Child Slavery in Ghana

When Elizabeth Tulsky participated in NYU’s study abroad program in Ghana, she also independently volunteered with City of Refuge, a local organization that uses education as a tool to combat child slavery. She said of her experience that it had “a tremendous impact on my life and what I want to do in the future.”

In Ghana, children are often enslaved, maltreated and many mothers struggle to see their children as more than a financial burden. While there are no statistics on the actual number of children trafficked, estimates are in the thousands. What is known is that 25% of Ghanaian children ages 5-14 years are involved in child labor. Child labor and human trafficking are both against the law in Ghana, however, laws are not enforced.

City of Refuge fights against child slavery by educating small villages about the harms of keeping children out of school and depriving them of a childhood. The organization is founded on the belief that if they can empower single mothers educationally and economically then they will no longer be vulnerable to selling their children as slaves.

Can you tell me a bit about City of Refuge and the work they do?

City of Refuge workers enter villages and open discussions with the chiefs in a respectful manner and work to free children who are in dangerous and/or miserable conditions and separated from their families. On a daily basis, City of Refuge provides home, happiness, and sanctuary to many rescued children. Furthermore, City of Refuge runs the only public school in the city, Doryumu. The organization works at the root of the problem, beginning with single mothers. Many children end up in slavery because mothers simply have absolutely no means of supporting themselves, much less their young children. Selling them, as hard as it may be to believe, truly seems like the only option for many women. Thus, City of Refuge works with single mothers to find alternative solutions to make ends meet, and have started two local businesses to be run by single mothers to increase opportunities for mothers and in turn, reduce the number of children sold into horrific situations.

How were you involved with the organization?

I worked in the small school where the children living with the City of Refuge family were educated and spent my evenings at the home playing with children and helping them with their homework. I also spent time shadowing the founders and through this I learned much about the process.

What do you know about child slavery in Ghana?

Children are targeted as slaves for fishermen for several reasons. First, children are easy to acquire as so many parents are impoverished and feel financially helpless. Second, children’s small hands are ideal for making and untangling fishing nets. When the nets get trapped in trees in the lake, children are sent in the water to untangle them. Unfortunately, this means many of the child slaves are incredibly susceptible to water-borne disease and illness and sadly, some do not know how to swim and may drown in the water. Children who are enslaved receive no form of education or care and spend up to eighteen hours a day working on the lake. They are often fed no more than one meal a day, which frequently consists of just gari, a food made from cassava, soaked in the lake water.

Any advice for travelers going to Ghana?

This is probably true for every country, but just approach everything with an open mind, try new things, immerse yourself in the culture as much as possible.

How can readers help the victims of Child Slavery in Ghana?

Check out City of Refuge for more information.

Other organizations doing good work include Youth Generation Against Poverty (YGAP), an organization that inspires volunteers through creative fundraising opportunities. They have created several projects partnered with City of Refuge.

Elizabeth Tulsky

Elizabeth studied social work at NYU and has experience working with trauma, grief, family issues, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and general life transitions. She hopes to use her work to create culturally responsive, affirming and inclusive healing spaces while promoting the use of person-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed, anti-racist and social-justice frameworks.

Child Labor Increases in India During the Pandemic

Child labor in India has always been prevalent, but due to the pandemic the numbers are at an all-time high.

Photo courtesy of Vignesh S.

India has always had a large number of child laborers. In 2019, 152 million children were working. In the last two years, there has been an increase of 8 million children to the workforce. There is a great risk that this new generation will be academically displaced.

Before the pandemic, being in school protected children from child labor. However, with most families out of work or working to get by, the most vulnerable have to pay the cost: children. Children are often working 16 hour days in inhumane conditions. There are many contributing factors to this issue, the largest being that a third of the Indian population is living under the poverty line. With families working and narrowly making ends meet, families may feel they have no other choice but to send their children to work. Another factor is the country’s high illiteracy rate of 287 million people. Children who do not get a basic education will become illiterate adults, making them a target for underpaying jobs that creates an intergenerational cycle of poverty within the family. 

The states where child laborers are most prevalent are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, where over half of the country’s children work. Uttar Pradesh in northern India is the state with the highest number of child laborers,  20 percent of children work in the silk industry and child laborers work in textile factories making garments for big companies. Gap was once in the headlines when someone discovered children working in the shops. Many of the child laborers were there due to their families selling them. Taking swift action, Gap responded and said, “the factory was being run by a subcontractor who was hired in violation of Gap’s policies, and none of the products made there will be sold in its stores.” Additionally, the spokesman for Gap Bill Chandler told The Associated Press, “Under no circumstances is it acceptable for children to produce or work on garments.” Since then Gap decided to stand up against child laborers and stated on their website that they would be “removing young workers from the facility.”

Children will work all kinds of jobs from carpet manufacturing, farming, brick making and gem extracting/polishing to selling cigarettes on the streets for the tobacco industry. Indian law prohibits children under the age of 14 to work and teens from age 14-18 to do any work that is considered hazardous. Nonetheless, most go unnoticed due to lack of enforcement of the law. Companies that turn a blind eye to this issue will oftentimes not recognize the child’s labor. Children will be forced to work long hours with no compensation or very little compensation. It has been reported that a child can make as little as 52 cents a day, if they are paid at all. They are frequently abused physically, verbally or sexually. Sexual exploitation in India is widespread, with 1.2 million children involved in prostitution. 

