-
Contraceptive Shortages in Venezuela Denies Women Their Right to Family Planning and Forces Thousands Into Pregnancy
Written by: Associate Editor, Julia Kelly The global fall of oil prices in 2014, among many other factors, caused Venezuela’s economy to crash. Venezuela has since experienced years of economic crisis, which has left its toll on many Venezuelan families, who face widespread hunger and hyperinflation. Specifically, in more recent years, millions of women are now unable to access or afford birth control. Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro identified themselves as feminists. President Chávez’s political movement focused on giving women equal opportunities in society, and, in 1999, included in their Constitution that women had the right to decide freely how many children they wished to individually have. He also…
-
Old Enough to Save the Planet: Young Activists Lead the Fight for Climate Change
By: Frances M. Rivera Reyes, Associate Editor In this era of social media, distinguished by information overflow, young people have surprised the established system by taking leadership roles traditionally held by nation leaders. Children like Greta Thunberg have made headlines for initiating worldwide movements and expressing blunt frustration with the lack of urgency world leaders have shown in matters that will mainly affect newer generations. Adolescents like Thunberg are paving the way for the growth of movements such as the fight against climate change. Last week, a group of sixteen children ages 8 to 17, including Thunberg, filed a complaint with the United Nations against five of the largest carbon…
-
FIFA Lays Down the Law for Iran, Inspired by #BlueGirl
By Jake Gellerstein, Associate Editor In early September, 2019, the hashtag “#BlueGirl” began trending on Twitter. This moniker referred to Sahar Khodayari, an Iranian citizen who passed away as a result of lighting herself on fire in protest. Khodayari was potentially facing up to six months in prison for the crime of entering an Iranian football stadium. Women have been banned from entering Iran football stadiums since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Khodayari’s story received national attention from NGO’s such as the Human Right’s Watch and the Open Stadiums Movement, a coalition started by Iranian Woman seeking to ensure more freedoms for women and end the constant discrimination. Masoud Shojaei,…