Tracy Fehr's blog

A weekly round-up of must-read stories, posted every Friday (or on occasion, on Saturday).  Read More »

A weekly round-up of must-read stories, posted every Friday.  Read More »

In an unprecedented show of commitment and accountability by the U.S. to the prevention and elimination of mass atrocities around the world, on April 23 President Barack Obama announced the launch of the first-ever Atrocities Prevention Board, or APB. The board’s inception, which has been highly anticipated within the human rights community, marks a historic step within the U.S. government to work across agencies in collaborated efforts to prevent and respond to mass atrocities around the world.  Read More »

The kings of comedy are at it again, but this time they are using humor to shine a light on human rights atrocities in central Africa. Comedy video website Funny or Die partnered with the Enough Project to co-produce a three-minute video starring Christopher Meloni, who co-starred on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU and recently joined the HBO series True Blood.

Watch “Kony Hunter with Christopher Meloni.”  Read More »

Last November’s controversial Congolese presidential and legislative elections continue to make headlines, further diminishing a sense of legitimacy or credibility in the Congolese electoral process. Last week, the U.N. released a report documenting acts of serious human rights violations committed during the elections—including killings, disappearances and arbitrary detentions—by members of the Congolese defense and security forces in the nation’s capital, Kinshasa.  Read More »

On March 5, Enough Project partner organization Invisible Children launched the Kony 2012 campaign and released a 30-minute video that has received more than 50 million views on YouTube. The violent operations of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, in central Africa have almost overnight become the talk of the nation. To provide context for the Kony 2012 campaign, check out the following interviews this week with Enough Project’s LRA Policy Analyst Ashley Benner and Policy Consultant Sasha Lezhnev.  Read More »

In honor of International Women’s Day it is important to take stock of the national and international mechanisms in support of gendered equality and women’s rights. The U.S. National Security Strategy notes that countries are more peaceful and prosperous when women are accorded full and equal rights, and therefore it is in our national interest to support and empower women throughout the world.

To this end, the Obama administration recently adopted the first U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, officially integrating gender issues across government initiatives.  Read More »

Tensions in Congo’s capital are rising as the Congolese government took swift action this week to suppress opposition voices.

The government banned a peaceful march organized by Catholic religious leaders yesterday to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of what is known as the “Christians Massacre” and to protest the recent botched presidential and legislation elections. The anniversary marks the day in 1992 when several Christians were killed during a pro-democracy rally against the closure of a national conference to debate the Mobutu Sese Seko regime. Yesterday, soldiers met peaceful demonstrators with tear-gas and arrests. Congo’s Voice of the Voiceless rights group reports that three priests and two nuns have been imprisoned, and soldiers and police fired tear gas into church compounds to prevent people from participating  Read More »

Sexual and gender-based violence, or SGBV, does not just affect an individual but also has the power to permeate an entire community. Often these acts are carried out during periods of conflict or post-conflict transitions when rule of law is weak and a culture of impunity reigns.

In the Congo alone an estimated 48 women are raped every hour, according to a study published last year by the American Journal of Public Health. The prevalence of SGBV in Congo indicates a systematic breakdown of societal norms, paving the way for further violence and destruction.  Read More »

Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party’s grip on power seems to be tightening to the point of suffocation. In the past week, Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services, or NISS, has targeted non-violent, pro-democratic student activists in a wave of arrests and harassment.  Read More »