Overview and Introduction

by Judith A. Myers-Walls, Ph.D., CFLE, Editor of Family Focus, Professor Emerita, Purdue University
NCFR Report
Content Area
Families and Individuals in Societal Contexts

Following the practice begun in 2015, this fall issue is focused on the theme of the upcoming 2016 NCFR Annual Conference. As Program Chair Lee Ann De Reus has described the theme, "Poverty, hunger, access to education, gender inequalities, climate change, incarceration, discrimination, and displacement are examples of just some human rights issues faced by families." Many of the articles in this issue deal with those topics, and some refer to the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as a framework, as will the annual conference.

There are three primary groupings of articles here. One examines human rights in countries other than the U.S.—Kenya, Qatar, Syria, Senegal, and Singapore. In addition, one of NCFR's UN representatives reflects on the successes and challenges related to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child since its inception in 1989. A second group of articles looks at the rights of transgender individuals and same-sex couples, such as the right to adopt children, to get an education and hold a job, and even just to use a public bathroom. A third group examines rights of other oppressed groups in the U.S., addressing the Black Lives Matter movement, rights of immigrants, and the use of family policy to support vulnerable populations in general.

A new feature in this edition is the In Brief section in each article—brief summary statements that provide quick glimpses of the content of each article. Reading each In Brief section alone might provide you with new information, but you also might find yourself intrigued and drawn into reading the articles in their entirety.

I hope you will read these articles and discover how they may stir your feelings of outrage, discomfort, and also hope. They are very timely! Consider rights you may not have had on your radar screen—the right to move across borders, to call yourself a citizen of a country, to feel protected from abuse, to be considered fairly for a job, to be judged innocent until proven otherwise, to remain happily single, and to use the bathroom that feels right to you. Read on, and prepare to grapple further with all of these issues and more in Minneapolis in November!