Globally, it is estimated that at least 150 million people, or 2% of the world’s population, are homeless, with another 1.6 billion people, or more than 20% of the world’s population, lacking adequate housing. However, at the end of 2018, 51.2% of people worldwide and 45% in developing countries used the internet. Almost 60% of households had internet access in their homes in 2018, which is up from less than 20% in 2005, and broadband access continues to grow with a penetration rate of 69.3 per 100 participants. A report by the International Telecommunication Union found that almost 80% of households had a TV by the end of 2012. This percentage is 69% in developing countries, while “virtually all” households in the developed world have TVs. More than two-thirds of households with TVs took digital signals in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016, and estimates report that TV penetration will reach 99% in 35 forecast countries by 2021. Especially in impoverished areas, soap operas available on television help people stay up-to-date with current events and employment opportunities while providing educational content that, rather surprisingly, helps people escape poverty.
Soap Operas Aid Impoverished Turkish Women
In a study by Ozgun, Yurdakul and Atik, researchers found that soap operas affect the self-perception of young women in the impoverished neighborhoods of Izmir, Turkey. The study found that the women viewed these soap operas as tools of information gathering without the emotional burden of heavier news. The study suggests that soap operas become women’s primary connection with the outside world, exposing them to consumer culture and marketing, which are useful skills to have when entering the workforce.
More profoundly, these women were often able to connect on a cathartic level with the characters in these soap operas who endured the same economic struggles but eventually could escape poverty. Some women noted that the soap operas reminded them of their difficult pasts, which prompted them to “review and assess” their current life conditions and deal with daily problems. The shows also revealed to the women what they lacked in life, whether it be a job or power, and exposed them to the affluent “other life.” This led some to feel dissatisfaction with their living conditions, prompting them to come up with solutions to improve their lives.
However, the study also reveals that while soap operas empower some women, they can also exacerbate poverty even more — some women try to mimic the lavish lifestyles of characters without the finances to do so. Thus, the authors suggest that it may be more impactful for television networks to showcase culturally accessible public programming with more informative, advice-filled narrative content to better reduce poverty.
Combating Poverty Through “Edutainment”
Similar to the suggestions of Ozgun et al., Bilal Zia and Gunhild Berg experimented with “edutainment,” or entertainment with an educational aspect, by working together with the production company of “Scandal!,” a popular South African soap opera, to incorporate financial education messages throughout the plot. Because making financial decisions can be challenging for impoverished populations that lack education in finance, “Scandal!” hoped to help viewers develop better spending habits through a subplot about debt and gambling.
Zia and Berg ran a study in which one group of people would watch this soap opera while a control group watched another show. The researchers found that viewers of “Scandal!” showed significant improvements in financial knowledge and behavior. Viewers of “Scandal!” started to borrow from others less and reduce unnecessary expenditures like gambling. Viewers reportedly connected with the main character of the show, and ultimately, made more economically-wise life decisions that could in the future help them escape poverty.
Fighting HIV with Soap Operas
In addition to increasing financial literacy, soap operas can also improve health and medical awareness among impoverished populations. A study in Nigeria found that people who watched the soap opera “MTV Shuga” were twice as likely to get tested for HIV and were overall more knowledgeable about HIV transmission. The show, which has been broadcasted in more than 70 countries, focuses on an impoverished woman and her HIV-positive lover as she navigates the complex reality of HIV’s impact on daily life.
The show, which is supported by organizations like UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, raises awareness of the dangers of risky sexual behavior, especially in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, which has approximately 1.5 million new HIV/AIDS cases each year. In addition to HIV testing, “MTV Shuga” also contributed to a reduction of chlamydia infections by 58% and a reduction of concurrent sex partners by 14%. The study reveals that edutainment like “MTV Shuga” is more influential and cost-effective than more traditional educational campaigns as it keeps people both entertained and informed.
