The Observers Direct FRANCE 24 English

Hardly a week goes by in Cameroon without a video emerging that documents violence against gay or transgender people. Our Observers, LGBT rights activists, brought this worrying phenomenon to our attention. In this episode of The Observers Direct, we visited them on the ground to see how they help victims and fight to change public attitudes.

Since August, thousands of migrants have been trying to cross the Polish border from Belarus. They have come from Yemen, Syria, Iraq or the Democratic Republic of Congo, hoping to enter the European Union. Poland has accused Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko of instrumentalising migrants in a feud with the EU, and has opted to deport them. Turned away from both sides, men, women and children find themselves stranded along the border in the middle of the forest.

Major protests that broke out in Colombia on April 28 have been marked by numerous acts of violence perpetrated against demonstrators by security forces and armed civilians alike. In this special report, ‘Colombia: Silencing a Revolt,’ the FRANCE 24 Observers investigated these clashes using the testimonies of our Observers on the ground and the analysis of countless amateur videos posted online. 

In southwestern Mali, people are still subject to “descent-based slavery”, a form of discrimination that persists long after slavery itself was abolished in the West African country. The France 24 Observers went to Mali to meet the villagers who are standing up and saying, “I am not your slave.”

France 24 journalists meet eyewitnesses (Observers) to discuss memorable events they have experienced. The programme brings to the airways the unique journalistic online project 'The Observers'.

In the Malian capital Bamako, one of our Observers is fighting sexual and domestic violence towards women. Another is raising awareness about the unhygienic transport of meat in the city. A third is working to provide educational opportunities for visually-impaired children. Our reporter Corentin Bainier went to meet these three activists.