Human Rights

Christina Cattaneo in a scene from Pure Unknown Society

Determined to give them back their names

Forensic scientist Cristina Cattaneo, BSc’87, heads up an effort in Italy to identify migrants who have perished in their attempts to reach Europe. “It’s important for the living, not just for the dignity of the dead.”

Flag of Sudan Webcasts

Sudan in Crisis

Just four years after its dictator was chased from power, the nation of Sudan, the third largest in Africa, is immersed in a new and extremely violent conflict, with hundreds dead and tens of thousands seeking to flee the country.

Boat full of immigrants crossing the sea Webcasts

Migrants on the move

The world is on the move like never before. According to the United Nations, a record 100 million people were displaced from their homes in 2022, forced out by conflict, violence, persecution or natural disasters. Many are undertaking perilous journeys and turning up at borders in Canada, the United States and Europe, pleading to be let in.

People

The missing pages in history books

It was in 1992 when Sally Armstrong, BEd’66, DLitt’02, heard about the camps. She had gone to Sarajevo during the Balkan conflict to cover how the war was impacting children.

Rohingyan children sitting in a food line Society

Pursuing justice for the Rohingya

Associate professor of law Payam Akhavan, a former UN prosecutor at The Hague, recently worked with Bangladesh in a successful effort to establish the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction for investigating crimes against humanity perpetrated by military leaders in Myanmar.

Society

An “inconceivable” moment in history

When U.S. authorities sparked a huge public outcry by separating children from parents who had crossed the border into the U.S. illegally, BJ Jensen, BCL/LLB'11, soon found himself in the thick of the action.

Discovery

The barriers to education for homeless youth

When a young person doesn’t have stable housing, succeeding in school can be incredibly challenging. McGill doctoral student Jayne Malenfant knows this from her research – and from her own life experience.

Discovery

Exploring the damage done to the most vulnerable by war

Myriam Denov, BSW’94, looks at the devastating impact of war on the lives of women and children. Her sensitive approach benefits from the fact that her research partners include people with firsthand knowledge of that trauma.

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