Did you know that asylum seekers currently detained in Papua New Guinea are being denied medical care by the Australian government? Or that thousands of people who arrived in Australia 12 years ago are living in fear of being taken from the towns and suburbs they’ve called home?
In this episode of “Anytime, Amnesty,” we speak with Jana Favero, Deputy CEO of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), to learn about the state of refugee and asylum seeker rights in Australia today. If you’d like to learn more about the ASRC, check out their website here.
Since 1999, the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations has embarked annually on a Listening Tour across Australia; the largest face-to-face consultation of young people aged 12 to 25 in the country. Each September, they have the honour of sharing their findings from the Listening Tour with the United Nations as a representative of Australia, and as an advocate for young people.
In this episode of "Anytime, Amnesty," we chat with the 2025 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations, Satara Uthayakumaran, to learn more about her work.
If you would like to find out more about the Listening Tour, or would like to participate in a consultation yourself, then visit UN Youth's website here for more information.
The Australian Youth Rep to the UN also has an Instagram and a LinkedIn you can follow for updates.
Did you know that most Australian states and territories exclude deaf people from serving on a jury?
In our latest episode, legal academic David Spencer from the Australian Catholic University (ACU) examines this human rights breach, and explains how his research is hoping to remove this discriminatory practice.
To learn more about David's work, you can view his ACU profile here.
*This is a special one off episode, that was recorded last year but everything discussed is even more relevant today, as Sudan is experiencing famine and a lack of support from the international community. *
Across the world, women’s rights are under attack. Conflict and authoritarianism are on the rise, and they disproportionately impact women and minority groups. They’re the first to have their rights threatened. However, women aren’t passive victims, and they are both quietly and boldly resisting the attacks on their lives.
This podcast aims to shine a light on those women in Sudan who are keeping their communities alive, despite all the odds. Join hosts Kathryn Allan and Kesaya Baba, as they are joined by three advocates, Maysoon Elnigoumi, Souzan Kareem and Atikah Mekkih. These women all have family and friends on the ground, and are doing everything they can to support the innocent victims of this crisis.
Did you know Australia is the only liberal democracy in the world without a Human Rights Act?
Our fourth episode for this season discusses the potential a Human Rights Act has for Australia, and how Amnesty International activists are campaigning for positive change across the country.
Our guest for this episode is Joe, a member of Amnesty’s Activism Leadership Committee (ALC) for the ACT and Southern NSW region and leading activist in the Human Rights Act campaign.
If you live in the Canberra region and want to join Amnesty’s campaign for a Human Rights Act, then please email Amnesty’s president for the region at actsnswpresident@amnesty.org.au to join our working group.
To learn more about the Human Rights Act campaign, check out Amnesty International Australia’s website here.
Our third episode is a frank and open discussion with Melak, an activist in Adelaide who is part of a university encampment standing in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
Melak shares how the encampment began, how it has been treated by both university administration and police, as well as the positive change the encampment is driving.
Click here to read Amnesty International Australia's statement in support of Gaza Solidarity encampments across Australia.
Trigger warning: this episode discusses rape as well as forced pregnancies. Listener discretion is advised.
Our second episode is an important conversation with activist-scholar Professor Bina D'Costa about the rights of women and children in conflict zones.
Bina D’Costa is a Professor at the Department of International Relations of The Australian National University, and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. She is also a UN Special Procedures Mandate Holder in the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.
Find out more about Professor Bina D’Costa here and learn more about what Amnesty International is doing to protect the rights of women and children here.
UPDATE - MAY 14 2024
Amnesty International Australia raises serious concerns for the sentence of six years imposed upon David McBride. McBride is the first whistleblower to be imprisoned in contemporary Australia. His sentence has had a chilling effect upon truth in journalism, illustrating the suppression and restrictions imposed upon individual rights to freedom of expression.States have an obligation to ensure that any restriction is provided by law, and is necessary and proportionate to that legitimate aim. Restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and access to information based on the protection of national security need to respect the role of the media, and people should not be prevented from publishing classified information based on vague or overly-broad notions of what constitutes a threat to national security. The media plays a fundamental role in informing society of issues that are in the public interest. Punishing journalists and other media workers solely for having published classified information about human rights abuses goes beyond these permissible restrictions.
----
Our first episode is a frank and eye-opening conversation with Australian military lawyer whistleblower David McBride, who now faces imprisonment for exposing Australian war crimes in Afghanistan.
Listen to learn about McBride exposed human rights violations and called for media transparency as a whistleblower.
Learn more about David McBride here and learn about how Amnesty is campaigning to end human rights violations around the world here.
Introducing Season 2 of 'Anytime, Amnesty'!
We're thrilled to kick things off with our new Youth Advisory Group in this debut episode. Join us as we introduce the podcast team and give you a glimpse of what's ahead for this season. We're eager to share inspiring tales about human rights with you and can't wait to embark on this journey together!
To find out more about Amnesty International Australia's Youth Advisory Group, click here!
For our final episode, we discuss the ways in which human rights and sustainable fashion intersect with each other. Artivism has been used today to rebel against the patriarchy, governments and institutions which threaten human rights. Fashion and art have also been used to tell stories and complex messages to the wider audience across the globe.
With the insight of Yasmeen Mjalli, we delve into the world of sustainable fashion.
Today we ask, what is intersectional feminism and how is art used as a form of activism? Feminism itself is a term which has multiple strains and meanings, and within this, intersectional feminism has come to the forefront to recognise the multiple identities someone can hold.
For this two-part special, we are joined by Yasmeen Mjalli, Founder and Creative Director of Nöl Collective. The Nöl Collective are an intersectional feminist and political fashion collective in Palestine.
Today, climate change is affecting all of us around the globe. It intersects not only with the environment but also politics, national security and human rights. The climate crisis touches every aspect of our lives. But with Australia trailing behind the rest of the globe, endorsing a ‘gas-led recovery’, we analyse if there is any hope for climate policy in Australia.
Today we are joined with Dr Simon Bradshaw from the Climate Council to discuss Australia's climate policy.
Disclaimer: At the time of recording Micheal McCormack was Deputy PM
As big tech enters our everyday lives and algorithms become more advanced, questions are emerging about how our digital lives and human rights interact with each other.
We chat with David Jay, the Head of Mobilisation from the Centre of Humane Technology, about the ways in which Big Tech such as Instagram and Facebook use your data. We also ask David about the ways in which you can protect yourself and the simple steps you can take to protect yourself in the digital realm.
