Upstream Journal

01/26/2024

"Women fighting against Myanmar’s authoritarian regime" - a new article by Ruolan Ma, now joins the companion podcast on the issue. https://upstreamjournal.org/women-fight-myanmars-authoritarian-regime/

01/15/2024

01/11/2024

The conflict in Myanmar has now grown into a civil war. With one of the youngest populations in the world, children are being brought into the conflict as combatants for all sides.
You can find out about the issue in this new article in the Upstream Journal.
https://upstreamjournal.org/myanmar-child-soldiers/

12/05/2023

Find these and many other episodes of Human Rights Magazine wherever you listen to your podcasts!
https://upstreamjournal.org/humanrightsmagazine/

11/29/2023

Our latest podcast episode!

The Fulani people are part of an ethic group across the Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, comprising between 25 and 40 million people. About 10 million of them are pastoralists, and so they are part of the largest nomadic pastoral community in the wo...

11/28/2023

"The repressed democracy of Uganda." Political corruption and violence, and a president since 1986 who refuses to allow true democracy.
A new article by Nkwanzi Banage.
https://upstreamjournal.org/repressed-democracy-of-uganda/

11/24/2023

If a crime is committed in the northern region of Ghana, most local people will assume that it was committed by a Fulani person. The consequences of the discrimination against Fulani people are deadly. Villages are destroyed, houses burnt, cattle killed, and innocent men, women and children murdered based on nothing but their Fulani identity.
Read about the issue at The Upstream Journal. https://upstreamjournal.org/fulani/

10/14/2023

Le podcast - Évolution de l’émancipation des femmes marocaines a l’ombre de la Moudawana
Ce podcast cherche à capturer la complexité du combat féministe au Maroc dans une ère de réforme politique et juridique.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1654618/episodes/13777869

10/12/2023

Ce article cherche à capturer la complexité du combat féministe au Maroc dans une ère de réforme politique et juridique.
https://upstreamjournal.org/emancipation-des-femmes-marocaines/

09/23/2023

In September 2023 Queensland Australia suspended its Human Rights Act to allow locking up more children. The government now allows under-18s – including children as young as 10 – to be detained indefinitely in police “watch houses” – local jails – while awaiting process. This can take weeks. Read our latest article about juvenile detention in Queensland.

Queensland had the highest number of children in detention of any Australian state, almost 300 minors in detention. 63 percent of them are Indigenous, despite Indigenous people make up only 4.6 percent of Queensland’s population.

09/22/2023

In September 2023 Queensland, Australia, suspended its Human Rights Act, not for the first time, to allow locking up more children. The government now allows under-18s – including children as young as 10 – to be detained indefinitely. Read the latest article about this situation - https://upstreamjournal.org/the-imprisoned-children-of-australia/

09/20/2023

Check out this review of "CHOM5KY vs CHOMSKY: A playful conversation on AI"
https://upstreamjournal.org/review-chom5ky-vs-chomsky/

09/15/2023

The garment industry is Cambodia’s largest employer, with more than 850,000 workers. The three largest markets are the European Union, the destination of 40% of the production, followed by the United States at 30% and Canada at 9%. So, if we purchase clothing made in Cambodia, how concerned should we be about whether there were inadequate wages and rights abuse where the clothing is made?

In this episode of our Human Rights Magazine podcast, Marley Markham speaks with experts about the garment factories and the extent to which they do, or do not, support decent working conditions and worker protection. https://upstreamjournal.org/podcasts/

09/12/2023

Are your clothes made in Cambodia? Read about the bad - and the good - about clothing made there! upstreamjournal.org

06/30/2023

Who checks in to the UJ? What is our global audience? Dark blue means more!

06/05/2023

Many refugees are fleeing conflict or poverty, but many are also seeking to escape from a society in which, because of their sexual identity and/or preference, they face violence and possibly death every day. In the latest article, Julia Israel speaks with several guests about what it means for these people as they seek refuge in Canada.
https://upstreamjournal.org/coming-out-as-an-lgbt-refugee-in-canada/

It is still illegal for LGBTQ+ people to live openly in 69 countries today, and it is still unsafe to be openly q***r in many more.

