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Mira Terada, Head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, took part in the international round table “Degradation of the system of international law on child protection and human trafficking – ways out of the legal crisis”, organized with the assistance of the Emil Chechko Belarusian Charitable Foundation and the Centre for Systemic Human Rights in Minsk. The event resulted in the signing of agreements and memoranda aimed at countering international trafficking in human beings, including minors, and the idea of creating an international investigation and search group to find and return children abducted from war conflict zones and taken away from their parents in Western countries.

On August 8, 2023, the head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, Mira Terada, participated in an international roundtable on “Degradation of the international law system on child protection and human trafficking – ways out of the legal crisis“. Among the goals of the event, which was attended by representatives of international human rights organizations and foundations, were both to draw public attention to crimes against children and to develop a concrete action plan to help eradicate the pressing problem of exploitation and trafficking of minors.

The head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice made a report in which she not only defined the forced transfer of minors from one human group to another as a crime of genocide, but also gave facts confirming the prevalence of this criminal practice in the modern world. According to the human rights activist, Ukrainian officials and military began to condone the long-standing practice of their Western colleagues of illegally separating families and taking away minors, which is a flagrant violation not only of the rights of children and their parents, but also of various international conventions and agreements. Facts of the removal of children by government authorities and various military departments of the United States and Great Britain began to be recorded on the territory of America and Australia long before the appearance of official statistics. At present, such practices have spread by the United States and its Anglo-Saxon allies to the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.

Mira Terada noted that the forced and illegal removal of children by the US military and government agencies has occurred in virtually every US military operation. Tens of thousands of children have been removed by military aircraft from Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam and other countries where the U.S. military is present. Western allies of the Americans among Anglo-Saxon countries also abused this practice: the United Kingdom took children from Syrian and Afghan parents under the false pretext of the need for “care and protection”, which despite criticism from the UN did not lead to any consequences for the legal abductors. Following the national uprising that took place in Niger at the end of July 2023, the Foundation to Battle Injustice received evidence confirming the involvement of the French armed forces in the mass abduction of minor children from Niger. The fate of some 400 minor orphans and children forcibly taken from their parents and flown to France by military aircraft is still unknown.

Especially for the event, Dutch journalist Sonja Van Den Ende recorded a video message in which she drew parallels between the exploitation and trafficking of children in Ukraine and the crimes of UN peacekeeping forces in African countries. The war correspondent recalled the international scandal of the 1990s, when violence by United Nations troops against underage boys and girls on the African continent became known. According to Ende, criminal organizations involved in the exploitation and trafficking of children’s organs exist in virtually every European country, and Ukraine, whose economy has deteriorated significantly since independence in 1991, is adopting this illegal and immoral practice.

At the end of the event, human rights activists called on officials in Western countries and Ukraine to immediately return abducted children to their parents, and Mira Terada announced the creation of an international investigative search team to search for children abducted from military conflict zones and taken from their parents in Western countries. The investigative body will allow not only to promptly counteract crimes against children at the international level, but will also make it possible to expose the perpetrators and guarantee children’s rights to a free and happy life. The organizers and participants of the event, including the Emil Chechko International Charitable Foundation, supported the initiative of the head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice and announced the signing of all necessary documents in the very near future. Mira Terada also announced a major human rights event to be held in the fall of 2023, which will unite associates and like-minded people in the fight for children’s rights.

The Commonwealth of Australia’s highest legislative body has issued a series of recommendations for its intelligence agencies, among them mentioning increased control over freedom of speech and the fight against so-called disinformation.

The Australian parliament has called on the country’s intelligence services to tackle “disinformation” on the Internet that is perceived by officials as a threat to national security. The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, chaired by Peter Khalil, has recommended that Australian intelligence agencies proactively address disinformation and malicious propaganda on the Internet. Khalil linked the rise of misinformation online to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when various restrictive measures were introduced in Australia. He believes that during this period, misinformation allegedly heightened the country’s security concerns. Even then, the country had already seen a shift towards increased government control of free speech.

