# data[].attributes.headline
[Mdm Diya] My Social Cause : Animal Abuse

# data[].attributes.subject
[Mdm Diya] My Social Cause : Animal Abuse

# data[].attributes.body
Link : https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/1200-alleged-animal-cruelty-and-abuse-cases-investigated-each-year-since-2017
Brief Write-up :
The number of animal cruelty and abuse cases in Singapore has been increasing each year. Some of these cases involve the pet owners themselves who have failed in their duty of care. I strongly feel that animals should be treated with love and care. As a community, we should keep a look out for such abuse cases and step in when necessary.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
1,200 alleged animal cruelty and abuse cases investigated each year since 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
26 offenders have been jailed, another 40 charged in court and fined, 113 fined and 87 received warning letters. Read more at straitstimes.com.

# data[].attributes.headline
[TEMPLATE] My Social Cause : *insert your social cause here*

# data[].attributes.subject
[TEMPLATE] My Social Cause : *insert your social cause here*

# data[].attributes.body
Link : *insert your link here*
Brief Write-up : *insert your write-up here - Explain why your social cause is important and worth discussing about. (min. 50 words)*

# data[].attributes.headline
[Jayden C.] My social cause : Racial Justice

# data[].attributes.subject
[Jayden C.] My social cause : Racial Justice

# data[].attributes.body
Link : https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice

Brief write-up : Racial equity is not just the absence of discrimination but also the presence of values and systems that ensure fairness and justice. Systematic equity, which affirmatively and continually supports and ensures the fair treatment of all people, is needed to supplant the system of racism.

Name : Jayden C.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Racial Justice | American Civil Liberties Union

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Racial Justice Program (RJP) fights to eradicate racial injustice in the U.S. and works to foster a society in which people of color and communities of color have full access to the rights and benefits of American society. Working with affected communities, RJP litigates, advocates, and educates…

# data[].attributes.headline
my social cause : mental health (soonkeong)

# data[].attributes.subject
my social cause : mental health (soonkeong)

# data[].attributes.body
link : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-mental-health-awareness-stigma-conditions-depression-1973166

brief write up :
mental health is a issue in singapore , with the covid-19 pandemic , it revealed a need for mental health support as there is a surge in people calling in to helplines . A suicide prevention agency ( Samaritans of Singapore ) saw an increase of more than 22% in the number of calls on their 24 hours hotline . even though mental health is a issue within singapore , people who are suffering from it faces stigma as the general public feels that those who are suffering from mental health are crazy or just abnormal in their mind thus they feel discrimination and it also leads to people not wanting to seek help as they do not want to be judged . i feel that we as a society should be more understanding to those who suffer because our kindness can greatly affect how they feel , and we should not judge them for what they are suffering from , everyone is unique in this world .

# data[].attributes.headline
[kai feng] my social cause : homelessness in sg 

# data[].attributes.subject
[kai feng] my social cause : homelessness in sg 

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://borgenproject.org/homelessness-in-singapore/

Brief write-up : What often goes unmentioned and unnoticed are the homeless in Singapore. There are about 921 to 1,050 homeless people in Singapore, according to a nationwide study done by the National University of Singapore . because of family conflicts they were no longer able to live in their homes. Barriers to accessing housing services make up the third cause. Inadequate housing standards within the public rental sector has been documented as a contributing factor towards homelessness in Singapore .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On one end of the spectrum, there are ultra-rich Singaporeans who live the luxurious lives one might see in the Hollywood hit movie "Crazy Rich Asians." On the other end, there are many Singaporeans who are struggling to make ends meet. As a result, many have to resort to sleeping in the streets. It is too easy to forget that poverty and homelessness in Singapore are issues that still exist.

Homelessness in Singapore

In 2017, volunteers from the welfare organization Montfort Care and volunteer group SW101 conducted a survey focusing on issues that low-income individuals experienced. Within five hours of conducting the survey in 25 locations, the team found 180 people sleeping in public. Men comprised the majority of the homeless they found.

Later in 2019, Assistant Professor Ng Kok Hoe of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy led the first landmark study on the homeless population. It unveiled the scale of homelessness in Singapore for the first time. The study found that there were "between 921 and 1,050 homeless people in Singapore," most of whom were Chinese men. According to the study, homelessness is not typically a temporary condition but a chronic issue. About half of those interviewed had been homeless "for one to five years," and a third for more than six years.

Non-Stereotypical Homeless Population

Homeless people in Singapore tend to stay vigilant and often try to avoid detection. It is not easy to tell them apart from other members of the public as they do not fit into the common stereotypical images of the destitute and vagrant homeless population. The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy study that found nearly 30% of the homeless found ways to maintain their appearance and look presentable.

The 2017 report revealed that approximately 60% of the homeless interviewed were employed. Around 58% had full-time employment, and 38% had temporary or part-time employment. Despite being employed, the nature and low pay of these jobs often drive people to the streets. Most of the homeless are employed in "low-wage, irregular jobs." The average wage for homeless employees is only $1,036. This is well below the national median wage in Singapore at $2,564. With that level of income, it is impossible for many to afford a place to stay.

Public Housing

Singapore often prides itself on having one of the highest rates of homeownership in the world. The Housing Developing Board (HDB) sold apartments to around 90% of its inhabitants in 2018. HDB housing houses about 80% of Singapore's residents. Although the HDB flats provide affordable options for Singaporeans, the strict eligibility requirements sometimes add to the problem of homelessness.

Furthermore, under the joint tenancy requirement, two single people, often strangers, have to co-rent a small one-room flat. The lack of privacy and conflicts between tenants sometimes make sleeping outdoors a more attractive option than going home. In fact, about 15% of those sleeping on the street "had HDB rental flats in their names." Ng believes that long-term solutions to homelessness in Singapore would depend on HDB. Furthermore, it is urgent for the joint tenancy requirement to be revised or removed.

Addressing The Issue

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), as well as many other nongovernmental organizations, is working closely to help people in need and alleviate the problem of homelessness in Singapore. Over the past two years, MSF has been partnering with different community groups and government agencies to reach out to and assist the homeless population in Singapore. In July 2019, MSF launched the Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers (PEERS) Network, bringing together 26 agencies to help the homeless in Singapore.

The ministry also provides temporary accommodation and relief through funded overnight shelters, including their Crisis Shelters and Transitional Shelters. For individuals that are unable to support themselves and have limited or no assistance from family, there are 11 MSF-funded Welfare Homes in Singapore. MSF's Welfare Homes provide long-term residential care and support from basic physical needs to programs that improve emotional well-being. Between 2016 and 2018, MSF assisted about 300 homeless people.

Homelessness in Singapore is easy to miss, but it is no doubt a chronic problem that has persisted for many years. Since homelessness is a complex issue that with no singular common cause, it requires multifaceted solutions to mitigate. The government has been working closely with different agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Commendable efforts have been made to address the issue by reaching out and providing both short and long-term support for the homeless in Singapore.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Homelessness in Singapore - The Borgen Project

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On one end of the spectrum, there are ultra-rich Singaporeans who live the luxurious lives one might see in the Hollywood hit movie "Crazy Rich Asians." On the other end, there are many Singaporeans who are struggling to make ends meet. As a result, many have to resort to sleeping in the streets.

# data[].attributes.body
link: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/we-need-to-talk-about-race-issues
The number of racism in the world has been increasing due to conflicts between the two races or just either without any reasons and just to make random excuses to make fun of them. I strongly feel that this issue is always brought up but not done something from. We should do something to help these people who are getting make fun of just because of the colour of their skin.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Latest RACE ISSUES News & Headlines, Top Stories Today - The Straits Times

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
RACE ISSUES News - Find latest News & top stories about RACE ISSUES. Get more information about RACE ISSUES at straitstimes.com.

# data[].attributes.headline
( Nicole 7 ) My Social Cause: Gender Inequality

# data[].attributes.subject
( Nicole 7 ) My Social Cause: Gender Inequality

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/the-big-read-singapore-gender-equality-women-roles-1968061

Brief write-up:
Singapore struggles with gender equality, with 57% of Singaporeans believing men are the head of the household and should have the upper hand in decision making. However, 52% of Singaporeans expect women to take on household roles such as chores and caregiving. I think it is not fair as everyone should be treated equally.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.justicepaix.be/justice-and-peace-human-rights-and-justice-as-factors-of-peace/

Justice and Peace is a belgian NGO and a continuing education organisation which raises awareness and challenges citizens, educational actors and political leaders on situations of conflicts, democracy and the environment.

Justice and Peace encourages these actors to « understand in order to act better  » for peace and justice, here and elsewhere.
The aim of its work is to develop an awareness and critical knowledge of the realities of society, based in particular on the methodologies of lifelong education and education for global citizenship and solidarity, through analysis, awareness raising, trainings and political advocacy

Justice and Peace encourages individual and collective action by citizens as actors in society for the promotion of peace and justice in the world. It seeks to strengthen citizen responsibility and participation, both locally and globally.
The conflictual and competitive model inherent in the neo-liberal system is at the root of inequalities and injustices which themselves provoke economic, social, political and environmental violence, especially in the South, but also in the North. It is therefore essential to propose alternatives, through a systemic analysis that reveals the interconnections between peoples and mobilizes citizens in engagement.

Justice and Peace proposes a model of society based on cooperation between the countries of the South and the North to create the conditions for a transition towards a more just, sustainable and rebalanced world.
Justice and Peace develops analyses and work methodologiesl, particularly in continuing education and development education, on international issues and conflict resolution. This involves bringing actors together, making an inventory of existing solutions and systematizing them. On this basis, we are setting up animations and training courses for teachers and associations, as well as targeted communication for political leaders.
The educational actors: Justice and Peace focuses on the one hand on continuing education associations and on the other hand on the actors of French-speaking secondary education (teachers, future teachers and educational teams of French-speaking secondary schools) and higher education students (universities and colleges).
Political leaders: civil servants, members of parliament, at the Belgian and European levels.
French-speaking Belgian citizens: actors, through their political and consumer choices, in the construction of North-South relations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Commission Justice & Paix - Belgique francophone

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nous utilisons des cookies sur notre site Web pour vous offrir l'expérience la plus pertinente en mémorisant vos préférences et les visites répétées. En cliquant sur "Accepter", vous consentez à l'utilisation de TOUS les cookies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Justice and Peace: justice and human rights as factors that create peace - Commission Justice & Paix - Belgique francophone

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nous utilisons des cookies sur notre site Web pour vous offrir l'expérience la plus pertinente en mémorisant vos préférences et les visites répétées. En cliquant sur "Accepter", vous consentez à l'utilisation de TOUS les cookies.

