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Title: Working for Labor laws to Protect Domestic Workers in the Gulf
Author: Audrey Everist

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Last month, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippines issued a total ban on deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Kuwait. The move follows the discovery by Kuwaiti officials of a Filipina domestic worker's slain body in her employer's freezer. Less than a month earlier, DOLE barred Filipino citizens from seeking employment in Kuwait in response to the deaths, allegedly from abuse, of seven other Filipina domestic workers. While intended to protect workers susceptible to exploitation, moratoriums such as the one implemented by the Philippines put migrants in an even more vulnerable position than they were before, as people resort to illegal methods to get jobs in more prosperous countries. Moreover, they disproportionately affect women, who constitute the majority of the domestic workforce worldwide and an increasing proportion of the total labor force sent to the Persian Gulf from countries in South and Southeast Asia and East Africa.

In Gulf states, domestic work is the largest sector of employment for female migrants, driven by a higher standard of living since the 1970s oil boom and increasing female workforce participation among nationals. Even so, female domestic workers are perhaps the least protected workers, facing legal, institutional, and societal barriers to basic securities. While many female domestic workers come to the Gulf and develop professional or familial attachments with their employers-enabling them to send home millions of dollars in remittances-many others experience physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their employers. The system, in which foreign workers must be sponsored by an employer, renders domestic workers unable to escape abusive situations until their contract expires, at risk of being reported to authorities and subsequently fined, jailed or deported.

GCC countries have made notable progress in granting migrant workers more rights and protections: however, domestic workers are generally not included under standard labor laws in the Gulf, the justification being that they work in private homes and should be treated differently than laborers in the public sphere. Even when legislation is drafted specifically for domestic workers it does not offer the same protections granted to laborers in other industries. In Saudi Arabia domestic workers may be required to work for fifteen hours daily, compared to the eight stipulated for laborers in other sectors. Omani labor law explicitly excludes domestic workers from being protected by any of its terms and conditions.

Because remittances often account for so much of the national GDP, many South and Southeast Asian countries are hesitant to impose measures that could discourage the employment of their citizens in favor of other nationalities. Although several countries of origin have attempted to introduce bilateral agreements to protect their citizens employed abroad, such agreements are futile unless enforced by the host country.

Other sending countries attempt to protect their citizens via moratoriums like the one recently imposed by the Philippines. However, reports show that moratoriums do little to stop migration. For example, almost 3,000 Indonesian domestic workers left Indonesia for the Gulf in the year following the nation's moratorium on issuing domestic worker visas to the Middle East. Furthermore, outright bans on deployment inadvertently lead to higher rates of extortion of migrant workers by unlicensed recruiters. They reinforce workers' vulnerability by discouraging them from seeking institutional support and heightening informational asymmetry, as workers do not receive important information about their rights and available resources. Meanwhile, bans worsen the economic situation in the sending country, as remittances dwindle and economic pressures and "push factors" remain the same. Bans are only effective if enforced by the host country, which rarely happens, and they can instead result in host countries pivoting to recruit domestic workers from nations offering fewer protections to their citizens working abroad. The latter situation helps to explain the heightened recruitment of East African domestic workers in recent years, many of whose governments lack substantial diplomatic infrastructure in the Gulf.

On the reverse side, Gulf countries have avoided improving domestic workers' conditions, as doing so would raise the price of labor for their citizens. Additionally, there is no shortage of labor to enable the competition that would ordinarily drive up wages, given the economic state of many nations in Africa and South Asia. Although most Gulf states have acknowledged domestic worker abuse on some level, the credibility of their efforts to curtail it has suffered from a lack of genuine will to enforce the few protective laws on the books. While the new domestic labor laws in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar provide avenues for hope, many experts remain skeptical. Enforcement of these laws is notoriously difficult, as most domestic work happens behind closed doors, and a crackdown would undoubtedly be unpopular with the many GCC citizens who employ domestic workers.

Curbing the risk of exploitation of domestic workers in the Gulf would take the combined effort of sending and receiving countries. Any new policy would have to be comprehensive and well-publicized, to ensure that workers and potential workers in both urban and remote areas were made aware of the changes. A serious overhaul would necessitate the abolishment of the kafala system, but given Gulf countries' notorious reluctance to take this step, other measures could be introduced to protect domestic workers in the meantime with an emphasis on balancing the present information asymmetry. Currently, many workers are forced to sign contracts in languages they are unable to understand; requiring contracts to be provided in the worker's native tongue would alleviate this issue. Another potential solution would be providing language training-in English and/or Arabic-to workers prior to departure, which has the benefit of enabling communication between employers and employees, therein alleviating misunderstandings that could lead to frustration or abuse.

Along a similar vein, an International Labor Organization (ILO) study in Nepal suggests that pre-departure skills training would prove beneficial, as workers with more skills are valued more and paid higher wages. A mandatory orientation for both parties upon or before the workers' arrival would ensure that both employees and employers were aware of their rights and obligations per the labor contract. Given the sheer volume of domestic workers in the Gulf, it is imperative that there is an accessible, affordable means of filing a complaint in the case of abuse or breach of contract, and that offending employers receive serious repercussions. The lack of enforcement of the latter is a primary reason that technically illegal practices such as passport confiscation continue with such regularity.