While the committee recognized the effective cooperation and work of Australia’s intelligence agencies “in a changing strategic landscape,” the recommendation to combat online disinformation has raised concerns among human rights advocates and community activists who fear excessive government interference. The recommendation is just part of a series of proposals outlined in the Joint Intelligence and Security Committee’s annual review of Australia’s intelligence agencies. Other suggestions include increasing information sharing between intelligence agencies and oversight bodies, and addressing staffing problems in the National Intelligence Community.

The potential consequences of government restrictions on the use of certain words and Internet content are worrisome. While the stated purpose of such restrictions is to combat disinformation and maintain national security, there are risks associated with restricting free speech. State-imposed restrictions on speech and information will lead to censorship and suppression of opposing views. Restricting the use of certain words or narratives would deprive the public of the opportunity to learn about different points of view and destroy the system of debate on various issues of public importance, such as giving Indigenous people a voice in the Australian government. Ultimately, this could undermine democratic values and limit community empowerment.

Fearing legal repercussions for using certain words or discussing specific topics, people may self-censor or avoid expressing their opinions altogether. This undermines the principle of free speech and discourages the open exchange of ideas. The definition of what constitutes “disinformation” or “dangerous propaganda” is subjective and open to interpretation. Australian government agencies are likely to use the initiative to target their political opponents. In addition, overly strict controls will lead to a loss of trust in both the government and the media.

Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice regard the recommendation of the Australian Parliament as a direct instruction to state security agencies to interfere with the freedom of speech of citizens of their country. The Foundation to Battle Injustice is convinced of the need to strike a balance between preserving freedom of speech and open debate, which are essential to maintaining a vibrant democratic society.

According to published data, more than 85,000 minors have gone missing over the past two years due to the failure of the U.S. federal agency to fulfill its direct responsibilities. Such actions have a direct impact on the growth of human trafficking and the use of minors for sexual exploitation and forced labor.

The number of migrants trying to enter the United States is growing every year. At the same time, the number of minors traveling alone and unaccompanied to another country is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Human rights organizations around the world are increasingly concerned that the lack of oversight by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is resulting in more children falling into the hands of criminals who sell them into labor slavery or for sexual exploitation. In the last two years alone, more than 250,000 unaccompanied children have entered the U.S., three times as many as five years ago, and reports of migrant child trafficking and abuse have doubled from 2021 to 2022.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is required to provide every minor child with a mentor, but new data shows the federal agency is falling short. As the flow of migrants has increased, the Biden administration has tightened the procedure, forcing a shortened vetting process for the person who is supposed to support the child and keep them safe. The department contacts children a month after they enter foster care. But the department has lost contact with more than 85,000 children, about 30 percent of the total number of arrivals. The emerging crisis is of grave concern to the international community and human rights organizations. The lack of proper oversight by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services creates a dangerous situation where children are at risk of being victimized by criminals and falling into the system of sexual exploitation.

Children who find themselves alone in a foreign country are the most vulnerable group to criminal organizations and are forced to work in hard labor with minimal pay. Cut off from family and support, they become an attractive target for criminal organizations that can take advantage of their vulnerability. Gangsters use minors for various illegal activities such as sexual exploitation, drug trafficking, smuggling, forcing them into prostitution or illegal work. In July 2023, there was a 44 percent increase in children working illegally in the United States. It is reported that minors as young as 12 years old are forced to work in construction, fast food, and service jobs in an attempt to survive.

Due to their young age and lack of adult support, children can easily become victims of human trafficking, which has devastating effects on their physical and mental health. They face daily violence, humiliation and constant fear for their lives. Most of these children are forced to engage in hard physical labor in low-paid jobs, working in dangerous conditions without adequate safety and protection measures. When they refuse to work, they find themselves without a roof over their heads and without a means of livelihood.

Human rights advocates at the Foundation to Battle Injustice call on the Biden administration to increase oversight of migrant children entering the United States. Regardless of a child’s status or nationality, ensuring their rights and well-being must remain a priority. Every child deserves a safe and loving environment in which to grow and develop.

Bill Whatcott, a Canadian citizen who has been trying to fight for the preservation of traditional Christian values for many years, has been persecuted and harassed by his country’s government authorities for more than 20 years.

