Month: April 2019

United States (Conversation) – In the U.S., over 6 million children had ongoing asthma in 2016. Globally, asthma kills around 1,000 people every day – and its prevalence is rising. This condition has a high economic cost. Each year in the U.S., more than US$80 billion is lost because of asthma. This is mainly due to premature deaths, medical payments and missed work and school days. The burden is higher for families with asthmatic children, who, on average, spend $1,700 more on health care than families with healthy children. One…

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United States (TexasTribune) – It took Ciudad Juárez resident Norma Martinez about 90 minutes just to get halfway through the pedestrian line at the Paso Del Norte bridge Saturday afternoon on her way to shop for clothes, umbrellas and other goods she resells at her store across the Rio Grande. She said her young son’s feet began to hurt, so the people in front of her allowed her to skip ahead. Otherwise, she said, they probably would have waited more than two hours to get through U.S. Customs. Normally, Martinez…

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Australia (Conversation) – The High Court of Australia handed down a judgment on April 10 that upheld Tasmanian and Victorian laws that created “safe access zones” around abortion clinics. The court ruled the laws are constitutionally valid. Safe access zones prevent anti-abortionists from targeting patients, staff and others within a specific radius of abortion clinics. They protect the privacy, safety and dignity of women accessing health care. Safe access zones now operate in all Australian jurisdictions, except South Australia and Western Australia. The current case stemmed from two appeals to…

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Sudan (GV) – “No to corrupt dictatorship,” a drawing by Tibyan Albasha. Used with permission. Since December 2018, protests in Sudan that sparked over the tripled price of bread have turned into nationwide protests against the nearly three-decade rule regime of Omar Al Bashir. Finally, on Thursday April 11, 2019, Bashir was forced to step down. AL-BASHIR IS OUT !! WE DID IT !!! #Sudan — Alaa Salah (@iAlaaSalah) April 11, 2019 Bashir’s government has used repressive tactics and measures to quell the protests. More than 40 protesters have been…

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United States (Conversation) – Just a week ago, President Donald Trump appeared poised to take the drastic step of closing the U.S.-Mexico border to both trade and travel. He said he wanted to stop the flood of Central American migrants entering the United States but also punish Mexico for failing to do so. But on April 4, the president backpedaled and instead gave Mexico a year to stop the flow of drugs across the border. If that didn’t happen, he threatened, auto tariffs would be imposed – and the president…

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United States (HRW) – Globally, over 130 million girls between 6 and 17 years old are not in school. For adolescent girls especially, many factors feed into their ability to stay in school – do they have enough money to pay tuition fees? Do their parents value their education? Are there safe bathrooms, essential for when girls are on their periods? Will teachers sexually harass them? For too many, the onset of puberty signals the beginning of a very vulnerable period in their lives. For decades, the United States has been a leading donor to…

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World WIde (Conversation) – Just two months after allegations of sexual abuse against Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein came to light in a 2017 New York Times article, women in at least 85 countries began using the hashtag #MeToo, to speak against sexual harassment. In China, sexual misconduct accusations led to the firing of a professor at a top university and the resignation of a high-profile Buddhist monk. In Egypt, it was a highly regarded leader of the Arab Spring who was forced to resign. And in India, sexual misconduct accusations…

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Connecticut, United States (Conversation) – Prisons are full of people who were once victims of violence and abuse. As many as 75 percent of people who are in prison have experienced violence or childhood neglect, according to data from the Department of Justice. Prisoners report past abuse at rates up to twice that of the general population. Youth who get caught up in the criminal justice system have experienced chronic trauma at rates triple those of youth in the general population. A study of people who spent time in prison,…

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World Wide (Conversation) – A number of years ago, I found myself at a public sex beach in southern France for research purposes. Unsurprisingly, I experienced some ethical dilemmas. Because I was researching the ethics of sexuality, my research involved potentially having sex with men and women at the beach. The question of whether I “should” or “could” do so was complicated by a number of factors. I am a woman. I am queer. I am an academic. At the time, I was also in an (increasingly) difficult relationship with…

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Canada (Conversation) – The horror of the New Zealand terror attack that targeted two mosques during Friday congregational prayers and left 50 people dead has raised important questions about the kind of ideas that inspire this senseless violence. In Canada, the 2017 Québec mosque shooting that left six Muslim men dead also forced the question: what drives the hate that leads to white nationalist terror? Recently I attended a “free speech” conference on the outskirts of Toronto. In attendance at the event were lawyers from prominent legal firms and other…

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