Reforming migrant labor laws, including those of domestic workers, would increase Gulf states' credibility among the international community as countries committed to human rights and sustainable development. Although paying higher wages and ensuring decent living standards for domestic workers might be an expense in the short run, it would ultimately be economically beneficial to Gulf employers and governments, as workers who receive higher wages would spend more in the host country, thereby recycling more of their wages back into the local economy. Furthermore, facilitating legal migration through a public-private agency could redirect the "transaction cost" paid to unlicensed agents to government coffers, and increase visa revenues by bringing the majority of work-related migration above the table.

The current system of domestic employment in the Gulf exploits sending countries' inability to act decisively and exploits women, who are faced with oppressive patriarchal environments and asymmetrical power dynamics that are compounded by a near complete lack of legal rights or representation. Although Gulf nations have been historically hesitant to breach the status quo on matters concerning their citizens' private lives, the incentives to structurally reform the domestic labor system are there and require looking beyond the initial pushback from employers. As nations in the Gulf enact long-awaited reforms to grant women more freedoms, it is imperative that the fundamental rights of the millions of foreign women employed as domestic workers in the region are not overlooked. Structural changes in the domestic employment system would not only lead to more stable and robust societies in the region, but would demonstrate Gulf countries' commitment to sustainable development.
Audrey Everist is an Intern in the International Peace Institute's Bahrain office and a student at Sciences Po Paris Campus de Menton.

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Working for Labor Laws to Protect Domestic Workers in the Gulf

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Last month, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippines issued a total ban on deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Kuwait. The move follows the discovery by Kuwaiti officials of a Filipina domestic worker's slain body in her employer's freezer.

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gale & benton - current event warm up 5/

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gale & benton - current event warm up 5/

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title -  "THIS IS AMERICA"
author - Lisa Respers France

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Title: Bangladesh's Monsoon Season Threatens Rohingya Refugees
Author: Meenakshi Ganguly

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When I last visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh at the end of last year, a new sort of everyday life was taking shape. No longer were countless desperate people milling about by the road, on paddy fields, and in public buildings. Instead, I watched refugees line up for plastic, tarpaulin, and bamboo to help construct rows upon rows of shelters.

But these rickety structures won't be able to withstand the storms and heavy rains of the imminent monsoon season. And as dry earth turns to sludge in the coming weeks and months, there will be danger of both mudslides and disease.

A short but severe storm on Monday portends future disaster. Anxious activists began to call us in the afternoon. One sent a video recorded by 18-year-old Shafiq on his cell phone. The storm ripped into about 900 dwellings, some of which essentially fell apart and blew away.

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Myanmar posted a video on Twitter from Maungdaw town, just across the border from the camps, expressing his concerns: "A reminder about the potential impact of the upcoming monsoon." The United Nations refugee agency said it was accelerating its delivery of sturdier shelter kits, but the challenge is daunting.

Various UN agencies and humanitarian organizations on the ground in Bangladesh are seeking to address the situation. Their concerted efforts will hopefully get the refugees through this monsoon, but the difficulties they face, including the desire of many to return home to Myanmar when it's safe to do so, will remain.

Resolving that issue will require concerted international pressure, including by the UN Security Council, so that Myanmar puts in place the necessary economic, political, and security measures so that the approximately one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and those that remain in Myanmar will be able to one day soon resume their lives in safety and dignity.

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Bangladesh's Monsoon Season Threatens Rohingya Refugees

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When I last visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh at the end of last year, a new sort of everyday life was taking shape. No longer were countless desperate people milling about by the road, on paddy fields, and in public buildings.

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Title:  Zimbabwe: Tobacco Work Harming Children
Author: Humans Rights Watch

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Title: India demands stronger sexual assault laws
Author: Aljazeera

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Title: https://www.hrw.org/topic/childrens-rights/child-soldiers
Author: Marcus Bleasdale

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Title: Child Soldiers
Author:  Marcus Bleasdale

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Title: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/05/us-should-create-laws-protect-social-media-users-data

Author: Sarah St.Vincent

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Title: Indonesian President to ban Child Marriage.
Author: Andres Harsono

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Title: https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/17/afghanistan-taliban-child-soldier-recruitment-surges

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Title: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/north-korea
Author: Human Rights Watch

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Title: https://www.biography.com/people/edward-snowden-21262897

Author: Biography.com

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https://rollingout.com/2018/05/02/ruben-vazquez-fights-social-injustice-and-racial-inequality-in-minneapolis/
Author: Cassidy Sparks

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Edward Snowden

Author: N/A

# data[].attributes.body
Title: https://www.hrw.org/topic/childrens-rights/education
Author: Marcus Bleasdale

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/02/myanmar-quash-conviction-former-child-soldier

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Title: Zimbabwe: Tobacco Work Harming Children

Author: Human Rights Watch

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(Harare) - Children and adults who work on Zimbabwe's tobacco farms are facing serious risks to their health as well as labor abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Child labor and other human rights abuses on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe tarnish the tobacco industry's contributions to the country's economic growth and improved livelihoods.