The mental and physical effects of this arduous and traumatic experience have consequences. Exposed children may experience mental health issues, causing a disruption in their emotional development. Many psychiatric disorders can stem from child labor, for example, depression, mood disorder, attachment issues, psychogenic seizures, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. The physical effects include but are not limited to exposure to toxic substances, working in extreme temperatures, malnutrition, sleep deprivation and death. The mental and physical toll it takes on the child will be long term if it is not dealt with. 

According to one estimate, more than 20 percent of India’s economy is dependent on children. This is a large financial burden on the hands of young people who should be exploring and playing, nurtured in their formative years, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The government’s accountability is key to move forward and to bring change to an already impacted generation. The laws that protect children need to be enforced and further tightened. 

The extreme poverty that has affected India is another root cause of child labor. According to Humanium, a organization that defends children’s rights, this is the primary reason children are falling victim to child labor. Their need to grow up before their time and help feed their impoverished family is only a momentary fix. This will impact their future and the future generations that will come after them. 

To Get Involved:

Global March is an organization that seeks to eliminate child labor. Their mission is to ensure free access to education. To learn more about Global March click here. 

To support the children of India through Global March click here.

Jenn Sung 

www.jennwanders.com

Jenn is a Communications Studies graduate based in Los Angeles. She grew up traveling with her dad and that is where her love for travel stems from. You can find her serving the community at her church, Fearless LA or planning her next trip overseas. She hopes to be involved in international humanitarian work one day.

International Human Rights Court Rules in Favor of Trans Rights

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that the government of Honduras was responsible for the 2009 murder of a transgender woman. Today, Honduras is one of the largest contributors to anti-trans violence in Latin America. 

Transgender pride flags. Ted Eytan. CC BY-SA 2.0 

On June 26, the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights delivered a landmark ruling in a transgender rights case. The court held that the government of Honduras was responsible for the 2009 murder of trans woman and trans rights activist Vicky Hernández, stating that the government had violated Hernández’s rights to life and fair trial. 

Hernández was 26 years old when she was killed by a single gunshot to the head. No one was ever charged for the crime. 

The Court’s ruling stated that Honduran authorities did not sufficiently investigate Hernández’s death. Her murder was dismissed quickly as a “crime of passion,” and police failed to interview anyone from the scene or examine the bullet casing. It is unclear whether a postmortem examination was performed. 

Lawyers acting on behalf of Cattrachas, the LGBTQ+ rights organization that brought forward the case, argued that this incomplete investigation was a result of Hernández’s gender identity. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights reports that during the investigation, authorities continuously identified Hernández as male and referred to her on documents and records by her birth name, which she did not use. In 2009, shortly before Hernández’s killing, Human Rights Watch published a report which found that police in Honduras routinely failed to investigate reports filed by trans people. The report also detailed the harassment and beatings that trans people had endured at the hands of the police. 

Hernández’s murder occurred on June 28, 2009, the first night of a military coup against then-President Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya was taken into custody, and the military imposed a 48-hour curfew, leaving the streets closed to everyone but military and police forces. Hernández was a sex worker, and was still on the street after curfew arrived, along with two other trans women. The three women saw a police car approaching and scattered, fearing violence. The next morning, Hernández’s body was found in the street. 

Due to the circumstances surrounding her death, lawyers for Hernández’s case posited that she was the victim of an extrajudicial killing, meaning that state agents were responsible for her death. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights points to the execution-style way in which Hernández was shot and the fact that the streets were closed to everyone but police and military forces, as well as the lack of effort put into the criminal investigation. 

In its ruling, the Court found evidence that state agents had participated in Hernández’s death. 

Hernández’s murder was the first in a wave of anti-trans violence that followed the 2009 coup. Cattrachas documented 20 deaths of LGBTQ+ people in the 15 years before the coup, and 31 deaths in the eight months directly afterward. 15 of these 31 people were trans women, like Hernández.

Today, Latin America is still a deadly area for LGBTQ+ people. Research released in 2019 showed that four LGBTQ+ people are murdered every day in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Honduras, Columbia and Mexico accounting for nearly 90 percent of these deaths. In 2020, Human Rights Watch published a follow-up to their 2009 report, which found that LGBTQ+ Hondurans still face rampant discrimination and violence from police and other authorities, as well as from non-state actors. 

Twelve years after Hernández’s murder, Honduras is finally being held accountable for its anti-LGBTQ+ violence and being made to implement reforms. Activists hope that the ruling will encourage other Latin American countries to address their own issues with violence against the LGBTQ+ community. 

The Court’s ruling included orders for the Honduran government to pay reparations to Hernández’s family, restart its investigation into her murder and publicly acknowledge its own role in the event, train security forces on cases involving LGBTQ+ violence, and keep a better record of cases motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. The Court also ordered the Honduran government to allow people to change their gender identity in documents and public records, which is a major step forward. The next step is ensuring that Honduras’ new LGBTQ+ legislation is actually enforced. 

Rachel Lynch

Rachel is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.

Future of Afghan Women in Limbo after U.S. Troops Leave

After U.S. troops recently left the largest American base in Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base, the future of Afghanistan remains unknown. In particular, the lives of Afghan women are now at stake due to the gender inequality that still exists in the country.