# data[].attributes.headline
felicia lim (4) my social health cause : children's mental health

# data[].attributes.subject
felicia lim (4) my social health cause : children's mental health

# data[].attributes.body
link :
https://www.bbc.com/news/education-60197150

brief write-up :
there has been a 77% rise in the number of children needing a specialist treatment for server mental health crisis such as depression or anxitey and many more . there were 394 , 449 under 18s in touch with NHS child and adolescent psychiatic teams at the end of october 2021 , the highestest number on record , i strongly feel that we should take a part in observing our classmates or friends wellbeing . if we knew anyone is going through these health conditions , we should always lend a helping hand and be with them when thye get through this . but , if the situations gets serious we should inform a trusted adult or convinces them to get treatment .

# data[].attributes.headline
Syarifuddin 3C (33) My Social Cause: Gun Violence

# data[].attributes.subject
Syarifuddin 3C (33) My Social Cause: Gun Violence

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://online.yu.edu/wurzweiler/blog/2020-biggest-social-justice-issues

Many medical professionals consider gun violence to be a public health crisis, but its impact can be felt across health and human services fields. From homicides to mass shootings to suicides, gun violence is a particularly troubling problem in the U.S., where homicides tied to firearms is the highest among developed nations.Those who have been injured, witnessed gun violence or lost someone also suffer long-term effects, both mentally and physically.

# data[].attributes.headline
Louisa (6) My social cause :Environmental Issues 

# data[].attributes.subject
Louisa (6) My social cause :Environmental Issues 

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://firstforsustainability.org/risk-management/understanding-environmental-and-social-risk/environmental-and-social-issues/

Brief Write-up:
Environmental issues may present themselves as temporary or permanent changes to the atmosphere, water, and land due to human activities, which can result in impacts that may be either reversible or irreversible is important to talk about this as we as a society have a moral obligation to protect the environment and promote the sustainable development of the planet for future generations. Environmental degradation is detrimental to all life on earth and will jeopardise the long-term health and security of animals, plants and humans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Environmental and Social Issues | FIRST for Sustainability

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Environmental issues may present themselves as temporary or permanent changes to the atmosphere, water, and land due to human activities, which can result in impacts that may be either reversible or irreversible. Social issues may emerge in the workplace of a client’s/investee’s operations and may a…

# data[].attributes.headline
Jing Rui (39) My Social Cause: Health and Disease In Singapore

# data[].attributes.subject
Jing Rui (39) My Social Cause: Health and Disease In Singapore

# data[].attributes.body
Health and disease is one of the top social causes Singaporeans have cared the most of in 2020. As the Covid-19 pandemic hit across the globe, it has let the economic flop down hill and soon led to the workers loosing their jobs. Like many of us I have been in a so called lock down before, known as the "Circuit Breaker" here in Singapore. It limits the activity around the island and it is really quieten down the whole island. No cars and no people walking down the road. This is when the economic started to flop, that's why people are loosing their jobs like this. To this point of time, cures for the virus and vaccines are not even a thing. Those who caught the virus do not even have a single cure to them. When the situation is worse enough, this is when a new variant of covid-19 came in. Known as the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, it is 40–80% more transmissible than the wild-type SARS-CoV-2. It was first detected in November 2020 from a sample taken in September in the United Kingdom, and began to spread quickly by mid-December, around the same time as infections surged.
Few more months after the covid-19 pandemic, everything starts to calm down as the vaccines are already distributing to other parts of the country and people are slowly getting vaccinated. Although the covid-19 cases are still very high, it is still able to be controlled. Until today, people are still catching the covid-19 virus, just like me. People nowadays treat it like a normal flu and didn't really care about it as it has been part of our daily lives. People are getting their jobs back once again and we are proceeding back to a new normal.

# data[].attributes.headline
Zi Yu ( 1 ) Social Cause: Income Inequailty

# data[].attributes.subject
Zi Yu ( 1 ) Social Cause: Income Inequailty

# data[].attributes.body
Record low in income inequality due to ‘massive transfers’, schemes tilted towards lower-income groups: Heng Swee Keat

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat pictured on Feb 21 during Ask the Finance Minister 2021. (Photo: Marcus Mark Ramos)

Ang Hwee Min

21 Feb 2021 10:00PM (Updated: 22 Feb 2021 11:04PM)

Bookmark

Share

SINGAPORE: Income inequality in Singapore fell to a historic low in 2020 due to “massive transfers” and schemes tilted towards supporting lower income groups, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Sunday (Feb 21).

Speaking on CNA’s Ask The Finance Minister programme, Mr Heng said Singapore’s Gini coefficient was 0.375 in 2020 after Government transfers, down from 0.398 in 2019. This is Singapore’s best performance since the Government started tracking the data in 2000, he added.

# data[].attributes.body
People have slowly been having mental issues that includes stuff like Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, Which affects how people think feel and their behaviours due to stressful lives and love issues like a breakup or being stress about school homework already 52.9 million people in the us during 2020 suffer with mental issues

# data[].attributes.body
Puppy Mills– A mass breeding facility that produces puppies for sale, puppy mills is one of the largest commercial dog breeding operations in the world where the emphasis is more on profit than the health of dogs. In these mills, many puppies are plagued with illnesses like heart or kidney disease as a result of the poor-conditions in which they are kept in. Female dogs are bred with little to no recovery time between their litters. When female dogs reach the stage when they are unable to reproduce litter, they are often killed. It is estimated that in America every year approximately 2.11 million puppies (originating from puppy mills) are sold while approximately 3 million are killed in shelters due to a scarcity of adoptive homes.

# data[].attributes.headline
(Ansley) my social cause:gender inequality

# data[].attributes.subject
(Ansley) my social cause:gender inequality

# data[].attributes.body
Gender discrimination begin in childhood girls and boys face unequal gender norms with expectations to access resources and opportunities in their home and school.
Example of gender inequality is boys are often encouraged to go to school and get an education to prepare for work. Girls are often carrying heavy responsibilities that keep them away from school to increase the odds of child marriage and pregnancy.
It is important to know about this since it prevents violence against women and girls and it is essential for the economic prosperity. Societies that treat both men and women equal are safer and healthier.

# data[].attributes.headline
(Jayden Lua) My Social Cause: Mental health

# data[].attributes.subject
(Jayden Lua) My Social Cause: Mental health

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://www.aia.com.sg/content/dam/sg/en/docs/press-releases/2021/aia-health-matters-survey-2021.pdf

Brief Write-up : 9 in 10 Singaporeans still struggling with their mental health one year into the pandemic,
men and younger adults. Most Singaporeans worried concerned about their own health, but they are also feeling anxious about
their family’s and loved ones’ overall wellbeing. This further adds to the stress they have been dealing. Millennials (aged 30-39) reported higher stress coping with daily stressors at work as compared to
pre-retirees (aged 40 and above). This shows that the younger generation are facing and is coping with more stress then the older generation.

# data[].attributes.headline
kenneth (40) my social cause : income gap

# data[].attributes.subject
kenneth (40) my social cause : income gap

# data[].attributes.body
link: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/worsening-american-income-inequality-is-world-trade-to-blame/

brief write-up: A recent federal report found that in 2018, America’s income gap was the largest it’s ever been in 50 years.⁹ Following the COVID-19 pandemic, that divide will most likely be much bigger. Social workers play a critical role in assisting those struggling. Also, pay disparities can be a factor at play, based on both race, gender and sexuality. Even in the field of social work, the gender pay gap exists, where there is a significant difference in how men and women are compensated for the same work.

# data[].attributes.body
Brief write-up:
The number of animal cruelty and abuse cases in Singapore and in other country has been increasing throughout the year.Pet owners abused animals such as dogs during the pandemic, because Covid 19 ways of spreading was possible through animals.This causes owners to overthink that their dogs and pets might have Covid-19 because it was just the start of the pandemic and people were still unsure of the about the spread.This made the majority of the pet owners to become violent on their pets because they were unsure.I feel like animals should be treated with more care and should not be abused because they are confused at the start.

# data[].attributes.body
link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3766254/

Homelessness is a complex social problem with a variety of underlying economic and social factors such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, uncertain physical and mental health, addictions, and community and family breakdown. These factors, in varying combinations, contribute to duration, frequency, and type of homelessness. To be fully homeless is to live without shelter; however, many experience partial homelessness that can include uncertain, temporary, or sub-standard shelter. Homelessness is difficult to define, thus governments struggle with uncertainty when creating and implementing policies they hope will effectively manage or eradicate this problem.

# data[].attributes.headline
Cowen Wong (17) My social cause: Animal Abuse

# data[].attributes.subject
Cowen Wong (17) My social cause: Animal Abuse

# data[].attributes.body
Link:
https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/nearly-1200-alleged-animal-cruelty-abuse-cases-investigated-year
The authorities investigated close to 1.2k alleged animal cruelty and abuse cases each year between 2017-2020 said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Monday September 13
26 offenders have been failed, another 40 were charged in court and fined, 113 were given compound fines and 67 received warning letters.
About 30 percent of the 260 odd cases were related to animal cruelty, while the rest were pet owners who failed in their duty of care.
I think our social cause is worth discussing as millions of pets are abused a day all over the world and we need to find a way to minimise or if best stop it from happening

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nearly 1,200 alleged animal cruelty, abuse cases investigated a year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The authorities investigated close to 1,200 alleged animal cruelty and abuse cases each year between 2017 and 2020, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Monday. In a written reply to Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), Mr Lee said that since 2017, 26 offenders have...

# data[].attributes.body
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5gBu64L_peA6McHVfGumdsumdrw=/0x0:4200x3092/920x613/filters:focal(1925x265:2597x937):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66870647/GettyImages-460019528.0.jpg

racism is not just the absence of values and systems.racism increase in the world just because their skin is just different from some people,i feel like this issue must change  as it is unfair for the black people

# data[].attributes.body
LINK=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/parkland-marjory-stoneman-douglas-school-shooting

On February 14, 2018, an expelled student entered Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others, in what became the deadliest shooting at a high school in United States history.