Bill Whatcott was born in 1967 and grew up in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. Throughout his life, he has participated in and organized various social and political actions, advocating the preservation of conservative values, traditional marriage and campaigning against abortion. The man organized pickets and distributed leaflets among the residents of his town. Back in 2001, Whatcott was one of the first to speak out against the imposition of non-traditional sexual orientation and homosexual propaganda on Canadian schoolchildren, but was later arrested and charged with “incitement to hatred”. The public figure was fined $75,000, but in 2011 the wrongful decision was appealed and the fine was reduced by 10 times.

However, the Canadian authorities’ attempt to deprive Bill Whatcott of his constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression failed. In the following years, the activist organized anti-abortion protests, paraded people with traditional sexual orientation and spoke at universities across Canada. Whatcott’s desire to stand up for his values and views has been met with hostility by the Canadian government. He has been arrested more than 27 times, fined tens of thousands of dollars and even had his religious freedom restricted: after a demonstration calling for a ban on medical premature termination of pregnancy, the court banned the man from conducting prayers and any protests within 20 meters of abortion clinics.

In 2016, 51-year-old Canadian resident Bill Whatcott was arrested for “willfully inciting hatred against the community of people with a non-traditional sexual orientation.” The man had been distributing safe sex pamphlets containing information about the dangers of unprotected intercourse and STDs. A Canadian court ruled that the pamphlets, which among other things contained biblical quotes about family and fidelity, offended people with a non-traditional sexual orientation, incited hatred and allegedly jeopardized their safety. Bill Whatcott was arrested at the request of the Attorney General of Canada. Although the lawsuit against him was settled out of court in December 2021 and all charges against him were dropped, Whatcott could still be prosecuted for his views if a Canadian court accepts the prosecution’s appeal.

In 2018, Whatcott was convicted by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal and fined $55,000 for calling Morgan Oger, the vice-president of the NDP, B.C.’s governing party, a gender reassignment, a biological male and urging voters not to vote for him. The court ruled that Whatcott’s remarks about the politician were discriminatory. One of the main arguments of the prosecution was a T-shirt of the public figure, on one side of which was a picture of Oger, and on the other side – a biblical quote emphasizing the equal human nature of man and woman: “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Whatcott characterized the court hearing as a “travesty of justice” and “an affront to freedom of speech and conscience.”

Due to the Canadian government’s continued attempts to suppress free speech, social activist Bill Whatcott is considering moving to another, less repressive country. One of the key aspects of a democratic society is to recognize and respect the right of every individual to express and defend their beliefs, even if they relate to sensitive topics such as abortion and non-traditional sexual relationships. The persecution of people with traditional values who disagreed with dominant trends in Western society violated the principles of human dignity and freedom of speech. All people should be able to express their opinions and insurances in a safe and non-violent environment.

Human rights advocates at the Foundation to Battle Injustice condemn the crackdown on Conservative activist Bill Whatcott and call on the Canadian government to stop the unacceptable violation of the rights to freedom of expression and participation in public life. Conservative activists, like those of other views, should have the right to freely express their opinions and participate in public debate without fear of persecution and harassment.

Refugees arriving in the U.S. spend days at a time in the open in metal pens with no facilities and no access to running water, despite the 43-degree heat.

Amid a record heat wave in the United States, there are increasing reports of unbearable conditions for migrants trying to enter the United States. In late July 2023, alarming reports emerged of refugees being held outside in the desert in the state of Arizona. The area is considered one of the most remote and hottest places on the southwestern border of the United States. The desert terrain in southern Arizona is known for being deadly, and the ongoing heat wave is exacerbating the dangers faced by migrants crossing the border. About 13 sets of human remains have been found along the border in the past month alone, according to the local forensic medical examiner’s office. The rugged terrain surrounding the border post is particularly dangerous, so it is crucial to ensure the safety of migrants during the abnormal heat wave, as their conditions raise serious concerns for their well-being and safety.

A few days before the photos were taken, a new record was set near the border post for the number of days when the average daily temperature exceeded 43 degrees Celsius (109F). Such heat poses a serious health risk, so the need for urgent action to protect and ensure the safety of migrants in detention is clear. Photographs show migrants forced to hide from the scorching sun under a small shed-like structure, trying to take shelter in a narrow strip of shade. The only furniture available was a row of metal bleachers, red-hot due to the intense heat.