Midwifery students in Afghanistan. United Nations Photo. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Due to the Taliban’s strict rules restricting women’s rights, gender inequality remains a threatening reality in Afghanistan. Countries retreating from Afghanistan—the U.S. included—are leaving behind a dark future for Afghan women and girls, who face serious crises of health, education and violence. The U.S. left Bagram Air Base, its largest base in Afghanistan, on July 1.

Afghanistan has a history of violence within the country after foreign forces have retreated their troops. For example, when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1988, the U.S. looked away, and Afghanistan erupted in a factional war that killed thousands. During this conflict, Afghan women were raped by fighting forces.

Photos of Afghan women cowering under the whips of Taliban members haunt history, and they were the cause of feminist sympathies that emerged across the U.S. Those activists hoped that American involvement in the area would bring relief to a tortured country.

Since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, Afghan women have not wasted one minute in fighting for their rights.  Today, many women serve in important governmental roles, like as parliament members and ambassadors. Many women are also musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, or inventors. In fact, during the pandemic, the Afghan girls robotics team created low-cost ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients.

Women on the job in Afghanistan. United Nations Photo. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In more good news, infant mortality has decreased and life expectancy has increased. Foreign involvement has had a big hand in accomplishing this. However, now that international troops are withdrawing, aid has been shrinking and pledges to help Afghanistan are less frequent.

Along with the U.S., several other embassies have also withdrawn their troops from Afghanistan, including Australia.

In an interview with Human Rights Watch, Afghan women said that they now face obstacles in accessing care due to costs, insecurity, and scarcity of providers. Furthermore, as countries withdraw from Afghanistan, the unknown future of the country could mean further violence that would produce even more problems for women and families.

GET INVOLVED

To help the fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan, consider working, interning, or volunteering with Women for Afghan Women WAW. WAW was founded to advocate for women then living under the brutal rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now, it is the largest organization for Afghan women and girls globally and the largest women’s organization in Afghanistan. Afghan Women’s Educational Center also focuses on Afghan women’s rights—they are a non-profit women-led national organization that reduces vulnerability among marginalized communities with a special focus on women and children. They offer various jobs and projects to get involved with.

Isabelle Durso

Isabelle is an undergraduate student at Boston University currently on campus in Boston. She is double majoring in Journalism and Film & Television, and she is interested in being a travel writer and writing human-interest stories around the world. Isabelle loves to explore and experience new cultures, and she hopes to share other people's stories through her writing. In the future, she intends to keep writing journalistic articles as well as creative screenplays.

Police Brutality Increases Amidst Protests In Columbia

Colombia’s police brutality, economic inequality, unemployment and poor public services have been brought into the spotlight after the April 28 protests against a proposed nationwide tax increase. 

 Protesters holding a sign that says “if they keep killing us, we’ll keep marching.” Ox.ap. CC BY 2.0

 The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a severe social and economic toll on Colombia; with more than 101,000 deaths and 5 million jobs temporarily affected, Colombia recorded it’s largest recession on record. With many Colombians struggling to find work, the concept of the proposed tax change by the government was immediately protested, later withdrawn by the government after a few days of protest.

 The proposed tax increase would have affected anyone making more than $656 a month, and President Iván Duque initially insisted that the tax was needed to fix the country’s economy. After the protests caused deaths, however, he asked the Congress to withdraw the proposed law and created a new law to avoid financial uncertainty. The protests ignited civil unrest that lasted after the withdrawal of the tax increase. On June 15, organizers said that they are temporarily suspending the weekly Wednesday protests.

The earlier protests highlighted the  excess of police brutality in Colombia. More than 1,100 protesters and bystanders have been injured since April 28, and the total number is most likely higher as many cases have not been reported to authorities. Human Rights Watch confirmed 34 deaths, including 2 police officers and 31 demonstrators or bystanders, 20 of whom appeared to be murdered by the police.

The Independent Forensic Expert Group of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, an international group of forensic experts, explained that live ammunition was used on individuals, causing deaths. Also, IRCTV concluded that tear gas and kinetic impact projectiles are being misused, causing death and severe injury including blunt trauma to eyes.

More specifically, at least 16 protesters or bystanders died from live ammunition of police firearms, at least one other victim died from beatings and three others from inappropriate or excessive use of teargas or flash bangs. Additionally, there were 9 cases of severe eye injuries from either teargas cartridges, stun grenades, or kinetic impact projectiles fired from riot guns. Human Rights Watch, also stated, “Victims included journalists and human rights defenders who were covering the protest, including some who wore vests identifying them as such.”

Furthermore, on May 14, the Ombudsperson’s Office reported 2 cases of rape, 14 cases of sexual assault and 71 other cases of gender-based violence by police officers.. Two cases of sexual violence by police officers against protesters were documented by Human Rights Watch. 

In November 2016, the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia reached a peace accord after a 52-year armed conflict, demobilizing the country’s then-largest armed group. Protection of human rights defenders through specific initiatives was a part of the agreement. As seen with these recent protests, however, the agreement has not been held to the highest accountability. Conflict-related violence has displaced more than 8.2 million Colombians since 1985. 