Dressed in a maroon shirt adorned with the school logo, Nikolas Cruz exited his Uber outside the campus at 2:19 p.m. He approached the school wearing a backpack filled with magazines and carrying a black duffel packed with his legally purchased AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

School staff had been warned after Cruz’s expulsion for "disciplinary reasons" in 2017 that the troubled teen was a risk to student safety. When a staff member saw him outside, he hesitated to call a "Code Red." The gunman was halfway through his six-minute rampage before anyone issued a warning. By then, it was too late.

Cruz entered the high school’s Freshman Building, on campus—which was mostly filled with freshman students—at 2:21 p.m. and unpacked his rifle in a stairwell. According to NBC Miami, freshman Chris McKenna, 15, spotted Cruz there and received a chilling warning from the gunman. “You better get out of here. Things are going to start getting messy.” McKenna ran outside, where he spotted Aaron Feis, a coach and school security monitor who took him to the baseball field 500 feet away and turned back to “check it out.”

In order for us to survive we can follow this steps for survivability:
RUN
HIDE
TELL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On February 14, 2018, an expelled student entered Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others, in what became at the time the deadliest shooting at a high school in United States history.

Dressed in a maroon shirt adorned with the school logo, Nikolas Cruz exited his Uber outside the campus at 2:19 p.m. He approached the school wearing a backpack filled with magazines and carrying a black duffel packed with his legally purchased AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

School staff had been warned after Cruz's expulsion for "disciplinary reasons" in 2017 that the troubled teen was a risk to student safety. When a staff member saw him outside, he hesitated to call a " Code Red." The gunman was halfway through his six-minute rampage before anyone issued a warning. By then, it was too late.

Cruz entered the high school's Freshman Building, on campus-which was mostly filled with freshman students-at 2:21 p.m. and unpacked his rifle in a stairwell. According to NBC Miami, freshman Chris McKenna, 15, spotted Cruz there and received a chilling warning from the gunman. "You better get out of here. Things are going to start getting messy." McKenna ran outside, where he spotted Aaron Feis, a coach and school security monitor who took him to the baseball field 500 feet away and turned back to "check it out."

Cruz exited the stairwell into a first-floor hallway, firing a stream of bullets down the corridor, shattering windows and shooting through doors. In just under two minutes, he murdered 11 people and injured 13 others. He then headed up the stairs. He was on the second floor for less than a minute, firing but hitting no one, before going to the third floor where he killed his last six victims, and injured four more in the final 45 seconds of the attack.

Terrified students ran for their lives. Others remained holed up, hiding in classrooms, closets and bathrooms, desperate to reach their parents. Many began broadcasting the horror on social media through video and live posts.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Cruz left the hallways and went to the faculty lounge, where he set up a bipod-like a tripod on which to rest the gun-reloaded his weapon and began firing, like a sniper, at the fleeing students outside. Only hurricane impact-resistant glass in the windows kept the death toll from growing.

In all, Cruz's attack lasted less than four minutes and left 17 dead. At 2:28 p.m., just seven minutes after entering the building, he ditched the rifle in another stairwell and left the school, attempting to blend in with the crowd of escaping students. The gunman successfully left the campus, running to a Walmart at 2:50 p.m, stopping at a Subway restaurant to get a drink and eventually heading to McDonalds. He was apprehended shortly thereafter after being spotted by a Broward County police officer.

"He looked like a typical high school student, and for a quick moment I thought, 'Could this be the person who I need to stop?'" said Officer Michael Leonard in an interview after arresting Cruz.

Broward Sheriff's deputy school resource officer Scot Peterson, who was assigned to the school that day, would later be accused of retreating during the shooting while victims were still under attack. Peterson was arrested in June 2019 and faced charges of neglect of a child, culpable negligence and perjury.

The devastation felt by the Florida community-once considered the safest city in the state -was immeasurable. Previous school shootings throughout the country had prompted Stoneman Douglas (and other schools) to practice active shooter drills, and the school had employed an armed officer on campus. But it hadn't been enough to stop the carnage. Chants for "No More Guns!" broke out at candlelight vigils and over a thousand people showed up to funerals in the days after.

Student survivors took to social media to make their anger known, giving interviews and becoming activists for gun safety legislation. One student, David Hogg, went from school newspaper reporter to activist when his plea to legislators in a CNN interview went viral.

" Please, take action," he begged lawmakers.

Just days after the shooting, several Marjory Stoneman Douglas students formed Never Again MSD, an anti-gun violence organization and political action committee. On March 24, these and other students helped organize the March for Our Lives, a demonstration in support of gun violence prevention. Students across the country were encouraged to stage walkouts, and a rally was held in Washington, D.C. There, advocates from around the country-some survivors of school shootings, and others whose daily lives were affected by gun violence-spoke to a crowd of thousands, demanding legislative change.

Three weeks later, Florida Governor Rick Scott, a supporter of the NRA, responded. He signed a bill imposing a 21-year-old legal age requirement for gun purchases and a three-day waiting period on all gun transactions. The law also controversially permitted the arming of some school employees. It was the first time in 30 years Florida had passed any gun control measures, though many felt the legislation did not go far enough.

During the summer and fall of 2018, Never Again MSD traveled throughout the country on a bus tour advocating for gun control and voter registration. The group visited 30 states and registered some 50,000 voters.

Nikolas Cruz was charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He later pleaded guilty to all charges.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teen gunman kills 17, injures 17 at Parkland, Florida high school | February 14, 2018 | HISTORY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On February 14, 2018, an expelled student entered Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others, in what became at the time the deadliest shooting at a high school in United States history. Dressed in a maroon shirt adorned with the school logo, Nikolas Cruz exited [...]

# data[].attributes.headline
yihan : my social cause is mental health

# data[].attributes.subject
yihan : my social cause is mental health

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://www.aia.com.sg/content/dam/sg/en/docs/press-releases/2021/aia-health-matters-survey-2021.pdf

Brief Write-up : 9 in 10 Singaporeans still struggling with their mental health one year into the pandemic,
men and younger adults. Most Singaporeans worried concerned about their own health, but they are also feeling anxious about
their family’s and loved ones’ overall wellbeing. This further adds to the stress they have been dealing. Millennials (aged 30-39) reported higher stress coping with daily stressors at work as compared to
pre-retirees (aged 40 and above). This shows that the younger generation are facing and is coping with more stress then the older generation.

# data[].attributes.headline
( Istifar 10 ) My social cause : Competing on social purpose 

# data[].attributes.subject
( Istifar 10 ) My social cause : Competing on social purpose 

# data[].attributes.body
Link : https://hbr.org/2017/09/competing-on-social-purpose

Brief write - up : companies are taking social stands in very visible ways. Airbnb used a Super Bowl ad to publicly cement its commitment to diversity. Tecate, based in Mexico, is investing heavily in programs to reduce violence against women, and Vicks, a P&G brand in India, supports child-adoption rights for transgender people. This social cause is important as Brands increasingly use social purpose to guide marketing communications, inform product innovation, and steer investments toward social cause programs. And that’s all well and good when it works. But missteps are common, and they can have real consequences.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Brief

The Expectation

Consumers increasingly expect brands to have a social purpose, so many companies are taking social stands in very visible ways. Think TOMS's one-for-one program, which donates shoes and other goods for every product sold.

The Challenge

These programs can benefit society and the brand but may fizzle or actually harm the company if they're not carefully managed.

The Strategy

An effective strategy creates value by strengthening a brand's key attributes or building new adjacencies. At the same time, it mitigates the risk of negative associations and threats to stakeholder acceptance.

Consumers increasingly expect brands to have not just functional benefits but a social purpose. As a result, companies are taking social stands in very visible ways. Airbnb used a Super Bowl ad to publicly cement its commitment to diversity. Tecate, based in Mexico, is investing heavily in programs to reduce violence against women, and Vicks, a P&G brand in India, supports child-adoption rights for transgender people. Brands increasingly use social purpose to guide marketing communications, inform product innovation, and steer investments toward social cause programs. And that's all well and good when it works. But missteps are common, and they can have real consequences.

Recall Starbucks's Race Together campaign-the chain's earnest effort to get customers talking about race relations in the United States. The program was widely criticized for its perceived lack of authenticity, among other reasons, and was quickly canceled. Or consider SunChips's 2010 launch of a biodegradable bag. The composite material was indeed good for the environment-but the bags were so noisy they drew mockery on social media, forcing the company to pull them from the market.

Countless well-intentioned social-purpose programs have consumed resources and management time only to end up in obscurity. Sometimes they backfire because the brand messages designed to promote them anger or offend customers-or they simply go unnoticed because they fail to resonate. Other times, managers use these initiatives solely to pursue intangible benefits such as brand affection or as a means to communicate the company's corporate social responsibility, without consideration of how they might create business value for the firm.

With the support of Sustainable Brands and the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, we've studied many social-purpose brand programs and have worked with close to a dozen leading brands to design growth-focused social-purpose strategies. On the basis of our research and experience, we've developed an approach we call "competing on social purpose" that ties a company's most ambitious social aspirations to its most pressing growth needs. In this article, we provide a novel framework to help companies find the right social purpose for their brands.

Building a Strategy

Some brands have integrated social purpose into their business models from the start: Think of Patagonia, TOMS, Warby Parker, and Seventh Generation. The societal benefit these "social purpose natives" offer is so deeply entwined with the product or service that it's hard to see the brands' surviving intact without it. Imagine how customers would react if TOMS abruptly ended its one-for-one program, which donates shoes, water, or eye care to the needy for every product it sells. And what would happen to Patagonia's brand if the company abandoned its commitment to eco-friendly manufacturing? Social purpose natives like these must be diligent stewards of their brands.

The challenges are very different for the much larger number of brands for which this article is written-a group we call "social-purpose immigrants." These established brands have grown without a well-defined social-purpose strategy and are now seeking to develop one. Typically, they belong to firms that are good corporate citizens and are committed to progress on environmental and social goals. However, their growth has thus far been based on superior functional performance that is unrelated to a broader social purpose.

To develop a social purpose strategy, managers should begin by identifying a set of social or environmental needs to which the brand can make a meaningful contribution. (For simplicity, we'll use the term "social needs" to refer to both social and environmental concerns.) Few brands are likely to start with a blank slate-most have corporate social responsibility programs under way, some of which could become relevant aspects of the brand's value proposition. Yet focusing on only those initiatives could limit the potential of a purpose-driven brand strategy or divert marketing resources meant to stimulate the brand's growth toward corporate initiatives. To create a more comprehensive set of choices, managers should explore social purpose ideas in three domains: brand heritage, customer tensions, and product externalities.

Brand heritage.

