Following the Blast in Beirut, How Ready is Lebanon for Visitors?

The Aug. 4 blast in Beirut’s port devastated the city but also affected the entire country. Shock waves reverberated throughout the region, being felt as far away as Cyprus and Jordan. The cause was obscene negligence in the storage of ammonium nitrate, a component of many explosives, and the effect is 300,000 people left homeless, up to 220 dead, and parts of the city center in ruins. The scene harkens back to Lebanon’s tumultuous history of war and civil strife and effectively takes Beirut off the map in terms of international tourism.

This is all the more saddening given Lebanon’s storied history, vibrant culture and natural beauty. Lebanon has earned an unfortunate reputation as an unsafe travel destination due to its fraught political history and geographical proximity to war-torn nations such as Syria. Though a history of war still lives in the nation’s collective memory, most people view it as a piece of the past. Before the blast, Lebanon reported a record number of visitors, with just under 2 million travelers passing through in 2018 alone.

A cursory glance at the country reveals why. Though small, Lebanon’s landscape is astonishingly diverse. Its coastline holds balmy beaches and resorts, many started in the 1950s during the country’s first tourism boom. Farther inland, the Lebanon Mountains offer slopes for skiers of every skill level for a fraction of the cost compared to the Swiss Alps.

Hasroun, a village in northern Lebanon. Paul Saad. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Natural beauty is not the only wonder found in Lebanon. The Temple of Bacchus, one of the best preserved Roman ruins in the world, displays the full glory of Lebanon’s past, demonstrating the variety of influences it enjoyed due to its historical role as a Mediterranean trade hub. Arts events like the Cedars International Festival have drawn artists from around the world, including Shakira and Andrea Bocelli, with massive crowds in tow. Beirut’s nightlife alone was enough to draw thousands to its late-night parties with strobe lights, pulsing music and freely flowing liquor.

A concert in Byblos. Hisham Assaad. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

No longer. The blast damaged 2,000 venues in Beirut, many of them deciding not to rebuild. Months prior to the blast, the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the service industry, and a prolonged economic crisis which has endangered the lower and middle classes strained the balance sheets of nightclub owners. The explosion further compounds their plight. 

Equally bleak are the prospects for recovery. Rebuilding the city is estimated to cost $15 billion, a quarter of Lebanon’s GDP in 2019, and talks with the International Monetary Fund for a $10 billion bailout have led nowhere. The prime minister, along with most of his cabinet, resigned shortly after the explosion, leaving Lebanon in both physical and economic ruin with no leadership. The Lebanese dollar has lost 80% of its value while inflation has reached 112%. This has left thousands of people struggling or unable to buy food. The situation, by any metric, is abysmal. 

Lebanon’s tourism prospects are about as dire as those for its economy. Clearly, it is unwise to travel in the midst of a global pandemic to a country whose hospitals are already full. While tourism would pump much-needed dollars into the economy, it would be difficult to find food and lodging in a country not far removed from famine. Before travelers begin to think of visiting Lebanon, the country must rebuild. Only time will tell how long that process will take.

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Michael McCarthy

Michael is an undergraduate student at Haverford College, dodging the pandemic by taking a gap year. He writes in a variety of genres, and his time in high school debate renders political writing an inevitable fascination. Writing at CATALYST and the Bi-Co News, a student-run newspaper, provides an outlet for this passion. In the future, he intends to keep writing in mediums both informative and creative.

VIDEO: Indonesia's Mentawai Tribe

To give Joshua Cowan’s film even deeper meaning, it’s important to understand context. Mentawai is an archipelago found off the west coast of Sumatra (Indonesia) consisting of approximately 70 islands and islets. The history of the people is often debated, but as early as 1954, under Indonesia’s goal of national unity and cultural adaptation, the National Government began introducing civilization programs designed to integrate the tribal groups into the social and cultural mainstream of the country. This, for native Mentawai, meant the eradication of Arat Sabulungan — the animist belief system that links the supernatural powers of ancestral spirits to the ecology of the rainforest — ; the forced surrender, burning and destruction of possessions used to facilitate cultural or ritual behavior; and their Sikerei (shamans) being disrobed, beaten, and forced into slave labor and imprisonment.

Under Pancasila — the official, foundational philosophical theory of Indonesia — the Indonesian state should be based on the Five Principles: Indonesian nationalism; Internationalism, or Humanism; Consent, or Democracy; Social prosperity; and Belief in One God. Based on the Indonesian notion ‘belief in one God’, there are officially only five religions recognized: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Which, for the Mentawai Islands, resulted in an immediate influx of missionaries and an increase in violence and pressure on the people to adopt change. In the end many chose Christianity due to its flexible views on the possession and consumption of pigs, which play an integral role in Mentawai history and culture.

By the late 1980’s loggers had devastated the forests of Sipora, North and South Pagai. In 1980, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) published a report entitled ‘Saving Siberut’ which, along with the support of other organizations – primarily UNESCO and Survival International – and other additional international interest, helped persuade the Indonesian government to cancel logging concessions and declare the forests of Siberut a biosphere reserve. With this, the people in the Mentawai found that they were once again free to practice their native cultural activities – at least in areas away from the villages.

However, by this point, and as it remains today, the number of Indigenous people still actively practicing the cultural customs, rituals and ceremonies of Arat Sabulungan had already been limited to a very small population of clans primarily located around the Sarereiket and Sakuddei regions in the south of Siberut Island.

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Raeann Mason

Raeann is an avid traveler, digital storyteller and guide writer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Comm & Media Studies from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication. Passionate about a/effective journalism and cultural exchange, she is an advocate of international solidarity and people's liberation. As the founder of ROAM + WRITE and EIC of Monarch Magazine, Raeann hopes to reshape the culture of travel and hospitality to be ethically sound and sustainable.

East Asia Braces Itself as the 2020 Typhoon Season Begins

Southeast Asia is known for its tropical climate and distinct rainy, or monsoon, season. This sort of climate brings about an annual typhoon season. Typhoons are mature, tropical cyclones that mostly occur in the Pacific Ocean. They carry with them heavy winds, rain and tornadoes that rip through villages and beaches. These storms have the potential to be devastating, a fact confirmed by history several times over.

Thailand

While Thailand is not hit with as much force as its southern neighbors, the typhoon season is still clear. From September through November, the country is prone to typhoons with the potential to change the country’s landscape and infrastructure. 

In 2006, Typhoon Xangsane made landfall in the Philippines and devastated its way across Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. It wiped out 810 square miles of farmland across Thailand and caused 47 deaths. The storm brought with it strong winds, landslides and torrential rain that wiped out villages and caused hundreds of families to become homeless. 

Fortunately for Thailand, most storms are not nearly as devastating as Xangsane. Monsoons can be counted on, though, to bring about tropical storms each year. 

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia 

These three Southeast Asian countries feel the brunt of two different sets of cyclones. Typhoons move in from the northern Pacific, while tropical cyclones make landfall from the south. While safety measures are in place, such as shelters, help lines and emergency services, ultimately their geographic location leaves them vulnerable to Mother Nature’s worst.

