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Human rights stories are all around us. We explore contemporary and historic human rights stories, from Canada and around the world.

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The chaotic story of the right to vote in Canada

By Matthew McRae

An illustration of people in line waiting to vote. The man in front places his ballot in the box on the table.

Language rights are human rights

By Rémi Courcelles

A stop sign and street sign in both English and French are seen in front of trees.

Face the music: Canadian musicians and human rights

By Julia Peristerakis

Two women and a man stand on a stage while a group of people in white shirts stand on risers behind them. The woman in the centre is waving to someone off-camera, and the man on the right is holding a microphone.

What led to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda?

By Jeremy Maron

A large crowd of people of all ages carrying food and belongings walk toward the camera on a long dirt road through a bright green landscape of grass and bushes. The road and the crowd extend far into the distance.

Voices of women and girls in war

By Isabelle Masson

A woman is holding a baby, while four men in army fatigues stand beside and behind her. They are all standing in front of a forest, posed for the camera.

Rohingya women call for justice

By Paula Kelly

A group of Rohingya women and men carry young children and belongings as they walk in a line over an earthen dike over a stretch of water.

The Winnipeg General Strike

By Travis Tomchuk

A large crowd gathered on a street

The symbol of Pride

By Karine Duhamel

Several hands reaching toward a sunlit sky, with many waving rainbow flags.

Jody Williams and the campaign to ban landmines

By Julia Peristerakis

A woman sitting on a chair with hands clasped looks thoughtfully ahead, as if answering a question.

The Sharpeville Massacre

By Matthew McRae

People stand in front of a row of coffins.

Five women all Canadians should know

By Matthew McRae

Six red dresses are suspended in air on hangers in front of a backdrop. The backdrop features an image of a birch wood forest with more red dresses hanging in it.

Travis Price’s act of kindness

By Julia Peristerakis

Six teenagers and a middle-aged woman stand with their arms around each other and are smiling for the camera. They are all wearing pink shirts.

Canadian civil rights trailblazers

By Jason Permanand

A black and white photo of a movie theatre audience. The picture is taken from the front of the theatre looking towards the back, so the faces of the audience can be seen. Potted palm trees line the walls on each side.

Peace, friendship and respect

By Karine Duhamel

An image being projected onto a curved wall that is about nine feet tall. It is made up of many small squares and has the appearance of Indigenous bead work or a mosaic. The image is mainly made up of white squares, but it also features two thick blue horizontal lines that run parallel to each other.

Fighting for a vision of a free and democratic Russia

Des roses rouges et blanches fanées dans un vase. En arrière-plan, on voit la cathédrale Saint-Basile sur la place Rouge, à Moscou, avec ses multiples coupoles et dômes, qui rappellent un feu de camp montant vers le ciel.

Childhood denied

A group of boys wearing pyjamas kneels on single beds with heads bowed and hands clasped as if in prayer. A woman stands in the room with her hands clasped in a similar manner.

The story of slavery in Canadian history

By Matthew McRae

Rusted iron manacles hang on hooks on a plain white wall.

The story of Nelson Mandela

By Matthew McRae

Nelson Mandela, an older black man with graying hair, forms a raised fist with his right hand and holds it above his head. With his left, he is holding hands with Winnie Mandela, a black woman with dark hair. She is smiling and has formed a raised fist with her left hand, mirroring Nelson Mandela’s raised fist. A large crowd is gathered behind them.

Bringing the potlatch home

By Matthew McRae

A black and white image of an elderly woman with white hair holding a mask that is shaped and painted to represent a bird’s head. It features a long beak with an open mouth and feathers attached to the top of the head. The woman is looking directly at the mask she is holding.

Making Mandela: Struggle for Freedom

By Matthew McRae

A man and a woman sit in chairs facing each other. There is a microphone on a stand positioned between them. There are also large lights on both sides of the woman’s chair, which are pointed towards the man.

The chaotic story of the right to vote in Canada

By Matthew McRae

An illustration of people in line waiting to vote. The man in front places his ballot in the box on the table.

Language rights are human rights

By Rémi Courcelles

A stop sign and street sign in both English and French are seen in front of trees.

Face the music: Canadian musicians and human rights

By Julia Peristerakis

Two women and a man stand on a stage while a group of people in white shirts stand on risers behind them. The woman in the centre is waving to someone off-camera, and the man on the right is holding a microphone.

