Leisha Lister

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Articles

The Yazidi still wait for justice

Aug 2, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Leisha Lister |Indira Rosenthal |Hilda Heine |Catherine Wilson

Yazidis in Australia and around the world have been on a ten-year quest for justice for the crimes perpetrated against them, victims of an ISIS genocide in Iraq and Syria. Nadia Murad, 21 years old when ISIS overran her village in Iraq and sold into sexual slavery before escaping, was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for her advocacy for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. But this recognition only underscores the need for justice as a test for the international community.
Smuggling budgies? Australia’s fight against wildlife trafficking

Aug 1, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Leilani Tuala-Warren |Nick Agar |Leisha Lister |Indira Rosenthal

Australia’s flora and fauna are a unique and treasured part of how we engage with the world, playing a central role in tourism campaigns and diplomatic initiatives, and in generating goodwill at a personal level across the international community. Living in Canberra, I’m lucky enough that the sight of a kangaroo or wallaby has become rather passé, there are wombats and echidnas aplenty, and there’s even a well-known spot where you might lay eyes on a platypus.
Long arm of the law: China’s extraterritorial reach

Aug 1, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Nick Agar |Leisha Lister |Leilani Tuala-Warren |Indira Rosenthal

Holding citizens legally accountable for their actions while overseas has been a source of diplomatic tension since ancient times. This is perhaps no more true than in today's highly connected, globalised world. In 2020, China introduced legislation in Hong Kong, commonly referred to as the “National Security Law”, that establishes a range of criminal offences, including inciting or supporting the “undermining” of the “basic system” of China.
Child marriage in Southeast Asia: When a harmful practice becomes an international crime

Jul 24, 2024 | lowyinstitute.org | Leisha Lister

Child marriage is a global problem that cuts across countries, cultures, and religions – and the ASEAN region is no exception. Child marriage is considered a form of forced marriage as children cannot consent. Girls are the primary, but not exclusive, target and the numbers are high. For example, 11% of women in Vietnam (majority being ethnic Mong women), 33% of Laos females and an estimated 1.2 million females aged 20 to 24 in Indonesia, marry before the age of 18.