In 2017, Vietnam experienced its deadliest typhoon since 2001. Dubbed Typhoon Damrey, the storm originated in the Philippines’ Visayan archipelago toward the end of the rainy season and killed at least 123 people and over 600 injured. The severe flooding and winds swept away anything that was not secured to the ground and left an estimated $1 billion in damages across Vietnam. Since then, the country has taken measures to ensure that it has a better communication system for its citizens to learn about the threat of storms as they arise. 

Korea 

Farther north, the Korean Peninsula sits in a spot not nearly as impacted by typhoon season as countries in Southeast Asia. While the peninsula experiences jangma, or the rainy season, its normal extent is heavy rains that inconvenience residents. This shows just how quickly tropical storms lose power as they move inland; they dissipate soon after doing so. 

A recent exception was Typhoon Hagupit, which made landfall in August. The Category 1 typhoon traveled north from the Philippines to China before impacting Korea as a subtropical storm. South Korea reported 15 deaths along with considerable property damage from the storm. 

The western Pacific typically sees more tropical storms than anywhere else in the world. About one-third of the world’s natural disasters occur in the region, and the numbers only seem to increase each year. These storms have caused countries to increase safety measures, focus on disaster communication, develop evacuation measures and create safe spots in public areas. The countries are well-known among visitors, but during the rainy season, the more experienced traveler might count these locations out.

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Elizabeth Misnick

Elizabeth is a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Baylor University. She grew up in a military family and lived in Europe for almost half her life, traveling and living in different countries. She hopes to continue writing professionally throughout her career and publish her writing in the future.

Homophobia Rises in South Korea Following COVID-19 Outbreak

There has been a resurgence of discriminatory acts against South Korean LGBTQ+ individuals following a COVID-19 outbreak in May.

Itaewon, the district where the outbreak occurred, comes to life at night. Heather Lim.

South Korea has been globally recognized for its disease control and prevention protocol, revealing an impressively low number of COVID-19 cases. American journalists lauded this quick response as a prime example of liberal democracy’s success. South Korea’s new reputation as a world power was further cemented by its efficient system for COVID-19 prevention. 

Although South Korea’s curve has been flattened, a particular outbreak ignited political and social retaliation against one of the country’s most marginalized groups.

In May, South Korea’s surveillance system for tracing the coronavirus showed that an outbreak occurred at a nightclub frequented by members of the LGBTQ+ community in Seoul’s Itaewon district. Over 100 cases were linked to this particular outbreak, in which an infected 29-year-old man visited various gay nightclubs in one night. The tracking system used by the South Korean government quickly notified possible carriers of COVID-19 from that evening. Up to 6,000 individuals were followed and notified through the use of cell tower signals, rather than through voluntarily shared information. This particular method of tracking, along with an ample number of testing sites, helped the country to stop the spread of the virus. 

The LGBTQ+ community in South Korea soon faced a resurgence in discriminatory acts, from being profiled to losing jobs. Jong Geol Lee, a Korean gay rights activist, told CBS News in May that there had been an influx of calls to his support group from members of the LGBTQ+ community in fear of losing their jobs. Lee Youngwu, a gay man in his 30s, expressed his anguish to The Guardian, saying, “I felt so trapped and hunted down. If I get tested, my company will most likely find out I’m gay. I’ll lose my job and face a public humiliation. I feel as if my whole life is about to collapse. I have never l felt suicidal before and never thought I would, but I am feeling suicidal now.” 

South Korean news outlets exacerbated the wave of homophobia plaguing the country. Kukmin Ilbo, a newspaper closely aligned with Korean Protestant churches, released the names of the clubs visited by the 29-year-old man. The Washington Post shared that “gay club” and “gay coronavirus” were South Korea’s top search items following the outbreak, filling the internet with hate speech and derogatory slurs toward gay individuals. 

Although non-heterosexual relationships aren’t outlawed in South Korea, they are often stigmatized by hospitals and the government. Many hospitals have even refused to treat patients with AIDS. The many cases of violence against gay troops in the South Korean military have been often brushed aside and dismissed, leaving the victims unprotected and traumatized. 

Since May, the negative attention on the LGBTQ+ community has decreased somewhat. However, members of the group remain quiet about their identities in fear of being alienated from society. 

To combat rising levels of discrimination, LGBTQ+ rights group Chingusai has been offering support to gay men through telephone counseling. The Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center has also been fighting for the rights of Korean LGBTQ+ individuals.

Heather Lim

recently earned her B.A. in Literature in English from University of California, San Diego. She was editor of the Arts and Culture section of The Triton, a student-run newspaper. She plans on working in art criticism, which combines her love of visual art with her passion for journalism.

A Taste of Home: Holding on to Food Culture as a Syrian Refugee

What does it feel like to lose your home and start your life again in a foreign land with a foreign culture? How would you anchor yourself to feel safe? How would you find the familiar in so much unfamiliar?

A Taste Of Home is a recipe book created by refugee families across Lancashire who have had to live through the unimaginable venture of fleeing home. The book shows just a small glimpse of how they have begun to rebuild and recenter their life while honoring the homes they’ve lost.

Food, family and friends are at the core of Syrian culture; and what better way to honor the land they've let than by sharing good food with others.

This one of a kind cookbook is now available to for order at mezepublishing.co.uk/product/a-taste-of-home-available-to-pre-order/

Buenos Aires Allows Bedside Vigils for COVID-19 Patients as Case Numbers Climb

On Aug. 27, the city council of Buenos Aires, Argentina, approved a new law that allows family members to maintain bedside vigils for patients dying of COVID-19. This comes after months of strict government-imposed lockdown measures which had drawn criticism and protests by citizens.

The new policy, known as “the Law of the Right to a Final Goodbye,” allows one family member of a patient dying of COVID-19 between the ages of 18 and 60 to maintain a bedside vigil with the patient, as long as they themselves are not pregnant or have preexisting medical conditions. 

According to a press release from the Buenos Aires city council’s website, “the Plan of Accompaniment for patients infected with COVID-19 in an end-of-life situation [has the goal that] patients will be accompanied virtually or in-person, depending on their circumstances, by a person from their family environment.”

Juan Facundo del Gaiso, one of the legislators who voted for the law to be implemented, expressed his support for the new policy on Twitter in Spanish.

“Today we approved in [the city council] the first law in the country for the right to say goodbye,” del Gaiso tweeted. “As of today patients in critical condition can be accompanied by their [family members, out of] respect for the life and dignity of each person.”

Other cities across the country are currently looking toward the Buenos Aires law to find ways to ease tensions within their own communities, as protests have continued throughout the pandemic in response to the government’s strict quarantine regulations. 

Argentina imposed a mandatory lockdown on March 20. This initially saw success, as throughout the first months of the pandemic the country had significantly lower numbers of cases compared to neighboring Chile and Brazil. However, cases continued to climb as the country considered easing restrictions, resulting in a prolonged lockdown which has lasted more than 160 days.

According to Rosendo Fraga, a political scientist based in Buenos Aires, a lot of the resentment toward the government’s restrictions is due to the psychological effects caused by the prolonged lockdown.

“People are at the end of their ropes; they are in trouble and they just cannot go on any longer,” Fraga said in an interview with Deutsche Welle. “President Alberto Fernandez's government simply underestimated the psychological damage such a long period of isolation would have on people.”

