Tag Archives: 1: Poor

Nationality + Migration

U.S. Feature | Guest Workers

The Low Tide of Slavery

The low-skilled counterpart to the U.S.’s highly promoted H1-B program, the H-2 visa program brings guest workers to the U.S. to fill low- or unskilled labor positions, including farm work, construction, household maintenance, and elements of the food harvesting supply chain. BuzzFeed News investigates how limited enforcement of regulations and workers’ unbreakable tie to their employer while in the country exacerbate employer-employee power inequalities in the program, leaving guest workers vulnerable to slavery-like exploitation including wage undercutting, visa and passport withholding, illegal fee leveraging, basic resource deprivation, and more insidious threats like sexual violence and death.

Read the full feature at BuzzFeed News.

(Image Credit: Ken Bensinger/BuzzFeed News)

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Western Asia Feature | Middle-Eastern Christians

The Twilight of Christianity in the Region of Its Birth

The Middle East has seen its culturally diverse population fractured by ever-increasing fault lines over the last century, from colonialism and nationalism to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Sunni-Shia sectarianism to fundamentalist Sunni extremism.  As a dwindling religious minority, Christians in the Middle East have seen the threat to their existence multiply exponentially after nearly two millennia of peaceful coexistence with other religious communities in their homeland.  The New York Times Magazine explores Christianity’s decline and contemporary existential threats in a region where extremism has subjected the community to exile, forced conversion, and execution.

Read the full feature at the New York Times Magazine.

(Image Credit: Peter van Agtmael/Magnum, for The New York Times)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Sexual + Gender Minorities

U.S. News | Black Trans Women

Trans woman of color in killed in Florida, tenth in 2015’s increase in violence against trans individuals
  • India Clarke was found murdered in Tampa by blunt force trauma to the upper body.
  • India is the ninth trans woman of color and tenth trans person killed so far in 2015, which is consistent with a trend of year-over-year increases in violence rates experienced by the trans community.
  • Local police and media have persistently misgendered Clarke in reports and stated gender identity is not considered a factor in her death, instead focusing on Clarke’s history of sex work and drug activity.

“India Clarke’s death is a tragedy that is made worse by egregious misgendering by local police and media.”

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

Nationality + Migration

Germany News | Refugees

Aside
Rise in anti-refugee violence in Germany endangers efforts to provide safe havens for the displaced
  • In the first half of the year, 150 arson and other attacks were recorded by the government, putting 2015 on track for a significant increase over the 170 recorded in 2014.
  • One anti-immigrant demonstration in Rostock saw Albanian and Egyptian refugees attacked during a festival.
  • Germany is expected to provide shelter to 450,000 asylum-seekers this year, and at least one poll indicated 50% of Germans would like to see the country take in more.

“The right’s populist ideas are spreading like wildfire in the CSU [Christian Social Union] and it’s extremely dangerous.”

Read the full story at Reuters.

Gender

India News | Women

Sex-selective abortion continues to skew demographics and create oppressive conditions for women in parts of India
  • The national average of births is 940 girls per 1,000 boys, while in some western states the number falls to as low as 871 per 1,000.
  • Economic incentives compound cultural attitudes in the decision to abort, including the continued practice of dowry in rural areas despite its outlawing in 1961.
  • The demographic disruption leads to increased oppression of women as they are trafficked to female-deficient areas, so new campaigns have led to increased numbers of girls in orphanages and public shaming of sex-selective aborters.

“People start planning their family in a rather regressive way – instead of counting their numbers, they start counting the children’s sex. What they want, they want. Anything else becomes collateral damage.”

Read the full story at Al Jazeera.

(Image Credit: Rafiq Maqbool/AP, via Al Jazeera)

Religion + Belief

Nigeria News | Muslims & Christians

Boko Haram attacks on mosque, church, and other city spaces in central Nigeria bring death total to more than 250 over the last week
  • A suicide bomber killed at least five when she entered a crowded Christian church in Jos, followed soon by two bombs exploding at a mosque and restaurant that killed 44 people.
  • Boko Haram agents also returned to villages in the northeast, going on a rampage leading to villagers’ deaths, burning churches, and destroyed homes.
  • The attacks come as the Islamic State, to which Boko Haram has expressed allegiance, has called for mayhem during the month of Ramadan.

Read the full story at the Guardian.

Gender

Mexico News | Women

High levels of femicide keep women’s security low in Central Mexico
  • For every 100 women murdered in Mexico’s 31 states between 2008 and 2013, 14 of them took place in Mexico State (Edomex).
  • The deaths occur in the context of an ongoing drug war that has seen more than 100,000 people killed or gone missing.
  • Despite bodies turning up regularly in rivers and sewers, state authorities are reluctant to cooperate with requests for exact figures and at times will bury individuals found without allowing families to see the bodies.

