crisis zones

December 19, 2025

Best of 2025: Five must-read articles from the Human Rights section

What are human rights? One of Harbingers’ writers, Helena Bruździak, answered this question recently in her piece about this term, which is tossed around left to right. It’s also the name of our section.

17-year-old Charlotte Wejchert picks her favourite articles from the Human Rights section this year

December 12, 2025

After the ceasefire in Gaza: Progress and setbacks

The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages (83 were killed, 168 were returned alive to Israel). Since then, Israel’s death toll has risen to nearly 2,000 including Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers, and 100,000 displaced.

18-year-old Noah Saphier reports on the fragile state of the peace agreement in Gaza and what comes next

November 28, 2025

How aid is delivered in Afghanistan – and why it’s so complicated

In Afghanistan, humanitarian aid is a lifeline for millions, providing critical food, medicine and shelter. This year, 22.9 million people – almost half the population – require humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the United Nations.

21-year-old Ghutai from the Afghanistan Newsroom analyses the problems facing both ordinary Afghans and aid organisations

November 21, 2025

‘After all those years, my emotions are totally blocked,’ says war photographer Kuba Kamiński

ABC News’ Kuba Kamiński has taken a camera to the most dangerous places in the world. He witnessed the annexation of Crimea, took pictures at the frontline in Ukraine, filmed Hamas fighters in Gaza, and was there after Israel launched its offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Kaja Majewska, 16, and Klara Hammudeh, 17, ask ABC News’ Kuba Kamiński about the prize – and price – of pursuing war journalism

October 31, 2025

Human rights and the UN: What you need to know

The words “human rights” are familiar to everyone and appear daily in speeches by world leaders, on social media or in classrooms. Yet, when words are used so often, their meaning can become blurred. So what do human rights really mean and how does the United Nations (UN) help to protect them?

15-year-old Helena explains human rights and the UN’s role in protecting them worldwide

October 17, 2025

What the Taliban is teaching boys, and why it matters

Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, the education system in Afghanistan has undergone a complete overhaul. The ban on secondary and higher education for girls and women has made headlines around the world, but boys’ education has undergone a significant transformation too. But what are the changes and why are they taking place?

16-year-old Aqlima from the Afghanistan Newsroom explains the damaging changes to boys’ education

August 15, 2025

Haunting portrayal of the refugee crisis in the Polish forests

Watching the movie Green Border (2023) transformed the way I view the refugee crisis. It revealed how deeply entrenched this issue has become in modern times, and drove home just how urgent it is to reform refugee policies.

15-year-old Helena Bruździak reviews Agnieszka Holland’s award-winning refugee movie Green Border

August 01, 2025

Refugee children face schooling and mental health barriers

The crisis facing refugee children is one of the biggest humanitarian challenges of today. Ongoing conflicts around the world in countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan and Gaza have disproportionately impacted children, forcing millions to flee their homes.

15-year-old Helena Bruździak reports on some of the challenges facing the world’s most vulnerable people: refugee children

June 27, 2025

‘The people of Artsakh deserve justice’: An interview with Mary Asatryan

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh), the ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. The ceasefire that followed the intense fighting left tens of thousands of civilians displaced, forcing them to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. Most fled to neighbouring Armenia.

17-year-old Nare Arushanyan from the Armenian Newsroom interviews a human rights expert about the struggles of refugees in Armenia

June 13, 2025

What I learned while teaching teenage refugees, and why it matters

I didn’t expect to become a teacher at the age of 15. Yet, there I was, standing in front of a group of Ukrainian refugee students, afraid and stressed – what if I wasn’t good enough? What if they didn’t take me seriously? After all, I was just a teenager myself.

16-year-old Kexin Shi shares her experience of teaching English to Ukrainian teenagers in Poland

May 30, 2025

Finding joy in spite of war: Inside Warsaw's centre for Ukrainian children

A total of 100,000 refugee children and teens have attended the centre since it opened, Agata Gos, the centre’s director, told Harbingers’ Magazine. However, in July it will be closing its doors

15-year-old Helena Bruździak reports on a centre in Poland helping refugee children adapt to their new lives

May 09, 2025

Refugees and migrants, part 2: An international perspective

In March, we started a new Human Rights subsection at Harbingers’, called Crisis Zones. In our first article looking at the lives of displaced people around the world, we explained the difference between the terms ‘refugee’, ‘migrant’ and ‘asylum seeker’ as these are often used interchangeably, even though they have different legal meanings

In her second article, 16-year-old Kexin Shi looks at the problems facing migrants and the organisations helping them

March 28, 2025

Refugees, asylum seekers and migrants: What’s the difference?

The terms ‘refugee’, ‘asylum seeker’ and ‘migrant’ are often used interchangeably to describe displaced people, despite having distinct legal meanings. This article – the first of two on the subject – aims to explain the differences between those terms, which is crucial for discussing migration policies and human rights

16-year-old Kexin Shi breaks down the legal terms related to migration

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