Much of this uncertainty dates back to long before the pandemic began. Over the past several decades, Argentina has faced several instances of hyperinflation, ending 2019 with an inflation rate of 53.8%, the highest in the past 28 years. In the same year, 25.6 percent of the country’s population was living in poverty.

According to Ana Ines Navarro, the director of the economics department at Austral University in Buenos Aires, this current socioeconomic crisis differs from prior ones on account of the country’s pandemic response.

“The serious problem that Argentina has at the moment is the closure of businesses,” Navarro said in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine. “It’s the number of companies that have stopped producing, or that can’t produce because they’re not yet operational, and that are unlikely to reopen after the quarantine. Then you are going to find, after the quarantine, a very worrying landscape from the point of view of the generation that is looking for employment.”

President Alberto Fernandez had originally stated earlier this summer that lockdown restrictions would be loosened on Sept. 1. However, on Aug. 28 President Fernández extended most restrictions until Sept. 20.

As of Aug. 3, Argentina has had 439,172 cases of COVID-19, the 10th-highest number in the world and the third-highest in South America. The majority of cases have been in and around Buenos Aires, which has a metropolitan population of over 15 million.

Jacob Sutherland

is a recent graduate from the University of California San Diego where he majored in Political Science and minored in Spanish Language Studies. He previously served as the News Editor for The UCSD Guardian, and hopes to shed light on social justice issues in his work.

Child Traffickers: the Ultimate Beneficiaries of COVID-19

As if COVID-19 has not created enough challenges, reports reveal that child trafficking and child pornography have increased significantly during the pandemic. 72% of human trafficking victims are women and children, and they are often forced to work on the streets as a way to help bring income home to their families. As a result of COVID-19’s economic impact, many U.S shelters that previously housed trafficking victims are shutting down due to “lack of financial support.” In equally worrying news, the demand for child pornography has increased by up to 30% in some EU member states. 

Developed Countries

Child trafficking is not exclusive to developing countries; it remains widespread in developed countries as well. In the U.S. and the U.K., many women are subjected to “sextortion” by their landlords, and 13% of the United States’ fair housing organziations have seen an increase in sexual harassment reports during the pandemic. Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, has also reported that online predators are working to engage with children while they remain isolated at home as their parents work. In Italy, the first six months of 2020 saw an estimated “1,000 new victims of child trafficking and exploitation.”

Developing Countries

Many children in developing countries have taken to the streets to help bring their families a form of income. In the Middle East, exploiters withhold the documentation of victims, preventing them from returning home. In Nigeria, some who were able to flee the brothel they were held at have been prevented from going home due to border restrictions from COVID-19. Ultimately, developing countries are especially vulnerable to child trafficking due to the severe economic instability caused by the pandemic. Thousands of families are finding themselves without a steady job or source of income, leading other members of the family to turn to desperate measures to bring food home. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact every aspect of life, the risks of child trafficking and exploitation grow significantly. Vulnerable groups have become even more exposed and easily fall victim to trafficking rings. Additionally, COVID-19 restrictions at borders have prevented many survivors from returning home. The issue has increased in prominence all over the world as every continent records an increase in exploitation. In response, multiple organizations such as Save our Children, and Polaris continue their work to expose trafficking rings and bring victims home to their families.

Elizabeth Misnick

is a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Baylor University. She grew up in a military family and lived in Europe for almost half her life, traveling and living in different countries. She hopes to continue writing professionally throughout her career and publish her writing in the future.

Locked Up: Unmasking Australia’s Aboriginal Youth Prison Crisis

The Aboriginal people have been severely marginalized by Australia’s government, but among the most impacted are the group’s children.

A young Aboriginal girl. mingzhuxia. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Indigenous people make up approximately 3% of Australia’s overall population and are considered the country’s most disadvantaged group. It is believed that the Aboriginal people lived in Australia for over 47,000 years prior to European colonization. Even today, the Aboriginal people continue to suffer some of the consequences of violent colonization such as low literacy rates, low life expectancy and a high unemployment rate.

Aboriginal children in particular are 30 times more likely to be stopped and prosecuted than other Australian youths. This reveals a pattern of racial profiling and stereotyping that has been called out by protests affiliating with the U.S.’s Black Lives Matter movement. 

Progress was made in 2018, when police in Western Australia apologized for practicing “forceful removal,” the separation of Indigenous children from their families. Forceful removal was popular throughout the late 19th century and was legal until 1969. Many refer to those impacted by forceful removal as the “Stolen Generation.” 

Since May 26, 1998, Australians have observed “National Sorry Day” as a way to apologize to the Aboriginal people for the harmful practice. It is a nationwide campaign committed to paying homage to affected groups while teaching youth of Australia’s harmful past actions. In 2008, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a proposal in front of Parliament to help bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. 

Australia’s National Sorry Day in 2015. butupa. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Yet, the gap between the Aboriginal community and other Australians remains as wide as ever. In February, the police of New South Wales revealed details about the Suspect Targeting Management Plan, which is intended to prevent future crimes by targeting likely or repeat offenders. Reports from 2016 to 2018 show that up to 72% of targeted children were likely from Indigenous descent. The youngest child identified was 9 years old. 

The minimum age of criminal responsibility in Australia is one of the lowest in the world, allowing children as young as 10 to be sentenced to jail. Additionally, Aboriginal children are 17 times  more likely to be jailed than non-Indigenous youth. Statistics from Western Australia say that 60 to 70% of children currently being held in the state’s detention centers are of an Aboriginal background. 

As of now, very little research proves that locking up children reduces criminal activity in the future. In fact, youth already in the criminal justice system are far more likely to be repeat offenders, challenging the original intent of New South Wales’ Suspect Target Management Plan. 

There is a push by lawyers and advocacy groups to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Australia to at least 14. Others believe that an alternative is to provide better health care and other social services in an attempt to elevate Aboriginal children’s socioeconomic standing. The end goal would be to improve their overall quality of life, allowing for better employment opportunities and an end to the societal obstacles currently facing the group.

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Eva Ashbaugh

Eva is a Political Science and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies double major at the University of Pittsburgh. As a political science major concentrating on International Relations, she is passionate about human rights, foreign policy, and fighting for equality. She hopes to one day travel and help educate people to make the world a better place.

Venezuela Labels Coronavirus-Infected Citizens as ‘Bioterrorists’

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has implemented harsh measures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to arrest, detain and punish those infected with the virus and citizens who have broken quarantine measures. These authoritarian measures mark a stark contrast with the relief efforts of neighboring countries, as Maduro has labeled those suspected of coming in contact with the virus as “bioterrorists.”

The government was initially quick to respond to the virus, suspending all flights from Europe and Colombia and banning all public gatherings on March 12, before the country had officially reported any cases. However, cases in Venezuela have since risen, with experts suggesting that the current tally of 42,898 infections is much lower than the actual case number due to an insufficient amount of testing materials.

Infected Venezuelan citizens have been subjected to inhumane treatment, leading many to defy the government’s orders. According to a taxi driver from Caracas who was forced into a state-run isolation facility, the government treats infected citizens in an inhumane manner.

“I spent three days sleeping on an aluminum chair,” the driver said in an interview with Bloomberg. “They fed us cold rice, lentils and arepas. The place was controlled by armed militias and Cuban doctors.”