On June 6, President Iván Duque stated that the government would take steps to “transform” the police. The protests continued from the end April untill mid-June; National strike committee spokesman Francicso Maltes said to Al Jazeera that the umbrella of workers unions, student organizations and others decided to “temporarily” pause the Wednesday protests. However, Maltes also stated, “Protest in Colombia will continue because the reasons behind it are still there.”

Unions and business associations will draft bills to share with Congress when it begins a new session on July 20—a protest is expected on that day, stated  Maltes. “We hope that Congress, and lawmakers, do not fail Colombians like President Ivan Duque has,” said Maltes.

Kyla Denisevich

Kyla is an upcoming senior at Boston University, and is majoring in Journalism with a minor in Anthropology. She writes articles for the Daily Free Press at BU and a local paper in Malden, Massachusetts called Urban Media Arts. Pursuing journalism is her passion, and she aims to highlight stories from people of all walks of life to encourage productive, educated conversation. In the future, Kyla hopes to create well researched multimedia stories which emphasize under-recognized narratives.

Hong Kong’s Domestic Workers Demand to Be Treated Like Employees, Not Slaves

As COVID-19 exacerbates the discrimination and abuse that domestic workers in Hong Kong face on a daily basis, activists vigorously fight for their rights 

Domestic workers take to the streets. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih knocked on her neighbor’s door at 2 a.m. She needed food. She was a domestic worker, or “helper,” in Hong Kong for Law Wan-tung, who rarely fed her. By Hong Kong law, helpers are required to live with their employers, so such abuse is not unheard of. Nor was forced starvation the full extent of this abuse. Law once shoved a metal vacuum cleaner tube into Sulistyaningsih’s mouth, causing her lip to bleed. Law even forced her to stand naked in the shower in the middle of the winter while she splashed water on her. That night at 2 a.m., her neighbors saw the result of months worth of abuse. 

Long a marginalized group, helpers fuel the economic engine of Hong Kong, completing domestic work so their employers can dedicate time to their careers, often in the lucrative financial sector. They shop, do laundry, help children with homework, cook meals, clean living spaces and do anything else their employers wish. While helpers are employed by both the middle and upper class and have a widespread presence in Hong Kong, they rarely have a voice in public policy debates. Because most helpers are migrants and ethnic minorities, they often endure discrimination and abuse because of their race and social class. 

A woman protesting helper abuse. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Helpers suffer in an economic system that leaves almost no space to be human. Minimum wage for helpers is $596 a month. Having employers provide food and housing is intended to compensate for this low pay, but the real consequence of living with their employers is that helpers are effectively on-call all day, every day. Although helpers are required to be given one full day off each week, many are made to work anyway to satisfy their employers. Hong Kong law requires employers to provide helpers with “suitable accommodation” and “reasonable privacy,” but many helpers are forced to sleep on cots behind thin, cloth partitions. Some sleep on the floor. 

A demonstration for helpers’ rights. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

COVID-19 further exacerbated the discimination which they face daily. In late April, the government ordered all 370,000 domestic workers in Hong Kong to take COVID-19 tests or get a vaccine, deeming them “high risk” due to their “mingling” with other migrant workers. However, they rescinded the vaccination requirement after public outcry in May, yet the testing requirement remained. This order prompted accusations of discrimination because it did not apply to migrant workers in white-collar positions or those who employ helpers. In fact, infection rates among helpers are lower than the Hong Kong average. Still, police and passers-by regularly harass people they suspect are helpers for not following COVID-19 guidelines, even if they are. 

In particular, the live-in law has caused concern among activists campaigning for the rights of domestic workers in Hong Kong. In 2020, 17% of helpers reported being physically abused, a 2% increase from 2019. Cases of rape and sexual abuse increased to 6%. An astonishing 98% of helpers say they have worked longer hours during the pandemic. This is only the continuation of a trend. A 2016 study found that one in six helpers experienced forced labor at some point in their careers. 

Demonstrators hold a flag from the Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was only one of thousands to experience abuse as a helper. When she became so injured that she could no longer work, Law attempted to sneak her onto a plane to Indonesia, hiding her bruises with makeup and threatening to hurt her family if they were caught—they were. Law enforcement intercepted Law before she could do any more harm, and a Hong Kong court sentenced her to six years in prison. It was a major victory, not just for Sulistyaningsih but for all 370,000 helpers working in Hong Kong. 

One positive trend for helpers’ rights has been a more focused public spotlight on their situation, led by a dedicated group of activists documenting and addressing helpers’ concerns. Sulistyaningsih made Time Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful People in 2014 for telling the story of her abuse. Her case serves as a reminder of the abuse that continues to befall helpers, and of how far away justice remains. Law Wan-tung got out of prison early in 2018, but for Sulistyaningsih and countless other domestic workers, physical and mental scars still persist. 

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.

LGBTQ+ Intolerance in Ghana Reaches Boiling Point 

Tensions within the West African country have risen following the recent restriction of LGBTQ+ rights, resurfacing the decades long discussion regarding the criminalization of same-sex conduct.   

Pride flag waving in the sky. Tim Bieler. Unsplash. 

The newly established office of nonprofit organization LGBT+ Rights Ghana was raided and searched by police last month, endangering one of the only safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people in the country. This raid came mere days after Ghanaian journalist Ignatius Annor came out as gay on live television, and many have speculated that the raid was in retaliation of that moment. 