Of the many benefits a brand may confer, only a few are likely to have defined the brand from the start and be the core reason for its success. A look into the brand's heritage-the most salient benefits the brand offers customers-can help managers identify the social needs their brands are well positioned to address. For instance, since its launch, in 1957, Dove has been promoted as a beauty bar, not a soap. Enhancing beauty has always been central to its value proposition. Therefore, it makes sense that Dove focuses on social needs tied to perceptions of beauty.

Customer tensions.

An unbounded exploration of social issues relevant to your customer base will most likely yield a list that's too broad to be very helpful. To narrow your options, look at the "cultural tensions" that affect your customers and are related to your brand heritage. Such tensions, first characterized by marketing strategist Douglas Holt, refer to the conflict people often feel when their own experience conflicts with society's prevailing ideology. Holt argues that brands can become more relevant by addressing consumers' desire to resolve these tensions. Classic examples include Coca-Cola's "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" commercial, which promoted peace and unity at the height of the Vietnam War, and Budweiser's recent Super Bowl ad celebrating the immigrant story of one of its founders, which aired in the midst of a heated public debate about immigration.

Product externalities.

Finally, examine your product's or industry's externalities-the indirect costs borne or benefits gained by a third party as a result of your products' manufacture or use. For instance, the food and beverage industry has been criticized for the contribution of some of its products to the increasing rates of childhood obesity. It has also faced concerns about negative health effects resulting from companies' use of artificial ingredients and other chemicals in their products. Panera Bread's decision to position its offerings as "clean food"-made without "artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, or colors from artificial sources"-is a direct response to a social need created by industry externalities.

Three characteristics of purpose-driven growth make it particularly challenging for managers.

It's hard to change course.

Once a social purpose is chosen, changing course is difficult and ill-advised, because success depends on the legitimacy of the brand's claim. Shifting or inconsistent claims may raise doubts about the firm's integrity or commitment. Specific programs can and should evolve, of course, and successful brands continually innovate. But the underlying purpose should remain constant. Dove has pursued its Real Beauty cause for more than a decade. Patagonia has advocated for environmental protection since its founding, in 1973. Starbucks has consistently worked to promote social justice. Although an unswerving purpose is critical to success, this constraint can be frustrating to managers in an era characterized by agility and constant experimentation.

It's tough to gauge market potential.

Proponents of social purpose initiatives often argue that the programs can help the business grow. And they can-but not without a carefully crafted strategy. Too often, strategies are based on projections of business impacts that are oversimplified or flawed. Even among customer segments that support a brand's social purpose, for example, individual consumers may take purpose into account to varying degrees when making product choices. In addition, the size of the customer segments inspired by a brand's social mission may vary significantly by product category, purchase occasion, and geography. Finally, data on the importance of societal benefits is often drawn from consumer surveys-as opposed to actual customer behavior-which may overstate true purchase intentions. Taken together, these factors can lead to unreliable estimates of market demand and growth.

It's easy to get distracted.

Many purpose-driven brand initiatives have been launched with enthusiasm only to vanish without a ripple. One reason is that the appeal of "doing well by doing good" can distract managers from a brand's primary business needs. These nonstrategic programs can take on a life of their own, tempting managers to expand and dilute the focus of their brand purpose and split their attention in ways that don't help growth. Or, concerned about potential controversy, managers may distance the program from the brand's other business activities, giving rise to shell initiatives that have no real presence in the brand's value chain.

Although a company may build a sound social-purpose strategy that focuses on just one domain, ideally this exercise yields opportunities at the intersection of all three. Consider Airbnb's WeAccept social purpose strategy. The company's brand heritage is built on providing an open and inclusive platform, but in recent years concerns about race discrimination have once again risen to the forefront of cultural tension in the United States. Recently, Airbnb has faced allegations of racial discrimination by some of its members-a serious externality produced by its service.

Pare the List

After considering social purpose ideas in the three domains, managers should pare the list to three or four social needs, and propose strategies for each, to be evaluated as final candidates for the brand's social purpose.

To guide the prioritization and selection process, managers should gauge how the social purpose idea both generates business value and minimizes the company's exposure to risk. An effective social-purpose strategy creates value by strengthening a brand's key attributes or building new adjacencies. At the same time, it mitigates the risk of negative associations among consumers and threats to stakeholder acceptance.

Brand attributes.

Managers often consider the fit between the social need and the brand as a criterion for evaluating social purpose strategies. However, good fit isn't enough. They should also consider how social purpose can create value by strengthening (or creating) brand attributes relevant to consumer choice in a given industry.

We define brand attributes as characteristics managers instill in a product or service, including features and benefits as well as personality or reputation supported through marketing communications. A restaurant, for example, might use sustainably sourced ingredients (a feature), which can reinforce a perception of great taste (a benefit), and through marketing communications, promote a reputation for environmental consciousness (the brand personality).

When choosing among possible social-purpose strategies, managers need to understand how each option affects key brand attributes. Consider the case of Vaseline. By 2014, when Kathleen Dunlop became global brand director, the product was at risk of becoming a commodity in the United States. To grow, it needed to find new ways to remind existing customers of its core attributes while educating a younger generation.

Dunlop and her team determined that the answer to this business problem lay in the brand's tagline "the healing power of Vaseline," which captures its core attribute. Asking "Where is our healing power most urgently needed?" the team began the process of developing a social purpose strategy for the brand. Through interviews with medical professionals at the Centers for Disease Control, Doctors Without Borders, and the UN Refugee Agency, the team learned that Vaseline jelly was an indispensable part of emergency first-aid kits. In refugee camps, for instance, minor but common skin conditions such as cracking and blistering could become dangerous and debilitating. Petroleum jelly, and Vaseline in particular, was often a first line of care.

With this insight, the team crystallized a social purpose strategy around skin care for the most vulnerable-people living in poverty or emergency conditions-and in 2015 the Vaseline Healing Project was born. In partnership with the nonprofit Direct Relief, the project aims to reach 5 million people by 2020.

The Healing Project was not a CSR or public relations initiative; it was designed to connect business goals with societal needs. The resulting campaign was tested alongside other traditional marketing programs designed to differentiate the brand. The initiative outperformed all the alternatives and achieved its objectives in its first full year, helping Dunlop build a stronger business case for it and persuade the managers responsible for the brand's P&L to invest marketing resources behind it. Now in its third year and with more than 2.3 million jars of Vaseline donated, the initiative is continuing to expand.

To assess the relationship between different social-purpose strategies and brand attributes, managers should ask:

Does the strategy reinforce existing brand attributes?

What new and valuable brand attributes might it create?

Would the strategy be difficult for competitors to imitate?

Business adjacencies.

One reason a brand purpose strategy can fall short of expectations is that it doesn't adequately address the financial interests of investors and other stakeholders. One way a social purpose strategy can boost business performance is by enabling the brand to compete in adjacent markets.

Managers often struggle to reconcile corporate-level sustainability efforts, CSR programs, and social purpose strategies for their brands, causing them to misdirect brand marketing resources toward increasing consumer awareness of corporate-wide programs.

To ensure the proper allocation of resources, brand managers should clarify the roles of existing or potential social initiatives for the brand. First, sort the initiatives into "front-end" investments (those the brand will actively promote to customers), "back-end" investments (those that the company practices but that do not create value for consumers), and activities the brand won't pursue at all. Then, select one social purpose initiative to compete on and several to "claim" in brand marketing. All others should not be an active part of the brand's marketing efforts.

The chart below shows how this categorization would work for the Dove brand.

Consider Brita, which until 2005 primarily sold tap-water filters. Concerned by slowing growth, managers realized that the company could enter the adjacent bottled-water market by positioning filtered water as an environmentally friendly alternative. Thus Brita seized on a social need-waste reduction-to push into a new market. It combined reusable water-bottle and pitcher innovations with its filter technology to expand the brand's market presence. In its marketing, Brita emphasized the water's "great taste and purity" and its economic value over time relative to bottled water. But its central message was the environmental benefit of substituting filtered water for bottled water: 300 plastic bottles kept out of landfills and oceans for each Brita filter used.

Most recently, the brand has evolved its strategy by positioning itself as not just a filter brand but also a water brand, promoting additional social benefits related to health and wellness. This strategy helped Brita secure a strong competitive position: It was relatively straightforward for the brand to enter the bottled water category, but it would be much harder for bottled water rivals to enter the filter business. Three years after Brita entered this adjacent market, its revenues had grown by 47%.

To gauge whether a proposed brand purpose and strategy can support a move into adjacent markets, managers should ask:

Can the strategy help create a new product or service for current customers?

Can it help open a new market or channel or attract a new customer segment?

Can it help reduce costs or increase the profitability of the business?

Consumer associations.

It's important to think through how consumers will perceive the social purpose a brand is considering. Will they see the benefits as an asset? A liability? Or irrelevant to their purchase decision? In predicting customer response, brand managers need to understand the range of cognitive associations that different consumer segments may bring to a brand's social claim. Take, for instance, the brand attribute "organic ingredients," which is typically used to support claims of health or environmental benefits. If it appears on the label of a tea product, consumers may associate it with augmented qualities-perhaps improved taste or healthfulness. But how might they react to an organic dry-cleaning service? A growing body of research demonstrates that consumers don't have an equal or easily predictable response to social benefit claims: Labels like "fair trade," "environmentally friendly," and "ethically sourced" can sometimes induce negative associations-such as poorer performance, in the case of the dry cleaner.

Consider the Green Works line of environmentally friendly cleaning products. Launched with high expectations by Clorox in 2008, the brand has failed to generate the anticipated sales and the company's plans to become the dominant player in this premium market have yet to become reality. Before launching Green Works, Clorox's market research revealed that although consumers expressed interest in "green" cleaning products, only a small minority (15%) perceived environmentally friendly ingredients as an important consideration in their purchase decisions. The research also showed that mainstream consumers often associated environmental friendliness with diminished performance. Clorox product managers delayed the product launch twice until they were confident their formulation was as effective as traditional cleaners. In addition, they decided to include the Clorox logo on the label to reinforce the message of cleaning efficacy.

Despite these efforts, Green Works ran into problems. Eco-conscious consumers who might have been attracted to Green Works' environmental credentials were put off by its association with Clorox-an industrial-strength cleaner that they did not perceive as environmentally friendly-while mainstream consumers remained unconvinced that the products were effective enough. In response, the company revamped the packaging to satisfy both groups: The Clorox logo has disappeared, and messages about powerful cleaning are now prominent on the label. Green Works' experience demonstrates the importance of carefully evaluating the associations-both positive and negative-that consumers may bring to each social-benefit claim a brand makes.

