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Peru endorsed the World Health Organization's Solidarity Call to Action for the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool, an initiative to "realize equitable global access to COVID-19 health technologies through pooling of knowledge, intellectual property and data."

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World Report 2021: Rights Trends in Peru

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Criminal investigations into grave abuses committed during the 20-year internal armed conflict that ended in 2000 remain slow and limited. Violence against women, abuses by security forces, and threats to freedom of expression are also major concerns. Covid-19 had devastating effects in Peru. As of September, the country had confirmed over 800,000 cases and 30,000 deaths.

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According to Human Rights Watch immigration issues between Italy and other nations from Northern Africa are a current Contemporary World Problem.  This image shows patterns of migration through Mediterranean Sea.
Source:
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/italy