A new report on Thursday revealed that scores of women and girls in Ethiopia’s Tigray region were sexually assaulted, often by multiple men, after a peace agreement ended the conflict in the region. The report from Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa, along with a [...]
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American Red Cross eases restrictions on gay and bisexual men blood donations
The American Red Cross implemented guidance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday to relax restrictions on blood donations for gay and bisexual men. Specifically, the American Red Cross changed its donor assessment questionnaire to remove gender and sexual orientation-specific questions and focus more on an individual’s history. Before, gay and bisexual [...]
Uganda dispatch: learning languages and teaching law in Bundibugyo
Lawrence Alado is a JURIST Staff Correspondent in Uganda. This is one in a seasonal series of columns by JURIST law student staff and correspondents discussing their summer work in support of justice, human rights and the rule of law, in their own countries and around the world. The first week of my internship in [...]
The Parliament of Ghana passed an extreme anti-gay bill on Wednesday, which is set to tighten laws against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Ghana’s 275 members of Parliament unanimously passed the bill, known as the 2021 Promotion of Appropriate Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. The bill is set to criminalize the promotion, advocacy, funding [...]
US Department of Justice charges 78 people with $2.5B worth of healthcare fraud
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday that it was criminally charging 78 people for their alleged involvement in healthcare fraud schemes. The alleged fraud schemes totaled over $2.5 billion and targeted the elderly, people with HIV, pregnant women and others. “These enforcement actions, including against one of the largest health care fraud [...]
US federal court strikes down Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth
A federal court in Arkansas struck down an Arkansas law on Tuesday that banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth, finding the ban was unconstitutional. The law, Act 626, banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth and punished doctors that referred patients to such care. The ruling is the first case about gender-affirming care to reach a [...]
US federal judge temporarily blocks Indiana ban on gender-affirming care
The US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana temporarily blocked an Indiana law on Friday that banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The law, S.E.A. 480, was set to go into effect July 1 and restricted care like puberty blockers and hormone treatments. It also included a ban on gender reassignment surgeries for [...]
Uganda president signs anti-LGBTQIA+ law that includes death penalty
President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni signed the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 into law Monday. The law authorizes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which includes same-sex relations with a vulnerable person, a person under 18, or when the actor is HIV positive. The bill also sets a term of life in prison for anyone convicted [...]
India Needs to End Discriminatory Ban on LGBTQ+ Blood Donations
The act of donating blood is often lauded as a benevolent and altruistic act with the potential to save countless lives. However, members of the LGBTQ+ community are routinely excluded from participation in this philanthropic endeavour. Recently, the Indian government, citing scientific data, defended its decision to forbid LGBTQ+ individuals from donating blood. This issue [...]
Uganda Parliament passes anti-homosexuality bill with president's amendments
Uganda’s Parliament Tuesday passed the Anti- Homosexuality Bill of 2023, subject to amendments to five clauses as proposed by President Yoweri Museveni. Parliament submitted the bill, which imposes harsher penalties on same-sex conduct, to the Attorney General for Museveni’s approval. The bill passed Tuesday makes “aggravated homosexuality,” same sex relations involving a minor or other [...]