Asia Centre and Oxfam Announce 2019 Journalism Award Finalists

Asia Centre and Oxfam Announce 2019 Journalism Award Finalists

Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 Journalism For An Equitable Asia Award. As thought leaders and creators, journalists have the skills and voice to expose social issues of inequality to build the public’s understanding and support for equality, #humanrights, and #sustainability. Many journalists across Asia fight the injustice of #inequality and poverty.  Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award, co-hosted by  Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia aims to recognize them and encourage more journalists to write for a fairer #Asia.   Here are the finalists: Aidila Razak is Special Reports Editor at…

Continue ReadingAsia Centre and Oxfam Announce 2019 Journalism Award Finalists

Hate Speech Echoes Government Speak

Hate Speech Echoes Government Speak

Hate speech in society towards vulnerable communities often reflects the discriminatory and prejudicial language by government officials and political leaders. In Southeast Asia, the spike in hate speech against migrant workers, refugees, undocumented workers, ethnic minorities and the homeless can be attributed to this trend. This was the analysis offered by speakers at Asia Centre’s webinar on COVID-19 and Vulnerable Communities on 24 June 2020. (watch it here)  The webinar attended by over 114 attendees of 380 registrants, offered a thorough discussion on hate speech arising from government and political speak. The event follows an earlier webinar on COVID-19 and…

Continue ReadingHate Speech Echoes Government Speak

Hate Speech: Measures Shouldn’t Infringe Rights

Hate Speech: Measures Shouldn’t Infringe Rights

Legal and non-legal measures to regulate hate speech should not infringe on freedom of expression. This was the cautionary advice arising from speakers and participants at Asia Centre’s first webinar that discussed the impact of COVID-19 crisis on hate speech in Asia. Over 215 attendees from a total of 395 registrants took part in the proceedings (See link to video). The webinar was the first of two on hate speech convened with the support of the Thai Media Fund. A second webinar, “COVID-19 and Vulnerable Communities”, is scheduled for 24 June 2020 which will discuss COVID-19’s impact on vulnerable and…

Continue ReadingHate Speech: Measures Shouldn’t Infringe Rights

Asia Centre resumes operations, strengthens online capacity

Asia Centre resumes operations, strengthens online capacity

IntroductionAsia Centre has resumed office operations and has taken steps to strengthen its online capacity. The Centre is re-starting activities following a requisite COVID-19 postponement of some events and 10 weeks of remote working. Selected postponed activities will now move online, while the Centre enhances its online meeting capabilities and presence over social media. Postponed ActivitiesThe Centre’s first response to the COVID-19 pandemic began when it announced on 16 March 2020 that in-person activities will be postponed. These included halting the Melbourne Outreach planned for 23-27 March 2020 that consisted of meetings and lectures as well as two half-day seminars…

Continue ReadingAsia Centre resumes operations, strengthens online capacity

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter ProposalsFake News and Elections in South AsiaBOOK PROJECTProposal to Established PublisherSouth Asia has not been spared the scourge of fake news that has spread globally in the social media era. Strategic exploitation of fake news negatively affects fact-based democratic discourse and the conduct of elections, the most basic indicator of governmental legitimacy. At election-time disinformation and misinformation exact a toll on democracy, especially in contexts of low-literacy.The central theme of this book is on disinformation, fake news, hoaxes and foreign influence operations immediately prior to and during elections that have taken place in South Asia since 2016.…

Continue ReadingCall for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter ProposalsFake News and Elections in East AsiaBOOK PROJECTProposal to Established PublisherAsia Centre invites high quality proposals for chapters of a forthcoming book on Fake News and Elections in East Asia. Interested authors may submit a title, an abstract of 300 words (max), 5 keywords and a bio of 100 words (max) per author for consideration. The central theme that chapters must focus on is disinformation, fake news and foreign influence operations immediately prior to and during elections that have taken place in the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 in East Asia. Chapters on Japan, Hong…

Continue ReadingCall for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter ProposalsFake News and Elections in Indonesia: The Politics of IdentityBOOK PROJECTProposal to Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan  Asia Centre invites high quality proposals for chapters of a forthcoming book on Fake News and Elections in Indonesia: The Politics of Identity. Interested authors may submit a title, an abstract of 300 words (max) and bio of 100 word (max) for consideration. The central theme that chapters must focus on is disinformation, hoaxes and fake news immediately prior to and during the presidential elections of 2019. Authors are recommended to make comparisons to the 2014 presidential elections and to also discuss the post-2019…

Continue ReadingCall for Chapter Proposals

Business and Human Rights in Asia: Duty of The State to Protect

Business and Human Rights in Asia: Duty of The State to Protect

Buy Now Abstract In this book the authors examine the State’s duty to protect human rights in Asia amidst rising concern over the human rights impact of business organisations in Asia. States in the region have recently begun to consider the need for rules and policies in this area. This work examines the upswing in interest in business and human rights (BHR). It focuses on the duty of the State in the region to uphold their existing obligations, which has hitherto been understudied. It examines a range of inter-connected issues: the advent of international standards, the UN Guiding Principles on…

Continue ReadingBusiness and Human Rights in Asia: Duty of The State to Protect

National Human Rights Institutions in Southeast Asia: Selected Case Studies

National Human Rights Institutions in Southeast Asia: Selected Case Studies

Buy Now Abstract This book reviews Southeast Asia’s National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) as part of an emerging assessment of a nascent regional human rights architecture that is facing significant challenges in protecting human rights. The book asks, can NHRIs overcome its weaknesses and provide protection, including remedies, to victims of human rights abuses? Assessing NHRIs’ capacity to do so is vital as the future of human rights protection lies at the national level, and other parts of the architecture—the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), and the international mechanism of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)—though helpful, also have…

Continue ReadingNational Human Rights Institutions in Southeast Asia: Selected Case Studies