You are here

Day: April 23, 2018

8-year-old Asifa’s heinous rape and murder in India fans the flames of nationalism

Bridge Agents

Screenshot from YouTube Early in January 2018, Asifa, an 8-year-old Muslim child from the nomadic Bakarwal community in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir in northern India, was gang-raped and murdered, as reported by Global Voices. Much of India’s local news coverage relegated the heinous story to its back pages due to its religiously-charged content. Asifa hailed from a Muslim community while her perpetrators come from a predominantly Hindu community backed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with sloganeering and rallies in the Jammu region. After three months and countless struggles faced…

Read More

The US is Stingier With Child Care and Maternity Leave Than the Rest of the World

Bridge Agents

United States (Conversation) – In most American families led by couples, both parents are in the workforce. At the same time, nearly 1 in 4 U.S. children are being raised by single moms. Yet child care is generally unaffordable and paid leave is not available to most U.S. parents. Around the world, however, most employed women automatically get paid maternity leave. And in most wealthy countries, they also have access to affordable child care. These holes in the national safety net are a problem for many reasons, including one I’ve…

Read More