Thousands of people are persecuted, tortured and oppressed each day. And most of the time, perpetrators can feel secure in the knowledge that they won't ever be held responsible for their actions - unless witnesses are brave enough to stand up and testify in a court of law.Witness, an organization founded by English musician Peter Gabriel, helps victims find their voice. His idea: arm as many people as possible with cameras to raise the world's awareness of human rights abuses. Without NGOs like Witness and the organization's staff - people who often risk their lives for their work - much of the evidence against war criminals would not come to light. Bukeni Waruzi spent six years collecting filmed material on child soldiers - video that was used in the case against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

• 12/29/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

The idea that all political leaders could one day be subject to global law may sound highly encouraging. But for existing institutions involved in this area on a daily basis, the task is a challenging one.Few world leaders are prepared to submit to the international courts. And yet most governments round the world agree that human rights violations and war crimes should not go unpunished. Global 3000 provides an overview of the existing international legal institutions. There are a number international tribunals, of which the permanent International Criminal Court or ICC is the most important.

• 12/29/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Francisca Sumay works at the International Criminal Court. She finds the job reassuring: In her view, the institution will do much to prevent future crimes.Meanwhile, she hopes to visit Germany. Ever since DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service, financed her studies, she's had the utmost respect for the country and its people.

• 12/29/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

How crucial is it that a heinous crime be investigated on an international level? The International Criminal Court, or ICC for short, is tasked with tracking down systematic human rights violations. Independently -- and around the world.The first ICC trial began in February 2009. The accused: Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. How are chief prosecutor Ocampo and his staff approaching the case, and how are they gathering evidence? And just how powerful is the International Criminal Court? In the al-Bashir case, the court's authority appears to be quite limited. Despite the arrest warrant issued against him, the Sudanese president is still free to roam the African continent. But chief prosecutor Ocampo has no doubt that al-Bashir will one day stand trial in the Hague.

• 12/29/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Although almost all 192 UN member states have ratified the convention to abolishslavery, deceit or the threat of violence still keeps millions of people in forced labor. The forms of modern slavery around the world are so diverse that estimating the number of enslaved people is difficult. Women and children are especially endangered.Somaly Mam from Cambodia was sold to a brothel in her youth. She escaped and today battles against forced prostitution. Her public attacks of corruption and her spectacular liberating measures have made her a target. But Somaly Mam’s dedication has been recognized with numerous human rights prizes. GLOBAL 3000 talked with her.

• 12/22/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Cort Wrotnowski lives and works in a hub of hedgefund headquarters. He is worried that the United States has not yet seen the worst of the economic downturn.He is interested in medical progress and owns a health food store.

• 12/22/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Gated communities are popular in Brazil, as well. Brazilians who can afford it fence themselves off. Housing for the poor is in short supply. Public investment in infrastructure and social housing is meager. Most land in Brazil is in private hands.Brazil is a vast country, but the land is unequally distributed. Millions of people who have none squat on private property and live in constant fear of eviction. Andre Albuquerque in the state of Paraná has dedicated himself to solving this mammoth problem. His organization Terra Nova mediates between owners, squatters, and communities. Albuquerque turns illegal occupants into legal owners. The Schwab Foundation has recognized him as a Social Entrepreneur.

• 12/22/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

The biggest sporting and media spectacle of 2010 will be the soccer World Cup in South Africa. However, many broadcast companies in developing countries will not be able to afford to send their own correspondents to cover the event. In a bid to help those companies, the DW Academy invited 14 journalists from around the world to take part in a World Cup preparation course in South Africa.

• 12/15/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

This week's Global Living Room is in Singapore where Dominique, Mark and their children live. Their living room walls display historic pictures of the city that show just how much Singapore has changed over the decades.

• 12/15/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Jane, Dalia and Carlos made a report during the course about South Africa's most popular football fan accessory: the Makarapa. Alfred Baloyi had the idea 20 years ago of turning a simple miner's helmet into a decorated hard hat that now belongs in every South African fan kit.

• 12/15/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Do labels and advertising really tell us how good a food product is? The 62-year-old sociologist and economist Thilo Bode thinks consumers' rights and health have been put at risk by uncontrolled and powerful food companies. Bode's organization Foodwatch is trying to achieve more transparency in the food industry.

• 12/15/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Increased consumerism and energy usage coupled with globalization are just three factors that have led to a huge rise in the amount of trash produced every year. The waste is produced by households, businesses and offices but now there is even electronic rubbish in the form of spam mail.

