This week, Rai was joined by Vicki Gaubeca. Vicki is the Associate Director, US Immigration and Border Policy at Human Rights Watch. The two discuss the history of US Immigration policies, the current political realm centred around the US-Mexican border, US detention centres and its role at the border, the migrant crisis, and so much more. As a res…

This week, Rai was joined by Nedal Izdden. Nedal is the co-founder of the Syria Civil Defense, otherwise known as the White Helmets. The White Helmets is a volunteer organization that operates in parts of opposition-controlled Syria and Turkey, and is the now the largest civil society organization in the Middle East. The White Helmets undertake tas…

In this week's episode, Rai Friedman is joined by Eric Reidy. Eric is the Migration & Special Coverage Editor for The New Humanitarian. He has reported extensively on migration in the Mediterranean as well as on humanitarian aid work and anti-migrant vigilante groups at the US-Mexico border and the effort to document crimes and atrocities in Syria’…

In this week's episode, Rai is joined by Michael Page. Page is the Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division (MENA) at Human Rights Watch. The two discuss migrant workers rights in relation to international labour, and especially as it relates to the FIFA World Cup. When Qatar won the FIFA World Cup bid in 2010, they immediately …

In this week's episode, Rai Jordan is joined by Tamara Taraciuk Broner. Taraciuk is the Deputy Director for the Americas Division with Human Rights Watch. The two discuss the humanitarian issues in Latin America, the Migration Crisis in the region, the harmful policies designed to keep refugees and migrants out of receiving countries, difficulties …

This week’s episode, Rai Jordan is joined by Nhial Deng. Nhial is a South Sudanese refugee, writer, community activist, founder, humanitarian consultant and so much more. He has held positions with Global Affairs Canada, the University of Oxford, the United Nations, and the list goes on. Today he tells us his unique story of living in Kakuma refuge…

In this week's episode, Rai Jordan does a deep dive into the Migration Crisis in Europe. The Migration crisis of 2015 sparked a heated conversation within Europe, which led to sequential laws and policies that prohibit migration. From preventative measures such as stricter immigration pathways, to external border measures such as the creation of Fr…

Human trafficking networks are a well known profiteer for Libyan officials. Before the NATO backed military intervention occurred in Libya in 2011, then leader Mu'ammar Gaddafi would boast about the success human traffickers had in bringing African asylum-seekers to European countries.Today, these human trafficking networks exist in abundance. Gove…

This week, Rai Jordan does a deep dive into rape as a weapon of war. Though historically rape has been viewed as a by-product of war, rape is used systematically for ethnic cleansing, obtaining military objectives, and establishing social control. Rai will outline the various ways rape is used to achieve these measures through examples from within …

This week, Rai Jordan is joined by Paria Saremi. Paria is the case monitor for Iran for Lawyer's Rights Watch Canada, is the Director and co-chair for the Civic Association of Iranian Canadians in North Vancouver, and a recent law graduate currently pursuing a career in Human Rights and Public Interest Law. Rai and Saremi discuss the proposed inter…

Sian Norris, the Chief Social and European Affairs reporter for Byline Times, joins Rai Jordan for this week's episode. Norris is a feminist activist with a specific focus on reproductive and LGBTIQ rights. Rai and Norris discuss the concept of spousal consumer economies, and the exploitative measures used by third parties. Norris also shared her f…

When Abiy Ahmed decided not to hold the national election in 2020, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) decided to hold their own. The Prosperity Party (PP) refuses to recognize the TPLF, and in November 2020, Ethiopia's armed forced invaded Tigray. The dispute was only meant to last a matter of weeks, yet this passing month has marked the…

In this week's episode, Rai Jordan interviews Nicholas Coghlan, Canada's first resident diplomat in Khartoum, Sudan (2000-2003). He was also the first resident Canadian ambassador in Juba, the capital of the newly independent South Sudan. Coghlan and his wife, Jenny, were awarded the Meritorious Service Cross for their role in the evacuation of Can…

In this special episode, Global Rights Defenders hosted Annabel Symington, the head of communications, advocacy & marketing for World Food Programme, Yemen. Annabel broke down the dire situation in Yemen, and urged the international community to act quickly. Yemen currently faces an extreme humanitarian crisis, and as of January 2022 will have to c…

When India’s Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi passed the Farm Bill in 2020, the farmers rose up in revolt. Faced with the hardships from the global pandemic, and pre-existing inequities, the proposed farm bill would only add further strain. Farmers have little control over their sector which include issues around land ownership, irrigation, …

On Global Rights Defenders Podcast, you will hear from human rights activists worldwide. Tune in each week to hear how we, as listeners, can help.

Activists in Afghanistan are in danger. The Taliban Takeover in the 1990's and in 2021 put serious strains on the economy, killed thousands, and denounced women as citizens under Shariah law. For the lucky few, they were able to escape the country. Either through its neighbouring border into Pakistan, or go abroad. But what happens for those who re…