Rights & Justice
Demanding Dignity for All
Europe’s response to irregular migrants and asylum seekers is in crisis, and continues to cause unnecessary harm and death. A new approach should be grounded in reality, not politics.
Read More | See more work on Rights & JusticeJust south of Lampedusa island, the Italian Navy transfers 219 migrants to their ship. The migrants include Pakistanis, Syrians, Moroccans, Nigerians, and Nepalis who had left the coast of Libya with smugglers the night before. The Navy ship was operating as part of Italy’s “Mare Nostrum” project, searching for boats with migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The Open Society Foundations work to advance fair treatment of migrants and refugees.
Read more »Image credit: © Carlos Spottorno/Panos Pictures
Health
Arresting the Spread of HIV
In many countries, HIV rates are climbing among sex workers and people who use drugs. But a novel approach to law enforcement is changing this, and may prove as critical to HIV prevention as a condom or clean needle.
Read More | See more work on HealthIn many countries, HIV rates are climbing among sex workers and people who use drugs. One of the main reasons is that they are criminalized. Too often sex workers and drug users are forced to choose between protecting their health and staying safe from police harassment or arrest. But a novel approach to law enforcement is changing this, and may prove as critical to HIV prevention as a condom or clean needle. Through partnerships with HIV experts and community groups, police such as those in Kyrgyzstan, depicted above, are playing a critical role in the fight against HIV.
Read more »Image credit: Adam Rogers
Governance & Accountability
Caught in the Aftermath
As Chechnya struggles to rebuild in the aftermath of conflict, photographer Diana Markosian documents young women’s struggle with new, repressive laws.
Read More | See more work on Governance & AccountabilityStudents attend a gym class at School No. 1 in Serzhen-Yurt, Chechnya. After enduring the horrors of two wars, young Chechen women like these are now confronted by a period of peace marked by increasing oppression. This image is part of a series by photographer Diana Markosian, who aims to show how girls and young women are navigating their transition into adulthood in this context, and to honor their strength amidst the challenges they face.
Read more »Image credit: © Diana Markosian/Reportage by Getty Images
Education & Youth
Sharing Tools for Transformation
Everyone deserves to have choice in their lives. Advocates like Elizabeth Kamundia are building societies in which people with disabilities participate equally and with full respect for their human rights.
Read More | See more work on Education & YouthElizabeth Kamundia, an Open Society scholarship recipient, taught a seminar at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy. The center is one of only a handful in academic organizations in Europe dedicated to the study of disability rights, and it is the only one with a dedicated program focusing on international disability law. The Open Society Foundations are working to include disability rights in more law schools’ curricula.
Read more »Image credit: © Andrew Testa/Panos Pictures for the Open Society Foundations
Media & Information
Visualizing Human Rights
We honor the brave and difficult work that photographers undertake to document complex social and political issues around the world.
Read More | See more work on Media & InformationEvery morning dozens of men and boys from the Pademba Road Prison in Freetown, Sierra Leone, are taken to court. This does not mean that they will be judged; it may be years until their trials end. Some youth may spend several years in Pademba Road Prison before receiving a sentence. In his series “Juveniles Waiting for Justice,” photographer Fernando Moleres tells the story of young men and boys confined in an adult prison, as a deeply flawed justice system takes over and determines their fate.
Read more »Image credit: © Fernando Moleres
About George Soros
Investor and philanthropist George Soros established the Open Society Foundations to help countries make the transition from communism.
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The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people.
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Open Society Voices
What the Center for Reproductive Rights is doing to stop legislators from undermining a woman’s right to choose.
A U.S. federal court has found that the free speech rights of American public health organizations don’t stop at the border.
Events
Mar
9
This discussion looks at the condition of human rights in Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most repressive and least transparent countries.
Grantee Spotlight
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The Human Rights Initiative helps ensure that people can exercise their rights and seek redress for violations by supporting the strength and vitality of the global human rights movement.
The International Higher Education Support Program nurtures capacity and leadership at universities to enable well-informed, vigorous social deliberation.
The Program on Independent Journalism enables independent media to deliver quality content for the public good by promoting freedom of expression, professional and ethical standards, watchdog journalism, and diverse voices.