Publications

Author: Lily Marino April 9, 2026 The newly installed placard identifying President Trump in the presidential hall of the National Portrait Gallery. The outline of the previous plaque remains on the wall, though it is faint. [Image source: The Washington Post ] Over the last twelve months, the Trump Administration demonstrated its desire to exert strict editorial control over the museum displays and related work of the Smithsonian Institution. The Administration began its att

Author: Pradanya Nagru, MS April 8, 2026 [Image credit: freekpik.com ] Background Today, 1 in 70   people have had to flee their home country due to natural disasters, conflict, violence, or persecution. These refugees and displaced persons are unable to access basic services due to the loss of physical documents in the chaos of flight. Opening a bank account or receiving adequate healthcare coverage are just some fundamental rights that remain out of reach for displaced pers

Author: Lena Abara April 7, 2026 E xample of discarded garments located in the Atacama Desert in Chile [Image credit: Los Angeles Times, 2024 ] It may come as a surprise that there are strong linkages between the garment industry and the human rights field. This “fast-fashion” sector, which depends on cheap and speedy production of low-quality clothing to meet the fast-changing trends, has boomed in recent years (Lai, 2021). This business model involves rapid design, producti

Author: Sydney Sanders April 2, 2026 Families fleeing conflict in Sudan arrive at a transit centre in Aweil, South Sudan. [Image credit: Sudan’s El Fasher siege: UN humanitarians killed as refugee crisis intensifies | UN News  ] Sudan has been entangled in a brutal civil war for almost two years. In February, the United Nations Human Rights Council, “The Mission”, released a report on the siege of El-Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces, a Sudanese paramilitary group. El-Fasher

April 1, 2026 A demonstrator holds a placard that reads "No to perversion" during an anti-LGBT rally organized by pro-Islamic NGOs in Istanbul, Sept. 18, 2022. [Image source: VOA News ]. Introduction The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) produces a Rainbow Map which ranks countries on their legal and policy practices for LGBTQ+ people, from 0-100%. This ranking is produced by examining each country’s laws using criteria based on seve

Author: Ioana Podarita March 31, 2026 Protest sign from The Feminist March [Image source: Bunk ] Introduction In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals , a framework aimed at tackling global inequality and climate change by 2030 [48]. The Agenda includes 17 goals, ranging from poverty, education, peace & security, healthcare, and other areas of inequity. Gender Equality  is Goal number 5 [48]. This goal aims  to: 1) eliminate all violence against w

Author: Sarah Kane March 27, 2026 Note: This interview was conducted for an assignment for Women, War, and Peace, a class taught by Dr. Shirley Graham at George Washington University. Marching in New York City for gender equality. [Image credit: UN Women/J Carrier] The global trends of democratic backsliding  and anti-gender equality backlash are like a Venn diagram; these complex movements are not always one and the same, but there is a lot of overlap. It’s this overlap betw

Author: Abigail Stofer March 25, 2026 Few powers in American politics are as consequential as redistricting. The Voting Rights Act of 1965  (VRA) has long protected minority voters from racial discrimination in that process, ensuring opportunities to elect candidates of their choice to represent them. Now, one looming Supreme Court case is putting it under threat. Louisiana v. Callais  (2025) began as a challenge to a congressional map that limited Black voters’ power. What s

Author: Forouzan Hosseini Moghaddam, MA March 24, 2026 Content Warning: Before you continue reading, please be aware that this report discusses femicide, child marriage, and gender-based violence, which may be distressing. Illustration by Louiza Karageorgiou. © 2023 Louiza Karageorgiou . All rights reserved. Background The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran marked a major shift in the country’s legal system, particularly regarding women’s rights. One of the most significant chan

Author: Mahika Datta March 18, 2026 Protesters gather in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, during the July 2022 demonstrations against constitutional changes and the ensuing government crackdown [Image credit: Eurasianet ] Introduction In Uzbekistan, a nation at the heart of Central Asia, true freedom remains a fragile promise. Despite government rhetoric about reform and modernization, citizens who peacefully express their beliefs continue to face the harsh reality of arbitrary detenti