Lowering Fertility Rates Through Soap Operas
A 2012 study by La Ferrara, Chong and Duryea explored the impacts of telenovelas, or Brazilian soap operas, on fertility rates in Brazil. A year after Rede Globo, the main telenovela broadcaster in Brazil, became available in municipalities across the country, the researchers found that fertility rates sharply declined. This effect was strongest for women of low socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom lack proper education regarding safe sex and childbirth.
Among the telenovelas analyzed, 62.2% of main female protagonists did not have any children while 19.8% only had one child. Data reveals that telenovelas contributed to the decline in the number of live births, particularly among women aged 30-34 from around 4.4 to around 3.2. The study concludes that these soap operas help mothers make more educated decisions surrounding raising a family, which could lead mothers to seek future employment or save monetary resources for child education.
– Noah Sheidlower
Photo: Flickr
Online Gaming in India Boosting the Economy
India is a country in Southeast Asia that has a population of more than 1.2 billion people. It is the second most populated country in the world after China. India’s land consists of only 2.4% of the world’s landmass. However, the nation also supports 14% of the world’s population. As a result of overpopulation, India experiences large food shortages. Thus, 194.4 million people are malnourished and live on only $2 per day. Fortunately, India’s large population has increased online game development. Online gaming in India could be worth $1.1 billion by 2021. Furthermore, the online gaming market has created more job opportunities and gives impoverished people an avenue to connect with the world.
Online Gaming in India Attracts Investors
More than 75% of India’s population is under 45 years of age. Additionally, about 60% of India’s online gamers are aged 18 to 24. Thus, India has the second-largest online gaming market in the world and the country has 560 million game users. As the accessibility of mobile phones improves, the game user base increases as well. Also, cell phones are affordable and developing more revenue than gaming consoles. Therefore, developers are increasing their focus on the mobile gaming industry.
Only 25 gaming developers were working in India in 2010. However, this number increased to 275 gaming developers by 2019. Additionally, foreign and domestic gaming businesses continue to invest in India’s gaming market. As a result, more job opportunities come out of this industry. Rockstar Games is an American company that bought Dhruva Interactive, an Indian gaming development company. This created about 500 jobs for people in India. In addition, Youzu Interactive is a Chinese gaming company that invests $10 million to aid in developing local games. Baazi Games is a domestic gaming company that has invested $5 million to help gaming start-ups develop more mobile games. Moreover, two e-commerce firms, PayTM and AGTech Holdings launched a sports gaming platform called Gamepind. Together the companies invested more than $16 million.
Mobile Gaming Connects People
As online gaming in India has increased in popularity, the price of mobile phones has decreased. In fact, about 1 GB of data costed an average of $0.26 in 2019 whereas, the global average is $8.53. This has greatly increased the accessibility of cell phones and the gaming market in India. Jio is an Indian phone company that contributes to cell phone affordability. The company encourages other companies to lower prices by offering free calls and more affordable data plans.
About 48% of online gamers in India start playing to interact with friends. Additionally, more than 75% of online gamers stated they continued to play online games to relieve stress and continue social interaction. For many people, online gaming is an opportunity to engage in new virtual opportunities. There were more than 2.4 billion global mobile gamers in 2020. This newly emerging field offers endless possibilities. Virtual opportunities will continue to improve India’s economy in the future.
– Rae Brozovich
Photo: Flickr
3RF: Aid After the Beirut Explosion
The United Nations has announced a new plan to support Lebanon after Beirut’s deadly explosion in August 2020. Operating in conjunction with the World Bank and the European Union, the U.N. has named its program 3RF, short for “Reform, Recovery[ ] and Reconstruction Framework.” Lebanon has long struggled under the weight of political and economic crises, which the explosion in its capital city only exacerbated. Therefore, 3RF comes as an effort from the international community to improve conditions in Lebanon over the long term.
An Explosion in the Capital
Shortly after 6 p.m. local time on August 4, 2020, a colossal explosion at Beirut’s port sent shockwaves rippling through the city. The disaster killed 200 people, injured thousands more and rendered approximately 300,000 individuals—out of the city’s total population of 2 million—homeless and destitute.