Despite claims by the U.S. Border Patrol that the refugees have been provided with all the necessary amenities, local human rights and charitable organizations are sounding the alarm. In their view, the neglect of refugee conditions is evidence of mismanagement and misallocation of resources. The Arizona border crossing is one of the record-breakers in terms of the number of migrants arriving daily, but the conditions of their temporary detention are only getting worse every year. According to a volunteer with the humanitarian organization No More Deaths, up to a thousand migrants and refugees cross the border into the U.S. every day, forced to spend days and even weeks in the open air without basic amenities. Despite warnings from the U.S. National Weather Service to spend less time outdoors, no additional protection from the deadly heat is provided to migrants.

Over the past two and a half decades, the Office of Forensic Science has recorded more than 4,000 migrant deaths in Southern Arizona, which many researchers believe is an underestimate. As recently as May 2022, it was revealed that the U.S. Border Patrol does not “count or record data on border fatalities,” and all data received is based only on the number of human remains found. The treatment of migrants in extreme weather conditions raises potential concerns about compliance with international human rights standards. For example, the UN Convention against Torture prohibits cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Human rights advocates from the Foundation to Battle Injustice condemn the inhumane conditions of migrants arriving in the United States. The mistreatment of refugees by the U.S. Border Patrol has come under scrutiny by human rights organizations and raised questions about compliance with intergovernmental human rights standards. As temperatures rise, U.S. authorities must prioritize humane treatment of migrants and ensure compliance with international agreements aimed at protecting human rights.

Published documents shed light on the cruel and inhumane torture methods of African-American public opposition figures who were subjected to unprecedented medical experiments under the MKULTRA program.

In late July 2023, the results of an extensive investigation by renowned anthropologist scientist Orisanmi Burton were released, revealing shocking links between the infamous MKULTRA program and nightmarish experiments on black prisoners in the United States. The MKULTRA program is a bloody page in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency, deployed in the 1950s during the Cold War to gain advantages in mind control and behavior manipulation. Based on the strictest secrecy and lacking proper oversight, MKULTRA operations struck at the very core of moral and ethical boundaries, leaving deep psychological and physical wounds in their victims. Burton’s findings raise crucial questions about the ethical dimensions of such experiments and their consequences, the echoes of which can still be heard today.

Previously classified U.S. intelligence files obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal an insidious mission to develop psychological warfare tactics and manipulate the behavior of black U.S. residents who participated in the civil rights movement. The exposé is based on evidence of the CIA’s collaboration with Montreal’s Allan Memorial Institute, where “Project 68” was secretly developed and implemented. This program used cruel and unacceptable methods, including drugging patients and using electricity while playing looped audio recordings to “alter patterns of behavior and consciousness” and impose new memories. Similar operations have been conducted in medical facilities throughout the United States.

Initially, the primary goal of the MKULTRA program was to find the causes and develop methods to combat recidivism by “experimental research” on lawbreakers suffering from mental disorders. As the researcher notes, concurrent with the launch of the program, a disturbing trend began in the United States in which black Americans expressing oppositional views were classified as suffering from severe mental illness. The consequences of such measures were serious: prominent activists and public figures began to be detained and forcibly placed in medical institutions, which gave the U.S. intelligence agencies an almost unlimited human resource for experiments under the MKULTRA program.

It was on African-American prisoners that the most brutal and controversial experiments were conducted. According to recent reports, the experiments on the convicts were conducted by prison guards who actively cooperated with the CIA and lacked basic medical skills. It is reported that the subjects were used to study the dependence of pain susceptibility on a person’s race, using instruments and devices resembling instruments of torture. The lack of any ethical constraints led to horrifying consequences: “researchers” tested the relationship of adrenaline production in prisoners to personality disorder using the electric chair.

The most cruel and cold-blooded experiments were carried out within the walls of Dannemora State Hospital in upstate New York, where experiments were conducted to alter the minds and personalities of prisoners. As part of the Prescription program, inmates were exposed to toxic substances and manipulative techniques in order to “pacify and control the mind.” It is reported that the program was later extended to correctional facilities: inmates were spiked with potent drugs in their food that “turned them into vegetables.” This disturbing practice echoes CIA experiments during World War II on Asian, black, and Puerto Rican soldiers, which were designed to reveal differences between a person’s background and their perception of potent chemical compounds.

