Free Internet access should be a basic human right: Study

Free internet access must be considered as a human right, as people unable to get online -- particularly in developing countries -- lack meaningful ways to influence the global players shaping their everyday lives, according to a new study.

As political engagement increasingly takes place online, basic freedoms that many take for granted including free expression, freedom of information and freedom of assembly are undermined if some citizens have access to the internet and others do not.

New research reveals that the internet could be a key way of protecting other basic human rights such as life, liberty, and freedom from torture -- a means of enabling billions of people to lead 'minimally decent lives'.

Dr. Merten Reglitz, Lecturer in Global Ethics at the University of Birmingham, has published his findings -- the first study of its kind -- in the Journal of Applied Philosophy.

"Internet access is no luxury, but instead a moral human right and everyone should have unmonitored and uncensored access to this global medium -- provided free of charge for those unable to afford it," commented Dr Reglitz.

"Without such access, many people lack a meaningful way to influence and hold accountable supranational rule-makers and institutions. These individuals simply don't have a say in the making of the rules they must obey and which shape their life chances."

He added that exercising free speech and obtaining information was now heavily dependent on having internet access. Much of today's political debate took place online and politically relevant information is shared on the internet -- meaning the relative value these freedoms held for people 'offline' had decreased.

Dr. Reglitz's research attributes to the internet unprecedented possibilities for protecting basic human rights to life, liberty and bodily integrity.

Whilst acknowledging that being online does not guarantee these rights, he cites examples of internet engagement that helped hold Government and institutions to account. These examples include:

• The 'Arab Spring'- new ways of global reporting on government atrocities.
• Documenting unjustified police violence against African Americans in the US.
• #MeToo campaign -- helping to 'out' sexual harassment of women by powerful men.

Dr. Reglitz defines 'moral human rights' as based on universal interests essential for a 'minimally decent life'. They must also be of such fundamental importance that if a nation is unwilling or unable to uphold these rights, the international community must step in.

The study points to a number of important political institutions which have committed to ensuring universal access for their populations, convinced that this goal is affordable:

• The Indian state of Kerala has declared universal internet access a human right and aims to provide it for its 35 million people by 2019.
• The European Union has launched the WiFi4EU initiative to provide 'every European village and city with free wireless internet access around main centres of public life by 2020.
• Global internet access is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with the UN demanding states help to deliver universal Internet access in developing nations.

Dr Reglitz outlines the size of the challenge posed in providing universal internet access, noting that the UN's International Telecommunication Union estimated that, by the end of 2018, 51 percent of the world's population of 7 billion people had access to the Internet.

Many people in poorer parts of the world are still without internet access, but their number is decreasing as technology becomes cheaper. However, internet expansion has slowed in recent years, suggesting universal access will not occur without intentional promotion.

"Universal internet access need not cost the earth -- accessing politically important opportunities such as blogging, obtaining information, joining virtual groups, or sending and receiving emails does not require the latest information technology," commented Dr Reglitz.

"Web-capable phones allow people to access these services and public internet provision, such as public libraries, can help get people online where individual domestic access is initially too expensive."

He added that the human right to internet access was similar to the global right to health, which cannot require globally the highest possible medical treatment, as many states are too poor to provide such services and thus would face impossible demands.

Instead, poor states are called upon to provide basic medical services and work toward providing higher quality health care delivery. Similarly, such states should initially offer locations with public Internet access and develop IT infrastructure that increases access.

Read more at Science Daily

Nations with strong women's rights likely to have better population health and faster growth

Nations with strong women's rights are more likely to have better health and faster growth than those who don't promote and protect these values, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open.

This trend is evident in even in resource-poor countries, say the researchers.

While many parts of the world have made good economic progress, women's rights have often been overlooked, say the researchers. This is despite many countries having signed the international bill of rights for women, formally known as The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

The researchers wanted to find out if there might be a link between protection of women's rights, and health improvement and sustainable development, and if ultimately, women's rights might have more of an impact than economic and social, or civil and political rights alone.

They analysed databases which held information on health, human rights, and economic and social rights for 162 countries for the period 2004 to 2010.

Countries were grouped according to the respect they afforded to women's economic and social rights: high (44); moderate (51); and poor (63).

Analysis of the data showed that strong economic and social rights were associated with better/improving health outcomes, possibly because of the spend on health per head of the population, say the researchers.

But this wasn't the case when looking at countries based on women's economic and social rights.

Overall, countries with strong women's rights had better/improving health than those where women's rights were only moderately or poorly respected.

These health indicators include disease prevention, such as vaccination, reproductive health, death rates and life expectancy.

In countries where human rights, to include women's rights, were highly respected, but where access to hospital beds and doctors was nevertheless below average, health outcomes were still consistently better than average, the analysis showed.

"The results confirm that even with a lack of resources, if a country has a strong human rights structure, the health outcomes are better," the researchers write.

But countries where civil and political rights alone were highly valued had varying levels of health.

And despite some countries respecting economic, social and cultural rights, they still didn't protect women's economic and social rights.

This is an observational study, which used average health values, and as such, can't establish cause. Further research over longer time periods in countries with similar human rights trends is needed to pinpoint overarching trends, say the researchers.