To assess the associations consumers may have with different brand-purpose strategies, managers should consider the following questions:

Is the social need likely to be perceived as personally relevant to target consumers?

Will consumers be able to easily associate the brand with the social purpose?

Will the social purpose strategy induce positive (and not negative) associations about the brand or product?

Stakeholder acceptance.

Competing on social purpose is sure to attract criticism-virtually all social issues have both advocates and detractors-which can stall or even derail a program. Thus, managers must evaluate whether key stakeholders will accept and support the proposed social-purpose strategy. As with customer associations, some stakeholders may embrace a brand purpose while others reject it. Our research has found three drivers of negative reactions: inconsistency between the brand claim and the company's actions, politicization of the claim, and suspicion about the firm's motives.

Consider again Dove brand's Campaign for Real Beauty. The marketing program challenged traditional standards of beauty and promoted the idea that true beauty has limitless forms. Its success made the brand a leading example of how to effectively integrate a social purpose into an existing brand strategy. But as its popularity grew, the campaign also attracted criticism. Some detractors noted an inconsistency between Dove's position and those of its parent company Unilever, particularly in the marketing of the Axe line of men's grooming products, whose advertising featured the seduction of scantily clad women. That Unilever was simultaneously fighting and reinforcing stereotypical notions of beauty struck its critics as hypocritical. Unilever eventually repositioned Axe and removed sexist stereotypes from its marketing. When competing on social purpose, inconsistencies between your operations and your brand claims will become more salient and should be quickly resolved-or, better, avoided in the first place.

Another obstacle to stakeholder acceptance occurs when companies, unwittingly or not, adopt a controversial social purpose. This was the case with Coca-Cola's Arctic Home program, a partnership launched in 2011 with the World Wildlife Fund to protect polar bears. The social mission fit well with the brand, which had long used the animal in its advertising. However, despite the fact that its leaders never intended to equate a conservation initiative with the politics of climate change, the program catapulted Coke into the middle of a political debate. A significant segment of the population regarded global warming as a serious problem. But climate skeptics saw the Coke campaign as a mass media effort to promote a political agenda. Coke's program was interpreted by some as a position on climate change and became a talking point in a Senate debate. As a result, some retail customers refused to use the campaign in their stores. While the company succeeded in containing a more general outcry, its experience highlights the risk of politicization around a brand's social purpose. It is unlikely that any social-benefit claim can escape criticism, but management's goal must be to maximize the fan-to-foe ratio.

Finally, stakeholders may question a brand's motives if the initiative appears to be driven primarily by commercial interests. Stakeholders understand that companies are profit-driven, but if the company's initiative offers no apparent social benefit, they may feel manipulated-as often happens if a brand is found to be "greenwashing." To mitigate this risk, it's critical to select a social purpose for which the brand can make a material contribution.

To assess whether the social purpose strategy is likely to be accepted by stakeholders, managers should ask:

Can the brand have a demonstrable impact on the social need?

Are key stakeholders on the front lines of the social issue likely to support the brand actions?

Can the brand avoid inconsistent messaging, perception of opportunism, and politicization?

Nike: A Case Study

Let's look at how our framework can be applied in practice. Although numerous brands are using this method to evaluate brand purpose strategies, their initiatives are still under way. For illustrative purposes, we've analyzed the choices made by Nike over the past several decades.

Over the past decade, Nike has invested heavily in R&D to reduce environmental waste in its manufacturing processes. In 2010, the company launched the Environmental Apparel Design software tool-an open-source version of its Considered Design Index-enabling garment designers anywhere to assess the environmental impact of various materials and explore combinations that reduce material waste before making a selection. In 2012, Nike debuted its flyknit technology, which allows the company to reduce waste by manufacturing shoes with a one-piece upper body.

Nike could tout these efforts in its customer-facing marketing, but it doesn't. In their purchase decisions, customers look for performance shoes that are comfortable, lightweight, and durable. Reducing manufacturing waste is not an attribute most sports-shoe buyers prioritize. Claims of environmental friendliness are also unlikely to help the brand move into adjacent markets. In fact, people buying performance shoes are more likely to associate green-manufacturing claims with reduced durability. Nike does communicate its environmental benefits to partners and investors-for whom these are important operating practices-demonstrating a wise allocation of its social benefit claims.

To compare brand purpose strategies, score each option on its potential to create value or reduce risk by answering the questions below. Strategies that score highest across domains are the most likely to create value for the company and effectively address the targeted social need. Below, we assess how two options for Nike would stack up.

NIKE: SCORING TWO OPTIONS

Brand Attributes

Business Adjacencies

Consumer Associates

Stakeholder Acceptance

Plotting the scores for Nike's two options on a spider chart clearly demonstrates that "promoting the participation of girls in sports" creates more value for the brand and mitigates risk better than "decreasing material waste in manufacturing" would.

In 1995 Nike embraced a customer-facing social benefit: encouraging young girls to participate in sports. Nike spokeswoman Vizhier Corpus said at the time, "If you are a parent interested in raising a girl who is physically and emotionally strong, then look to sports as a means to that end." It was a smart choice. The message reinforced the brand associations of courage and competition promoted by Nike in the 1990s, was unlikely to suffer from problems with stakeholder acceptance, and had a robust business logic: At the time, the women's apparel business represented less than 10% of Nike's revenues. Today that figure has climbed to 23%, and women's apparel is the company's highest growth segment.

Define the Brand's Role

Once a company decides which social need a brand will focus on, using the four dimensions of our framework to guide their selection, managers must determine how the brand strategy will create value for it. Our analysis of dozens of purpose-driven brand strategies revealed four ways a brand can create value for a social need. This taxonomy provides a useful tool for thinking about how a brand can best execute on its purpose. It can also guide managers in the selection of metrics for measuring the impact of their social-purpose investments.

1. Generate resources.

Brands can make an impact by helping generate the resources required to address a social need. Most commonly, this involves the donation of financial resources: When consumers buy a product, the brand gives a percentage of the profits to a selected cause. Newman's Own famously donates 100% of profits across thousands of organizations that address four broad social needs. Resources could also include time, talent, relationships, and capabilities.

2. Provide choices.

Brands can offer consumers products that address a social need and can be substituted for those that don't. Brita filters, for example, give customers an alternative to bottled water that doesn't add plastic to landfills.

3. Influence mindsets.

Brands can help shift perspectives on social issues. Examples include Nike's communications efforts to promote the participation of girls in sports and its recent campaign to promote racial and gender equality. Other examples include Tecate's initiative to stop gender violence in Mexico or the Always brand's "Like a Girl" program that focused on building girls' self-esteem.

4. Improve conditions.

Brand actions can help establish the conditions necessary to address a social need. Consider Coca-Cola's Ekocenter initiative in Africa. Through a multi-stakeholder partnership, the brand is creating community centers with clean water, solar power, and internet access, among other services. The centers house modular markets run by local female entrepreneurs.

In defining how their social purpose programs will create value, managers should partner with organizations and individuals that are actively working on the front lines of the social issue. This ensures that the brand's capabilities are focused on the most pressing needs of the social issue.

CONCLUSION

Managers often have the best intentions when trying to link their brands with a social need, but choosing the right one can be difficult and risky and has long-term implications. Competing on social purpose requires managers to create value for all stakeholders-customers, the company, shareholders, and society at large-merging strategic acts of generosity with the diligent pursuit of brand goals.

A version of this article appeared in the September-October 2017 issue (pp.94-101) of Harvard Business Review.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Brief The Expectation Consumers increasingly expect brands to have a social purpose, so many companies are taking social stands in very visible ways. Think TOMS's one-for-one program, which donates shoes and other goods for every product sold. The Challenge These programs can benefit society and the brand but may fizzle or actually harm the company if they're not carefully managed.

# data[].attributes.headline
chantel 5 my social cause : aminal abuse

# data[].attributes.subject
chantel 5 my social cause : aminal abuse

# data[].attributes.body
link : https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/1200-alleged-animal-cruelty-and-abuse-cases-investigated-each-year-since-2017

brief write up : The authorities investigated close to 1,200 alleged animal cruelty and abuse cases each year between 2017 and 2020, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Monday (Sept 13).

In a written parliamentary reply to Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), Mr Lee said since 2017, 26 offenders have been jailed, another 40 were charged in court and fined, 113 were given compound fines and 87 received warning letters.

About 30 per cent of the 260-odd cases were related to animal cruelty, while the rest involved pet owners who failed in their duty of care, said Mr Joshua Teoh, director of animal welfare at the National Parks Board's (NParks') Animal and Veterinary Service.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
1,200 alleged animal cruelty and abuse cases investigated each year since 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
26 offenders have been jailed, another 40 charged in court and fined, 113 fined and 87 received warning letters. Read more at straitstimes.com.

# data[].attributes.body
Low-lying Bangladesh is frequently flooded and affected by tropical storms. With few natural resources, the country depends on agriculture, with over 40 per-cent of the population working in this primary industry.

Bangladesh has the 8th largest population in the world with 163,317,317 or 2.11% of the Earth’s inhabitants living there in 2019. However, the country only has the 92nd largest land area which means population density is high.

With a high birth rate and a low death rate, as shown in the graph below, the population growth rate is around 1.04%. The result of this is over-population because Bangladesh has more people than its resources can support.

GDP per person is low in Bangladesh, meaning people do not generally have a good standard of living. The graph below illustrates the difference in GDP between Bangladesh and other countries. Despite rising rapidly recently, it is still significantly below other countries.

A significant number of people in Bangladesh are under-employed, meaning they don’t work full time. Wages are also low.

According to UNESCO Bangladesh has an adult literacy rate of just 72.89%. While the male literacy rate is 75.7%, for females is 70.09%. This is the result of no free or compulsory education system meaning few people have qualifications.

Access to healthcare is also poor in Bangladesh resulting in a high death rate and infant mortality rate.

Brief summary : Most of Bangladesh is occupied by its people and its resources is limited as the resources are insufficient for its people . Inclusive of its low GDP , some are unemployed or having low wages and access to healthcare is poor therefore the death and mortality rate in Bangladesh is increased.

