RM SDGs by Rachel Marcontell

Good Health and Well-Being

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:44:14 UTC

I'm interested in this topic because I want to find out more about how people get and afford healthcare in the world.

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:44:52 UTC

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:45:33 UTC

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:47:33 UTC

"Overall, 16.9% of Americans report at least 1 financial barrier"

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:48:33 UTC

"Fifty-one percent of working-age Americans struggle to afford their health care and about one of three (32%) are saddled with medical debt, according to findings from a Commonwealth Fund survey released today."

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/Collins_2023_AffordabilitySurveyTopline_PR_10-26-2023_v2.pdf

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:49:28 UTC

"How many countries have free healthcare? All but 43 countries in the world have free healthcare or access to universal healthcare for at least 90% of their citizens according to Hudson's Global Residence Index. However, Brazil is the only country in the world that offers free healthcare for all its citizens."

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:50:27 UTC

"Even before the pandemic, half a billion people were being pushed (or pushed still further) into extreme poverty because of payments they made for health care."

s1736258 — 2025-01-14 16:52:41 UTC

"Universal access to health and universal health coverage imply that all people and communities have access, without any kind of discrimination, to comprehensive, appropriate and timely, quality health services determined at the national level according to needs, as well as access to safe, effective, and affordable quality medicines, while ensuring that the use of such services does not expose users to financial difficulties, especially groups in conditions of vulnerability."

s1736258 — 2025-01-16 16:04:42 UTC

AFRICA

s1736258 — 2025-01-16 16:09:53 UTC

s1736258 — 2025-01-16 16:15:51 UTC

European Healthcare "One of the major similarities across healthcare systems in Europe is that all citizens are included. Even in partially privatized systems, an individual mandate is in place (and strictly enforced) to ensure that healthy people are in the system to help offset the costs of sick people. Another commonality is that healthcare in Europe (regardless of system) is largely funded by tax dollars collected from employers and the public."

s1736258 — 2025-01-16 16:33:52 UTC

s1736258 — 2025-01-16 16:38:03 UTC

I think it would be really interesting to deep dive into how to prevent or help refugees and people in need of safety. I'm also interested in researching human trafficking and solutions to bring it to an end.

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 02:21:45 UTC

I decided to switch paths.

16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 03:30:04 UTC

"Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months"

I thought this goal was interesting because I believe it is extremely important to protect everyone, especially our journalists who are risking their lives to find the truth.

2023 Data on Goal 16.10

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 03:34:27 UTC

The number of killings of journalists, human rights defenders, and trade unionists decreased in 2023. There was a sharp increase of journalists and media workers being killed however in conflict zones.

Protections against access to info

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 03:36:28 UTC

"In 2024, 140 countries had laws that specifically guaranteed the rights of citizens to access public information, up from 105 in 2015 and 14 in 1990."

During my research of the UN website, I felt compelled to add this because I got curious about the extent to which governments actually protect their journalists and people's freedom of speech, if they allow it at all.

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 03:38:15 UTC

"Between 2006 and 2024, over 1,700 journalists have been killed around the world, and around 85 percent of the cases did not make it to court, according to a report by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)."

I found this while searching for journalist deaths, but was quite surprised to discover that most of the cases of their intentional killings never make it to court.

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 03:42:03 UTC

"[In 2024], the number of journalists killed in conflict zones reached a five-year high, that's according to Reporters Without Borders, a press advocacy group that tracks journalists slain all over the world.

Issue/Problem: Journalists Facing Physical Violence

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 04:03:00 UTC

After reading about just how many deaths of journalists occur, I was really curious to find out more information relating to this topic such as the motive, the forms of violence, and the frequency.

Journalism in Africa

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 04:16:51 UTC

There is a large psychological effect of being a journalist because of the situations you experience or witness. 57 journalists who worked in Kenya agreed to take a survey and the results showed that 11 were wounded while working, and many had a perceived level of threat at moderately severe.

Journalism in Asia

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 04:31:28 UTC

In 2021, almost half of the accounted for journalist deaths occurred in the Asia Pacific region. Of those 21 deaths, "nine were in Afghanistan, one in Bangladesh, four in India, one in Myanmar, three in Pakistan and three in the Philippines."

Journalism in Asia pt.2

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 04:32:23 UTC

"The press freedom situation has worsened in the Asia-Pacific region, where 26 of the 32 countries and territories have seen their scores fall in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index. The region’s dictatorial governments have been tightening their hold over news and information with increasing vigour."

Journalism in Europe

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 04:40:14 UTC

The EU has adopted media laws, however, politicians are still trying to reduce "the space for independent journalism." Three European countries top the Reporters Without Borders Index which basically means that European countries are treating their journalists well and better in comparison to others.

Journalism in Central/South America

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 04:43:10 UTC

"Latin America is a dangerous place to practice journalism. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the region accounted for nearly half of all killings of reporters and media workers in 2022. And while Mexico topped the list as the world’s deadliest country for the press, alarming developments in the neighboring states of Central America have garnered less attention."