The 105-page report, " A Bitter Harvest: Child Labor and Human Rights Abuses on Tobacco Farms in Zimbabwe," documents how children work in hazardous conditions, performing tasks that threaten their health and safety or interfere with their education. Child workers are exposed to nicotine and toxic pesticides, and many suffer symptoms consistent with nicotine poisoning from handling tobacco leaves. Adults working on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe also face serious health risks and labor abuses.

"Zimbabwe's government needs to take urgent steps to protect tobacco workers," said Margaret Wurth, children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and co-author of the report. "Companies sourcing tobacco from Zimbabwe should ensure that they are not buying a crop produced by child workers sacrificing their health and education."

Human Rights Watch conducted research in the four provinces responsible for nearly all of Zimbabwe's tobacco production. The report is based on interviews with 125 small-scale tobacco farmers and hired workers, including children or former child workers, in late 2016 and early 2017. Human Rights Watch also analyzed laws and policies and reviewed other sources, including public health studies and government reports.

Human Rights Watch found that the government and companies have generally not provided workers with enough information, training, and equipment to protect themselves from nicotine poisoning and pesticide exposure. Human Rights Watch found similar conditions on tobacco farms in research in other countries, including the United States. But where governments have enacted strong laws against child labor, and provided extensive information about hazards and how to provide protection, such as in Brazil, there has been some progress in keeping children out of the fields and protecting other workers.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who replaced Robert Mugabe in November 2017 following military intervention, stated his administration's economic policy would be based on agriculture. Zimbabwe is the world's sixth-largest tobacco producer. The crop is the country's most valuable export commodity, generating US$933 million in 2016.

Some of the world's largest multinational tobacco companies purchase tobacco grown in Zimbabwe, either directly or at auction, including British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco Group, and Imperial Brands. Under human rights norms, companies buying tobacco from Zimbabwe have a responsibility to ensure that their business operations do not contribute to child labor and other human rights abuses.

Human Rights Watch contacted the companies that collectively bought 86 percent of Zimbabwe's tobacco in 2016. Most of the multinational companies involved have policies prohibiting their suppliers from using child labor and engaging in other human rights abuses, but Human Rights Watch's findings suggest serious gaps in carrying out and monitoring these policies in Zimbabwe. Tobacco companies should explicitly prohibit direct contact by children with tobacco in any form, conduct regular and rigorous human rights monitoring in the supply chain, and report transparently on their findings, Human Rights Watch said.

One of the most serious health risks in tobacco farming is acute nicotine poisoning, or Green Tobacco Sickness, caused by absorbing nicotine through the skin from tobacco plants. The 14 child workers interviewed, and most of the adults, said they had experienced at least one symptom consistent with acute nicotine poisoning - nausea, vomiting, headaches, or dizziness - while handling tobacco.

"Davidzo," a 15-year-old worker said, "The first day I started working in tobacco, that's when I vomited." He said he felt especially sick when he carried the harvested leaves. "I started to feel like I was spinning," he said. "Since I started this [work], I always feel headaches and I feel dizzy." The long-term effects have not been studied, but research on smoking suggests that nicotine exposure during childhood and adolescence may affect brain development.

Zimbabwean law sets 16 as the minimum age for employment and prohibits children under 18 from performing hazardous work, but does not specifically ban children from handling tobacco. The labor ministry told Human Rights Watch that it had not documented any cases of child labor in the tobacco industry.

Almost no one interviewed had ever heard of acute nicotine poisoning or received information about how to protect themselves. "You fall sick, but you don't know what it is," said one 43-year-old farmer. Children and adults interviewed also handled toxic pesticides, often without proper protective equipment. Others were exposed to pesticides while someone else applied them nearby.

Human Rights Watch also found that some workers on large-scale farms worked excessive hours without overtime compensation, or that their wages were withheld for weeks or months, in violation of Zimbabwean labor law and regulations. Some workers said they were paid less than they were owed or promised, without explanation. A cash shortage in recent years has crippled Zimbabwe's economy.

There are no agriculture-specific health and safety protections in Zimbabwean law or regulations, though the government is working with trade unions and other groups to develop occupational safety and health regulations for agriculture.

Zimbabwe has just 120 labor inspectors for the whole country. Farmworker union organizers told Human Rights Watch that they were concerned that the government lacked the resources and personnel for effective labor inspections.