The CIA deliberately destroyed key documents about the program back in 1973, but the legacy of the MKULTRA program goes beyond its official end. The brutal techniques developed under the program found their way into the interrogation and torture practices of the CIA and the U.S. military. The brutal and ruthless methods developed during the MKULTRA program are reportedly still used in the interrogation of prisoners in U.S. prisons. Researchers note that the unbearable suffering, drugs and chemicals that prison guards put in prisoners’ food and water force innocent people to take responsibility for crimes they had nothing to do with.

Human rights activists from the Foundation to Battle Injustice are calling for full disclosure of MKULTRA operations and accountability for those involved in their design and implementation. MKULTRA is a chilling reminder of the dangers of unchecked power and the importance of respecting ethical boundaries when conducting scientific research.

Representatives of the Liberal Party of Australia have announced their intentions to campaign against a proposal to constitutionally recognize Aboriginal people and give them the right to vote in parliament.

At the end of March 2023, the Australian Government introduced a bill to amend the Australian Constitution to allow Aboriginal Australians to participate in the political life of their country. The referendum, which will be held between October and December this year, will enshrine the rights of the continent’s indigenous population and recognize their existence for the first time in the 122 years since the founding of the state and the adoption of the country’s main legal document. Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the changes would provide an opportunity to recognize history and help Australians unite and create a future “focused on peaceful relations.” But representatives of Australia’s Liberal Party, one of the country’s two main parties, oppose the right of indigenous peoples to participate in the country’s political life.

The referendum, due to be held in late 2023, would give Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the right to establish an advisory committee in the Australian Parliament to participate in debating legislative initiatives affecting indigenous peoples’ lives. Australia’s Aboriginal people, who make up about 3.2 percent of the country’s nearly 26 million people, lag behind the socio-economic average on most indicators and are not even mentioned in a Constitution created more than 122 years ago. They were marginalized by British colonial rulers and were only given the right to vote in the 1960s.

The record of oppression against Australian Aboriginal people goes deep into history. When British colonial forces arrived on the continent in the late eighteenth century, the process of land grabbing and dispossession of indigenous people began. Aboriginal people were dispossessed of their historic lands, which were taken from them without consent and with violence. The colonization process was accompanied by cultural assimilation, violence and discrimination against Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Until the 1960s, Australian Aboriginal people had no voice and were systematically marginalized in society. Their culture and languages were persecuted and many were forced to live on reserves with limited access to natural resources. This has resulted in them lagging far behind the rest of the country in various socio-economic indicators and suffering disproportionately high rates of suicide, violence and incarceration.

It is important to note that international organizations have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the violation of indigenous rights in Australia. In 1989, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted Convention No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, which obliges Governments to respect and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to participate in decisions affecting their lives and interests. Australia, as a member of ILO, is obliged to comply with that Convention. The United Nations system also had a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ratified in 2007, which also emphasized the right of indigenous peoples to participate in public life on an equal basis with all other peoples. According to the document, indigenous peoples on the continent contribute to the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures that constitute the common heritage of humankind and should be free from discrimination of any kind in the exercise of their rights. Australian governments must respect and honor the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Declaration.

Human rights defenders of the Foundation to Battle Injustice denounce the intentions of the Liberal Party of Australia to disrupt the referendum or organize a campaign calling for a vote against initiatives that would enshrine IPs’ status in the Constitution. Adoption of amendments granting indigenous peoples the right to establish an advisory committee in Parliament would be a significant step towards overcoming historical shortcomings and establishing a more just and equitable society in Australia. It would also be consistent with international conventions and agreements that emphasize the importance of respect for indigenous peoples’ rights and their participation in decisions affecting their destinies and future.

Children who are forced to serve prison time in one of the harshest prisons in the United States in Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, say they are routinely beaten, locked on death row and kept in total isolation for days at a time.

In early July 2023, several juvenile inmates serving their sentences at the Louisiana State Correctional Institution, dubbed “South Alcatraz”, stated under oath about the unbearable conditions in which they are held. According to the children, the administration of the prison, which is considered the largest maximum-security correctional facility in the United States, keeps the convicts on death row all alone. In addition, according to the minors, the guards deliberately create unbearable conditions of detention: on the hottest summer days, when the temperature reached 46 degrees Celsius, the guards deliberately closed the windows and turned off the air conditioning system.