Venezuela’s approach to the pandemic is a result of its failing health care system and Maduro’s resistance to internal reforms advocated for by activists over the past decade. The country’s sociopolitical system, which at one time was hailed by some as one of Latin America’s best, was brought to its knees after oil prices plummeted in the early 2010s. This just exacerbated shortages of basic food staples that began under the presidency of Hugo Chavez.

Using drastic anti-protest tactics which became commonplace in the mid-2010s, Maduro has authorized security forces to impose punishments for violating social distancing protocol such as sitting under the hot sun for hours, intense physical exercise and beatings.

In response to citizens evading testing facilities for fear of being subjected to harsh punishments, the Venezuelan military has encouraged citizens to turn in neighbors who they suspect have come into contact with the virus throughout the summer.

“Defense for the health of your family and community,” one tweet by the military stated in Spanish. “[Someone who helps others hide their infections] is a bioterrorist, which puts everyone’s health at risk. Send [us] an email with their information and exact location. #ReportABioterrorist.”

Maduro has largely ignored calls to reform his response to the pandemic, dismissing claims that those infected have been treated inhumanely.

“[In Venezuela] you’re given care that’s unique in the world, humane care, loving, Christian,” Maduro said in an Aug. 14 national address.

In response to calls for aid from organized opposition groups, on Aug. 21 the United States granted activists access to millions of dollars of previously frozen Venezuelan assets to be used to support health care workers. However, it is unclear how these funds will be accessed by opposition-supported health care workers, or if the Venezuelan government will be able to interfere with their distribution.

As of this article’s publication, Maduro has not responded to calls for pandemic relief reform, nor have efforts been made to test in a more humane manner.

Jacob Sutherland

is a recent graduate from the University of California San Diego where he majored in Political Science and minored in Spanish Language Studies. He previously served as the News Editor for The UCSD Guardian, and hopes to shed light on social justice issues in his work.

The Back-to-Africa Movement: A Response to Racism

Some Black Americans have chosen to move to Africa to embrace their heritage and ancestral roots after experiencing racism, violence and stereotyping in the United States. 

A village in Tanzania. ceasrgp. CC BY-SA 2.0

The Back-to-Africa movement was initially started to encourage those of African ancestry to travel back to Africa where their ancestors once lived. Even though many are unsure of the movement’s founder, many in the U.S. attribute it to Marcus Garvey, who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association in 1914 in New York City’s Harlem district. He encouraged many Black people to seek social equality even if it meant moving to Africa through “self-emancipation.”

However, the Back-to-Africa movement can be traced even further back to the 19th century and the establishment of the American Colonization Society The predominantly-White group, founded by Robert Finley in 1817, shipped up to 12,000 freed slaves and freeborn Black Americans to Liberia. Historians’ views on the American Colonization Society’s work remain split; some view it as an early group dedicated to Black Americans’ freedom while others see it as nothing more than an attempt to remove Black people from the United States. Either way, the group was unpopular among the African American community, and should not be confused with more recent Back-to-Africa movements.

Painting of Marcus Garvey. David Drissel. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Many African Americans have more recently picked up the Back-to-Africa movement to help strengthen Black identity. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X both made visits to Ghana in order to reconnect with their heritage. 

Obadele Kambon is a recent example of the modern Back-to-Africa movement. Kambon was living in Chicago in 2007 when he was wrongfully accused of possessing a loaded firearm illegally in his car. In reality, he had an unloaded, licensed gun. The fear of mistreatment and wrongful convictions, sometimes even leading to death, was a main influence in Kambon’s decision to move to Ghana in 2008.He said his participation in the Back-to-Africa movement made him realize what it “feels like to be a White person in America, just to be able to live without worrying that something is going to happen to you.”

Many of those who have moved to Africa from the United States fear that “nothing can fix [racism].” Africa holds the potential to reconnect people with their roots while offering them a life less affected by racism and violence. 71% of African Americans in the United States have said that they have experienced discrimination in some form. For many African Americans, heading abroad frees them from the need to prove themselves to be more than their skin color.

2019 was marked by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo as the “Year of Return.” It coincided with the 400th anniversary of what is believed to be the first enslaved Africans arriving in the United States. Last year, Ghana rewarded over 100 citizenships to Black individuals from the Americas as a part of its “Year of Return” initiative. The campaign brought over 500,000 visitors to the region—and some of them have decided to stay.

Eva Ashbaugh

is a Political Science and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies double major at the University of Pittsburgh. As a political science major concentrating on International Relations, she is passionate about human rights, foreign policy, and fighting for equality. She hopes to one day travel and help educate people to make the world a better place.

Iowa’s ‘Inland Hurricane’ Wreaks Havoc on Locals — and the World’s Food Supply

On Aug. 10, Iowa and much of the United States’ Midwest experienced one of the most damaging storms seen in recent history. Hurricanes usually strike states like Florida and Louisiana, so the idea of one ravaging a landlocked state like Iowa was something residents were not prepared to face. After nearly a week, the Midwest is finally free of the devastating derecho, and now some are coining it as “Iowa’s Katrina.” 

The prolonged storms in Iowa are what the National Weather Service refers to as a derecho, a widespread, persistent windstorm associated with a band of quick-moving showers or thunderstorms. Because these storms are so powerful, they tend to leave similar damage to hurricanes and tornadoes. “Straight-line wind damage,” when the wind gusts powerfully in one direction, generally concentrates the destruction caused by derechos. 

According to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, it barreled eastward across the Midwest, traveling 770 miles in just 14 hours. Since the storms, thousands are still without water and power, with Cedar Rapids being one of the hardest-hit cities. According to Greg Smith, the city’s fire chief, more than 800 buildings have partially collapsed and more than 20 school buildings in Cedar Rapids have been damaged.

Cornfields on an Iowa farm. inkknife_2000. CC BY-SA 2.0.

This sweeping derecho  impacts not only Iowans and Midwesterners but also the world’s food supply. According to Iowa’s Gov. Kim Reynolds, this storm destroyed at least one-third of Iowa’s crops, which is about 10 million acres. Tens of millions of bushels of stored grain were blown away by extreme winds as well.

Soy farm in Iowa. User1778011. Pixabay.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said in total, 14 million acres of insured crops were in the path of the derecho. About 3.57 million acres of corn and 2.5 million acres of soybeans in 36 counties were damaged or destroyed during the storms. 

As the United States is one of the largest exporters of soy and the top exporter of corn, this could place a strain on domestic and international food and feed supplies. Iowa and Illinois, the top corn-producing states, typically grow about one-third of the U.S. crop. The widespread devastation of crops in the region only increases the burden on an already strained agricultural industry recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Damage in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Alli_jakoubek. Instagram.

While this event has been classified as a federal emergency, Iowa residents and farmers will not see much assistance. The federal major disaster declaration approved on Aug. 17 does not include financial assistance for Iowans despite President Donald Trump tweeting that he approved the state's application in "FULL." Gov. Kim Reynolds' request for $82.7 million to cover the 8,273 homes that were damaged or destroyed was not approved. Also denied were her requests for $3.77 billion for damage to farmland, grain bins and buildings along with a request for $100 million toward private utilities repair. The state did receive $45 million from the federal government to put toward recovery. 