"People we interviewed were shocked when they heard about how dangerous tobacco work is and were anxious to learn how to protect themselves, their children and their workers," Wurth said. "The 'golden leaf' will only live up to its name when the authorities and tobacco companies confront the serious human rights problems on tobacco farms."
Quotes from the report
"I hope that my children will go back to school, and become better people, because they can't do that working in tobacco farming. Tobacco growing is a very difficult field. It makes one grow old before their time."
- "Anne," 36, tobacco worker and mother of three child tobacco workers, Mashonaland Central

"When we're hanging tobacco, we normally feel weak or vomit, and get a headache and dizziness,"
- "Admire," 43, small-scale farmer, Manicaland

"I've had the experience where after hanging tobacco [in the curing barn], I feel like throwing up. But it's not just me. Even my little brother and sister - I've heard them complain about it."
- "Daniel," 23, small-scale farmer, Manicaland

"We take the chemical and put it in the water. We carry the knapsack on our backs and start to spray. I feel like vomiting because the chemical smells very bad."
- "Mercy," 12, tobacco worker, Mashonaland Cental, describing handling pesticides

"Every time they spray, people go home sick."
- "Rufaro," 15, tobacco worker, Mashonaland Central, describing pesticide spraying on farms

"During tobacco season, particularly curing time, I always have chest pains and coughing. We normally share our bedroom with cured tobacco, and the air isn't good. It's not safe. I also feel dizzy and have headaches."
- "Moses," 18, tobacco worker, Mashonaland West

"During grading, you're sneezing and having trouble breathing. It's the smell of the tobacco. Once it hits you it's like you've been burned."
- "Fungai," 16, tobacco worker, Mashonaland Central

"It causes a lot of absenteeism. You see right from the onset of the tobacco growing season these children start being absent.... You find out of 63 days of the term, a child is coming 15 to 24 days only."
- "Joseph," grade 5 teacher, Mashonaland West

"The way I'm growing up is not a good starting point."
- "Prosper," 13, tobacco worker, Mashonaland Central

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Children and adults who work on Zimbabwe's tobacco farms are facing serious risks to their health as well as labor abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Child labor and other human rights abuses on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe tarnish the tobacco industry's contributions to the country's economic growth and improved livelihoods.

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Title: Armenia: Little Protection, Aid for Domestic Violence Survivors

Author: Unknown

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Gun enthusiasts descend on Dallas for NRA meeting, setting the stage for protests.
Author: Rick Jervis

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Title: The Libyan Slave Trade Has Shocked the World. Here’s What You Should Know
Author: Casey Quakenbush

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What You Need to Know About the Libyan Slave Trade

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A video of men appearing to be sold at auction in Libya has focused international attention on the exploitation of migrants the country

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Title: Killer Robots
Author: The Guardian

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Title: Café charges men 18% 'gender tax' to highlight pay gap
Author: Julia Jones

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Title:The debate over gun control in Delaware: Walkouts, rallies, and new laws

Author:Danial Sato, the news Journal

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Title:  Do Stronger Gun Laws Stand a Chance? It’s Been an Uphill Battle.
Author : Kyra Darnton

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Title: Behind the Teacher Strikes That Have Roiled Five States
Author: The Economist

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14, Pregnant from Rape, Dead in Childbirth

My human right issue is child abuse, this is a human right issue because

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Last week, a 14-year-old girl in Paraguay died during childbirth. She became pregnant after she was raped by a 37-year-old man, and she died while doctors performed an emergency cesarean section, trying desperately to save her and her baby, after she'd spent several weeks in the hospital for pregnancy-related complications. "Her body was not ready for a pregnancy," said the hospital director. The baby survived.

Abortion is illegal in almost all circumstances in Paraguay. The only exception is when a pregnancy has life-threatening complications. This narrow exception is not enough to protect the lives, health, and dignity of girls and women in the country.

Abortion is illegal in Paraguay for pregnancies that resulted from rape or incest. It is illegal when the pregnancy poses a serious - but not life-threatening - health risk, and when a fetus has no hope of surviving outside the womb.

We don't know whether the 14-year-old girl who died last week wanted to have an abortion. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is a deeply personal one. She might have chosen to continue the pregnancy even if legal abortion was an option. But at the very least, she, and her family, her faith leader or trusted confidant, and her doctor should have had the chance to discuss - and consider - the risk of continuing the pregnancy and the option to end it.

In 2015, a 10-year-old girl in Paraguay became pregnant after she was raped by her stepfather. Her mother requested permission for the girl to have an abortion, but authorities denied her request. She gave birth at age 11 - an 11-year-old rape survivor forced into motherhood against her wishes. This could have been avoided if the country allowed safe and legal abortion.

International experts have said blocking access to abortion for survivors of rape can amount to torture. Commenting on the situation in Paraguay, the Committee against Torture said the abortion ban means survivors "are constantly reminded of the violation committed against them, which causes serious traumatic stress and carries a risk of long-lasting psychological problems."

Every day in Paraguay four girls suffer sexual violence, and two girls under age 15 give birth, according to data from the Ministry of Health. I don't know whether the 14-year-old girl would have chosen not to continue the pregnancy that was forced on her if she had the option to safely and legally end it. But she was never given that choice.And there are hundreds of girls like her, stripped of information and power over their lives and their bodies. These are the brutal and inevitable consequences of Paraguay's abortion law.