Officials have since identified the cause of the explosion as 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate, a chemical found in fertilizer. A welding project in one of the port’s warehouses sparked a fire that triggered the blast.
Shockwaves blew out windows at Beirut International Airport five miles away, and scientists from the United States Geological Survey reported that these equated to a 3.3-magnitude earthquake. Besides destroying commercial buildings and residential properties, the explosion also incapacitated three major hospitals and more than 24 clinics. Victims flooded the remaining healthcare centers, placing further strain on a system already contending with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Economic Crisis
Unfortunately, Lebanon was beset by problems before the August 2020 explosion. Public discontent has simmered for years, stoked by political corruption, economic hardship and a government struggling to provide services like reliable power and clean drinking water.
In October 2019, following a foreign currency shortage and the eruption of major wildfires, the Lebanese government announced new taxes in a bid to raise desperately needed revenue. However, the Lebanese government scrapped the plans after large-scale protests gripped the country.
Then, after lockdown measures underwent implementation in March 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19, Lebanon’s economic crisis worsened. As businesses had to fire employees or place them on furlough without pay, prices on basic goods rose to prohibitory levels. In May 2020, former Prime Minister Hassan Diab wrote in The Washington Post that much of the country’s population had ceased buying meat and fresh produce and that soon people would be unable to afford bread.
Poverty and Corruption
The blast in Beirut has significantly compounded the hardships that Lebanese people have faced. Many residents within the financial capital have experienced trauma, including older citizens for whom the explosion brought up memories of the violent Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). Additionally, more than 55% of the country lives below the poverty line, almost doubling the percentage registered in 2019. Extreme poverty has also surged within the past year, rising from 8% to 23%.
Unfortunately, corruption among Lebanese political elites has meant the lack of a government-led recovery plan. Popular protests in the wake of revelations about mismanagement of the ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port led to the mass resignation of then Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government. Instead, volunteers and NGOs have spearheaded efforts to clean up the city. Funds raised abroad have gone straight to these NGOs on the ground, bypassing the Lebanese government due to the international community’s lack of trust in its leaders.
3RF and Lebanon’s future
The program 3RF aims to address the desperate situation in Lebanon. Announced at the recent International Conference in Support of the Lebanese People, the plan underscores urgent needs for political reform to solve the root causes of Lebanon’s economic crisis. Such reforms will facilitate recovery and reconstruction in the long run.
For his part, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called upon political leaders in Lebanon “to put aside partisan political interests and form a government that adequately protects and responds to the needs of the people.” The International Monetary Fund also promised to help but emphasized the importance of active participation from a legitimate Lebanese government during the reform process.
Conditions for Lebanon’s people have been difficult during 2020. Stemming from a spiraling economy and political corruption, the COVID-19 pandemic and the catastrophic explosion at Beirut’s port exacerbated these hardships. With thousands of people homeless and poverty rising, the U.N.’s 3RF will hopefully provide immediate relief while also laying the foundation for better governance in the future. Pressure from the international community can likewise encourage Lebanese leaders to form a new government and begin implementing necessary reforms.
– Angie Grigsby
Photo: Flickr
The WAWA Laptop Project Aids Remote Education in Peru
Unequal Education in Peru
According to a UNICEF study, roughly 463 million students across the world are without access to proper education and cannot access remote learning through television, internet or additional services. This leaves students with no access to any form of education. This issue greatly impacts children in Peru who can only be outside of the home for just one hour a day during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Throughout Latin America, an average of 67% of the population has access to the internet, with that percentage closer to 10% in the most impoverished nations. In Peru, around one in three homes have access to a computer, meaning that a majority of the population does not have easy access to the internet. The harsh reality of this is that, at least for impoverished children in Peru, remote learning is simply impossible as it currently stands.
The government of Peru is involving itself, ensuring that class lessons will be available on television broadcast until 2021, but this still leaves a portion of the population without access to education. This inability to accommodate all students seems to mean that, until schools can safely reopen, impoverished children will be left behind by their more wealthy classmates.