This storm has shown the importance of states like Iowa as the repercussions of the derecho radiate across borders. For suppliers reliant on corn and soy as well as farmers who use the crops for feed, the derecho has depleted essential supplies already strained by the pandemic. While very little international attention has been given to this derecho, Midwestern farmers’ vital role in agriculture is essential to the world.

Renee Richardson

is currently an English student at The University of Georgia. She lives in Ellijay, Georgia, a small mountain town in the middle of Appalachia. A passionate writer, she is inspired often by her hikes along the Appalachian trail and her efforts to fight for equality across all spectrums. She hopes to further her passion as a writer into a flourishing career that positively impacts others.

Trump Administration Suspends Private Charter Flights to Cuba

On Aug. 13, the United States Department of Transportation suspended nearly all charter flights between the U.S. and Cuba. The announcement comes five months after the Trump administration suspended charter flights to any airport on the island aside from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana.

Under the order, only a handful of public charter flights will be authorized to fly between Havana and the U.S., as well as flights authorized in relation to emergency medical assistance, search and rescue and “other travel deemed to be in the interest of the United States.”

In a letter to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explained that the measures are being taken as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts against the Maduro administration in Venezuela.

“To … strengthen the economic pressure on the Cuban regime as a means to restrict the regime’s ability to repress its people and support the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela … I respectfully request that the Department of Transportation suspend until further notice all charter flights between the United States and all airports in Cuba over which the Department of Transportation exercises jurisdiction, except for authorized public charters to and from Havana, and other authorized charter flights for emergency medical purposes, search and rescue and other travel deemed to be in the interest of the United States,” Pompeo wrote.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel responded to the announcement in a tweet condemning the new policy.

“The United States has suspended all charter flights: a measure which will isolate more Cuban families,” Diaz-Canel wrote in Spanish. “[This] continues hostile rhetoric, a resurgence of the blockade, and hate and scorn against Cubans.”

Proponents of the decision like Mercedes Schlapp, a Cuban-American who is currently working on President Trump’s reelection campaign, argue that while the measure will further restrict travel to the island, it will not prohibit Cuban-Americans from visiting family members.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, Cuban-Americans can continue to visit their families while the United States continues to hold the regime in Havana and its allies in Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua accountable,” Schlapp said in a statement in Spanish to CiberCuba.

However, opponents of the decision argue that the policy only furthers the separation of families on the part of both the Trump and Diaz-Canel administrations.

“This action only helps the Cuban regime to continue separating families - a tactic the Trump administration has disturbingly embraced,” Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for Biden for President, stated in a press release. “Make no mistake: this is a cynical, cruel and calculated political decision, but with real, human consequences.”

Historically, the United States has maintained a standard of limited travel to Cuba. Beginning in 1963 under the Kennedy administration, travel to the island nation was prohibited for most Americans.

These restrictions, as well as the ongoing embargo against the island, began to be lifted under the Obama administration. In March 2016, President Obama announced that the Department of Transportation would allow U.S. citizens to travel to the island under a “People to People” visa, a policy which saw numerous airlines and American businesses begin working in the country. Obama notably traveled to the country to meet with then-President Raul Castro, the first time a sitting U.S. president had visited Cuba in 88 years.

This policy was reversed only three years later by the Trump administration. In June 2019, Trump removed the “People to People” visa and banned all cruise ships, private yachts and fishing boats from docking in the country.

These restrictions were further tightened later that year when Trump suspended all commercial flights to any Cuban airport aside from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana. This was done in an attempt to reinforce the long-standing tourism embargo.

Prior to last week’s charter flight suspension, the Trump administration had imposed an annual limit of 3,600 charter flights beginning on June 1, 2020, which would only be allowed to land in the nation’s capital city.

Experts believe that these increasingly restrictive policies are being made in an effort to help Trump win Florida, a swing state which contains a large Cuban-American population and has recently polled in favor of Joe Biden. However, it is unclear whether this new policy will have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the November general election.

Jacob Sutherland

is a recent graduate from the University of California San Diego where he majored in Political Science and minored in Spanish Language Studies. He previously served as the News Editor for The UCSD Guardian, and hopes to shed light on social justice issues in his work.

In Kashmir, Military Lockdown and Pandemic Combined Are One Giant Deadly Threat

COVID-19 is taking a terrible toll worldwide. But in the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, it’s only the latest indignity in a 73-year cycle of oppression, militarization and scarcity.

At least, that’s what the minimal news from Kashmir indicates. The Indian part of Kashmir – which shares volatile borders with Pakistan and China – has been an information black hole since August 2019, when the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stripped the region of its autonomous status and split it in two territories to be directly governed by India.

To enforce this radical change, a military lockdown was imposed, which saw Indian soldiers using brutal and indiscriminate violence. As a result, Kashmiris had already been confined to their homes, fearful and isolated, for months before the coronavirus pandemic began ravaging India.

Pandemic life in Kashmir. Sanna Irshad Matoo, CC BY-SA

Occupied territories

In my academic research, I study how militarization impacts the social, political and cultural fabric of human life. I grew up in Kashmir valley, one of more than 40 territorial conflict zones in the world.

From Western Sahara to Palestine, residents in these places endure a traumatizing array of human rights violations. These include arbitrary arrests, harassment by security forces, extrajudicial killings and disappearances. So-called “collective punishments,” such as the destruction of homes and farmland, and restricted access to water and other resources, are also common.

Kashmir – home to about 8 million Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians – became a contested territory in 1947, when India and Pakistan became two separate nations after almost 200 years of British rule. Its king agreed to join India on certain conditions, including maintaining its autonomy.

Kashmir’s accession to India triggered three major wars with Pakistan, turning generations of Kashmiris into casualties of war.

Today Pakistan owns about one-third of Kashmir, and the part of Kashmir under Indian rule is the most militarized place on Earth. With 500,000 troops deployed there, there is one soldier for every 30 civilians, according to the 2020 Armed Conflict Survey. That’s a higher soldier-civilian ratio than wartime Afghanistan.

Most Kashmiris view India as an occupying power and, according to a 2010 poll by the think tank Chatham House, a majority favor independence. The ongoing Indian occupation and thus the desire for freedom has contributed to the rise of some militant insurgencies in Kashmir.

A military checkpoint in Kashmir during the pandemic. Saqib Bhat/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Removal of autonomy

Until recently Kashmir did, however, enjoy substantial political and economic autonomy. The Indian government had limited powers to make law there, and only Kashmiris could own property or hold government jobs.

As of August 2019, Indian citizens are now allowed to invest, work and live in Kashmir, with some restrictions.

To suppress local opposition to Kashmir’s revoked autonomy, more soldiers were sent in. For seven months, people were forbidden from leaving their homes. All forms of communication, including the internet, phone lines and post offices, were suspended. Deadly clashes between troops and anti-India protesters erupted in the streets.

Soldiers confront Kashmiris during the August 2019 military crackdown. Tauseef Mustafa/AFP via Getty Images

A few intrepid local, Indian and foreign journalists were able to surreptitiously report on conditions in Kashmir, leading to international outcry. Eventually, in March 2020, pressure from rights organizations like Amnesty International and the Internet Freedom Foundation compelled India to restore partial internet service to Kashmir.