But gender equality is not just a women's issue, but a development issue, they suggest.

"Since the promotion and protection of women's rights play a fundamental role for progress for states as they unite health, human rights and development, nations that have the ability to promote [women's social and economic rights]...are missing a crucial component in positive health outcomes," they write.

Read more at Science Daily

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy Remembered

Forty-eight years after his death, Martin Luther King, Jr. still stands as one of the most symbolic, most loved and most tragic of figures of the Civil Rights Movement.

This year, the home where the civil rights leader was born in some 88 years ago, will reopen after being closed since August for repairs. The modest Atlanta, Ga. home at at 450 Auburn Ave. N.E., was originally built in 1895. The historic site typically draws up to 20,000 visitors on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which caused some wear and tear. After repairs to the first floor of the house, where King lived until age 12, it will open again to the public in time for the MLK holiday.

Across the country, Americans are honoring King through rallies, services and days of service. Here, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, take a look back at his life and some of his greatest accomplishments.

Son of a Preacher Man

King was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Ga., to Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King.

He studied theology, eventually earning a Ph.D. and following in his father's footsteps, becoming a preacher. Eventually, the two Rev. Kings would co-pastor Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta until the younger King's death in 1968.

In the photo below, Martin Luther King, Jr. looks on as his father delivers a sermon.

A Family of Kings

King married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953. The couple would go on to have four children. After his death, the King family, led by Coretta, took on his mission of promoting racial equality.

Peaceful Protest

In this photo from June 1963, King leads a march of mourners in a funeral procession for fellow civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Known for his marches and peaceful protests, King was still arrested 30 times, according to the King Center.

A Fitting Farewell
King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of civil rights activists gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963.

The moment and the phrase, "I have a dream..." have gone down in history as the pinnacle moment of his career.

Peace Prize

Famous for his non-violent protests, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. At age 35, he was the youngest man, the second American and the third black man to be so honored, according to the King Center.

Voting Rights

In this photo, dated Aug. 5, 1965, King meets with President Lyndon B. Johnson and other civil rights leaders.

The following day, President Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, outlawing discriminatory voting practices.

A Fitting Farewell

King was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968.

Thousands of mourners, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson (pictured at right) attended the funeral.

A Lasting Legacy

Mourners at King's funeral procession show their support for the iconic figure.

Only four days after his death, the first legislation providing for a Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday was filed. It would take until June 7, 1999 for all 50 states to recognize the holiday, according to the King Center. The third Monday of January is now officially Martin Luther King, Jr. Day across the country.

From Discovery News

Gay Rights Movement: What's Next?

In a historic decision last week in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 ruling that gay marriage would be legal nationwide. The move prompted celebrations across the United States following a historic day in the LGBT rights movement.

Although gay marriage is the issue most often in the public eye when it comes to LGBT rights, given its status as a political hot button issue over the past couple of decades, the legalization of gay marriage is by no means the end of the fight for LGBT equality.

Anti-Discrimination Laws

In the United States, employers are prohibited on the federal level from discriminating against potential hires on the basis of race, gender, age and medical conditions. There is currently no federal law that consistently prevents employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. As the Human Rights Council notes, 29 states have no protections in place for sexual orientation and 32 offer no legal recourse for discrimination against gender identity in the workplace.

The story is similar with housing discrimination in neighborhoods or by owners, when same-sex couples try to rent or buy a property.

Both states and the U.S. Congress have passed religious objection laws, such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which opponents insist allows discrimination against LGBT people. Business owners, for example, could cite religious objections as a reason not to allow transactions with same-sex couples.

Some measure of progress, however, is seen in the reaction these types of laws generate when states adopt them. The most recent legislative effort out of Indiana earlier this year sparked a surprisingly wide-reaching controversy for a state that seldom makes national headlines. Companies threatened to cease business with the state; other governors refused to send employees of their states to Indiana for business travel; and celebrities and citizens alike took to social media to express their frustrations with the law.

Hate Crime Laws

Social acceptance of LGBT community members climbs higher every few years, but lesbian, gay and transsexual people encounter a disproportionately higher rate of violence than other Americans.

In the latest Hate Crime Statistics Report, produced by the FBI at the end of last year, out of 5,922 single-bias hate crimes reported in 2013, over 20 percent were on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Twenty states have no laws on the books for hate crimes specifically targeting LGBT individuals. In 2009, Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded federal hate crime laws to include gender, sexual orientation and gender identity.

LGBT Homelessness

LGBT individuals may encounter violence from total strangers, but they can also fall victim to abuse at home that eventually leads them to lose their economic security. Parents and guardians who choose not to accept the identities of their sons and daughters may force their children out of the home. Or the LGBT person could feel compelled to run away to escape such an environment.

According to the Center for American Progress, of the approximately 1.6 million to 2.8 million homeless youths on America’s streets, between 20 and 40 percent identify as LGBT. The average age of a gay homeless youth in New York is around 14 years, while the average age for a transgender homeless youth is just 13 years. Some 58 percent of LGBT homeless youth also report being victims of sexual assault.

Read more at Discovery News