WAWA Laptops and Eco-friendly Tech Amid COVID-19
The creators of WAWA Laptops developed the idea a year ago in an attempt to provide technology to the most vulnerable children in Peru. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative shifted to responding to the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak in impoverished regions. Solar-powered and running on Linux operating systems, the laptops are made out of recycled materials, making them far more affordable for impoverished families. The creators estimate that the laptops can last as long as 15 years. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, hundreds of Peruvian children received WAWA Laptops.
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, WAWA Laptops stand as an affordable solution to some of the issues many children in Peru face. As a response, the company has launched the “Donate a WAWA Laptop, Educate a child” campaign, in which people can donate a laptop to a child in need. This donation will allow children who would otherwise miss out on a year of school to keep up with their fellow students. While not a total solution to the education divide in the country, the WAWA Laptop Project provides impoverished Peruvian children with a means to continue their education.
While students in Peru as well as the rest of the developing world are sure to face continued struggles in this year of remote learning, initiatives like the WAWA Laptop Project are supporting the most vulnerable young people. Access to technology and opportunity will be one of the main determinators for schooling in the COVID-19 age. With support and ongoing donations, WAWA Laptops will allow children in Peru to stay focused on school amid the unprecedented international crisis.
– Matthew McKee
Photo: Flickr
7 Facts About Healthcare in Paraguay
7 Facts about Healthcare in Paraguay
Overall, Paraguay has made many improvements over the years, including infant mortality rate, healthcare spending and resources. However, Paraguay is still far from being caught up with higher-income nations. With the help of foreign aid and instituting more health care policies, Paraguay may develop a stronger healthcare system. In the coming years, Paraguay will hopefully eradicate diseases prevalent in the country and establish a better system to help with the medical needs of the population.
– Hannah Drzewiecki
Photo: Flickr
Australia’s Foreign Aid Initiatives Amid COVID-19
The Pacific
Australia’s foreign aid used $1.4 billion to finance developmental assistance in the Pacific. There are significant infrastructure needs in the region, so developmental assistance includes infrastructure. The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility in the Pacific became operational on July 1, 2020. This funding supports efforts such as roads, buildings and power. Australia’s foreign aid works with governments and institutions on education and health programs in the region. This was done in recognition of the notable infrastructure needs in the region and the important role infrastructure plays in sanctioning growth. This demonstrates the depth of Australia’s commitment to the growth and development of the Pacific region.
The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific aims to transform Australia’s international assistance and be a pillar of sustainable, principles-backed foundational investments in the Pacific and the nation of Timor-Leste. It permits Australia to work directly with partner governments, and also the private sector, to manage essential infrastructure gaps while unsustainable debt is avoided. This highlights Australia’s commitment to sustainability.
Australia’s foreign aid budget poured $500 million into financing infrastructure in the Pacific since 2017. The amount of $450 million went to humanitarian and protracted crises, which saves lives, alleviates suffering and strengthens human dignity.
The Coral Sea Cable System
From 2017-2020, the foreign aid budget spent up to $200 million on improving access to the internet, dubbed the “Coral Sea Cable System”, in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. This has many beneficial aspects, such as improved access to resources for rural populations.
In 2019-2020, Australia’s foreign aid budget also spent $145 million contributing to strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Indonesia. Australia’s aid to Indonesia is important because about 26.42 million Indonesians live in poverty, and roughly 5.5 to 8 million Indonesians are estimated to have fallen into poverty due to COVID-19. According to the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, the next generation of Indonesian citizens would be 54% as productive as they could have been if they had a complete education or full health. Therefore, Australia’s foreign aid is very important at this time.
Labor mobility describes how easy it is to move from one occupation to another. Countries like Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu face challenges such as a large percentage of their population living in remote regions. Thus, these populations have low labor mobility. Expanding labor mobility is necessary for the future of these regions.