Given Ghana’s criminalization of same-sex conduct, it is not a stretch to say that homophobia runs rampant and unchecked, especially when considering the widespread opposition from both government officials and religious figures regarding the construction of the center for LGBT+ Rights Ghana.   

The building has been under scrutiny since it first opened back in January. Only three weeks after opening its doors to the public, the organization had to temporarily close in order to protect its staff and visitors from angry protesters. The director of the organization, Alex Kofi Donkor, explained how the community “expected some homophobic organizations would use the opportunity to exploit the situation and stoke tensions against the community, but the anti-gay hateful reaction has been unprecedented.”   

This unprovoked suppression of basic freedoms indicates that LGBTQ+ intolerance in Ghana has reached a boiling point and is about to bubble over. 

Aerial shot of Accra, Ghana. Virgyl Sowah. Unsplash. 

News of the situation reached a handful of high-profile celebrities such as Idris Elba and Naomi Campbell, who joined 64 other public figures in publishing an open letter of solidarity with the Ghanaian LGBTQ+ community using #GhanaSupportsEquality. While prejudice has only recently garnered public attention due to the letter, blatant and widespread homophobia in Ghana has run rampant for years. 

According to a study conducted by the Human Rights Watch in 2017, hate crimes and assault due to one's sexual identity are regular occurrences in Ghana. Dozens of people have been attacked by mobs and even family members out of mere speculation that they were gay. Furthermore, the study found that for women, much of this aggressive homophobia was happening behind closed doors through the pressures of coerced marriage. 

Consider 24-year-old Khadija, who identifies as lesbian and will soon begin pursuing relationships with men due to the societal pressure for women to marry. Or 21-year-old Aisha, who was exiled by her family and sent to a “deliverance” church camp after she was outed as lesbian. 

Marriage pressures and intolerances are certainly prevalent in other countries as well, even in those often deemed progressive. The big difference is that in many countries, homophobic beliefs are slowly becoming less and less common. In Ghana, it seems as though these sentiments are normalized and held by the majority of people. 

The precedent for discrimination based on sexual orientation was set as early as 2011, when former Western Region minister Paul Evans Aidoo called for the immediate arrest of LGBTQ+ people in the area. The stigma that actions like this produced in Ghana have only been amplified over time when coupled with religious and cultural tensions. 

A rainbow forms above a home in Kumasi, Ghana. Ritchie. Unsplash. 

Many victims of hate crimes or abuse in Ghana reported that because of the codified homophobia in the country, they are unable to report their experiences to local authorities without putting themselves in danger. As a result, LGBTQ+ Ghanaians find themselves stuck in a perpetual cycle of making slight progress just for higher authorities to snatch it away. 

There have been countless opportunities for legalized discrimination to be addressed, and ever since current Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo assumed office in 2017, he has been under immense pressure to announce his official position on homosexuality. Four years later, he has still not done so.

Instead of embracing the shift toward more inclusive policies supported by LGBT+ Rights Ghana, the Ghanaian government appears to be succumbing to public pressures in an attempt to keep peace. What it fails to realize is that sweeping inequalities under the carpet doesn’t make them go away. It actually does quite the opposite. It heightens inequalities until they become absolutely impossible to avoid. Celebrity involvement in dismantling Ghana’s current system has caused quite the public reaction. It may end up being the spark that causes the Ghanaian government to reconsider its policies and begin to offer LGBTQ+ people the respect and protection they deserve. 

Zara Irshad

Zara is a third year Communication student at the University of California, San Diego. Her passion for journalism comes from her love of storytelling and desire to learn about others. In addition to writing at CATALYST, she is an Opinion Writer for the UCSD Guardian, which allows her to incorporate various perspectives into her work.

High Schools in Rome Increase Support for Transgender Students

In the Roman Catholic stronghold of Italy, Rome’s high school students have sped up the city’s journey toward acceptance of transgender individuals. 

Transgender flag. User:torbakhopper. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the high school community of Rome has been making strides toward the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights. Recently, a handful of high schools in the city have decided to allow transgender students the right to go by their chosen name. This is a stark change from the previous method of using a transgender person’s name given at birth, known as their “dead” name. The high schools that have made this change lag behind the city’s universities, with some colleges already having given transgender students the right. 

Although the act itself seems small, it is a substantial gesture within the context of the transgender community. Upon hearing the news, students have expressed great relief; many see this step as a beacon of hope toward full transgender visibility in Italy. The country’s LGBTQ+ community currently deals with hate crimes, some of which have been so violent that victims have required reconstructive surgery. For Italy, the flaw is in the law; there is a law prohibiting crimes based on religion and race, but none exists for acts based on gender or sexual orientation. The largest change benefiting the transgender community occurred in 1982, when the Sex Reassignment Act legalized that procedure. 

School officials in Rome believe that this change will help to protect students by creating a sense of security and peace in their learning environment. The first students to experience the change in rules hope that they will pave the way for an easier education for future transgender individuals, many of whom face large-scale bullying. 

In a study on LGBTQ+ tolerance conducted by the Williams Institute, Italy fell quite far behind some of its European counterparts. Italy sat at 30th place in the ranking while Iceland and the Netherlands snagged the first two slots. The prevalence of the Roman Catholic Church, which does not condone LGBTQ+ behavior, has much to do with the country’s lower score. 

This step has been a significant one for Italy, but much work remains to be done. With a smoother education now in store, these students hope that they are just the group to bring about further change. 