Apologies if it sucks , i really didnt know what to write for summary :(

# data[].attributes.headline
[Tan You Heng] My my social cause:Gender equality

# data[].attributes.subject
[Tan You Heng] My my social cause:Gender equality

# data[].attributes.body
Link:https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/yearbook/articles/gender-equality-workplace-going-beyond-women-on-the-board

Brief write-up:
According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2020¹ , it will take another 100 years to achieve gender equality based on the current rate of progress. This prediction has been widely used as a shock therapy to push governments, NGOs, associations, investors and companies into action. In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis, efforts will have to be doubled if we are to avoid losing another 10 years to achieve gender equality². Based on past experience, economic slowdowns not only disproportionately affect women, but also trigger gender equality topics to slip down governmental and corporate agendas. Women represent 39% of the global workforce but accounted for 54% of job losses as of May 2020³. Furthermore, women are over-represented in sectors which are most heavily hit by the pandemic, such as hospitality or the food services industries, further exacerbating inequalities. These inequalities also disproportionately affect certain groups of women, depending on the intersections of gender with race, ethnicity, religion, class, ability, sexuality and other identity markers.

# data[].attributes.body
Russia invading ukraine

# data[].attributes.headline
hong rong (34) Social Cause: low-income groups

# data[].attributes.subject
hong rong (34) Social Cause: low-income groups

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/community/budget-2022-low-income-families-to-get-more-support

Each low-income family on the Community Link (ComLink) programme will get customised help to address the issues and problems it faces, enabling those in need to better their lives.

The programme, which provides comprehensive and coordinated support for families with children living in highly subsidised Housing Board rental flats, will have an "action plan" to address the specific needs, aspirations and challenges of each family.

Dedicated and trained befrienders will be matched to each family to support it. These befrienders will help families connect with various community groups and government agencies, so that they can get timely and holistic assistance.

# data[].attributes.headline
(Azryl 13) My social cause:Racial Justice

# data[].attributes.subject
(Azryl 13) My social cause:Racial Justice

# data[].attributes.body
Link:
https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/issues/racial-injustice

CCR has been fighting for racial justice since our first day. We organized legal support for and defended marchers who were arrested on the historic Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965; litigated scores of Voting Rights Act cases; led challenges to de facto segregation that held states responsible for affirmative duties to racial equality; and established a national Anti-Ku Klux Klan Network in the late 1970s. In recent decades, our Telephone Justice Campaign challenged the exploitive phone rates New York State prisoners had to pay, and we supported public school teachers of color. Now, from taking on the FDNY’s discriminatory hiring and the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices to providing legal support to the Black Lives Matter movement, CCR continues the unfinished work of the Civil Rights Movement. We use the landmark legislation passed during the 1960s to challenge both intentional discrimination and the discriminatory impacts of government practices and policies, and we work closely with grassroots organizations that are driving the demand for reform. Racial injustice is deeply intertwined with many other injustices the Center is fighting —from abusive immigration practices to Muslim profiling to mass incarceration – and we explicitly make connections among different struggles. Above all, CCR is committed to addressing the structural and systemic nature of racism in our society.

# data[].attributes.headline
(Dhya 2) My social cause is Gender Inequality

# data[].attributes.subject
(Dhya 2) My social cause is Gender Inequality

# data[].attributes.body
Brief write-up:
Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in the society. Some of these distinctions are empirically grounded, while others appear to be social constructs.I know that women and men do not get treated in the society as i have experience it myself.Boys or men keep saying you're just a girl and you cant do anything.But there are also a lot of things that are not just made by men but women too.Not everything is men-made.When they say that i feel discourage and less confident about myself.I as a hijabi myself,i feel judged by a lot of people i pass everyday.I know Singapore is a developed country but there are still a handful of people who like to judge us hijabis.So thats why i feel like this topic is and important thing to discuss about.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The unequal distribution of household work - as faced by the likes of Ms Joana and Ms Hannah - has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended life as most have known it, both at work and at home.

Many women have been forced to shoulder a bigger share of the burden as families grapple with the aftermath of closed schools and daycare centres.

The pandemic has led Ms Josephine Tan, a mother of three, to leave the labour force to focus on her family - especially to care for her 87-year-old mother who has dementia.

The 53-year-old former public servant said it seemed easier for her to give up her job even though she was earning more than her taxi-driver husband because "he wouldn't know what to do at home".

For Ms Nur Farhana Aziz, 28, even though her husband does his share of the housework, there are some things that she needs to do herself, she said. They include cooking for the family, bathing her two children, and going through their homework.

The pre-school teacher added that the physical exhaustion from managing both her class and house often leaves her mentally stressed and causes her to lose sleep.

Asked why the housework was not divided equally, Ms Farhana said: "I've been taught since young that these are the responsibilities of a wife."

Ms Fannie Lim, executive director of charity organisation Daughters Of Tomorrow, said even today, women are still expected to take on the caregiving role at home and sacrifice their careers.

When they are ready to return to the workforce, they may then be hired to do the same job with lesser pay.

"Unpaid care work is underappreciated, and similarly, if a woman chooses to fulfil her responsibility at home, they should not be penalised for it," Ms Lim said.

In its first nationwide study on the gender pay gap, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) found that in 2018, women were earning 6 per cent less, on average, than a man with the same job in the same industry, and of the same age and educational qualifications.

An MOM spokesperson said then that the cost of parenthood likely accounted for a big proportion of the pay gap.

Ms Junie Foo, president of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisation (SCWO) - a partner organiser of the dialogue sessions for the review - said the pandemic has highlighted the difficulties women face in being caregivers and breadwinners at home.

"There have been more cases of stress on the family front as women work from home and give care. With the economy facing a huge downturn, women are also likely to be retrenched especially those working in small and medium enterprises," she added.

This is why the SCWO is advocating to make childcare leave and eldercare leave interchangeable.

Currently, single women or those who do not have children cannot take childcare leave, despite them being primary caregivers for the elderly.

"Implementing flexible working hours at workplaces will allow more women or even men for that matter to remain actively engaged in the economy and provide necessary care for their loved ones," said Ms Foo.

Ms Shailey Hingorani, who is AWARE's head of research and advocacy, said that the Government could implement the statutory right to request for flexible work arrangements, as well as making paid eldercare leave and family care leave mandatory for sandwiched caregivers.

It could also introduce a support grant for caregivers that provides cash to them pegged to the salaries of paid care workers, as well as Central Provident Fund contributions that match the prevailing rates of employers.

Ms Nicole Lim, who runs female health and wellness podcast Something Private, said it is important for young children to see that tasks and responsibilities are not made gender-specific through everyday routines.

"If they see that their mommies are doing household chores and their daddies never help out, these are behaviours they can subconsciously learn and internalise," she added.
WORKPLACE SEXISM
Domestic woes aside, women must also grapple with discrimination and harassment at their workplaces, according to 13 women spoken to.

While companies have tried to address sexism and discriminatory practices by setting up channels for reporting, and conducting workshops to identify workplace harassment, the women spoke of how the sexism which they experienced was more subtle and therefore more difficult to address.

Ms Heidi (not her real name), who works in the public relations industry, said her boss did not do anything that would have been considered an offence in the eyes of the law. But he would often stare at her from head to toe, leaving her feeling very uncomfortable.

"He would come to me and say 'Why are you so dressed up today? Are you going on a date?'" said the 34-year-old.

Ms Heidi, who wanted to remain anonymous out of fear of a backlash within the industry, also recounted an incident where she wore a dress with a side slit and he told her that there was "too much leg".

As for Ms Dutt, working in the male-dominated sports industry meant that she had to work very hard in the early years to prove that she was equally knowledgeable about sports as the men.

"(The men would ask me:) 'Do you know what this rule means? You need me to explain to you how this works?' You needed to prove you know more and you can be better (than them)," said the 42-year-old senior producer in the sports broadcasting industry, who declined to reveal her full name out of concern that her career will be affected.

Ms Dutt also has had to confront misogyny at her workplace as there would be male colleagues who talk about women in demeaning ways in front of her. Once, a colleague talked about wanting a Hollywood actress to perform oral sex on him.

"You have to deal with innuendos on a daily basis... It's not a comfortable environment," she added.

To make matters worse, their complaints about such incidents to their respective companies did not result in any change at all, said Ms Heidi and Ms Dutt.

Ms Farhana, the pre-school teacher, recalled the time when she became the butt of a running joke at her previous workplace, a construction company, when a male colleague saw breast pumps in her bag.

She also experienced discrimination at the company, where she was tasked to be the "office housekeeper" even though it was not part of her job scope as an administrative personnel.

"I left the company because I felt like they didn't take me seriously... It's like they just saw me as the girl who topped up paper for the copy machine despite all my qualifications," she added.

To best address discrimination at work, AWARE's Ms Hingorani said: "The Government should enact a Workplace Equality Act that prohibits discrimination, defines clear legal liabilities for employers, and provides legal remedies for workers facing discrimination.

"This Act could also include sections on workplace harassment, to ensure that employers have in place pertinent policies, training, and grievance and disciplinary mechanisms."

Ms Georgette Tan, president of United Women Singapore (UWS), reiterated that employers should put in effort in creating gender-neutral human resources policies.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Sexual violence has been front and centre in public discussions over gender equality since the Monica Baey case - which was followed by a series of other sexual assault crimes - erupted last year.

According to AWARE, the focus on sexual violence arose partly due to global movements such as #MeToo, and attempts here to break the silence on an often taboo subject.

AWARE's sexual assault care centre had seen around 800 cases on average annually for the last two years.

Police figures in May showed that family violence had been on the rise since circuit breaker measures kicked in on Apr 7.

Between Apr 7 and May 6, there were 476 police reports filed for offences commonly associated with family violence, compared with the monthly average of 389 for such cases before the circuit breaker period.

"If women are valued or perceived as equal to men and they are recognised for their value, we would not have this issue of domestic violence," said Ms Tan from UN Women, adding that it was exacerbated by high stress levels due to the COVID-19 crisis.

AWARE also warned about the growing online communities of "incels", or involuntary celibates, in which men position themselves as the dominant gender, deserving of sexual pleasure by virtue of being male.

It pointed to the existence of communities, such as SG Nasi Lemak on messaging platform Telegram, which actively encourage the overt commodification of women's images for non-consensual sexual gratification. The chat group is now defunct, with three men and a male teenager hauled to court for their involvement.

"Given the magnitude of sexism and misogyny in Singapore, and inadequate comprehensive gender/sexuality education programmes in place, it is counter-productive to assume that new generations will be somehow more progressive than earlier ones," said Ms Hingorani.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Big Read: Gender equality in Singapore remains elusive amid entrenched attitudes about women's roles

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The unequal distribution of household work - as faced by the likes of Ms Joana and Ms Hannah - has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended life as most have known it, both at work and at home.