Conclusion
Despite being in the middle of a recession and amid a global pandemic, Australia was able to give four billion AUD, or 0.21% of its total budget, in developmental assistance toward the Pacific region, especially investing in sustainability and infrastructure. The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility in the Pacific aims to be sustainable, functional investments by allowing Australia to work directly with partner governments to manage infrastructure gaps while avoiding unsustainable debt. Since 2017, Australia has invested $500 million into infrastructure in the Pacific.
– Madi Drayna
Photo: Flickr
Fighting Poverty With Soap Operas
Soap Operas Aid Impoverished Turkish Women
In a study by Ozgun, Yurdakul and Atik, researchers found that soap operas affect the self-perception of young women in the impoverished neighborhoods of Izmir, Turkey. The study found that the women viewed these soap operas as tools of information gathering without the emotional burden of heavier news. The study suggests that soap operas become women’s primary connection with the outside world, exposing them to consumer culture and marketing, which are useful skills to have when entering the workforce.
More profoundly, these women were often able to connect on a cathartic level with the characters in these soap operas who endured the same economic struggles but eventually could escape poverty. Some women noted that the soap operas reminded them of their difficult pasts, which prompted them to “review and assess” their current life conditions and deal with daily problems. The shows also revealed to the women what they lacked in life, whether it be a job or power, and exposed them to the affluent “other life.” This led some to feel dissatisfaction with their living conditions, prompting them to come up with solutions to improve their lives.
However, the study also reveals that while soap operas empower some women, they can also exacerbate poverty even more — some women try to mimic the lavish lifestyles of characters without the finances to do so. Thus, the authors suggest that it may be more impactful for television networks to showcase culturally accessible public programming with more informative, advice-filled narrative content to better reduce poverty.
Combating Poverty Through “Edutainment”
Similar to the suggestions of Ozgun et al., Bilal Zia and Gunhild Berg experimented with “edutainment,” or entertainment with an educational aspect, by working together with the production company of “Scandal!,” a popular South African soap opera, to incorporate financial education messages throughout the plot. Because making financial decisions can be challenging for impoverished populations that lack education in finance, “Scandal!” hoped to help viewers develop better spending habits through a subplot about debt and gambling.
Zia and Berg ran a study in which one group of people would watch this soap opera while a control group watched another show. The researchers found that viewers of “Scandal!” showed significant improvements in financial knowledge and behavior. Viewers of “Scandal!” started to borrow from others less and reduce unnecessary expenditures like gambling. Viewers reportedly connected with the main character of the show, and ultimately, made more economically-wise life decisions that could in the future help them escape poverty.
Fighting HIV with Soap Operas
In addition to increasing financial literacy, soap operas can also improve health and medical awareness among impoverished populations. A study in Nigeria found that people who watched the soap opera “MTV Shuga” were twice as likely to get tested for HIV and were overall more knowledgeable about HIV transmission. The show, which has been broadcasted in more than 70 countries, focuses on an impoverished woman and her HIV-positive lover as she navigates the complex reality of HIV’s impact on daily life.
The show, which is supported by organizations like UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, raises awareness of the dangers of risky sexual behavior, especially in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, which has approximately 1.5 million new HIV/AIDS cases each year. In addition to HIV testing, “MTV Shuga” also contributed to a reduction of chlamydia infections by 58% and a reduction of concurrent sex partners by 14%. The study reveals that edutainment like “MTV Shuga” is more influential and cost-effective than more traditional educational campaigns as it keeps people both entertained and informed.
Lowering Fertility Rates Through Soap Operas
A 2012 study by La Ferrara, Chong and Duryea explored the impacts of telenovelas, or Brazilian soap operas, on fertility rates in Brazil. A year after Rede Globo, the main telenovela broadcaster in Brazil, became available in municipalities across the country, the researchers found that fertility rates sharply declined. This effect was strongest for women of low socioeconomic backgrounds, many of whom lack proper education regarding safe sex and childbirth.