Ella Nguyen

Ella is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.

Abortion Cases in El Salvador Could Loosen Restrictions on Reproductive Rights

The National Palace in San Salvador, El Salvador. David Stanley CC BY 2.0.

Reproductive rights in Latin America have a complicated history. While a handful of countries in the region allow for abortion at the mother’s request, the vast majority of Latin American countries only allow abortions to be performed in very specific cases, with El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras retaining complete prohibitions.

2021 may be a turning point, however. Argentina began the year with a new law legalizing abortion, which makes the country the third in Latin America to do so after Cuba and Uruguay. More recently, new abortion cases being heard in El Salvador could loosen laws in one of the world’s most restrictive countries for reproductive rights, opening the door for further decriminalization and legalization of abortion throughout the region.

El Salvador’s Historical Lack of Reproductive Rights

In 2012, a young Salvadoran woman named Sara had a miscarriage after she slipped and fell while washing laundry. Despite maintaining her innocence, the Salvadoran government sentenced Sara to 30 years in prison for aggravated homicide due to the country’s prohibition on any and all abortions. Lawyers are currently working to appeal her conviction.

A mural in El Salvador which says “Hope Woman” in English. El Decertor. CC BY NC-ND 2.0.

Sara, who is only identified by her first name to protect her privacy, is one of countless women who have been subjected to El Salvador’s restrictive policies on reproductive rights. Another woman, Manuela, had a miscarriage in 2008. After going to the hospital, she was handcuffed to her bed by government authorities, accused of having an abortion and charged with aggravated homicide, which resulted in a 30-year sentence that was cut short when she passed away two years later due to lymphatic cancer.

El Salvador has historically maintained heightened restrictions on abortion access. While the country’s 1956 Penal Code permitted abortions if the woman’s life was at risk and the 1973 Penal Code expanded the exceptions to include circumstances of rape, statutory rape or detected congenital disorders in the fetus, El Salvador banned abortions under any circumstances in 1998 and amended its constitution in 1999 to recognize human life from the moment of conception.

A number of organizations, most notably the United Nations, have condemned El Salvador’s restrictive laws as human rights violations. However, the government has largely ignored these accusations.

Abortion-rights activists both within and outside of El Salvador are hopeful that 2021 could be a turning point for the country. Both Sara and Manuela’s cases are being heard by courts this year—Sara’s in a national court and Manuela’s at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. If either of these cases come back in favor of the women, it could force the country to expand upon reproductive rights after nearly two and a half decades of restrictions.

A Brief Look at Reproductive Rights in Latin America

A view of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. The country legalized abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy in January 2021. Boris G. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

El Salvador’s restrictions on reproductive rights are by no means an outlier in Latin America. As of March 2021, only Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Mexico’s Federal District and the Mexican state of Oaxaca have legalized abortion at the mother’s request. Every other country in Latin America restricts access to abortions in some way.

One of the primary reasons for Latin America having such restrictive standards on abortion is due to the dominance of Roman Catholicism in the region, a religion which heavily stigmatizes the practice. According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of those in Latin America practice Catholicism, with every country in the region aside from Honduras and Uruguay retaining Catholic majorities. Even when new legislation has favored expanded access, stigmas against abortion remain high.

However, this stigmatization may be changing. Argentina rang in the new year with a groundbreaking abortion law guaranteeing women the right to seek out an abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy with no exceptions. This new law makes Argentina, which has the fourth highest population of any country in Latin America, the largest country in the region to have such a comprehensive set of reproductive rights standards.

Should El Salvador expand access to abortion in the near future, the change may serve as a catalyst for expanded rights in other countries such as Chile and Mexico, both of which have seen pro-feminist movements in recent years. For the time being, however, activists continue to fight for expanded abortion access throughout Latin America.

Jacob Sutherland

Jacob 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.

What the Arrest of Paul Rusesabagina Means for Peace in Rwanda

Rwanda’s history of violence still looms over its people’s memory. More than 25 years after the end of the Rwanda genocide, political tensions and growing concerns over civil rights are once again threatening the fabric of peace in the country. 

Rusesabagina lecturing at the University of Michigan in 2014 in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide. University of Michigan’s Ford School. CC BY-ND 2.0

Paul Rusesabagina, the former manager of the Hotel de Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, was arrested in August 2020. During his time as hotel manager, he saved 1,268 lives during the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Touted as a human rights advocate, he is now being charged with murder, arson and terrorism. Rwanda, still reeling from the heinous ethnic violence that spread across the country 26 years ago, once again finds itself on edge.

It has been more than a quarter of a century since up to 800,000 people were killed in the Rwanda genocide. Many of those slaughtered were part of the country’s Tutsi minority, which was ethnically targeted by Hutu extremists. The international community, including the United Nations, failed to take swift enough action to prevent the further spread of violence, which continued from April to July 1994. Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon even publicly expressed shame over the organization's failure to prevent the genocide during a 2014 commemoration ceremony in Rwanda.

In the time since, the country has tried to embark on a reconciliation process to ensure that nothing of such nature will ever occur again. Rusesabagina has since enjoyed international attention for his actions during the genocide. The 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda,” based on the Hotel de Mille Collines, received widespread critical acclaim and catapulted Rusesabagina to global celebrity status. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and President George W. Bush even awarded Rusesabagina the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. 

