“A stunning blow to victims, survivors and international justice”
By Ellie Finkelstein, Freedom United
January 26th, 2025
News Digest
OUR CAMPAIGN ISSUES IN THE NEWS
| Law & policy “A stunning blow to victims, survivors and international justice”: Italy releases Libyan war crimes suspect Osama Almasri Najim, a Libyan official accused of heinous crimes against migrants, was arrested in Italy on an ICC warrant but released just 48 hours later due to a procedural flaw, sparking international outrage. His release and triumphant return to Libya highlight Europe’s dangerous reliance on agreements with Libyan authorities to curb migration, even at the cost of enabling abuse and modern slavery. Read more… |
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| Forced marriage The global decline of child marriage under threat After a decade of progress in reducing child marriage, alarming setbacks have emerged, including Iraq’s new law permitting marriage for girls as young as nine and the continued prevalence of child marriage in Bangladesh, where 60% of families still practice it. These developments underscore that the fight against child marriage is far from over, threatening to unravel hard-won gains in protecting the rights of women and girls. Read more… |
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| Forced labor On the blacklist for using Uyghur forced labor? Australia’s not bothered Since 2021, when the U.S. introduced the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, imports from dozens of blacklisted companies tied to Uyghur forced labor have been banned. But in Australia, it’s business as usual, with thousands of imports from these same companies flooding into the country—leaving activists frustrated by the government’s inaction and demanding urgent reforms. Read more… |
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 | Ellie Finkelstein Freedom United |