Among the telenovelas analyzed, 62.2% of main female protagonists did not have any children while 19.8% only had one child. Data reveals that telenovelas contributed to the decline in the number of live births, particularly among women aged 30-34 from around 4.4 to around 3.2. The study concludes that these soap operas help mothers make more educated decisions surrounding raising a family, which could lead mothers to seek future employment or save monetary resources for child education.
– Noah Sheidlower
Photo: Flickr
3 Organizations Ending Period Poverty in Guatemala
Days For Girls
Days For Girls commits the scope of its work to support young women throughout their lives. The organization begins this process by providing a Days For Girls Kit, education on proper self-care, training and general support for girls. Additionally, the group spreads awareness through global partnerships, mobilizing volunteer networks and working toward normalizing menstruation.
The DFG Kit consists of many necessary items for a woman’s period. All the products are reusable, easily washable and durable. In fact, users say the items can last up to three years. These kits have been made to use a small amount of water, dry quickly and keep women comfortable while going about their daily lives. Furthermore, Days For Girl also handmakes the kits and the bags they come in, giving them a touch of beauty and personality.
The impact of this organization is felt by many. Thus far, Days For Girls has touched the lives of more than 1.7 million females. The organization’s reach is spread across more than 140 countries, with more than a thousand teams and chapters. The organization also has a main office stationed in Guatemala, focused on growing the team and production.
GRACE Project (Guatemalan Rural Adult and Children’s Education)
The GRACE Project is a collaboration of groups in Southwest Florida. The project aims to educate, train and help employ the local Guatemalan women as well as women in Guatemala. The organization develops and performs workshops and home visits in which educational materials on reproductive health and local resources are provided.
In addition to education, the GRACE Project creates handmade menstruation kits. All the products are reusable, washable, and long-lasting. Included in the kit are fertility bracelets with instructions, hields for any leakage, flannel cotton pads, soap, a gallon bag for washing use and underwear.
The hard work of these volunteers speaks for itself. In the past year, 500 of the kits were given to women all over Guatemala. Along with these, the organization has also passed out 800 Reproductive Health Kits within Central America. The fertility bracelet included in the kit is especially empowering for women as it gives them the protection they need. Moreover, the bracelet is 85% effective as a life long contraception. The GRACE Project continues to grow production and delivery methods through workshops in Guatemala.
SERniña
Founder Danielle Skogen, a teacher, lived in Guatemala for three years. While teaching she began to notice a pattern. She found a need for health and sanitation education, in particular among the girls. Often, Skogen would watch girls drop out of school due to a lack of access to proper sanitary items and a lack of support from their community. Thus, she developed SERniña as an educational support program.
The SERniña program works with already established educational organizations to educate young women and help end period poverty in Guatemala. The organization teaches a range of topics such as:
In the workshops, teachers empower young women to be confident and take care of their self-care needs. All of the organization’s lessons are taught by trained local women who are certified staff for SERniña. Ultimately, the program allows for conversations and participation in a safe space with specific lessons focused on self-advocacy, self-care and overall self-love. As a result, the program has delivered more than 400 hours of workshops to 180 girls and counting.
The efforts of these three organizations play an important role in ending period poverty in Guatemala. Education, access to resources and support are needed to help young women develop higher standards of living as ending period poverty will result in more girls staying in school. As the work to end period poverty in Guatemala continues, the government and non-profit organizations must help support local organizations like Days for Girls, the GRACE project and SERniña.
– Sallie Blackmon
Photo: Flickr
Examining Human Trafficking in Somalia
How Human Trafficking in Somalia Happens
Every day, Najib Jama Abdi’s sister got up and walked to school. One day, she did not return. The Abdi family heard from the media that she had been trafficked to Somaliland. “By Allah’s mercy she was saved,” said Najib Jama Abdi to The New Humanitarian. Organizations like the Somali Police Force’s criminal investigations division 40-officer Counter-Trafficking and Organized Crime Unit work to rescue girls who have been kidnapped off the street and sold into human trafficking, like Abdi’s sister.