Techniques used to get journalists to not publish

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 05:21:45 UTC

In many countries, there are now new techniques being used to keep reporters quiet such as labeling them as "terrorists" or "extremists" so governments are given a valid reason to rid of reporting that upsets them. In addition to the already known kidnapping and murders, financial pressure and defamation are being used too.

Journalist Precautions

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 19:42:44 UTC

For journalists, it is recommended for them to plan exit routes before going into the field as well as preparing for tear gas, being pepper sprayed or being shot. Some options are wearing a bullet proof vest and keeping a gun wound kit with you, having emergency contact info, identification, appropriate clothing, and food and water. Most importantly, make sure to rest and recover after draining assignments.

I personally find this to be very upsetting because I feel journalists should not have to consider this when entering the field to do their job. It simply is not something that journalists sign up for when entering their career.

Free Press Unlimited

s1736258 — 2025-01-17 19:59:19 UTC

They provide:

Medical assistance: for injuries sustained in the course of the journalists work;
Subsistence costs: short term support for journalists who are not able to work, or costs to temporarily flee an unsafe or vulnerable situation;
Legal defense support: legal representation for journalists facing prosecution, disputable lawsuits, or any other form of legal intimidation related to their work; cover the costs of judicial proceedings; assist media workers that have been arbitrarily detained or imprisoned (and their families);
Psycho-social support: advice, referral, and funds to seek psychosocial assistance;
Work provisions: replacement of confiscated or destroyed equipment due to a work-related emergency;
Family support: temporary support for family members of journalists who are unable to work, who are imprisoned, or who are deceased;
(Preventive) safety measures: security advice, digital tools such as VPNs for digital protection, PPE protection materials like face masks, and safety equipment like ballistic vests.

Reporters Without Borders 2024 Round Up

s1736258 — 2025-01-18 21:19:21 UTC

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://rsf.org/sites/default/files/medias/file/2024/12/RSF%20Round-up%202024%20EN.pdf

A third of the journalists killed in 2024 were slain by the Israeli armed forces
550 journalists detained
55 journalists held hostage
95 missing journalists

Due to the large numbers presented regarding the violence against journalists in Gaza/Palestine, I thought I should look deeper into just how bad the situation is along with how they are protected by outside forces.

Gaza/Palestine

s1736258 — 2025-01-18 21:24:25 UTC

In 2024, the most dangerous region for journalists was Gaza which "accounted for nearly 30% of journalists killed on the job" by the Israeli army. In addition to this, Palestine was reported to be the most dangerous country for journalists "recording a higher death toll than any other country over the past five years" with over "145 journalists" being killed since October 2023, "including at least 35 targeted in the line of duty," according to RSF's latest data.

As mentioned in my previous post, I decided to look into the extent of violence against journalists in Gaza/Palestine and as shown here, it is obvious that this region is experiencing the worst. So, I decided that I would look into this region specifically.

Goal/Solution presented by RSF

s1736258 — 2025-01-18 21:33:34 UTC

Goal: “single, strategic and harmonised approach to the issue of the safety of journalists and the impunity of perpetrators of crimes against them” proposed in the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity
- RSF claims that the UN "lack[s] the coordination, resources and authority needed to promote actions proportionate to the gravity of the situation" and that their good intentions are not enough.
New plan advocated by RSF: Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Safety of Journalists (SRSJ)

DRAFT TOPIC PROPOSAL

s1736258 — 2025-01-18 21:37:26 UTC

I think I want to research Violence Against Journalists and Solutions Towards Peace which must be addressed to reach SDG #16. I will focus on Gaza and Palestine and find a definite solution due to the little solutions available at the moment. I want to research this because I find it unfair that people who are simply doing their job and helping others find the truth are being killed, held hostage, and kidnapped for doing so.

Q1

s1736258 — 2025-01-23 16:23:45 UTC

What country's governments have legal protections for journalists? Is there evidence that those governments act on such laws or to what extent do they do so?

Q2

s1736258 — 2025-01-23 16:25:21 UTC

What are the limiting factors to providing protections and international assistance to journalists in the Gaza region?

Q3

s1736258 — 2025-01-23 16:52:08 UTC

Is there evidence that foreign correspondents are provided protections and precautions by their respective countries when reporting in Gaza and Palestine?

RESEARCH QUESTION

s1736258 — 2025-01-26 07:16:40 UTC

I was struggling with deciding between Q1 and Q3, so I decided to combine them. I understand it is lengthy, but I will likely edit it once I begin the process of writing my paper.

What country's governments have legal protections for journalists? Is there evidence that those governments act on such laws or to what extent do they do so and do those protections follow them outside their respective countries, specifically in Gaza and Palestine?

Press freedom leads to happier citizens

s1736258 — 2025-01-28 15:53:11 UTC

I think it's really interesting that there is actual proof that the more freedom of press there is, the happier the country is.