An estimated 800,000 people were killed in the Rwanda genocide, many of whom were part of the country’s Tutsi minority population. Fanny Schertzer. CC BY-SA 3.0

However, the attention generated by “Hotel Rwanda” and Rusesabagina was not inherently positive, especially for the ruling party of Rwanda. President Paul Kagame, the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, has often been described as a dictator. He has been in power for over 20 years and has been the target of international criticism, including from Rusesabagina. Kagame’s actions toward quelling dissent have become the main focus of scrutiny, especially the jailing of political rivals like Shima Diane Rwigara and Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza. In 2018, an annual European Union human rights report highlighted the presence of civil rights violations in Rwanda, allegations that Kagame wrote off as being “ridiculous.” 

Rusesabagina himself is an ardent critic of Kagame. In 2007, he claimed that Kagame was responsible for the assassination of former President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was shot down in 1994. Habyarimana's death created more anti-Tutsi sentiment in Rwanda, galvanizing Hutu extremists to take to the streets and plunging the country into violence. Rusesabagina claimed that Kagame’s possible role in Habyarimana’s assassiniation made him responsible for the hundreds of thousands killed during the genocide. 

Now, Rusesabagina is the latest critic to be targeted by the Kagame regime. Rusesabagina, who now lives in San Antonio, was traveling to Burundi to speak to a congregation regarding his experience during the Rwanda genocide. Little did he know that this was a lie, and he was falling into a trap set by Kagame that would lead to his arrest. Rusesabagina had a layover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before boarding a flight that he thought was heading to Burundi. In Dubai he met Constantin Niyomwungere, the pastor of the congregation Rusesabagina was supposed to speak to. Together, they took a chartered jet intended for Bujumbura in Burundi. However, when the plane landed, Rusesabagina did not find himself in Bujumbura. Instead, he was in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, where he was immediately arrested by law enforcement officials. 

Rusesabagina’s arrest is much more than a simple plot by an authoritarian to eliminate critics; it is a reminder of how fragile the peace and reconciliation process can be. Since the Rwanda genocide, the country has made immense progress in improving living standards. In 2019, life expectancy in Rwanda was 69 years, compared to just 31 years in 1995. Women make up 61% of the country’s legislature, the highest proportion of women holding public office in the world. Literacy rates went from just under 60% in the early 1990s to 73% in 2018. Yet, as Rusesabagina’s arrest shows, Rwanda is still has a lot to overcome to fulfill its vision of a post-genocide future. 

Rusesabagina benefited from global visibility that not only catapulted him to fame, but brought attention to Rwanda and the 1994 genocide. His arrest is known because he is known. However, the Kagame administration has a pattern of arresting critics and accusing them of conspiracy against the state. Rusesabagina is just one of many in an increasing number of human rights violations that threaten the landscape of Rwandan peace.

The Rwanda genocide provides a stark reminder of how far the world is yet to come in genocide prevention and reconciliation. There have been U.N. investigations and tribunals, Hollywood glamour and award shows since then. Yet, violence does not crawl back to the shadows when the world shines a spotlight on it. Rather, the international community needs to learn from its mistakes and make sure that Paul Rusesabagina’s arrest does not open a new opportunity for another moment of mass violence.

Aerex Narvasa

Aerex is a current student at Occidental College majoring in Diplomacy and World Affairs with a minor in East Asian Studies. He is passionate about sharing people’s stories through writing, and always strives to learn about new places and cultures. Aerex loves finding new music and exploring his hometown of Los Angeles in his free time.

Disaster in the Delta: Workers Accused of Profiting from Oil Spills in Nigeria

A new documentary reports that employees of Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary are encouraging attacks on pipelines to pocket funds intended for environmental cleanup.

A man walks alongside land tainted by an oil spill near Kegbara Dere, Nigeria. Friends of the Earth International. CC BY-SA 2.0

As the largest oil producer in Africa, Nigeria has long struggled to balance the demands of multinational corporations with the needs of its own people. The country provides a clear example of the resource curse, as the government turns a blind eye toward endemic corruption in the oil and gas industries. The Niger Delta, home of Nigeria’s oil reserves, has become a land of lawlessness and environmental catastrophe with no clear end in sight.

For decades, Royal Dutch Shell has been in the crosshairs of both environmental and human rights activists over its role in the Niger Delta. Now, the Anglo-Dutch oil company is facing claims that its employees deliberately sabotaged its own pipelines to profit from environmental cleanup funds.

In a documentary released on Dec. 10, Dutch television program Zembla and environmental group Milieudefensie teamed up to investigate claims of malpractice by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC). This group is a joint venture between the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Shell, which runs all operations.

Research focused on the village of Ikarama, where there have been 30 reported oil spills in the last 13 years alone. The region surrounding the community has become so polluted that agriculture and fishing barely yield any income for locals. Frustration with oil companies has mounted, leading some residents to vandalize pipelines to channel their frustration.

Per the report, Royal Dutch Shell’s employees saw an opening. They began to encourage local youths to sabotage pipelines so they could receive funds necessary for environmental cleanup. Workers for the oil titan received vast sums of money for “eco-friendly” measures, and members of the Ikarama community were hired to restore the land.