Human Trafficking in Somalia is a widespread issue. Women and girls are sometimes lied to and offered job opportunities, marriage or education in far-away places and then sold into sex slavery. In 2009, IOM began the Counter-Trafficking Project for Somalia. In Puntland and Somaliland, its activities included promoting awareness and informing citizens of the risks and dangers of being trafficked through media such as billboards.
History of Trafficking in Somalia
For decades, military dictator Siad Barre committed widespread atrocities, which effectively destroyed Somali civil society. Then, in May 1991, Barre was overthrown. The east desert region of Somalia declared itself the “Republic of Somaliland” after the overthrow of Barre. Somaliland now has a population of 3.5 million people, a functional political system, its own currency and a police force.
Before 1991, the federal and regional laws criminalized slave labor and certain forms of sex trafficking. Then, after Barre was overthrown, No progress was reported again until September 2017, when a human trafficking law was drafted and endorsed by Somaliland.
What’s Happening Now
Officials said they are concerned about the increasing amount of human trafficking in Somalia, specifically in the region of Somaliland. This region lies in the south-central region of Somalia. As a result, the lack of government in Somaliland makes child trafficking easier for traffickers to get away with. In November 2017, the city-state of Puntland in northeastern Somalia made valid a human trafficking legislative framework. It was made of new criminal procedures, penal codes and laws that specifically prohibit trafficking. The authorities recorded two trafficking cases that involved six individuals in 2020, during the period the U.S. government reported on the issue.
The Trafficking and Smuggling Task Force was the government’s anti-trafficking coordinating body. However, slow steps are being taken by the government to mitigate human trafficking in Somalia. Nevertheless, new anti-trafficking initiatives are moving in the right direction to end human trafficking in Somalia.
– Madeline Drayna
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Energy Poverty in Africa
Africa is only responsible for 3.2% of energy usage within the global landscape. Africa suffers from energy poverty, or the lack of access to modern energy services, despite the natural abundance of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. With the potential to generate up to 11,000 GW of electricity, the continent has the means to utilize solar power, wind energy, natural gas, hydroelectricity and fossil fuels and eliminate energy poverty in Africa.
Challenges for Energy Access in Africa
Despite the potential energy Africa has access to, several factors prevent a permanent resolution to energy poverty in Africa. The primary reason comes from federal involvement in energy generation and distribution, or the lack thereof. Poor planning and distorted energy regulation led to persistent electricity inconsistencies in different regions, leading to the state allowing monopolies to run resources without initiating proper federal oversight. To accommodate for the lack of power, many locals turned towards fossil fuels, such as gas and oil, which are unsustainable and environmentally insufficient.
This was common throughout Africa, as many African governments reluctantly accepted the privatization of energy industries. For example, Nigeria’s government split up its central power system and divided it between two private bodies of supply chains and private investors. The government kept control of the national grid system, which receives generated power and facilitates distribution to each private sector. This essentially means that the generation and distribution of energy are privatized, but the government holds the transmission and division of that energy.
Repercussions of Poor Energy Access
Considering this inefficient system of energy distribution, the repercussions have created a large contrast between certain regions and social groups. Urban areas have access to 70% of the total energy supply in comparison to the rural usage of 20% or less. Other disparities exist between genders and age groups, as women and children in Africa suffer from respiratory diseases that directly link to energy poverty. For example, poorly designed cooking devices that stem indoor biomass cooking have shown causation to health consequences.
The Effect of COVID-19
COVID-19 has also contributed to the increase of energy poverty in Africa and will continue to have negative effects on Africa’s recovery. The virus not only caused 6,524 deaths in Africa out of 175,503 confirmed cases but also continues to threaten Africa’s access to proper sanitation and clean cooking facilities. The pandemic has also halted global intervention to increase energy efficiency, because a majority of resources are largely going toward the COVID-19 response. Considering energy poverty in Africa stems from the lack of political reforms and the pandemic, how can Africa address the issue?