Paraguay should repeal all laws making abortion a crime. But even narrow exceptions would save some lives - permitting doctors, with their patients' informed consent, to end a pregnancy when it is necessary to protect a woman or girl's life or health, when a pregnancy results from rape or incest, or when the fetus will not survive. Paraguayan authorities should act now before any more adolescent girls suffer the consequences of the country's abortion restrictions.

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14, Pregnant from Rape, Dead in Childbirth

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Last week, a 14-year-old girl in Paraguay died during childbirth. She became pregnant after she was raped by a 37-year-old man, and she died while doctors performed an emergency cesarean section, trying desperately to save her and her baby, after she'd spent several weeks in the hospital for pregnancy-related complications.

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Title : Torture
Author : https://www.hrw.org/topic/torture

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http://www.ebar.com/news/news/259378

# data[].attributes.body
Title :  A new law intended to curb sex trafficking threatens the future of the internet as we know it.
Author: Aja Romano

# data[].attributes.body
Title - Explosive Weapons in Civilian Areas
Author - https://reliefweb.int/report/world/frightening-uptick-victims-explosive-weapons

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Title: Reject Ordinance on Death Penalty for Rape

Author: Human Rights Watch

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Russian Court Says Foster Mother Unfit Because of ‘Male Behavior’

Author: Katlin Martin

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Title: China: Job Ads Discriminate Agaisnt Women
Author: Human Rights Watch

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title:  Amazon cares about women's rights in the West, but not in India
Author: Sinjini Mukherjee

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It is too early to estimate how many children will die this season, Dr. Jernigan said, because it still has weeks to run, and because the agency often does not learn of deaths - especially of children who die at home - until weeks after they take place.

Despite the late date, the agency still recommends that Americans get flu shots. Because some doctors and pharmacies have none left, Dr. Jernigan suggested checking vaccinefinder.org to find providers with stocks.

Some areas also have shortages of antivirals like Tamiflu, he said, and the C.D.C. is trying to help the supply chain move medicines to where they are needed most.

More people fell ill during the 2009 "swine flu" pandemic, but that was a new virus. This year's dominant virus, H3N2, has been circulating for 50 years - it emerged as the "Hong Kong flu" in 1968 - but it is usually the most lethal of the seasonal strains.

H3N2 also was responsible for bad seasonal flu years in 1997-1998 and 2003-2004, Dr. Jernigan said.

As is typical, people over 65 are the most likely to be hospitalized. But in an unusual twist, those aged 50 to 64 - rather than infants - are the age cohort right behind the elderly.

"Baby boomers have higher hospitalization rates than their grandchildren right now," Dr. Jernigan said.

Hospitalizations and deaths among people in that age group can hurt the economy more than deaths of the elderly, he noted, since they are in their peak earning years and often in supervisory positions.

They are also less likely to be protected. Recently, about 41 percent of that age group has gotten flu shots, while 57 percent of those over age 65 have; and the elderly usually get shots that are four times as powerful because their immune systems are weaker.

Despite the efforts of public health officials, the number of people getting shots each year has begun falling slightly.

The intense 2009 swine flu pandemic, which sent demand for vaccines soaring, was followed by several mild flu years. Then the "moderately severe" season of 2014-2015 was all but ignored by health reporters because they were focused on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

In this year's outbreak, "flu intensity" - a measure of how many catch the disease - is now widespread, but hospitalization rates have varied widely by region.

California and the West Coast have been hit hard, with four times as many people hospitalized as in 2014-2015, Dr. Jernigan said. Minnesota had twice as many. New York and the Northeast "are beginning to catch up," he added.

Intensity is high by two different measures the C.D.C. uses. For three weeks straight, the health departments of 49 states - all except Hawaii - have reported "widespread" flu activity.

Also, sentinel sites in 39 states, New York City and Puerto Rico are reporting "high" flu levels. (The sites include more than 2,000 emergency rooms, clinics and doctor's offices that report each week what percentage of their patients have flu symptoms.)

According to the C.D.C.'s weekly FluView, 6.6 percent of all patients visiting doctors now have flu symptoms. The 2014-2015 season peaked at 6 percent, while the 2009 "swine flu" season peaked at 7.7 percent.

Three weeks ago, the C.D.C. thought cases had peaked during the week between Christmas and New Years Day. But they have climbed since, and Dr. Jernigan said it appeared to be due to "kids returning to school."

Until recently, the severity indexes had languished behind the measures of intensity.

The agency's national "Pneumonia and Influenza Mortality Surveillance Index" ripples like a sine wave, rising in winter and falling in summer. Until recently, the red line indicating deaths had remained firmly below the "epidemic threshold" even as the red line on a different index tracking doctor's visits was following the pattern set by the 2014-2015 season with eerie exactness.

Then, two weeks ago, the intensity line plodded steadily beyond the 2014-2015 Christmas week peak, but the mortality line initially did not budge. But it is now shooting upward at the high trajectory angle of a North Korean rocket, has passed the peaks of the last two seasons and is on track to match or surpass 2014-2015.

