Human Rights in Asia Conference

Connecting the Dots of Colonial Legacies to Modern Injustices

Despite that several decades have passed since the massive waves of decolonisation, the legacies of colonisation yet remain across Asia, leaving deep-seated imbalanced power structures and the marginalisation of certain ethnic, religious, or cultural groups. 

Held on 16 March 2024.

Human Rights Impacts on the Fashion Industry in Asia

The 15th Human Rights in Asia Conference will discuss “Human Rights Impacts on the Fashion Industry in Asia”. The focus will be on the impact of fast fashion industries on the working conditions of factory labourers in Asia. Additionally, it will discuss the relation between Business and Human Rights and the industry’s obligations towards realising Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) and sustainable practices in the garment industry. Finally, it will conclude with the vulnerable position of migrants and women in the industry.

Held on the 18 March 2023.

Check out a blog post from one Student Volunteers documenting their experience.

 

 

Indigenous Peoples: Contemporary Challenges and Victories

The 14th Human Rights in Asia Conference is entitled Indigenous Peoples: Contemporary Challenges and Victories and will focus on the collective rights of indigenous peoples in Asia. The conference will examine indigenous peoples' collective rights in the Asia region, focusing on the victories they have won and the current challenges they face. It is crucial to learn about this topic from the perspective of indigenous peoples themselves, and therefore the conference aims to feature speakers who identify as indigenous. 

Held on Saturday 12 March and 19 March 2022. 

A bird's eye view of Asia: The asylum-seeking climate

This conference featured the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Asia, with a special focus on South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand. Our team at Human Rights in Asia Conference noted that much of the focus of the media surrounding refugees and asylum seekers have been on the hotspots, such as The Middle East and Europe, and we have decided that Asia is as much of an important component that should be included in these debates and discussions. In our 13th conference, we are particularly interested in the contrast between the  two Asian countries that have signed and ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and another two that have not, and whether this makes an indication on the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers in these regions.

Human Trafficking

The 12th Human Rights in Asia Conference was held in July 2020 under the theme: “Human Trafficking”, topics covered human trafficking in Asia, international legal frameworks, and policies related to human trafficking. The annual conference was previously scheduled to take place on March 21 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event had been postponed and revamped, and was held as a two-part series.

Part 1 – International and regional perspectives was held on Tuesday 7 July 2020. Speakers included Professor Parosha Chandran (Human Rights Barrister and Professor of Practice in Modern Slavery Law, King’s College London) and Sarah Mount (Freedom Fund).

Part 2 – National Perspectives with a focus on Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal and India was held on Thursday 9 July 2021. Speakers included Hannah Bondi (CHRI), Veerawit Tianchainan (The Freedom Story), Giang Nguyen (News Editor, BBC Vietnamese World Service) and Shovita Dhakal Adhikari (University of Bournemouth).

Shadow behind the Light: Economic Development and Human Rights

The 11th Human Rights in Asia Conference was held on 23 March 2019 under the theme: “Shadow behind the Light: Economic Development and Human Rights”. This year’s keynote speakers were

The 10th year of the conference was held at the University of Essex Colchester Campus, and focussed specifically on the rights of children in Asia. Most countries in the region have ratified the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which entails a commitment of the states towards ensuring the right to survival, protection, development and participation of every child.

The day-long conference focussed on some of the pertinent child rights issues of the region. The rights of the girl child, refugee and IDP children, survivors of child trafficking and children in armed conflict were explored through panels and discussions. Experts and practitioners provided their insight into both, the developments and existing gaps in these areas, in order to advance the debate and further understanding on the issues.

Gender and Sexuality

The Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex ran the 9th Annual Human Rights in Asia Conference at its Colchester campus on Saturday 25 March 2017.

Themes that were discussed:

• Advocating gender and status in law
• Regional and country-specific issues
• Exploitation, trafficking, and gender-based violence
• State practices and religion

Human Rights Defenders

The Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex ran the 8th Annual Human Rights in Asia Conference at its Colchester campus on Saturday 30 April 2016.

Themes that were discussed:

• Treatment of human rights defenders
• Issues women face promoting human rights
• Regional differences in human rights promotion
• Challenges in protecting human rights
• Future of human rights defenders

Democracy and Human Rights in Asia: Progressing or Retreating?

The Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex ran the 7th Annual Human Rights in Asia Conference at its Colchester campus on Sunday 15 March 2015.

Themes that were discussed:

• How can we assess current human rights events in Asia?
• What do you know about human rights in the region?
• Are you interested in learning more about Asia and its human rights practices?

Attendees engaged in an interactive session with our expert panellists at this student-led human rights conference, which is supported by the University of Essex's Human Rights Centre. Our speakers addressed critical human rights issues facing Asia today and included:

• Professor Michael Freeman, University of Essex
• Kanak Dixit, HIMĀL Southasian, Journalist
• Professor Han Dorussen, University of Essex
• Alex Wilks, International Bar Association, Human Rights Institute
• Tallyn Gray, Westminster University
• Hazel Galang, Amnesty International
• Dr Sanae Fujita, University of Essex