Efforts to combat trafficking are diverse and growing. Businesses, NGOs, academics, politicians, governments and individuals all have a role to play.
So, instead of spending Thanksgiving weekend watching the Macy’s Parade, eating turkey and shopping (my usual Thanksgiving activities), I was in Amsterdam and London …
I loved Robin Wright’s new book, Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion in the Islamic World. (And thanks to The Clash for inspiring the title!) The book couldn’t be more timely given current events. It is a smart, provocative and compelling read, and I …
Tomorrow (November 12) is World Pneumonia Day. Although it seems that there’s a commemorative event almost every day to increase awareness about various illnesses or health issues, pneumonia is one that the world should remember and take action on. Pneumonia is currently the number one …
I woke up this morning to the amazing news that three women shared this year’s Nobel Peace Prize: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee; and Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni opposition leader. These three women have all been trailblazers for non-violent social …
Kah Walla, the only woman in the race against long term incumbent Paul Biya filed the papers making her candidacy official last week. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/3rxf5xy
In Timor-Leste women have an average of 7 children, yet in a country with birthrates so high, care for maternal and newborn health and safety is lacking. In a country were babies are far from the rarity, health problems for mother and babies are also far from rare. Due to …
The Whistleblower opens this Friday in selected cities and then to a broader audience on August 12. Here’s my review of the movie, which is worth watching:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephenie-foster/whistleblower-film_b_914881.html
After a decade of reporting, this year’s focus shifts to how to move forward. In the words of Ambassador-At-Large Lou CdeBaca, “This year’s TIP Report focuses on how governments can move toward a more targeted, purposeful approach that fully addresses the minimum standards to fight trafficking …
Freedom House’s 2010 edition of Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa is out and a great resource. It analyzes the status of women in the region country by country. As Queen Noor has said, “It is vital that MENA countries more urgently recognize that the …
Last week Arizona’s governor, Jan Brewer, signed into law what are now the country’s harshest measures for responding to irregular (often referred to as illegal) immigration. The state has 90 days to put the law into effect. In summary, it has four main provisions:
- it is a crime to be …
UN-Habitat released its biannual “State of the World’s Cities” report in March, a 250+ page document that covers all manner of subjects about our increasingly urbanized world. More than half of all people now live in cities, and this figure will reach 60% in less than twenty years, …
The United States is a country of immigrants – even more so if they are counted successfully in the current 2010 Census. Extra efforts have been made to reach previously undercounted populations, including those arriving as migrants.
One reason that recent immigrants are less likely to participate may be lack of …
News of irregular immigration into the United States often focuses on those trying to cross the border via land. Huge fences and security cameras monitor the divide between the US and Mexico (less so the northern border with Canada – that is material for another blog post), while scanning machines …
Last week President Barack Obama granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians for a period of 18 months. This applies those already living in the US, but without legal papers. It prevents their detainment or deportation, and enables them to work legally. The purpose of this status is to protect …
The movie Avatar is a blockbuster, and now the third-highest grossing movie of all time. It is also a story about migration. In short, it depicts humans in the year 2154, seeking to extract a valuable mineral from a far-off planet called Pandora, and willing to do so at any …