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centers for disease control and prevention

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This Flu Season Is the Worst in Nearly a Decade

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It is too early to estimate how many children will die this season, Dr. Jernigan said, because it still has weeks to run, and because the agency often does not learn of deaths - especially of children who die at home - until weeks after they take place.

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Title : Amber Rudd under new pressure after UN criticises ‘racism’ of British police forces
Author : Unknown

# data[].attributes.body
Title: http://www.complex.com/life/2018/05/jeff-sessions-announces-immigrants-crossing-border-will-be-separated-from-children
Author:  Sarah Jasmine Montgomery

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AS ARKANSAS ERECTS TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENT, THE 🤬 TEMPLE PREPARES TO FILE RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION SUIT

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AS ARKANSAS ERECTS TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENT, THE 🤬 TEMPLE PREPARES TO FILE RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION SUIT

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As Arkansas Erects Ten Commandments Monument, The Satanic Temple Prepares to File Religious Discrimination Suit

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As Arkansas Erects Ten Commandments Monument, The Satanic Temple Prepares to File Religious Discrimination Suit By erecting a privately donated Ten Commandments monument on Capitol Grounds while refusing the placement of a Satanic monument, the state engages in illegal viewpoint discrimination, argues The Satanic Tem

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Title:  Army Chaplain denied military gay couple attendance at a marriage retreat citing religious beliefs
Author: Timothy Rawles

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Anti-LGBT Bills in US States Could Derail Adoptions

Author:
Ryan Thoreson

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Domestic Workers
Author: Unknown

# data[].attributes.body
Title: A new law intended to curb sex trafficking threatens the future of the internet as we know it
Author:  Aja Romano

# data[].attributes.body
Title: LGBTQ Discrimination is Driving Hundreds of Thousands of Kids into Homelessness
Author: Tricia Raikes

# data[].attributes.body
Getting Away with Torture
Author: N/A

# data[].attributes.body
Title: US Immigration Injustice
Author: Grace Meng

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Abortion Is Not a Human Right
Author: Melanie Arter

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Zimbabwe: Tobacco Work Harming Children
Author:  Harare

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Trokosi Slaves
Author: weebly

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Explosive Weapons in Civilian Areas
Author: Mark Hiznay

# data[].attributes.body
Title: 9-Year-Old Child Worker Dies in Bangladeshi Textile Mill

Author: Julfikar Ali Manik and Geeta Anand

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Social injustice racial inequality.
Author: Cassidy Sparks

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Since Ruben Vazquez immigrated to Minnesota 38 years ago from Mexico City, he has made it his life's mission to build a better life for himself and others. He earned his master's in public administration at Hamline University and a certificate in global arbitration law and practice from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and Queen Mary University, London. Currently serving as the vice president of racial justice public policy at the YWCA, Vasquez works to eliminate racial inequality.
Please describe your role as the YWCA's vice president of racial justice and public policy.
As vice president of racial justice and public policy at YWCA Minneapolis, I am responsible for overall leadership and strategy for YWCA Minneapolis race equity and public policy programs in support of their mission, vision and goals, in the areas of: quality program and event delivery, program development, implementation and evaluation and budget development and management. I provide strategic leadership, proactively build community partnerships and manage the seamless integration of YWCA Minneapolis race equity initiatives among partners and members. I represent YWCA Minneapolis on racial justice and public policy related issues both locally and nationally.
What does the lens look like for racial justice in Minneapolis?
Minneapolis is a very racially diverse city. It is not uncommon to walk into a restaurant, a business, or just down the street and see people from all walks of life - African American, African, Asian, Pacific Islander and Latino. On the surface, this seems exciting and a very welcoming place to live, work and play. Then, you start peeling back the onion and see there are significant racial disparities in the distribution of resources and opportunities in these communities. These disparities have always existed along with racial biases and discrimination. Not until recently, though, have we seen these incidents more overtly displayed. Why? Because of the current political climate, specifically the current administration, more specifically No. 45. Through his comments, his insults, and his ignorance, he has given permission for others to explicitly share their hatred for those people [who] do not look like them or believe in what they do.
In what ways have you implemented racial justice and public policy within the YWCA?
Our mission is to eliminate racism and empower women. Through collaborative approaches to public policy advocacy, community engagement, thought leadership and civic engagement, we work on a personal, institutional and systemic level to dismantle barriers.
What programs have been most impactful for YWCA and community as a whole?
It's Time to Talk: Forum on Race TM, held annually, is by far one of our most successful events. With about 1500 participants attending, this event is unique because it creates a space where both individual community members, as well as organizational and business participants, come together for a facilitated conversation on race.