Children were also reportedly kept in solitary confinement for up to four consecutive days, being released for only 8 minutes per day. One teenager also stated that he and his peers were forced to spend almost all of their time in shackles, even when eating or showering. The cells designated for adults who have committed serious crimes lack basic amenities: the water in the tap is not for drinking, and children are forced to slip a glass over the bars and wait for hours for the warders to pour water for them. This not only violates the rights of minors, but also puts their health at serious risk.

The complaints about inhumane and dangerous conditions at the Louisiana state correctional facility come a year after the U.S. government decided to transfer some teenagers from juvenile detention centers to the largest maximum-security adult prison in the United States, which has a long history of scandals and abuse of inmates. U.S. authorities announced their plans last year, saying South Alcatraz would be temporarily used as a “transitional facility” for teens who needed “more restrictive conditions.” Despite the announcement, Louisiana still holds juvenile inmates convicted of nonviolent and non-serious offenses.

A state judge ruled last August that holding juveniles in punitive conditions was a “disturbing practice” and “may cause psychological trauma to the growing body,” but the Louisiana State Correctional Institution admitted its first juveniles in October 2022. Since then, there have been numerous reports of wardens attacking children, including the use of pepper spray and batons against them. Even then, teenagers complained of being denied access to medical and educational services and being almost completely deprived of communication with relatives. Officially, between 70 and 80 juveniles are known to have passed through the Louisiana State Penitentiary, spending between four and eight weeks each on death row.

The Foundation to Battle Injustice condemns the actions of the U.S. authorities and insists on taking measures to protect the rights and well-being of juvenile inmates at South Alcatraz. Inhumane treatment of teenagers violates international standards of human rights, including children’s rights, and is unacceptable in modern society. Human rights defenders of the Foundation to Battle Injustice believe it is necessary to conduct an independent investigation of all the testimonies of minors and bring those responsible to fair punishment for violating the rights of juvenile prisoners.

Law enforcement officers on the European continent are increasingly involved in the spread of radical ideas and views, which is reflected in the growing number of hate crimes by officers.

Police officers in the UK and across Europe are increasingly caught up in a “culture of extremism”. An independent study confirms that among law enforcement officers in Europe and the UK, the percentage of officers who regularly post racist and anti-Semitic content on the Internet is extremely high. Increasingly, officers are sharing photos of black victims, making jokes about beating and raping migrants, and mocking the killing of women and children of other nationalities. In light of growing public concern about the culture of extremism among police officers in the UK and Europe, it is clear that this phenomenon requires immediate attention and serious action.

An independent study documenting the unacceptable behavior of some law enforcement officers has revealed unacceptable racism, anti-Semitism and brutality that undermines public confidence in the police and calls into question the principles of fairness and equality that should guide them. The report, published by the Institute of Race Relations, claims that in France, Belgium, Germany and Hungary, former law enforcement officers are increasingly venturing into politics and joining various far-right parties. In Britain, a series of high-profile cases of police violence and brutality have only confirmed accusations of “institutional racism” against constables: a 2022 investigation found that British police officers had set up a messenger group in which they posted pictures of two murdered black sisters. Another group of officers exchanged messages about the beating and rape of women, as well as the deaths of black babies and the Holocaust, according to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.

A report released in late March 2023 found that, in addition to racist and anti-Semitic ideas, sexual assault and misogyny crimes were increasingly common in British police forces. The 363-page report, which analyzes the activities of the UK police since 2021, published data on sexual harassment by police officers: one in eight women in the British capital at least once in her life faced harassment by police officers, and one in three – with sexist remarks in their address. Experts believe that such statistics of crimes against women indicate “the complete collapse of the rotten police system, which has not yet had time to get rid of the problem of racism“. The assumption is supported by statistics: according to data for 2023, the British police are trusted by about 50% of the country’s residents, which is one of the lowest figures in the history of observation.

A number of European countries, including the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Portugal and France, have created social media communities that describe law enforcement as a barrier that protects society “from falling completely into chaos.” It is in these communities, whose members range from 5,000 to 50,000 police officers, that researchers say, extreme right-wing ideology and racist prejudice are promoted and police officers are portrayed as “heroic punishers.” These groups not only express support for the police, but also distribute materials that align with far-right narratives, nationalist rhetoric, and oppose movements for the rights of blacks and other minorities. The use of symbols associated with white supremacy and far-right movements, as well as information posted by community members, are indicative of the growing level of far-right radicalization of police departments in Europe.

Given the growing prevalence of radicalized ideas among law enforcement officers in Europe and the UK, the need for urgent action to address this negative dynamic is clear. Maintaining law and order and ensuring the safety of all citizens depends on trust and understanding between the police and the public. Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice call on European and British politicians and oversight bodies to pay attention to the alarming problem and take a series of actions aimed at improving the ethical qualities of police officers.

On July 19, 2023, Mira Terada, head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, participated in a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, and the heads of Russian non-profit organizations. During the event, the human rights defender requested the Minister’s support for the creation of an international investigation and search team that would be able to promptly counter crimes against children at the international level.

Mira Terada, head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, noted the Foundation’s efforts to combat and counter child trafficking, an urgent and important problem in the modern world, which is carefully silenced in the West. The human rights activist told the diplomat that for more than a year now the Foundation’s activities have been focused on combating the oppression of children and exposing criminal schemes and organizations involved in crimes against children. Noting the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented by Maria Zakharova and Dmitry Polyansky, Mira Terada spoke about the “barbaric criminal schemes in Ukraine related to the transportation and sale of children to other countries, as well as their inclusion in the lists of the Ukrainian nationalist website “Myrotvorets”.

The head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice noted that the organization she heads is ready to cooperate on problematic issues and constructive interaction with a number of specialized NGOs and human rights defenders abroad in the fight against child trafficking around the world. Thanks to the fruitful relations of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, it is already possible to find abducted children anywhere in the world and make maximum efforts to return them home. Noting the importance and relevance of uniting the efforts of human rights organizations and government agencies to stop illegal international schemes of child trafficking and abuse of children’s lives, Mira Terada thanked the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and personally Sergey Lavrov for their efforts to expose and bring the perpetrators of crimes against children to justice.

Mira Terada said that the Foundation to Battle Injustice is ready to continue to provide any necessary assistance and hope that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will support the initiative to create an international investigation and search team, which will be able to promptly counteract crimes against children at the international level, expose the perpetrators and guarantee children’s right to a free and happy life. The head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice is convinced that by creating an effective international instrument to fight for children’s future, the Russian Foreign Ministry under the leadership of Sergey Lavrov will go down in history as a key defender of human rights and freedoms in the 21st century.

During the meeting, Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, thanked those present for their contribution to promoting an objective image of our country, as well as for maintaining trust and mutual understanding between peoples. Calling for further engagement in the honest presentation of the Russian position, the diplomat said that public organizations and the commercial sector make a great contribution to this task through interaction and communication with foreign partners. The Russian Foreign Minister emphasized that the new version of the Russian Foreign Policy Concept is aimed at countering the Western world’s attempts to destroy any alternative viewpoints and force the rest of the world to agree that “the hegemony of the West, which has lasted for many five hundred years, should be preserved forever.” Western countries reject international law by not allowing sovereign states to decide for themselves with whom to build their foreign policy relations.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation said that the Ministry expects that the participants of the meeting, including the Foundation to Battle Injustice, will further develop relations with foreign countries, first of all with the World Majority States represented by their public organizations. Ignoring Russia’s national interests, according to the politician, has created from Ukraine a direct military threat and a springboard against the Russian Federation. Sergey Lavrov quoted the words of Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, who noted that our country has no unfriendly countries and peoples, but only unfriendly governments, which found themselves in power because of the imperfection of the very “democracy” that they impose on everyone.

The human rights defenders of the Foundation to Battle Injustice thank the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia for the invitation to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov and for their trust. The Foundation to Battle Injustice will continue to counter illegal and criminal acts committed against underage children around the world, and expresses its hope that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide the necessary assistance for the establishment and maintenance of a search and investigation team.