Why is food insecurity such a problem on a global scale? Basic human rights include the right to adequate food and the United Nations has set up the Millennium Development Goals that include cutting the world’s hunger by half by the year 2015. Yet, today human rights are violated as hunger increases in the world.

Hunger in America has risen by 46 percent since 2006, with 26 million suffering from hunger on a domestic front. It is not only the homeless and the indigent who go hungry. Food banks battling hunger in America report that 37% of the food distributed goes to families with one person working a full time job. Hunger in America now affects one in eight people.

The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that only $30 billion per year, invested in farm production and infrastructure, could erase the base causes of food insecurity in the world by the year 2025.

Not only would the programs address food insecurity and hunger, they would eradicate them by promoting long term commitments and involvement in agriculture in developing third world countries, as well as developing countries introducing the small-scale farmers into markets and stopping the mandating of bio-fuels.

Countries and nations have an obligation to preserve human rights by respecting, protecting and fulfilling the need for adequate food for all people, directly if necessary, and appealing to global communities when they cannot provide this basic human right.

Globally, governments must be held accountable for any human rights violations when it pertains to keeping people free from hunger and food insecurity in the world. They must enact legislation that prevents starvation, ensures a basic social protection and prosecutes any human rights violation that occurs.

But Mayon Volcano is not the only reason for the Philippines being featured in many newspapers: also the human rights situation in the land of the 7107 islands is being watched by human rights organizations. There are people who want to improve the political situation and fight for the rights of the population. But some of them fear to be kidnapped or even killed for their activities.

Dissidents or journalists who criticize politicians and mighty clans are prone to get into conflict and have to be worried about their lives. The latest kidnappings and killings in Maguindanao / Mindanao during November 2009 are a sad example of that situation. At that time, a few dozen people where killed, most of them were journalists and political opponents of the family clan of the Ampatuan. Many witnesses link Andal Ampatuan Junior to the massacre.

The son is being sad to be wanting to follow the footsteps of his father by becoming the governor in Maguindanao province. Now, the head of the massacre is imprisonned and probably has to face a harsh judgment. Also his father, Andal Ampatuan Senior seems to be involved in the cruel bloodbath, when 57 civilians have been murdered.

Mindanao, the huge southern island in the Philippines, is known for having big problems concerning human rights since decades. Groups like Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who are fighting for an autonomous Muslim State terrorize the whole country. It is questionable, if  controversial laws like the “Human Security Act” of 2007 might help to make further steps in the peace process. Hopefully, the new government after the elections this year will make efforts and bring peace and human rights to the Philippine people. They would deserve it.

The “Charter 08″ and the essays by Liu Xiaobo became his inevitable fate: he was doomed to 11 years of prison. The Chinese court came to the conclusion that the writings of the activist would undermine the Chinese State. But according to many newspapers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the human rights activist merely criticized the Chinese government.

The activities of Liu Xiaobo go back to the Tiananmen protests in 1989, when he supported some students during a hunger strike. Since then, the Chinese regime might have had its sights on him. The difference between the past and modern times is that nowadays critics would simply be caught by the police – a complaint by professor Ding Zilin, the founder of the Tiananmen mothers group.

Her own son was killed during the Tiananmen massacre more than 20 years ago. The harsh sentence against Liu Xiaobo shall show all Chinese people that the communist regime is willed to nip all critique in the bud. Anybody who speaks against the Chinese government is not any longer secure. He had no chance to respond in court to the sentence.

The verdict focuses on Liu Xiaobo´s role in organizing Charter 08 back in December 2008, when he signed a document together with 300 other intellectuals, during Human Rights day. Therefore, he was already arrested for a short time; his fight for human rights was greeted by a lot of Chinese people dreaming of more freedom in their country.

The verdict stands clearly against the human rights, esp. against freedom of expression. The Chinese regime showed once more that it still does not share all Western values. Dissidents have to fear to be jailed for mere writings, which cannot be in the interest of human rights defenders. Critique against the sentence and the Chinese regime should go on; but after a bit more than two weeks, Liu Xiaobo seems to be forgotten.

The violent criminal with multiple convictions – known by the inital M. – was sentenced to five years in prison back in 1986 before being taken into preventive detention. He has committed severe crimes, including several attempted murders. Preventive detention was limited to 10 years until German law was changed in 1998: unlimited custody of criminals became possible.

M., who now faces unlimited detention rather than the original 10-year period, complained that this practice constitutes unlawful retroactive implementation – an opinion which is also shared by the European Court of Human Rights. Hence, the allegedly dangerous criminal may be released from prison, though experts are convinced that he is a menace to society.

The courts in Marburg, Frankfurt and Karlsruhe found that keeping M. in the prison of Schwalmstadt would be lawful, but the ECHR in Strasbourg disagreed. The continuation of the preventive detention is in breach of the prohibition against double punishment, i.e. against human rights. That interpretation seems to be right.

Dozens of other prisoners like M. were also affected by the changed law in 1998: they also have to stay longer in prison, maybe for the rest of their lifetime. German courts regarded the continuation of preventive detention not as punishment, but the European Court did so. Should the decision in Strasbourg become res judicata,  about 500 convicted criminals may be released from prison – most of them are rapists and murderers.

The discrimination against unmarried fathers in family law seemed to be uncontested for many affected men. After the new rule of the European Court, Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger assured to lobby a new bill for the custody of unmarried fathers. In future, they should be able to take care of their children, even without the agreement of the mothers.

Most German politicians also want to have a review on the current laws, but also emphasize that the most important thing is to care about children: they should not suffer from conflicts between mothers and fathers. For unmarried mothers, there is no law certainty anymore – every single case might be analyzed in future.

But the new situation brings also a change for children out of wedlock: they are put on par with marital children. This is welcomed by representatives of relevant organizations dealing with that topic.
Many decrees of Germany’s high court in Karlsruhe confirmed the strong position of women; men were disadvantaged concerning custody, but were asked for financial support. According to experts these incalculable financial risks might have led to a decrease of marriages in general.

However, the latest developments seem to be overdue after many years of discussion. The European Court in Strasbourg has given a clear sign, and the German government has to find new ways to deal with the question of custody. The new rule marks an important step for human rights and emancipation – for men.