Another part of our work that has been impactful is the Interpersonal Development Inventory (IDI) tool. This tool assesses intercultural competence - the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities. The primary user of this tool is our organizational/business members.
Can you tell us about any success stories?
My work is not only professional. As a person of color, an immigrant - undocumented at one point - and someone who has experienced firsthand what's like to be singled out and discriminated against because of the color of my skin, this work is also very personal. I am angry, disappointed and at times feel beaten, but I have decided to turn these feelings into something positive and to use this as ammunition to fight these systematic barriers. My biggest success story is my two children. Through my professional career, my activism, and my work in the community, they are seeing what it means to be powerful, to be courageous, to be unapologetic, and to be a rebel.
I understand you also represent the YWCA in racial justice issues nationally as well. How similar or different are the roles and responsibilities? Can you describe what you have done nationally?
The role on the national level is not very much different than that of the local level. The systematic barriers exist throughout the country. My voice is on behalf of the branding YWCA Minneapolis to ensure our priorities and policies are on the national level. I use these platforms to engage with other national organizations on the work we do, establish relationships and partnerships, and help identify resources for our work.
How important is diversity? How do you incorporate it into your programs?
Diversity is what makes us different. Inclusion is what makes us stronger. I believe that our diversity across race, ability, gender, age, and economic status can be our greatest strength. But to achieve this, it will take meaningful collaboration across our differences to make this possible. By learning from each other's perspectives and working together, we will take action and create a stronger and more unified community.
Describe the skill sets that will be essential to future business leaders and innovators in your profession.
These young people are unapologetic. They are not afraid to rock the status quo. They demand accountability from their leaders. I am hopeful of our future leaders in this field. From the conversations I have had, from what I have seen, and the people I have gotten to know, I am confident that our progress will continue to move forward. As I saw so many young people march across the country, demanding sensible gun laws, I am encouraged that these people understand the importance of this work. They are unafraid and will organize themselves to create a more just community.
Who do you consider your peers in your field and a few that are notable examples you can get support and best practices?
My peers in this work are too many to name. Yet, there are a few champions that stand out for me - Luz Maria Frias, James Burroughs, John Keller, Emilia Gonzalez, Arianna Genis, Monica Hurtado, and Representative Keith Ellison.

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Ruben Vazquez fights social injustice and racial inequality in Minneapolis

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Ruben Vazquez fights social injustice and racial inequality in Minneapolis. He currently serves as the Vice of Racial Justice and Public Policy at YWCA Minneapolis. He works to develop programming and initiatives that will fulfill their mission. He spoke with Rolling out about his platform to make a difference.

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Title: Abortion Clinic Sends Coupons to Low Income Mothers
Author: Rachel Burgin

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Title: Modern laws for the fight against human trafficking
Author: Ted Cruz

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https://www.thenation.com/article/four-disabled-dead-in-another-week-of-police-brutality/

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Title: https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/us/affirmative-action-fast-facts/index.html
Author: CNN Library

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In the Philippines, about 90 percent of the estimated 94,000 inmates in custody are awaiting or undergoing trial. The allegedly innocent can spend five years in jail without having a proper trial.

-https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/03/08/injustice-and-misery-ph-jails-

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Title: Anti-LGBT Bills in US States Could Derail Adoptions
Author: Ryan Thoreson

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Title: Men Arrested at Philadelphia Starbucks
Author:  Amy Held

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Title: https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/landmines-and-explosive-remnants-war-threaten-children-and-communities-across-myanmar
Author: UN's Children Fund

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https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/17/afghanistan-taliban-child-soldier-recruitment-surges
Title-Afghanistan: Taliban Child Soldier Recruitment Surges

Author- Human rights watch

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Title: Child soldiers
Author: Marcus Bleasdale

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It is my pleasure to post this guest essay by Dr. Hope Ferdowsian. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I thank Lybi Ma for allowing me to share this essay with you.

Earlier this week, SeaWorld finally caved to public criticism and ended its orca (killer whale) breeding program. This will be the last generation of orcas held captive by SeaWorld. The announcement follows international efforts to acknowledge the rights of whales and dolphins.

News from SeaWorld came almost exactly one year after Ringling Brothers first publicly conceded that it would stop using elephants in circuses.

Both advancements show how more and more people believe that (nonhuman) animals fit within a framework of social justice. Growing concern for animals is reflected in the large number of books, magazine articles, and films about the plight of animals. Worldwide enthusiastic responses to documentaries like Blackfish, The Cove, Parrot Confidential, Project Nim, and Cowspiracy illustrate the high level of public interest in animal issues.

These trends are supported by public opinion surveys. Of six causes tracked in a 2014 Humane Research Council survey of 1,000 American adults, animal protection was ranked most favorably in importance, followed by environmental protection and civil liberties. The number of strong supporters for animal protection approximately doubled between 2005 and 2014.

A 2015 Gallup poll even showed that at least one-third of Americans believe "animals deserve the exact same rights as people to be free from harm and exploitation."

Take a minute to think about the gravity of that assertion - and its potential implications. I count myself among the one-third of Americans who agree with the Gallup poll statement about animals.