Solutions
John Ifediora, a professor of economics emeritus at the University of Wisconsin System, as well as a researcher, law attorney and economist, suggested several political changes to combat energy poverty in Africa. He highlighted the significance of regulating and normalizing the use of solar power and wind energy and lessening the reliance on fossil fuels to provide sustainability within local communities.
He also suggested that governments reform their cooperation with private companies, taking advantage of their economic tendencies and competitiveness. By allowing one private organization to take over sections of Africa and facilitate the generation, transmission and distribution of energy, self-regulation will develop among those companies as they keep to affordable prices, energy commerce and competitive innovation.
Dr. Vera Songwe, the U.N. Undersecretary-General and expert on Africa, also added that certain global programs are working to implement assistance to promote energy access in Africa. Global Commission to End Energy Poverty, Economic Commission for Africa and global projects such as Start-Up Energy Transition Programme are constantly working to implement an efficient energy distribution system for Africa.
Energy poverty in Africa is a major factor that hinders the progression of health, economy, education and agriculture, and fuels global poverty in general. Though it is crucial for Africa’s political policies to address and respond to this issue, more organizations are working to combat energy deficiency and implement self-sustainable solutions to help locals in the long-run.
– Linda Chong
Photo: Flickr
How Greece’s Financial Crisis Led to Mental Health Awareness
Greece’s Financial Crisis Affecting Employment and Mental Health
The decade-long recession and tax increases left many Greeks unemployed. The rate of unemployment rose to 27% and one-third of the population is currently living in poverty. In 2012, during the peak of the financial crisis, Areti Stabelou, a college graduate, expressed her depression to be linked to the rise in unemployment—a sentiment common among Greece’s youth. In a BBC interview, Stabelou talks about the mental health stigma Greece had once suffered from, saying mental health “was very difficult to talk about in those early years.”
However, as years passed and more Greeks were experiencing the toll of the crisis, Stabelou points out that they “more openly began talking about it.” The country’s financial crisis gave rise to a new awareness of mental health, which had previously been labeled as taboo.
The population’s sentiment toward mental health had vastly changed. A study found that in 2009, 63.1% of Greeks believed that depression is a sign of weakness. By 2014, the study found that the percentage dropped to 36%.
According to the founder of Greece’s sole suicide prevention center, Klimaka, the Greek Crisis was able to bring “problems that were being ignored to the forefront.” In 2008, merely 3.3% of the population had depression. By 2013, this percentage had more than doubled, with 12.3% of the population suffering from depression. Depression was not a new illness; however, the rising rates simply allowed for a new direction of the conversation to shift toward the mental disorder.
Addressing Mental Health in Greece
Following the rising issue in the nation, the Greek Orthodox Church took on a more tolerant approach to mental health. The Greek Orthodox Church has always considered suicide a sin and therefore, they do not provide a burial service to those who take their own life. Because of this, many suicides go unreported in order to protect the family from shame. However, Klimaka, Greece’s non-profit suicide prevention clinic, believes that now the Church has an important role in alleviating the stigma around suicide and overall, suicide rates. As of now, if the doctor has diagnosed the deceased with a mental illness, the Church will provide a burial service.
The Greek Health Ministry has also planned suicide awareness campaigns and has taken action to ensure that their practitioners are better prepared to detect depression. Between 2010 to 2015, there has been a 40% increase in suicides, making the rise in visibility an extremely important cause.
While Greeks are becoming more open and tolerant toward mental health, obstacles prevent the nation from achieving the right care for those in need. The financial crisis had led to a rise in the demand for psychological services. Yet, in 2011, the country’s annual budget on mental health was halved and has been further cut every year since. These budget cuts have caused a shortage of staff and supplies, making it difficult for the population to receive adequate care.
Greece’s financial crisis has led to new mental health awareness. However, mental health initiatives must continue to effectively care for those in need, especially following the financial crisis and the high unemployment rate.
– Maiya Falach
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