The Good,The Rights and The Ugly

What is going on with First Nations communities in Canada?

Host Wade Mc Elwain analyses the treatment of Indigenous communities in Canada following the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children. Between 1874 and 1996, more than 150,000 were forcibly placed in state-funded schools in an effort to assimilate them into society. Wade explores the issues that these communities are experiencing today in his native country with Sol Mamakwa, a Canadian MPP of Indigenous heritage.

Is there a darker side to sports?

From the Olympics to the World Cup, every major sports event is associated with national pride, joy and excitement. But is there a shadier side to sports? “Sportswashing”, or when an individual, group, corporation, or nation-state uses sport to improve its reputation, is considered a potentially costly form of propaganda. Countries with a poor human rights record pay enormous sums to boost their image and "wash" over any mention of their human rights violations. So what are some examples of sportswashing and can it ever be a good thing? Our host Wade discusses the potential humanitarian cost of sporting events with Ben Jacobs, a London-based sports journalist and broadcasting expert. The Good, The Rights, and The Ugly is an International Observatory of Human Rights production. For more information about human rights and the work that we do, please visit observatoryihr.org/

Why do despots get away with human rights violations?

Host Wade Mc Elwain tries to understand why despite the existence of the International Criminal Court(ICC), the world is still witnessing atrocious violations, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. He is joined by Chile Eboe-Osuji who served as President and judge of the ICC. Can the ICC alone end atrocities committed worldwide? If not, who can put an end to them? The episode has been produced on the occasion of the World Day for International Justice (17 July) which marks the adoption of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC. The Good, The Rights, and The Ugly is an International Observatory of Human Rights production. For more information about human rights and the work that we do, please visit observatoryihr.org/

Blue Gold: has water become a precious commodity in rich countries?

Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and Sol Mamakwa, a Canadian MPP of Indigenous heritage, join host Wade Wade McElwain to discuss access to water in rich countries. Can everyone have? Is it free? In Canada, Indigenous leaders have recently sued the Government for not providing it to First Nations communities.

Who can't get vaccinated?

Thousands of people around the world don’t have access to COVID-19 vaccines. Oxfam has estimated that at the current rate, it will take poorer countries around 57 years to vaccinate all their populations. Among those who are at risk of exclusion are stateless people and refugees. Why can’t everyone get vaccinated? How effective is COVAX? This week, host Wade McElwain is joined by Matthew Saltmarsh, United Nations Senior External Relations Officer and Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency, Bridget Wooding, Migration Director of the Caribbean Migrants’ Observatory, and Ottoline Spearman, Research Assistant at the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion.