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
Health
Fighting HIV—With the Law
Russia is home to the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemic, driven by injection drug use. But fighting HIV is about more than just providing clean needles.
Read More | See more work on HealthRussia is home to the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemic, driven largely by injection drug use. A zero-tolerance policy toward drugs in the country denies access to harm reduction tools and treatment. In the absence of government services, outreach workers offer clean needles and health information. With help from online networks, they also offer legal advice. Lev Levinson, above, directs one such online resource, Hand-Help.ru.
Read more »Image credit: © Guy Martin/Panos for the Open Society Foundations
Rights & Justice
A System in Crisis
Chronic human rights abuses are happening in the U.S. immigration detention system—at a $2 billion cost to taxpayers. Take a rare look inside.
Read More | See more work on Rights & JusticeWhile chained in restraints, a migrant from Honduras boards a plane to be deported back home at the Phoenix airport in Arizona. Every day there are five to nine flights to Central America. Open Society grantees are working for a humane, common-sense immigration process.
Read more »Image credit: © Kadir van Lohuizen/NOOR
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
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In private facilities across Latin America, drug users are often detained against their will and tortured under the guise of “treatment.”
A new website builds on seven years of monitoring trials of mass atrocities, in courts from The Hague to Guatemala and Cambodia.
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How do Afghan women see their future? Five dedicated women’s rights leaders share their concerns and their vision.
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The World Bank’s Marcelo Giugale explains how direct dividend transfers could help African citizens benefit from their countries’ natural resource wealth.
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