Human Rights Episodes

Quickfire interviews from day one in Ottawa, with humanist leaders from Luxembourg, the US, Lithuania, Norway and Humanists International.

Survivor and campaigner Rachael Reign on life inside a high-control group, how she got out, and why UK coercive control law needs to reach beyond the home.

"Inclusion isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about creating a space where people feel safe enough to stay." - JC Candanedo Artist, activist, and humanist JC Candanedo shares his journey from a Catholic school in Panama to the art studios of London. His work weaves together identity, displacement, and community action, exploring how creativity can challenge injustice and build inclusive, compassionate societies. In this episode, JC reflects on growing up atheist in a deeply religious cult...

“Transcendence is the connection with something wider; the world, the cosmos, nature, other fellow human beings, and doing good in this life.” — Dr Lindsay de Wal

When Dr Lindsay de Wal became the first non-religious head of chaplaincy in the NHS, she redefined what spiritual support can look like in modern healthcare. From sceptical colleagues to international media headlines, her appointment marked a turning point for inclusive pastoral care. In this personal conversation, Lindsay shares how she built a humanist framework for care grounded in deep listening, horizontal transcendence and unwavering compassion.

“The highest value, the most precious value we have is not peace—it’s freedom.” — Michael Bauer This week on Humanism Now, we’re joined by Michael Bauer, CEO of Germany’s Humanistische Vereinigung—a 175-year-old humanist organisation offering professional community services without religion, grounded in ethics, dignity, and freedom. From ceremony to solidarity, Bauer shows how organised humanism is more than a philosophy—it’s a movement of services, institutions, and action. Dis...

Award-winning journalist Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God and The Power Worshippers, explains how Christian nationalism became a political movement, why abortion became its weapon of choice, and how billionaire funders are using religion to undermine American democracy.

AI technologies pose significant threats to fundamental human rights, reinforcing historical biases and power imbalances. This week, we are joined by Susie Alegre, international human rights lawyer and author, to explore the impact of generative AI on gender and racial equality, labour markets, and information ecosystems.


Susie has worked for international NGOs like Amnesty International and organisations including the UN, the EU and the Council of Europe.

Susie has published two books cover...

Historian Christopher Cameron on the hidden history of Black freethinkers and African American secularism, plus Audrey Simmons of the Association of Black Humanists and an update on the UK conversion therapy ban.

Roslyn Mould of Humanists International on growing up non-religious in Ghana, freedom of belief and human rights across Africa, plus James and AJ on why start a humanism podcast now.