04/27/2023

New on our podcast channel, and wherever you get your podcasts...

A look into the particular role of women in the resistance to the brutal military regime in Myanmar. Produced by Ruloan Ma, it follows on the podcast episode and article she did last year on the country and the role of journalists there.

02/09/2023

New article! Companion to the podcast on the subject, both by Emma Nahmiach.

Canada provides universal healthcare, but people with autism and their families struggle significantly against many barriers and a lack of service. Support is commonly offered following a diagnosis, but what happens when an individual either cannot get one, or is considered too old’ for one?

02/09/2023

The film captures the sonic journey of the Inuk throat singer’s music by interspersing concert footage with shots of the Nunavut landscape, portraits of Tagaq and her family, and animated illustrations overlaid with poetry.

02/08/2023

Our latest podcast episode!

Canada provides universal healthcare, but people with autism and their families struggle significantly against many barriers and a lack of service. Support is commonly offered following a diagnosis, but what happens when an individual either canno...

01/31/2023

Who are the Upstream Journal readers? Where do they live? This graphic shows, for the past 90 days, where most of them are.

01/17/2023

Throughout South Asia, workers on many tea plantations say that with their really low wages they can barely afford food, let alone other expenses Those who run the plantations say their costs have risen too much and that they are not making a profit as it is.
Have a cuppa as you read and/or listen to the new article and podcast episode! https://upstreamjournal.org/tea/

12/15/2022

In Canada, the last time housing was considered to be affordable, relative to income, was in 2004.
New rentals are now, on average, 50% higher than the rents in occupied apartments in Montreal, where the housing market used to be historically affordable. "Renovictions" are widespread, as landlords evict their current tenants to get a higher income from new ones.
For this new article and podcast, Joel Sawmadal spoke with experts Catherine Lussier, Raphaël Fischler, Jean-Pierre Racette and Michel Monette about the crisis, and possible solutions.

Thousands of Montrealers, particularly those in lower income brackets and more in need of affordable housing, are left in precarious positions. A growing demand for housing, increasing construction costs, and exploitative landlord practices are factors that contribute to rising rent prices and the s...

12/09/2022

The US just traded Victor Bout for the Russian arms dealer for Brittney Griner. Who is Victor Bout, what is the story on the arms trade, and how did a Montreal arms dealer get found out by the Upstream Journal? Check out this issue from the archives.

12/01/2022

New episode in the Pathways to Peace podcast series! The focus is on the particular impact of violence and insecurity on women and girls.
My guest is Reem Alsalem who, for 17 years until 2016, worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and then became an independent consultant in humanitarian action and refugee protection. She is now the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences.

For this episode in the Pathways to Peace series, the focus is on the particular impact of violence and insecurity on women and girls.My guest is Reem Alsalem who, for 17 years until 2016, worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the...

11/25/2022

New article and podcast episode!
The Kafala system is a form of worker sponsorship that allows private citizens and companies almost total control over the employment and immigration status of migrant workers.
Lebanon has some 250,000 migrant domestic workers, most of them women from Africa and Asia. The labour laws do not provide them protections that other workers have, like a minimum wage or pay for overtime, limits on their working hours, or a day off.
The Kafala system is one of virtual slavery and exploitation. In his article and podcast, Michel Khneifes explores the dynamics of Kafala in Lebanon.

The Kafala system establishes a relationship between foreign domestic workers and their local employment sponsors. The system is implemented in many Middle Eastern countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Lebanon where the state permits citi...

11/08/2022

New article and companion podcast!
In February 2021, Myanmar military leaders removed the democratically elected party from power and took control of the government.
In the year following, at least 1,700 civilians, including children, have been killed by the junta forces and some 10,000 arrested. Media outlets have been closed, and journalists arrested, beaten and tortured. Some have been killed. Yet some independent journalists continue their efforts despite the repression.
In this podcast, Ruloan Ma speaks with people directly engaged in journalism in Myanmar.

Growing up in a refugee camp in Myanmar as an ethnic minority, young Naw Hsa Moo dreamed of becoming a doctor, but for refugees like her there was no opportunity for higher education. After joining a community radio program, her interest was redirected and she took the opportunity to study journalis...