Health
Arresting the Spread of HIV
In many countries, HIV rates are climbing among sex workers and people who use drugs. But a novel approach to law enforcement is changing this, and may prove as critical to HIV prevention as a condom or clean needle.
Read More | See more work on HealthIn many countries, HIV rates are climbing among sex workers and people who use drugs. One of the main reasons is that they are criminalized. Too often sex workers and drug users are forced to choose between protecting their health and staying safe from police harassment or arrest. But a novel approach to law enforcement is changing this, and may prove as critical to HIV prevention as a condom or clean needle. Through partnerships with HIV experts and community groups, police such as those in Kyrgyzstan, depicted above, are playing a critical role in the fight against HIV.
Read more »Image credit: Adam Rogers
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
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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Open Society Voices
Understanding the root causes of crises like the one taking place in Ferguson, Missouri, is the first step toward preventing them.
After its parliament passed a law that includes protections for gender identity and sexual orientation, Georgia has settled into a period of transition that, rights activists hope, will eliminate LGBT discrimination.
Events
Sep
15
Michele Stephenson and Joe Brewster share the latest research and personal anecdotes in their new book, Promises Kept: Raising Black Boys to Succeed in School and in Life.
Oct
1
Charles M. Blow, New York Times op-ed columnist, discusses his extraordinary life story—growing up in segregated, impoverished Louisiana.
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The Open Society Presidential Fellowship is awarded yearly to recent graduates from law, public policy, and business schools.
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