• 12/15/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

The IAEA seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the world while guarding against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. It's an autonomous organization with close links to the UN. Its mission is a complex one, with a budget running into millions of euros.

• 12/15/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

In the north of the British Isles, in Scotland, there's almost always a stiff breeze blowing.The Scottish government's ambitious plans call for about 50 percent of the country's electricity demand to come from renewable sources by 2020. Billions are being invested in an industry that promises lucrative returns. But not everyone is delighted.

• 12/8/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Some 100,000 people still live on the 32 islands of Kiribati. But global warming is making water levels rise.The Pacific island group has an elevation of only two meters and is considered especially endangered. The president faces a dilemma: Should he have his people evacuated? If so, where to?

• 12/8/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Vimi Devan, 40, lives in Mumbai - when she isn't in the sky. Vimi is a flight attendant and away from home about 30 percent of the time.In her spare time she works to protect the environment in her country by raising awareness of India's mangrove swamps. For her, globalization means that all people should treat each other respectfully.

• 12/8/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Japan is considered one of the world's most energy-efficient countries, and its industry - carmakers first and foremost - sets standards. Only in home construction is Japan an energy guzzler.Now the first ultra-low-energy house has been built in the country, and it shows cost-efficient and environmentally concious planning and building can save surprising amounts of energy.

• 12/8/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

100,000 people still live on the 32 atolls that make up the south Pacific island nation of Kiribati, but global warming is causing sea levels to rise. The archipelago, which lies halfway between Australia and Hawaii, lies just two meters above sea level and is considered especially endangered.The first two atolls have already been submerged. Kiribati's president is faced with a dilemma: does he have to evacuate all the country's residents?

• 12/1/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

The Tsissina family's living room is a huge open tent.It's where the older members sit by the fire and tell stories of the past.

• 12/1/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

The HIV infection rate in Russia is one of the highest in the world, but the authorities suppress the problem. One reason is that three quarters of those infected are drug addicts and they are ostracized by society.The Global AIDS Fund and other foreign organizations are already considering leaving the country.

• 12/1/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

South Africa still has one of the world's highest HIV infection rates. More than five and a half million people live with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.Poor families in particular are affected and have to cope largely without government support. Self-styled healers and profit-hungry businesses take advantage of their helplessness.

• 12/1/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Elzbieta Zieciak is a confectioner and loves her work.She says she could live without bread, but not without cakes. She dreams of travelling to the Caribbean.

• 11/24/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Staff Benda Bilili's music style is Congolese rumba with a hint of funk and soul.Their songs tell stories of everyday life in a city that has an estimated 40,000 street children, many of whom are former child soldiers. The band's name Staff Benda Bilili roughly translates as "bring forth the invisible".

• 11/24/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

We take water for granted in our everyday lives - using it to shower, do the laundry, cook and clean.We also use in less obvious ways: Every piece of paper we write on, every steak we eat and even the clothes we wear also add to our daily water usage.

• 11/17/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Alexander from Kenya is 21 years old.He deals in scrap computers and thinks that humanity is globalization's worst enemy.

• 11/17/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Promises of education and enough to eat are enough to persuade impoverished rural families in Haiti to hand over their children - usually their daughters - to strangers who live in the cities. They believe their children will fare better there than in rural areas. But the reality usually fails to live up to their expectations:Often, the children end up working more or less as slaves in their new homes. They're known as "restaveks" - from the French for "rester avec" - or to stay with. Alinx Jean-Baptiste coordinates a children's assistance project in Haiti. He tries to convince the 'foster parents' to send their 'restaveks' to school at least for three hours a day.

• 11/17/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Sugata Mitra works for NIIT, an Indian company which develops educational software. The Delhi headquarters border on the Kalkaji slum. The two worlds are separated by a wall. Mitra came up with the idea of knocking out a hole in this wall, which marked the start of the project to provide children access to the digital world.In this hole they installed a computer terminal with an internet connection. It quickly became apparent that children with no computer experience and despite the absence of instruction learned very quickly to surf the internet. Hole in the Wall is now a global initiative.

• 11/13/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0

Samuel Lima Santana is 19 years old and drives a motorbike taxi in the federal state of Bahia.He loves pizza and would like to get to know France.

• 11/13/09
• Comments: 0
• Votes: 0