What led to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda?

By Jeremy Maron

Learn how division, dehumanization and incitement of hatred set the stage for genocide.

A large crowd of people of all ages carrying food and belongings walk toward the camera on a long dirt road through a bright green landscape of grass and bushes. The road and the crowd extend far into the distance.

Voices of women and girls in war

By Isabelle Masson

Grace and Evelyn were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda when they were just girls. They managed to find their way back to freedom but have faced many new struggles since they returned home.

A woman is holding a baby, while four men in army fatigues stand beside and behind her. They are all standing in front of a forest, posed for the camera.

Rohingya women call for justice

By Paula Kelly

A group of Rohingya women and men carry young children and belongings as they walk in a line over an earthen dike over a stretch of water.

The Winnipeg General Strike

By Travis Tomchuk

A large crowd gathered on a street

The symbol of Pride

By Karine Duhamel

Several hands reaching toward a sunlit sky, with many waving rainbow flags.

Jody Williams and the campaign to ban landmines

By Julia Peristerakis

A woman sitting on a chair with hands clasped looks thoughtfully ahead, as if answering a question.

The Sharpeville Massacre

By Matthew McRae

Discover how South Africa’s murderous response to peaceful protest inspired local and international action against apartheid.

People stand in front of a row of coffins.

Five women all Canadians should know

By Matthew McRae

The year 2016 marks a century since women in Canada first got the right to vote and so it seems like a fine time to celebrate the achievements of Canadian women.

Six red dresses are suspended in air on hangers in front of a backdrop. The backdrop features an image of a birch wood forest with more red dresses hanging in it.

Travis Price’s act of kindness

By Julia Peristerakis

Six teenagers and a middle-aged woman stand with their arms around each other and are smiling for the camera. They are all wearing pink shirts.

Canadian civil rights trailblazers

By Jason Permanand

For her courage and tenacity, we remember Viola Desmond as a Canadian civil rights pioneer. But did you know she was not the first Black Canadian who fought against segregated theatres?

A black and white photo of a movie theatre audience. The picture is taken from the front of the theatre looking towards the back, so the faces of the audience can be seen. Potted palm trees line the walls on each side.

Peace, friendship and respect

By Karine Duhamel

An image being projected onto a curved wall that is about nine feet tall. It is made up of many small squares and has the appearance of Indigenous bead work or a mosaic. The image is mainly made up of white squares, but it also features two thick blue horizontal lines that run parallel to each other.

Fighting for a vision of a free and democratic Russia

Explore the motivation, inspiration and hope that sustain Kara-Murza’s courageous fight for human rights and democracy in Russia.

Des roses rouges et blanches fanées dans un vase. En arrière-plan, on voit la cathédrale Saint-Basile sur la place Rouge, à Moscou, avec ses multiples coupoles et dômes, qui rappellent un feu de camp montant vers le ciel.

Childhood denied

A story about Indian residential schools and their legacy

A group of boys wearing pyjamas kneels on single beds with heads bowed and hands clasped as if in prayer. A woman stands in the room with her hands clasped in a similar manner.

The story of slavery in Canadian history

By Matthew McRae

Like the United States, Canada has its own history of slavery – and it is a history we should never forget.

Rusted iron manacles hang on hooks on a plain white wall.

The story of Nelson Mandela

By Matthew McRae

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing South Africa’s apartheid system. He refused to give up his efforts to achieve equality for all people.

Nelson Mandela, an older black man with graying hair, forms a raised fist with his right hand and holds it above his head. With his left, he is holding hands with Winnie Mandela, a black woman with dark hair. She is smiling and has formed a raised fist with her left hand, mirroring Nelson Mandela’s raised fist. A large crowd is gathered behind them.

Bringing the potlatch home

By Matthew McRae

A black and white image of an elderly woman with white hair holding a mask that is shaped and painted to represent a bird’s head. It features a long beak with an open mouth and feathers attached to the top of the head. The woman is looking directly at the mask she is holding.

Making Mandela: Struggle for Freedom

By Matthew McRae

A man and a woman sit in chairs facing each other. There is a microphone on a stand positioned between them. There are also large lights on both sides of the woman’s chair, which are pointed towards the man.