Then came COVID-19.

A new lockdown

Kashmiris, only recently reconnected to the world, are now living under a strict curfew due to the pandemic.

According to news reports from the area, anyone who violates curfew – even those with valid passes allowing them to leave their homes – risks being detained by soldiers or police and possibly beaten.

Even doctors, who’ve been celebrated as heroes elsewhere in the world, report being harassed on their way to work in Kashmir, which already suffers an acute lack of medical resources and staff.

Limited access to information has also obstructed Kashmir’s coronavirus fight. The region uses 2G internet, an online connection so slow that it is nonexistent elsewhere in the world. Early in the pandemic, Kashmiri health care providers told the Indian news site The Wire it took them an hour to download international recommendations for COVID-19 patients in intensive care.

And that’s when the internet is working: Indian authorities have cut online access in Kashmir 55 times since it was restored in March 2020, according the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies, a local group that documents and litigates human rights abuses. This has delayed doctors’ ability to read emerging treatment guidelines and new research on the disease.

Settler colonialism

So far, though, soldiers appear to be more dangerous in Kashmir than COVID-19. As of June 30, more than 229 people in Indian Kashmir have been killed by the military over the past six months. The coronavirus has taken 141 lives.

India continues to take possession of Kashmir despite being hit ever harder by the pandemic.

Tens of thousands of Indians have been granted residency in Kashmir since June 2020. Tourism has been opened for Indian visitors as well, even though most of Kashmir remains on high COVID-19 alert.

The Kashmir Valley is beautiful and fertile. Sanna Irshad Matoo, CC BY

More soldiers keep arriving to Kashmir from across India, too, to maintain control over an increasingly restive local population. Since January, 107 “cordon and search operations” – violent raids of neighborhoods reported to house rebels – were executed in Kashmir.

These operations, which include the ransacking of homes and the use of explosives, have reportedly left hundreds of Kashmiris homeless during the pandemic. Many other Kashmiris have been jailed for breaking curfew, doing journalism or opposing military orders.

All of this puts local people at unnecessary risk of contracting COVID-19, according to Stand With Kashmir, an advocacy organization of diaspora Kashmiris.

In a recent statement, the group protested India for “systematically” denying the the “human rights, democratic rights, health care, education and access to information” of the Kashmiri people, allowing the virus to invade an “already fragile health system.”

Ifat Gazia is a Doctoral Student in Communications and Film, University of Massachusetts Amherst

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY FEATURED ON THE CONVERSATION

Coral Reefs: Climate Change and Pesticides Could Conspire to Crash Fish Populations

Australia barely had time to recover from record breaking fires at the start of 2020 before the Great Barrier Reef experienced its third mass coral bleaching event in the past five years. Only five of these have occurred since records began in the 1980s. High water temperatures and marine heatwaves, caused by climate change, are making coral bleaching an almost regular occurrence in some parts of the world.

Coral reefs are among the most vibrant ecosystems on the planet, but they are also very sensitive to stress. Meteorologists predict that 2020 is likely to be the hottest year on record, threatening yet more bleaching on reefs around the world. But it’s not just the coral itself that suffers.

Reef fishes exposed to high temperatures tend not to behave normally. Underwater noise and pollutants, such as agricultural pesticides, can have the same effect. Juvenile fish exposed to this kind of stress are less able to identify and avoid predators. But scientists aren’t sure exactly why this is.

In our new study, we found that a double whammy of higher water temperatures and pesticide exposure may be affecting the development of baby reef fish, with consequences for the entire ecosystem.

Metamorphosis in coral reef fish

Metamorphosis might bring to mind the transformation a caterpillar undergoes to become a butterfly, but it is also very common in coral reef fishes. After hatching from eggs, most reef fish develop as translucent larvae in the open ocean, before transforming into juvenile fish as they are recruited to their life on the reef.

This journey is a very important transition that is fraught with danger. Many predators like to eat reef fish while they’re in this small and vulnerable stage.

Like most coral reef fish, convict surgeonfish are transparent while larvae (left). During recruitment, they change into something more typically resembling a fish (right). Marc Besson, Author provided

During metamorphosis, fish rapidly develop their eyes, noses and lateral line system, a special set of organs that allows them to detect changes in water pressure. Reef fish rely on these senses to spot and avoid predators.

Recent studies have shown that the process is regulated by hormones in coral reef fish. So if man-made pressures as diverse as increasing temperatures, underwater noise and pollution can cause juveniles to behave strangely and fail to avoid predators, perhaps it all has something to do with their hormones.

We decided to test this in a lab. We exposed the larvae of the surgeon convict fish to chemical hormones and hormone blockers and found that it directly influenced the development of their eyes, noses and lateral line systems. When fish received a hormone blocker, their sensory systems developed more slowly, they were less able to identify a predator by sight or smell and predators caught them more easily.

High temperatures and pesticides can disrupt sensory development in young fish. Aldine Amiel/Kahi Kai, Author provided

The lab tests showed that exposure to a hormone blocker can prevent fish from developing the necessary defences for life on a coral reef. So how might they be faring in the ocean, given that pesticides drain off the land into coastal waters, where these chemicals might disrupt hormones in fish?

In further experiments, we exposed fish to different temperatures and doses of a common agricultural pesticide called chlorpyrifos. Higher temperatures and high levels of the pesticide made fish worse at avoiding predators, but when given extra hormones, the fish recovered their abilities. This shows how climate change and pollution can affect how fish naturally regulate their development, and how important it is for them to be able to metamorphose in a healthy environment.

Hotter water and exposure to pesticides might seem like totally different things, but our results suggest they affect metamorphosis in a similar way. This is worrying, because most coral reef fish species metamorphose early in their lives, and if their environment changes too much, it might endanger entire coral reef communities.

Luckily, our results suggest that these negative effects are mostly felt at higher doses, but they are at the extreme end of what is already being detected on reefs. That means that we still have time, but our habits must change soon.

William Feeney is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology, Griffith University

Marc Besson is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Marine Ecology, École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY FEATURED ON THE CONVERSATION

South Africa’s Success Continues in Slowing Rhino Poaching

Poaching, the illegal hunting and sometimes killing of animals, has always been a serious threat to conservation efforts. Animals like rhinos, elephants, tigers and lions are often the target of poachers looking to make money through exotic pet sales and traditional medicine practices. While habitat destruction does contribute most to the strain on many animal species, the illegal trading and selling of wildlife has gained popularity as e-commerce continues to grow. 

Kruger National Park, South Africa. Vincent van Zalinge. Unsplash.

In South Africa, this illegal practice has finally decreased to the point where native rhino species can finally thrive. Rhinos are often hunted in South Africa because their horns are used for traditional medicine in Asia. In just the first six months of 2020, South African rhino poaching decreased by 53% - a goal that the South African Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has been working toward for the past five years. Only 166 rhinos have been poached for their horns in the first six months of 2020. This is a significant drop when compared to the 316 rhinos that were poached in the first six months of 2019.  