The SPDC denies responsibility for the oil leaks, instead blaming local criminals and gangs. The group said in a statement that, “As of now, we are not aware of any staff or contractor having been involved in acts causing oil spills in the Niger Delta.” The SPDC further claimed that it investigates all credible reports of misconduct and addresses situations as needed.

A sign points out Shell’s Oloibiri well, the first drilled in West Africa. Rhys Thom. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In the eyes of Cees van Dam, a professor of international business and human rights at the University of Rotterdam, the accusations are credible. “In the Netherlands,” he notes, “this would certainly be considered a criminal offense. Intentional destruction of property, intentional environmental pollution, these are serious issues that no single company would accept from its employees.”

Moreover, employees of the SPDC and residents of Ikarama attest to the claims addressed in the documentary. Saboteurs insist that they vandalize the pipelines “out of hunger” while a former Shell security guard said that supervisors and employees “split the money from the cleanup.”

Making matters worse, the former security guard said that “the recovery department from Shell sabotages the pipelines. If the cleanup will take seven months, they’ll stop after only three months.” In other words, the land remains in disarray even after remediation measures conclude.

In the documentary, Zembla claims that local employees and villagers were far from the only ones aware of the scheme. The SPDC, the Nigerian police and the Dutch embassy in Abuja also received word of the process from concerned locals. Then Dutch ambassador Robert Petri even visited Ikarama in 2018 and pledged to “take what is happening here … and we will share our experiences and information with both Shell and the government.” No further investigations have occurred.

As such, the process of intentional environmental degradation continues. As the alleged scheme moves into the spotlight, there is an opportunity for corruption in the Niger Delta to be extinguished. The region’s troubled past and present are intrinsically tied to the oil industry, but hope remains that a more transparent future may be just around the corner.

Stephen Kenney

Stephen is a Journalism and Political Science double major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He enjoys sharing his passion for geography with others by writing compelling stories from across the globe. In his free time, Stephen enjoys reading, long-distance running and rooting for the Tar Heels.

The History and Controversy of Slum Tourism 

The visiting of impoverished urban areas has become a major source of tourism in Brazil’s favelas, shantytowns in the Philippines and South Africa and areas of Los Angeles, Detroit and Berlin. There are many arguments for and against the practice, as well as questions as to who it benefits.

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Scotland Becomes First Country to Provide Free Period Products

The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill requires local authorities and schools to make sanitary materials free and available to all.

A woman passes a menstrual product to another. Annika Gordon. Unsplash.

On Nov. 24, Scotland became the first country to provide free and universal access to period products. In a tweet, the Scottish Labour Party confirmed that the bill had passed unanimously. This historic legislation was approved after a four-year grassroots campaign spearheaded by Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, Monica Lennon.   

The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill is groundbreaking for several reasons. Not only does it aim to dispel period misconceptions, but it also functions to support individuals who struggle to care for themselves. A 2018 Scottish government study found that roughly 220,000 girls and women between the ages of 12 and 54 lived in relative poverty. Period products can cost about $10.75 per month. Although that might not seem like much, Lennon wrote in the 2017 proposal, “when you have no or very little income, it can be insurmountable.”

According to the United Nations Population Fund, menstruation is also an issue of human rights. Despite its natural occurrence, periods are often stigmatized. Consequently, limited conversations on menstrual health might make it difficult for those in need to seek adequate help. For instance, a December 2017 study condemned the menstrual hygiene plight of homeless women as a “public health disgrace.” Researchers reported that homeless women tend to reuse products despite cleanliness concerns such as toxic shock syndrome. An interviewee shared that her shelter provided only two pads, while the average woman uses approximately 20 pads per cycle.

Consequently, the passage of the Period Products Bill is a stepping-stone toward recognizing the worth of women as well as the unique challenges they face.  

What about other countries?

Like Scotland, China’s women are taking a stand. Jiang Jinjing, a women’s rights advocate, gained prominence after the COVID-19 outbreak hindered the distribution of supplies. She started the campaign Stand by Her in an effort to alleviate period poverty while also destigmatizing menstruation.  Her work has inspired both men and women to set up centers that provide free period products. In at least 338 schools and colleges across the country, boxes and bags of individually wrapped period products have already sprung up in bathrooms. While their network is still growing, Jiang believes that they have planted seeds of change. She also noted that their efforts have helped to normalize words like “pads” and “periods,” which, she notes, is a “huge milestone.”

New Zealand is another country that provides free sanitary products—but only to students enrolled in schools. Miranda Hitchings, a co-founder of Dignity, a nongovernmental organization that gives period products to those in need, lauded the move but emphasized that period poverty encompasses a wider population. While the situation has yet to evolve, New Zealand’s Minister for Women, Julie Anne Genter, recognized that menstruation is a fact of life and that “access to these products is a necessity, not a luxury.”

Moving forward

Ultimately, Scotland’s historic move could prove a necessary spark for many budding efforts around the world. By Jan. 1, 2021, the United Kingdom will no longer tax period products. Countries like Spain and Switzerland are also planning to reduce tampon taxes by about 5%. Until other countries follow suit, making period products free for all remains a key component toward attaining true gender equality. 


Rhiannon Koh

Rhiannon earned her B.A. in Urban Studies & Planning from UC San Diego. Her honors thesis was a speculative fiction piece exploring the aspects of surveillance technology, climate change, and the future of urbanized humanity. She is committed to expanding the stories we tell.