# data[].attributes.body
Link: https://www.aia.com.sg/content/dam/sg/en/docs/press-releases/2021/aia-health-matters-survey-2021.pdf

Brief Summary : 9 in 10 Singaporeans are still struggling with their mental health one year into the pandemic,
men and younger adults. Most Singaporeans worried concerned about their own health, but they are also feeling anxious about
their family’s and loved ones’ overall wellbeing. This further adds to the stress they have been dealing with. Millennials (aged 30-39) reported higher stress coping with daily stressors at work as compared to
pre-retirees (aged 40 and above). This shows that the younger generation are facing and is coping with more stress then the older generation.
Younger children and students, typically aged 14-16, are feeling stressed due to their examinations such as N or O levels. Statistically 12% of Singaporeans will suffer from at least one mental deficiency/disorder.
Those with mental health disorders are normally considered defective, therefore, their unemployment rates are higher.

# data[].attributes.body
animal abuse is a very bad thing to do.the cases of animal abuse has been increasing significantly in the world. The owners have failed continuously to provide proper care to their pets.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/gun-violence-prevention      Gun violence is an urgent, complex, and multifaceted problem. It requires evidence-based, multifaceted solutions. Psychology can make important contributions to policies that prevent gun violence. Toward this end, in February 2013 the American Psychological Association commissioned this report by a panel of experts to convey research-based conclusions and recommendations (and to identify gaps in such knowledge) on how to reduce the incidence of gun violence — whether by homicide, suicide, or mass shootings — nationwide.

Following are chapter-by-chapter highlights and short summaries of conclusions and recommendations of the report’s authors. More information and supporting citations can be found within the chapters themselves.

A complex and variable constellation of risk and protective factors makes persons more or less likely to use a firearm against themselves or others. For this reason, there is no single profile that can reliably predict who will use a gun in a violent act. Instead, gun violence is associated with a confluence of individual, family, school, peer, community, and sociocultural risk factors that interact over time during childhood and adolescence. Although many youths desist in aggressive and antisocial behavior during late adolescence, others are disproportionately at risk for becoming involved in or otherwise affected by gun violence. The most consistent and powerful predictor of future violence is a history of violent behavior. Prevention efforts guided by research on developmental risk can reduce the likelihood that firearms will be introduced into community and family conflicts or criminal activity. Prevention efforts can also reduce the relatively rare occasions when severe mental illness contributes to homicide or the more common circumstances when depression or other mental illness contributes to suicide. Reducing incidents of gun violence arising from criminal misconduct or suicide is an important goal of broader primary and secondary prevention and intervention strategies. Such strategies must also attend to redirecting developmental antecedents and larger sociocultural processes that contribute to gun violence and gun-related deaths.                                                                                      i felt very terrified as it is very dishearthening and sad to see such things happened to some schools in america whereby school is just for studying

# data[].attributes.body
Brief write-up:
The number of animal cruelty and abuse cases in Singapore and other country has been increasing a lot in the recent years. Pet owners whom abused their animals such as dog has been increasing lately because of the pandemic. Covid 19 has a new way of transmitting the virus through animal, because of this idea alot animal owner were scared of their own safety of getting the virus. So majority of the animal owner became violent againts their own animal as they were unsure if their own animal do have the virus. I feel that animal should be treated with care and should bes abused as they are living things as well and do have feelings.

# data[].attributes.headline
(leon tee) My social cause :  Gender Inequality

# data[].attributes.subject
(leon tee) My social cause :  Gender Inequality

# data[].attributes.body
Gender roles are the patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and expectations associated with a particular sex—with being either male or female. For clarity, psychologists sometimes distinguish gender differences, which are related to social roles, from sex differences, which are related only to physiology and anatomy. Using this terminology, gender matters in teaching more than sex (in spite of any jokes told about the latter!).

Although there are many exceptions, boys and girls do differ on average in ways that parallel conventional gender stereotypes and that affect how the sexes behave at school and in class. The differences have to do with physical behaviors, styles of social interaction, academic motivations, behaviors, and choices. They have a variety of sources—primarily parents, peers, and the media. Teachers are certainly not the primary cause of gender role differences, but sometimes teachers influence them by their responses to and choices made on behalf of students.

Physical differences in gender roles

Physically, boys tend to be more active than girls, and by the same token more restless if they have to sit for long periods. They are also more prone than girls to rely on physical aggression if they are frustrated (Espelage & Swearer, 2004). Both tendencies are inconsistent with the usual demands of classroom life, of course, and make it a little more likely that school will be a difficult experience for boys, even for boys who never actually get in trouble for being restless or aggressive.

During the first two or three years of elementary school, gross motor skills develop at almost the same average rate for boys and girls. As a group, both sexes can run, jump, throw a ball, and the like with about equal ease, though there are of course wide significant differences among individuals of both sexes. Toward the end of elementary school, however, boys pull ahead of girls at these skills even though neither sex has begun yet to experience puberty. The most likely reason is that boys participate more actively in formal and informal sports because of expectations and support from parents, peers, and society (Braddock, Sokol-Katz, Greene, & Basinger-Fleischman, 2005; Messner, Duncan, & Cooky, 2003). Puberty eventually adds to this advantage by making boys taller and stronger than girls, on average, and therefore more suited at least for sports that rely on height and strength.

In thinking about these differences, keep in mind that they refer to average trends and that there are numerous individual exceptions. Every teacher knows of individual boys who are not athletic, for example, or of particular girls who are especially restless in class. The individual differences mean, among other things, that it is hard to justify providing different levels of support or resources to boys than to girls for sports, athletics, or physical education. The differences also suggest, though, that individual students who contradict gender stereotypes about physical abilities may benefit from emotional support or affirmation from teachers, simply because they may be less likely than usual to get such affirmation from elsewhere.

# data[].attributes.headline
Radia 3A(6) My social Cause: discrimination against lgbtqia+ in the globe

# data[].attributes.subject
Radia 3A(6) My social Cause: discrimination against lgbtqia+ in the globe

# data[].attributes.body
llink:
https://www.genderequalitylaw.org/lgbtq

Despite recent advances, people in this country are still being fired, harassed and targeted at work because they are LGBTQIA+.  There has been progress over the past twenty years in the legal landscape and in the evolution of social opinions and attitudes related to an individual’s sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression.  Nonetheless, members of the LGBTQIA+ community still suffer pernicious and blatant gender bias in all areas of public and private life, including housing, employment, opportunities in academic settings, in the ability to buy goods and services, and in the opportunities to participate meaningfully in our society's decision making processes.

There is a growing number of laws around the country being enacted under the guise of religious freedom that curtails – even eliminates – the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals. Furthermore, homophobia and discomfort with individuals who do not conform to antiquated stereotypes of sex and gender often manifests into heinous discrimination against these individuals.  Nearly 41% of gay and lesbian adults face some form of hostility or harassment on the job, including being fired or forced to quit because of their sexual orientation.

​

Although federal laws protect people from workplace discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national origin, religion, age, and disability, there is no federal law that specifically outlaws workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by private employers.  However, over the years, there has been more legal support for finding that Title VII's prohibition against "sex" discrimination also covers sexual orientation discrimination. The reasoning is that sexual orientation discrimination necessarily involves gender-based stereotypes of how men and women should behave and with whom they should be in romantic relationships.

​

There is more definitive protection offered at the state level.  More than 20 states and the District of Columbia have laws that expressly prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in private jobs.  If you identify as an LGBTQ individual and your state does not have a law that protects you from workplace discrimination, you may still be protected by city and county ordinances.  New York City, for instance, has broad protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and strongly prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity and/or gender expression.  Similarly, New York State, which recently passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), deems gender identity and gender expression a protected class under the State's human rights and hate crimes laws.

in my opinion, even when you have diffrent sexual orientations or genders, you are still considered human and you are not alone

# data[].attributes.headline
(Andriana )my social cause : Malnutrition  

# data[].attributes.subject
(Andriana )my social cause : Malnutrition  

# data[].attributes.body
link:   https://actionagainsthunger.ca/what-is-acute-malnutrition/underlying-causes-of-malnutrition

brief write up :
Adequate nutrition is a key factor to live an active and healthy life. In spite of its importance
as a determinant of health and development, malnutrition is still a neglected area and too little
has been done to address its causes and serious social and economic implications. However,
recently there has been growing interest in nutrition with stronger political involvement at
national and international level leading to significant financial pledges and policy
commitments. It is now crucial to turn this momentum into results by ensuring the delivery of
pledges and accelerating progress on addressing the challenge of undernutrition.
Malnutrition is defined as not having enough energy or nutrients to live a physically active
life that allows for optimal health. It encompasses both overnutrition and undernutrition and
has direct negative consequences in terms of disease and disability, brain development,
educational attainment and income potential for individuals and communities. The World
Health Organisation considers that poor nutrition is the single most important threat to
the world’s h

# data[].attributes.body
People around the world face violence and inequality—and sometimes torture, even execution—because of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of our selves and should never lead to discrimination or abuse. Human Rights Watch works for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peoples' rights, and with activists representing a multiplicity of identities and issues. We document and expose abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity worldwide, including torture, killing and executions, arrests under unjust laws, unequal treatment, censorship, medical abuses, discrimination in health and jobs and housing, domestic violence, abuses against children, and denial of family rights and recognition. We advocate for laws and policies that will protect everyone’s dignity. We work for a world where all people can enjoy their rights fully.

# data[].attributes.body
women and men to have the same opportunities for the achievement of important goals in society such as education, employment and income and to contribute to political, social, and cultural development at all levels. Promising equal pay, equal opportunity, as well as freedom from discrimination and harassment in the workplace to all persons, whether they are men, women, married, single or pregnant, gender equality in essence promotes the equitable and respectable advancement of men and women together. As such it is considered a highly desirable objective for organizations and governments around the world that are seeking to establish and consolidate socio-economic structures that will facilitate development.

Many think of the Cayman Islands as a modern country that affords equal opportunities to men and women.  On the surface that is true, but when we dig deeper and look at the statistics that are available to us, it becomes obvious that men and women in the Cayman Islands are not afforded equal opportunities, nor are they on a level playing-field when it comes to income and other areas.