Street art against rhino poaching. Kosmoseleevike. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Barbara Creecy, South Africa’s minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, said, “After a decade of implementing various strategies, and campaigning against ever-increasing rhino poaching by local poachers recruited and managed by crime syndicates, efforts are paying off. We have been able to arrest the escalation of rhino losses.” The ministry credits this success in part to COVID-19 lockdown measures as they kept poachers from actively hunting. 

Poached rhinoceros. Kehworks. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Additionally, the lockdown measures have made poachers much easier to spot. From January to June, 38 suspected rhino poachers have been arrested in Kruger National Park and 23 firearms have been confiscated. These arrests also led to historic convictions as the ministry reports that from January to June, the National Prosecuting Authority managed to obtain convictions in 15 cases marking a conviction rate of 100%. To guarantee that these poachers will not return to poaching, they were given lengthy sentences. Coordinated efforts with the South African Police Service, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (also known as the “Hawks”) and the Department of Justice have curtailed the selling and purchasing of poached rhino horns. 

White rhino silhouette in Kruger National Park. Javier Ábalos. CC BY-SA 2.0.

South Africa’s success came just in time to celebrate World Ranger Day on July 31, a day dedicated to rangers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The minister paid tribute to these brave men and women who have risked their health and safety, both by stopping poachers and risking possible exposure to COVID-19. “Our rangers have remained at the forefront of the battle against poaching, despite the national lockdown, contributing to the decrease in poaching. In this time, rangers have had to face not only the threats posed by poachers, but they, and their families, have also had to deal with the danger of contracting COVID-19,”  said the minister. It is apparent that their bravery has paid off as the rhino population of South Africa is now at a decreased risk of population decline.

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Renee Richardson

Renee is currently an English student at The University of Georgia. She lives in Ellijay, Georgia, a small mountain town in the middle of Appalachia. A passionate writer, she is inspired often by her hikes along the Appalachian trail and her efforts to fight for equality across all spectrums. She hopes to further her passion as a writer into a flourishing career that positively impacts others.

Indians Declare Victory in the Fight Against Deforestation — For Now

In today’s world, it is fairly common to see vast forests being torn down to make way for infrastructure; in India’s case, it is a way to make extra money during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year alone, “3.8 million hectares” of primary forests were torn down and destroyed - “the third highest since the turn of the century.” Just recently, the people of Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand forest feared that they would suffer the fate of Korba - a region where families were displaced by coal mines. The area was even “identified as a ‘critically polluted area’ by the Central Pollution Control Board.” 

The global pandemic that has swept over the world has left lasting impacts on governments everywhere. In India, the central government offered up 41 coal blocks near the biodiverse and coal-rich Hasdeo Arand forest to commercial bidders to increase revenue after the country’s economy took a hit earlier this year. After India sold the first five coal blocks and gave the green light for mining companies to deforest an estimated 6,800 hectares of forest, the surrounding communities and Chhattisgarh state’s government began to push back. This ultimately led to the central government reversing its decision, making the Hasdeo Arand region safe - for now. This comes as a result of an ongoing campaign to prevent what happened to neighboring Korba, where mines forced hundreds out of their homes, threw many into unemployment and caused “respiratory issues ranging from asthma to lung cancer.”

What Happened in Korba?

Korba was once much like Hasdeo Arand - a land filled with lush forests, rivers and over 300 species of wildlife. Mining started in the 1970s and four decades later, people are still suffering from displacement, health concerns and other environmental problems. Korba in particular is home to “the world’s second-largest open-cast mine - Gevra.” This mine has led to nearby streams drying up and becoming filled with waste, killing up to 12 people in Sahli. 

The migration patterns of elephants have been impacted as well, leading to human-animal encounters in almost every village. Ash ponds have been dumped into, polluting water in neighboring irrigation fields and destroying crops. Lastly, the villagers have reported an increase in respiratory issues and other health risks directly linked to the area’s coal mines and power plants. Currently, “Korba is the power hub of Chhattisgarh. It has 10 to 12 power plants, which generate nearly 20,000 megawatts of electricity annually.” However, the environmental and social impacts of these coal mines and plants have left citizens homeless, disrupted and often with serious health issues. The locals have learned their lesson and organized to halt the construction of a proposed power plant in the Hasdeo Arand forest itself.

What’s Next?

After the events in Korba, the leaders of the Hasdeo Arand region have done their best to avoid the construction of any more power plants or coal mines. India’s central government gave up on mining in the Hasdeo Arand forest due to strong local resistance to the plans. Campaigns have begun against the central government, asking for a stop to the mining and a greater focus on the villagers who have been displaced. Deforestation occurs all around the world, but sometimes locals hold the power to stop environmental catastrophes in the making.

Elizabeth Misnick

is a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Baylor University. She grew up in a military family and lived in Europe for almost half her life, traveling and living in different countries. She hopes to continue writing professionally throughout her career and publish her writing in the future.

More Than 1,200 Women and Girls Go Missing in Peru Amid Lockdown Measures

More than 1,200 women and girls have been reported missing throughout Peru since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the country’s Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP). The Peruvian government imposed a lockdown from March 16 through the end of June, a time period in which the majority of the disappearances took place.

The South American country, which is home to over 32 million people, has seen a rise in domestic violence cases and femicides over the past decade. Experts believe that the pandemic, which required many in Peru to stay at home, has exacerbated the issue.

Isabel Ortiz, a leading Peruvian women’s rights official who recently called for the creation of a national missing persons registry, spoke with Reuters about the ongoing situation.

“The figures are really alarming,” Ortiz said. “We know the numbers of women and girls who have disappeared, but we don’t have detailed information about how many have been found … We need to have a proper register that would allow us to link the disappearance of women to other crimes like human trafficking and sexual violence.”

In April, the MIMP began efforts to combat pandemic-related disappearances by initiating a telephone program in rural areas of the country to link Indigenous leaders and local authorities to the national government. The program saw promising results at first, with assistance being provided to 88 community authorities and 120 women leaders from the beginning of the country’s lockdown to April 19. Despite this program, disappearances continued to rise throughout the country.

In July, Deputy Minister of Women Nancy Tolentino Gamarra directed the High-Level Multisectoral Commission to implement new strategies to prevent violence against women and girls in the context of the pandemic. The most notable outcome of this meeting was the Ministry of the Interior agreeing to implement a national missing persons registry in “a timely manner.” However, as of this article’s publication, no such registry has been created.

Jacqui Hunt, a prominent women’s rights activist from the nongovernmental organization Equality Now, explained in an interview with Independent how more work needs to be done to prevent disappearances.

“Peru has one of the highest rates of violence against women in Latin America, and the coronavirus pandemic has worsened what was already a dire situation,” Hunt said. “COVID-19 response measures introduced by the Peruvian government must address the particular vulnerabilities of women and girls. Strict enforcement of laws against domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence should be imposed and the justice system should be applying a gender-based lens when investigating and prosecuting cases.”

The United Nations has recommended on numerous occasions that the Peruvian government take significant measures to “promote the rule of law and access to justice for all,” with its most recent report coming out on May 8, 2019. The U.N. Development Program currently ranks Peru 82nd in the world for both intimate partner and non-intimate partner violence against women.

Jacob Sutherland

is a recent graduate from the University of California San Diego where he majored in Political Science and minored in Spanish Language Studies. He previously served as the News Editor for The UCSD Guardian, and hopes to shed light on social justice issues in his work.

