Check out the Summer 2010 edition of Rights Sites News, focusing on the rights of workers.

Marking the UN World Day for Indigenous Peoples on Aug. 9, 2010, The Advocates releases its Briefing Note on Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in the Kenya Truth Commission Process.

The Advocates has received a 4-Star rating for fiscal management from Charity Navigator, a well-known and respected evaluator of philanthropic organizations. 

Cheryl Thomas, Director of the Women's Human Rights Program at The Advocates, will be featured this Sunday on My Talk 107.1 to discuss violence against women as an international women's health issue.

English-only laws are part of a coordinated national strategy in the anti-immigrant movement. MPR reports that the crafting of the English-only ordinance passed in Lino Lakes, MN was aided by ProEnglish - a group with ties to John Tanton, founder of FAIR, which has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

On July 24, The Advocates was awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the Liberian Community in St. Paul, MN for its contribution to the restoration of peace in Liberia, and the protection of Liberian immigrants in the U.S.

Volunteer with The Advocates at the Minnesota State Fair August 26 - September 6 to raise awareness of the human rights of immigrants. Please join us at booth #69 in the Lower Grandstand!

Through the efforts of volunteer attorney Akeem Soboyede, an Advocates client seeking asylum will now be able to obtain his work permit and support himself as he awaits the asylum hearing next January. 

The United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to create a new entity to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide. The establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — to be known as UN Women — is part of the UN reform agenda and a result of years of negotiations between UN Member States and advocacy by the global women’s movement. 

Officials in Herat report that the province, which has among the highest female suicide rate in Afghanistan, has experienced an increase in this rate over the past year. The majority of cases involved women who have moved back to Afghanistan after fleeing to Iran, and experienced the contrast in rights, poverty, and social conditions between the two nations.

Minneapolis (June 22, 2010) – Senator Al Franken (D-MN), joined by co-sponsors Herbert Kohl (D-WI), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), introduced legislation to ensure that the human rights of children and families in the United States are protected during immigration enforcement actions. The HELP Separated Children Act was introduced June 22, 2010.