Situation in Cayman
The Labour Force Survey (2009), by the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO), shows that males make up 50.5% of the labour force and females 49.5%, which is near equal participation. At the same time this equality does not translate to income.  Females make up the majority of the two lowest salary brackets in this survey. Eighty three point three per cent (83.3%) of persons making less than $800 per month were women and sixty three point five per cent (63.5%) of those making less than $1,600 a month were also women. Being confined to the poorest of the poor is extremely challenging especially for women who often times are the sole bread winner of their families and do not receive any or adequate financial assistance from the father of their children.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, men comprised sixty five point five per cent (65.5%) of the persons making $7,200 or more a month, whereas women only represented thirty four point five per cent (34.5%) of this highest level of income earnings. It is however notable and encouraging that women and men are closer to being equally represented in the middle income brackets in this survey.

This suggests that not only are women under-represented at the highest salary brackets in our country, but they are also, more often than not, paid less than men for doing the exact same work. Information obtained from the Occupational Wage Survey (2005) that was conducted by the Department of Employment Relations seemingly depicts high levels of gender discrimination when comparing the monthly salaries of men and women performing the same occupation. Of 87 occupations in which salary comparisons could be made between males and females holding the same positions, there was only one occupation that paid an equal monthly salary to males and females performing the same work. In 60 of the remaining occupations, men reported a higher monthly average salary than women, while women reported a higher average salary than men performing the same work in 26 occupations.

Business Case for Gender Equality
“In today’s 21st century knowledge economy, talent is the most important natural resource a nation possesses. Continuing to nurture the most worthy, diverse talent — including women — and giving talented people the chance to advance to decision-making levels plays a critical role to staying competitive in the global economy.”  http://gregpellegrino.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/gendernations-the-growing-role-of-women-in-government/

Deloitte has conducted international research that showed the top 500 multi-national firms, which had at least three women on their boards, saw a 16.7% return on equity; average companies saw just 11.5%. The greater the number of women the greater the difference; those with the greatest number of women in on their boards had 53% greater return on equity than those with the fewest. Thus when women are represented in increased numbers at the higher levels of decision making, not only is it  a step towards gender equality but it is also a positive  move that companies should embrace because  of the potential financial benefits.

This is also true of national economies.  As an example, one of the five drivers that is considered essential to Cayman’s future success, and outlined in the Future of Cayman Agreement between Government and the Chamber of Commerce, is to “Enhance the Quality of Life” for our people. One way to do that the Chamber notes is to strive towards “Enhancing and embracing diversity.”  Although the Cayman Islands has a proud history of prominent women in the workplace, this new legislation will encourage gender diversity, by giving men and women equal opportunities in all but the few jobs that legally qualify for exceptions.

It is often said that the Cayman Islands must compete with the wider world, for business and its workforce. The Cayman Islands Government believes that if the Cayman Islands are seen to be actively striving towards gender equality, this will assist in enhancing our image as an attractive place to work and do business.

Real World Examples of Discrimination as It Relates to the Gender Equality Law
Male and female employees holding the same position receive different pay, even when other factors such as experience, education level, etc. are similar.
Asking married employees to leave their ring at home.
Asking any woman to resign on becoming pregnant or not hiring a woman because she is pregnant.
Asking female applicants about future pregnancy possibilities during a job interview.
Denying pregnant school girls access to an education that is equal to their peers.
Asking gender stereotyped questions during an interview. Examples include: “Have you ever cried at work?” and, “Are you sure you can supervise men?”
Inappropriate and unwanted conduct of a sexual nature in the workplace that has the effect of creating a hostile working environment, violating the dignity of the employee or intimidating, degrading, humiliating, or offending the employee.
Making sexual comments or commenting on physical appearance as a part of the hiring process.
Making unwanted sexual advances at any time during recruitment or employment.
Passing up men or women for promotion because of their marital status.
Restricting one sex access to certain work meetings that are held away from the office, e.g. the golf course or the rugby club.
A professional partnership refuses or deliberately omits offering a position to a person based on the grounds of sex, pregnancy, marital status or gender characteristics.
A vocational training body refuses to provide access to cosmetology training to a male.
An employment agency refuses to place a qualified woman as an employee at a male dominated construction site, when a genuine occupational qualification for an exemption does not exist.
A qualifying body- for example the electrical qualifying board- fails to confer qualifications upon a woman, simply on that basis.
Charging women more than men or vice versa for the same services.
A sporting facility doesn’t allow or gives different terms of use to female teams.

# data[].attributes.body
women and men to have the same opportunities for the achievement of important goals in society such as education, employment and income and to contribute to political, social, and cultural development at all levels. Promising equal pay, equal opportunity, as well as freedom from discrimination and harassment in the workplace to all persons, whether they are men, women, married, single or pregnant, gender equality in essence promotes the equitable and respectable advancement of men and women together. As such it is considered a highly desirable objective for organizations and governments around the world that are seeking to establish and consolidate socio-economic structures that will facilitate development.

Many think of the Cayman Islands as a modern country that affords equal opportunities to men and women.  On the surface that is true, but when we dig deeper and look at the statistics that are available to us, it becomes obvious that men and women in the Cayman Islands are not afforded equal opportunities, nor are they on a level playing-field when it comes to income and other areas.

Situation in Cayman
The Labour Force Survey (2009), by the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO), shows that males make up 50.5% of the labour force and females 49.5%, which is near equal participation. At the same time this equality does not translate to income.  Females make up the majority of the two lowest salary brackets in this survey. Eighty three point three per cent (83.3%) of persons making less than $800 per month were women and sixty three point five per cent (63.5%) of those making less than $1,600 a month were also women. Being confined to the poorest of the poor is extremely challenging especially for women who often times are the sole bread winner of their families and do not receive any or adequate financial assistance from the father of their children.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, men comprised sixty five point five per cent (65.5%) of the persons making $7,200 or more a month, whereas women only represented thirty four point five per cent (34.5%) of this highest level of income earnings. It is however notable and encouraging that women and men are closer to being equally represented in the middle income brackets in this survey.

This suggests that not only are women under-represented at the highest salary brackets in our country, but they are also, more often than not, paid less than men for doing the exact same work. Information obtained from the Occupational Wage Survey (2005) that was conducted by the Department of Employment Relations seemingly depicts high levels of gender discrimination when comparing the monthly salaries of men and women performing the same occupation. Of 87 occupations in which salary comparisons could be made between males and females holding the same positions, there was only one occupation that paid an equal monthly salary to males and females performing the same work. In 60 of the remaining occupations, men reported a higher monthly average salary than women, while women reported a higher average salary than men performing the same work in 26 occupations.

Business Case for Gender Equality
“In today’s 21st century knowledge economy, talent is the most important natural resource a nation possesses. Continuing to nurture the most worthy, diverse talent — including women — and giving talented people the chance to advance to decision-making levels plays a critical role to staying competitive in the global economy.”  http://gregpellegrino.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/gendernations-the-growing-role-of-women-in-government/

Deloitte has conducted international research that showed the top 500 multi-national firms, which had at least three women on their boards, saw a 16.7% return on equity; average companies saw just 11.5%. The greater the number of women the greater the difference; those with the greatest number of women in on their boards had 53% greater return on equity than those with the fewest. Thus when women are represented in increased numbers at the higher levels of decision making, not only is it  a step towards gender equality but it is also a positive  move that companies should embrace because  of the potential financial benefits.

This is also true of national economies.  As an example, one of the five drivers that is considered essential to Cayman’s future success, and outlined in the Future of Cayman Agreement between Government and the Chamber of Commerce, is to “Enhance the Quality of Life” for our people. One way to do that the Chamber notes is to strive towards “Enhancing and embracing diversity.”  Although the Cayman Islands has a proud history of prominent women in the workplace, this new legislation will encourage gender diversity, by giving men and women equal opportunities in all but the few jobs that legally qualify for exceptions.

It is often said that the Cayman Islands must compete with the wider world, for business and its workforce. The Cayman Islands Government believes that if the Cayman Islands are seen to be actively striving towards gender equality, this will assist in enhancing our image as an attractive place to work and do business.

Real World Examples of Discrimination as It Relates to the Gender Equality Law
Male and female employees holding the same position receive different pay, even when other factors such as experience, education level, etc. are similar.
Asking married employees to leave their ring at home.
Asking any woman to resign on becoming pregnant or not hiring a woman because she is pregnant.
Asking female applicants about future pregnancy possibilities during a job interview.
Denying pregnant school girls access to an education that is equal to their peers.
Asking gender stereotyped questions during an interview. Examples include: “Have you ever cried at work?” and, “Are you sure you can supervise men?”
Inappropriate and unwanted conduct of a sexual nature in the workplace that has the effect of creating a hostile working environment, violating the dignity of the employee or intimidating, degrading, humiliating, or offending the employee.
Making sexual comments or commenting on physical appearance as a part of the hiring process.
Making unwanted sexual advances at any time during recruitment or employment.
Passing up men or women for promotion because of their marital status.
Restricting one sex access to certain work meetings that are held away from the office, e.g. the golf course or the rugby club.
A professional partnership refuses or deliberately omits offering a position to a person based on the grounds of sex, pregnancy, marital status or gender characteristics.
A vocational training body refuses to provide access to cosmetology training to a male.
An employment agency refuses to place a qualified woman as an employee at a male dominated construction site, when a genuine occupational qualification for an exemption does not exist.
A qualifying body- for example the electrical qualifying board- fails to confer qualifications upon a woman, simply on that basis.
Charging women more than men or vice versa for the same services.
A sporting facility doesn’t allow or gives different terms of use to female teams.

# data[].attributes.body
My social cause: Income Gap
The overall persistent high level of poverty in the EU suggest that poverty is primarily the consequence of the way society is organised and resources are allocated, whether these are financial or other resources such as access to housing, health and social services, education and other economic, social and cultural services.

In times of austerity, some political choices made have deepened poverty and inequalities (cuts in income and services, deregulation of the labour market…).

Indeed, the fact that there are very different levels of poverty in different Member States demonstrates clearly that different approaches to allocating resources and opportunities lead to different outcomes.

The least unequal societies in Europe tend to have the lowest levels of poverty, and to have been less impacted by the crisis. This is primarily because these Governments choose to give priority to ensuring adequate minimum income levels and ensuring good access to services, through the social protection system and through guaranteeing minimum wage levels. They are usually the most effective at redistributing wealth through the tax and other systems. This means that the decisions over how to eradicate poverty in the end are political choices about the kind of society we want.