Ethiopian Migrant Workers Left More Vulnerable After Devastating Explosion in Beirut

On Aug. 4, two massive explosions in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, sent a shock wave that destroyed many neighborhoods, killed more than 200 people, injured 6,000 and left approximately 250,000 homeless. The tragedy struck a country that is already suffering from a major economic crisis, an increase in COVID-19 cases, and the corruption and negligence of the Lebanese government—corruption which led to the deadly explosion. Reports emerged that the government knew about the over 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, which is used to build bombs, and left it unattended and unsecured for six years.

As the Lebanese people’s anger boiled over, protests calling for an end to the political elite erupted, leading to the resignation of the majority of the Lebanese government. According to The Wall Street Journal, on Aug. 10 Prime Minister Hassan Diab addressed the nation in a televised address: “I set out to combat corruption, but I discovered that corruption is bigger than the state. I declare today the resignation of this government. God bless Lebanon.”

But according to Foreign Policy, “the public is unlikely to be appeased by the resignation of Diab’s government” as “the rest of the country’s political elites, the sectarian warlords of the civil war era and their descendants, clinging to positions of privilege, are still busy looking for scapegoats.” As the public continues to fight for the fall of the regime, it is hoped that not only will the Lebanese benefit, but so too will the migrant workers whose plight worsens as crises continue to befall the country.

According to The New Arab, “around 250,000 migrants work as housekeepers, nannies and carers in Lebanese homes.” Most of the workers are women, many of whom immigrated from Ethiopia and the Philippines, according to The Associated Press. The migrant workers do not have labor law protections as they were brought in through the kafala system, an exploitative and abusive sponsorship system used in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation as the countries that practice the kafala system offer little to no protection for migrant workers—their right to work and legal presence is entirely dependent on their employer. The migration sponsorship system “increases their risk of suffering labor exploitation, forced labor and trafficking, and leaves them with little prospect of obtaining redress,” according to Amnesty International.

The ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon, along with the spike in COVID-19 cases, has made an already dire situation worse for migrant workers. According to Amnesty International, “many have reported that the value of their salaries has decreased by around a third because of the currency crash.” Their salaries were already as little as $150 per month before the severe economic crisis and pandemic, according to France 24. In June, BBC reported that more than 100 Ethiopian migrant domestic workers were fired and left homeless outside their country’s consulate in Beirut after their employers claimed they could no longer afford to pay their maids.

Now, the explosions have left the domestic workers even more vulnerable. CNN reported, “In the aftermath, rights groups are warning that this vulnerable group is facing dire situations as many of them are stranded in the country and unable to go home.” Activists like Farah Salka of Lebanon’s Anti-Racism Movement are fighting for the migrant workers’ rights. Salka told CNN, “They are running from one escalating situation to the other and it is an endless stream of trauma. They have faced COVID, economic crisis, airport closure, quarantine restrictions in often hostile conditions and they want to go home.”

Finding a way home is proving difficult for the Ethiopian migrants. According to Middle East Eye, “Ethiopia has tripled the price of repatriation for its citizens in Lebanon to $1,450, including flights and mandatory quarantine, further prohibiting the return of dozens of women stranded and destitute outside its Beirut consulate.” This is approximately a $900 increase from a May 21 article from Quartz Africa which reported, “Ethiopia’s consulate had collected $550 registration fees for the repatriation flights.”

People on social media are calling for better treatment of migrant workers in Lebanon after footage showed an Ethiopian migrant worker saving a young child from shattered glass as the second explosion erupted in the capital. Lebanese journalist Luna Safwan tweeted, “Migrant worker grabs toddler and saves her from shattered glass and windows as the second big explosion erupted in Beirut earlier today. She did not even think. Migrant workers deserve better in #Lebanon – this woman is a hero.”

Asiya Haouchine

is an Algerian-American writer who graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2016, earning a BA in journalism and English. She was an editorial intern and contributing writer for Warscapes magazine and the online/blog editor for Long River Review. She is currently studying for her Master’s in Library and Information Science. @AsiyaHaou

A Three-Pronged Crisis Hits Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is calling for international aid after its inflation rate increased to over 700%. The southern African country’s inhabitants are facing not only a humanitarian crisis, but also a hunger crisis on top of the problems created by COVID-19. The World Food Program warns that by the end of the year, 60% of Zimbabwe’s inhabitants will be food insecure. 

The Humanitarian Crisis

The 2017 overthrow of the country’s former dictator, Robert Mugabe, brought dreams of change to the entire country as Emmerson Mnangagwa took over. Mnangagwa, a member of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF political party, promised better days and pledged to create a new democracy. However, he has not delivered and instead kept the “old authoritarian regime.”. Mnangagwa’s failure to deliver any new form of government has brought on “a crisis reminiscent of the regime’s darkest hours.” The streets of Zimbabwean cities have been filled with protesters calling for change, with many being arrested at first sight as military police stand on “maximum alert.” Despite the country’s many crises, there have been no substantive changes or public messages from Mnangagwa himself. The ruling ZANU-PF’s top response: arresting political opponents and “banning anti-corruption protests”. 

Additionally, Zimbabwe faces huge unemployment rates in the cities, overwhelming rural areas as “migrants return to their villages.” As family heads can no longer support their households, , a new problem has arisen: child prostitution. Now, children are “playing hide and seek with police” as they line the streets, eager to bring home what little money they can to feed their families. 

The Hunger Crisis 

Currently, Zimbabwe is facing problems with farmers harvesting less than half of the country’s yearly needs. This comes as the country faces its third consecutive year of drought, an issue that could become much worse as Zimbabwe enters into the “lean season.” The year has only yielded about “1.1 million tonnes of maize, the country’s staple crop.” Subsistence farmers make up about three-quarters of Zimbabwe’s population, and the continued drought is just perpetuating the country’s severe food crisis. The World Food Program (WFP) says the situation has led to “emergency levels of hunger,” and it plans to bring aid to about 5 million people at the start of next year’s “lean season.”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Zimbabwe

COVID-19 has ravaged the entire world, but the impacts have been even more extreme in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. With over 4,600 cases and 104 deaths, many speculate that the government has inaccurately reported numbers of COVID-19 cases, effectively downplaying the full extent of the catastrophe. President Mnangagwa has taken measures to close the country’s borders and to shut down nightlife through curfews, but cases have spiked anyway. The Zimbabwean government recently released a statement saying it was “concerned over reports of unauthorized persons issuing statements regarding virus test results.” It has been stated that Zimbabwe, along with South Sudan, is among the most vulnerable countries in Africa due to its relatively low level of development, lack of aid and internal political conflicts. 

Ultimately, Zimbabwe is facing a crisis from several fronts as it fights for survival amid a pandemic, poor harvests and an ailing economy. The country’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has called for international aid in light of his country’s crisis. Additionally, the United Nations’ food agency has called for an additional $250 million to put toward relief efforts. Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director for southern Africa, stated that it “needs the international community to step up now to help us prevent a potential humanitarian catastrophe.”

Elizabeth Misnick

is a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Baylor University. She grew up in a military family and lived in Europe for almost half her life, traveling and living in different countries. She hopes to continue writing professionally throughout her career and publish her writing in the future.