As an internist, preventive medicine, and public health physician who works in human rights, I have spent the last decade trying to prevent human diseases and disorders before they occur, treating difficult health conditions, evaluating asylum seekers for indications of torture, caring for sexual violence survivors, and trying to dismantle social determinants of health. Before that, I spent four years in college, four years in medical school, one year as an intern working more than one hundred hours per week, and four years completing two residency programs. Today, all of my work as a doctor is driven by my quest for social justice.

You might be surprised that I believe that justice for animals is the social movement of our time. But, more than anything, I believe it. Here's why. Like us, animals are deeply vulnerable beings. In fact, much of our own vulnerability stems from the fact that we are animals.

There is no longer dispute among serious scientists that humans aren't the only animals who have the capacity to suffer physically and mentally. Elephants, great apes, orcas, dogs, cats, and many other animals can experience depression, posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD), anxiety, and compulsive disorders. In a study first published in 2011, my colleagues and I showed how chimpanzees used in the biomedical and entertainment industries suffered from PTSD and other mental disorders - much like the psychiatric conditions I've documented in human torture survivors (please also see " Psychological Disorders in Animals: A Review of What We Know").

Suffering among other animals is no less than ours. It's possible they suffer even more than many of us do, simply because of their inability to understand what is happening to them, make sense of their plight, escape from it, or alter their conditions (for more on this please see " Do "Smarter" Dogs Really Suffer More than "Dumber" Mice?").

Currently, all of our legal, economic, and cultural paradigms render animals even more vulnerable than they already are. Like many of the patients I have cared for, animals have no political power. But they are also considered property. They can be bought and sold - not unlike many of the girls and women around the world whom my colleagues and I advocate on behalf of.

Historically, as early as the nineteenth century, cruelty against vulnerable people - such as children - and animals were treated as a united cause. Members of the public recognized that violence against people and animals shared common origins, requiring similar solutions. Abuses against animals were seen as a slippery slope toward human abuses. Respecting animals was viewed as a critical first step toward justice and progress.

Today, however, the human and animal rights movements now miss an important opportunity by working in different silos. Fortunately, there is a growing modern movement that recognizes the link between violence against people and animals.

Some people worry about what would happen to humans if we were to take the lives of animals more seriously. But, fortunately, recognizing the needs of animals does not minimize who we are as people. On the contrary, future advancements for animals could help enlighten and benefit us, similar to how recognizing the rights of women and girls has also helped men and boys - as we have seen in the fight against sexual violence and in other areas of society.

While further progress needs to be made on behalf of vulnerable human populations, the rights of people and animals are not mutually exclusive. This is not a zero-sum game. On the contrary, there is common ground occupied by those working on behalf of people and animals - both because of the shared potential for suffering and because many solutions to successfully combat domination, violence, and abuse are universal.

At the heart of every human rights resolution is a conviction that we, as humans, should not be unjustly imprisoned or suffer torture and other trespasses. There is no sound reason this conviction shouldn't also apply to animals like the orcas at SeaWorld or the Ringling Brothers elephants. Animals have qualities we find important to the legal rights of humans - like self-awareness, the need for sovereignty, and the capacity for suffering, love, and empathy. We will never fully dismantle the injustices humans suffer without deconstructing the same problems that lead to animal suffering.

Ultimately, we are left with the question of " How we will treat those who are most vulnerable to us - human and otherwise. How will we answer? And what if we don't answer adequately or soon enough?"

As we've seen with SeaWorld, an impassioned public response can make all the difference in the world. The time is now for accepting that justice for animals is the social movement of our time and we all need to do something to make this a reality right now.

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Why Justice for Animals Is the Social Movement of Our Time

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It is my pleasure to post this guest essay by Dr. Hope Ferdowsian. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I thank Lybi Ma for allowing me to share this essay with you. Earlier this week, SeaWorld finally caved to public criticism and ended its orca (killer whale) breeding program.

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https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/23/indonesian-president-jokowi-ban-child-marriage

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Title: Mauritania: Administrative Obstacles Keep Kids from School (https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/29/mauritania-administrative-obstacles-keep-kids-school)
Author: Civil Registration center

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https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world/and-they-call-me-a-criminal-privacy-activist-snowden-takes-a-dig-at-zuckerberg-on-twitter-2547453.html

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Title : When Is Parole a Good Idea, and When Not?
Author : Barry Latzer

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Topic: Child Soldiers
Author:  Marcus Bleasdale

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Title: https://www.cnn.com/2012/10/14/opinion/pakistan-malala-brown-education/index.html
Author: Gorden Brown

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Title: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/05/us-should-create-laws-protect-social-media-users-data
Author: Sarah St.Vincent

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Title: Should U.S. laws protect social media users
Author: Sarah St.Vincent

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Title: Russia Backs Syria in Unlawful Attacks on Eastern Ghouta

Author: HRW

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Title: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-10-25/naacp-warns-black-passengers-about-american-airlines
Author: Alexa Lardieri

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https://www.hrw.org/topic/childrens-rights/child-labor

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Title:

Trump Threatens To ‘Close Down The Country’ If Border Wall Doesn’t Get Funding

Author: Amanda Becker

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Author: Carolyn Raffensperger