KATIE DANCEY-DOWNS
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Human Rights

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A mother and child in Bintang regency, West Papua. Photographer anonymous by request.

The Forgotten Women of West Papua

In West Papua, international journalists are all but banned. While Indigenous people are being displaced and the land is being desecrated, the world is looking away. Rode Wanimbo has been collecting stories from displaced Indigenous women, and she shared them with me for The Conversationalist.
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Photo courtesy of NGO Gen/Ukraine

​The Surprising Communities Thriving in the Time of War

After waking to the sound of explosions on February 24 2022, the morning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Anastasiya Volkova knew that she and her family had to leave Kyiv.  This is the story of an eco village network in Ukraine and further afield in Europe,  offering sanctuary to people who have been displaced by war.  Written for Mother Jones.

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Photo: Silar, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The Russians Risking it all

Despite the odds and the heavy punishments, resistance still exists in Russia. I speak to those who are braving it all to stand up to Putin for Index on Censorship and Byline Times.
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Photo: MgHla, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Two Years On: The Dwindling Freedoms Following Myanmar’s Military Coup

On the second anniversary of the coup, democracy in the country is slipping further away. A Burmese-led organisation and an exiled journalist describe the landscape to me for Index on Censorship.
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An Afghan asylum seeker with blankets and a sleeping bag donated by a local NGO, January 2021. Photo courtesy of Michele Amoruso.

Beaten Back

Refugees are forced from country to country by police in European Union nations. This is in contravention of international human rights law. For New Internationalist, originally produced in print.
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When Authorities Dunked Outspoken Women in Water

In early modern England, women accused of being “common scolds” were immersed in rivers and lakes while strapped to contraptions known as ducking stools. For Smithsonian, I trawled through archives and the brains of historians to piece together a picture of the women punished for speaking out.
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Kris and Marita Maharaj, courtesy of Reprieve

Execution by Another Name

Kris Maharaj was sentenced to death over 30 years ago for a double murder he swears he did not commit, and the courts have now said as much. And yet, he's still in prison. In his 80s, he's now trying to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. For Enemy.
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Turkey's Refugee Rose Pickers

As the annual rose harvest in Turkey draws to a close, I meet some of the Syrian refugees working as rose pickers, to hear their stories of life in Turkey, and what they left behind in Syria.
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Joyce and Margaret in their kitchen garden in Uganda

How agroecology is transforming a Ugandan refugee camp

In a refugee settlement in Uganda, people are transforming their land and changing their lives by planting permaculture gardens. I went to Uganda to meet the group supporting them, and to find out why these gardens are so important
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The right to protest is under threat in Britain

‘Incredibly vague’ wording of a parliamentary bill would ‘effectively put the U.K. on par with some of the more repressive countries in the world.’ For The Conversationalist.
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​‘Unfit for human habitation’: asylum seekers in the UK are housed in filthy army barracks

The U.K. government’s policy of housing asylum seekers in army barracks has caused a storm of controversy. For The Conversationalist.
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​A call to end border violence in Europe

Refugees trying to enter Europe are encountering border patrols that turn them back with brutal violence, which rights workers say is systemic.  For The Conversationalist.
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Photo courtesy of Claire Vael

Countries Exploit Covid-19 Pandemic to Shut Down Borders and Block Refugees

The impact of Covid-19 shutdowns is having a worrying impact on people seeking asylum. I speak to Human Rights Watch and Refugee Rights Europe to find out more. For Shadowproof.
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Photo courtesy of Lauren Marina

Exposing the Spy Who Loved Me

Activists across the UK are living with the knowledge that they may have been spied upon by undercover police officers, with some even discovering that ex-boyfriends were in fact police spies. As the Public Inquiry into undercover policing continues, I report on the issue and meet some of the women impacted.
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After spending time with "Lindsey," I wrote a creative nonfiction piece based on her story.
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In search of rights for human refugees

I travel to Calais to find out what the situation is really like for refugees now that The Jungle has been demolished. I meet grassroots organisations helping people secure even the most basic human rights, and discover the reality for the people living here.
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Image courtesy of Reprieve

Why I Went on Hunger Strike

I write about why I joined human rights organisation Reprieve in a hunger strike in solidarity with Guantánamo Bay detainees Ahmed Rabbani and Khalid Qasim. I speak to former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Tom Watson, and Reprieve Founder Clive Stafford-Smith to find out why they too are joining the fast.
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Andy Tsege, courtesy of Reprieve

Andy Tsege is home

Andy Tsege - a British citizen held illegally on death row in Ethiopia for nearly four years - has finally been freed as a result of a campaign by his family. After reporting on the ongoing campaign, I write about Andy's arrival home.
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Andy Tsege and his partner Yemi, courtesy of Reprieve

Reprieve: the injustice of it all

The story behind Human Rights champions, Reprieve.
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Refugee Voices in the Media

Think of the last article you read about refugees. Did it give a platform to refugee voices? How were people represented? I host an evening to discuss refugee voices in the media, and explore ways that journalists can engage in ethical storytelling. An evening of lightning talks, discussions, and storytelling, featuring Rania Ali, Sue Clayton, Jihyun Park, Reem Khabbazy, and Jaz O'hara.
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  • Home
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  • New Children of the New Forest
  • Journalism
    • Documentaries
    • Environment
    • Animal Rights
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    • Culture and opinion
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