Human Rights

Warning: graphic material in following article.

A group of national pro-life leaders plan to hold a prayer vigil outside the Philadelphia courthouse where abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell is being tried for murder as closing arguments in the case begin Monday.

"We will be gathering in prayer and public witness to ask God that these violent and barbaric acts of violence against women and children would be brought to justice," said the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition. "We will also be praying that we would live in a nation where human rights and equality would be guaranteed and embraced for all and we would never have to witness atrocities like this again." more >>

A year after his naked obscenity-filled meltdown in the streets of San Diego, Calif., where he cursed the devil and smacked the pavement, Invisible Children co-founder and creator of the viral video "Kony 2012," Jason Russell, says he is now doing better and promoting his latest project, the Fourth Estate.

In a conversation at the Q Conference – an annual gathering of young, innovative and influential leaders to discuss the biggest issues impacting the church – in Los Angeles on Monday, Russell joked with the audience about his manic episode brought on by the sudden success of the "Kony 2012" video, which has now been viewed nearly 100 million times on YouTube.

"I'm alive, I am clothed, I am still a little bit crazy…Exactly a year ago today I was in rehabilitation. It's been that kind of year but it's been really great in the end," he said. more >>

In a congressional hearing on Tuesday, blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng requested Congress to convince the Obama administration to release diplomatic records containing the agreements reached between the U.S. and China last May, which facilitated his release from the country.

Chen reportedly wants the agreements released because the U.S. government told him in May that Chinese officials would promise, in writing, not to harm his relatives remaining in China, but several of his family members have reportedly been harassed and beaten by government officials.

For example, Chen's nephew, Chen Kegui, was arrested and sentenced to 39 months in prison for allegedly injuring government officials when they stormed his home looking for Chen in April 2012, but Chen maintains that his nephew was practicing self-defense. more >>

"Indifference is not an option." "God wants to use rescued people to rescue people." "Bring this darkness into the light." "Raise your voice for freedom." These are all phrases we heard along with more than 45,000 college students who packed the Georgia Dome for the Passion 2012 Conference in Atlanta last year, as prominent Christian leaders used their platform to highlight the horrors of modern-day slavery. It was here that we first developed a distinct awareness of the 27 million people in bondage to different forms of slavery worldwide.

We were shocked to learn that there are more slaves in the world today than at any time in history, and slavery's various expressions include human trafficking, sex slavery, descent-based slavery, forced labor, bonded labor, and child labor. We heard stories that spanned age, gender, and location, including descriptions of young girls forced into sex trafficking here in Atlanta and in major cities around the world, and older men trapped in cycles of slavery forced to work in brick yards and rock quarries for generations. In particular, human trafficking is a global humanitarian crisis which crosses continental divides and social boundaries, permeating commercial enterprises, infiltrating homes, and charting the lives and livelihoods of millions across the globe.

Right after the conference ended, as we were in the elevator leading to the parking lot, we happened to meet Christine Caine, founder of The A21 Campaign, who had spoken at the conference about the crisis of modern-day slavery. We thanked her for her brave efforts fighting global human trafficking, and mentioned that we were gaining a greater awareness of the problem in India. With authority and anguish in her voice, Caine responded, "India is one of the worst countries when it comes to human trafficking." This tragic reality is the result of generational indentured labor practices, from rice mills and brick factories to booming brothels and the mass transfer of girls for domestic services in urban city centers. In fact, many aspects of slavery and trafficking in India today are often ignored or even accepted as legitimate practice. more >>

Forty-five years ago today, my Uncle M.L., the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered by an assassin's bullet. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if that shot had never been fired; what our nation would be like if that bullet had missed. Many are the times I wish he were here.

But though Uncle M.L. is no longer with us on earth, his voice lives on in the words he used to change our nation in the cause of justice.

We are a more just society today because of Martin Luther King, Jr. Not because he brought new ideas into the public consciousness, but because he reminded us of fundamental, eternal truths – truths that needed to be restated and lived out. He once asked and answered this question: "How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust?" He went on to explain: more >>

Elwin Wilson died on Thursday at the age of 76; he was famous for apologizing for his participation and support of the Ku Klux Klan. He apologized soon after President Obama was inaugurated in 2009 and gained national attention for his reformation.

"All I can say is that it has bothered me for years, all the bad stuff I've done," Wilson told the Associated Press in 2009. "And I found out there is no way I could be saved and get to heaven and still not like blacks."

"My daddy always told me that a fool never changes his mind, and a smart man changes his mind. And that's what I've done, and I'm not ashamed of it. I feel like I'm apologizing to the world right now," Wilson told CNN's Don Lemon in 2009. more >>