“We are never alone. We try to go in groups wherever we go.”

Read the full story at Channel NewsAsia.

(Image Credit: Omar Torres/AFP, via Channel NewsAsia)

Nationality + Migration

Turkey News | Korean & Chinese

Turkish nationalists attack group of Korean tourists in Istanbul, believing them to be Chinese
  • Members of the Istanbul chapter of Ülkü Ocaklari, a far-right Turkish nationalist group, broke off from demonstrations in solidarity against China’s treatment of its Muslim Uyghur minority to attack the tourists at the Topkapi Palace.
  • The Koreans had been at the popular tourist attraction as part of a tour group, and police quickly dispersed the attackers using tear gas.
  • Turkey has summoned its Chinese ambassador to discuss concerns over China’s constraint of Uyghur’s religious freedom, which has led to tension and violence in Xinjiang in the northwest of China.

Read the full story at the Hurriyet Daily News.

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity

Turkey News | Chinese & Associates

Istanbul Chinese restaurant attacked during demonstrations against China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims
  • Despite being owned by a Turkish man and employing a Uyghur cook, Happy China became a target of protesters’ anger.
  • The owner said that he will be closing the restaurant, which he opened after saving money for 25 years as a tour guide.

“Our customers are Indonesian Muslims in general. We work with Far East Asian people. Only a tiny portion of our customers are made up of Chinese customers. We do not serve alcoholic drinks. Although we work with Muslims, an attack like this has occurred.”

Read the full story at the Hurriyet Daily News.

(Image Credit: DHA photo, via the Hurriyet Daily News)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

U.S. News | Black Christians

Arsonists strike predominantly black churches across southern U.S.
  • Four churches were burned in the last week in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with at least three suspected to be the result of arson.
  • Investigators have not ruled any of them as being a hate crime yet, although investigations are ongoing.
  • The fires have occurred less than a week after the massacre at the historic black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, that left nine dead.

“The most important thing is people. … We’re going to build it back better than ever.”

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Larry Wood/Twitter photo, via BuzzFeed)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Turkey News | LGBT

Istanbul Pride attendees dispersed by police with water cannon and rubber bullets as governor calls off event
  • Plans to march along Istanbul’s Istikal Avenue near Taksim Square quickly evaporated as police swarmed the marchers preparing for the Sunday evening parade, leading to several detentions.
  • The governor denied permission for the event citing Ramadan, despite the parade having taken place in the past.
  • The event has grown from 30 participants in 2003 to around 50,000 in 2013, considered to be the largest of its kind in the Muslim world.

“These people do not hurl stones and they never would. They do not throw petrol bombs. They just ask for a legal recognition. … This summarizes what has been happening in Turkey. Any request for rights is met like this.”

Read the full stories at Hurriyet News Daily and Reuters.

(Image Credit: Kemal Aslan/Reuters)

Religion + Belief

Kuwait News | Shiite Muslims

Kuwait mourns 27 killed in IS attack on Shiite mosque
  • Injuring an additional 200, Friday’s attack on the Imam Sadeq mosque in Kuwait City was claimed by the Islamic State’s Wilayat of Najd division, which was also responsible for similar recent attacks in Saudi Arabia.
  • Kuwait has largely been shielded from the sectarian strife that has permeated the region, but the Shia community has felt it would only be a matter of time before violence arrived in Kuwait.
  • Saudi and Bahraini Shiites joined thousands of Kuwaitis who attended the funeral ceremonies.

“We had sectarianism before Syria. There were examples, even in parliament, of language that was very strong. We had tensions, but there was no violence. No attacks. No bombing.”

Read the full story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Jassim Mohammed/Reuters)

Nationality + Migration

Tunisia News | International Visitors

Gunman murders 39, wounds 38 at popular tourist hotel in largest terror attack in Tunisian history
  • Armed with an assault rifle, 23-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui opened fire on the beach, in the corridors, and in the offices of the Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Sousse.
  • His stated aim was to attack the tourists, with 15 Britons identified so far among the dead and 1 Irish.
  • The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Tunisia’s PM described the incident as a “lone wolf” attack.

“These were innocent holidaymakers, relaxing and enjoying time with their friends and families. … Like the victims in France and Kuwait yesterday, they did not pose a threat to anybody. These terrorists murdered them because the terrorists oppose people and countries who stand for peace, tolerance and democracy wherever they are in the world. But these terrorists will not succeed.”

Read the full story at the New York Times and BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images, via BuzzFeed)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

China News | Uyghur Muslims

Attack on traffic stop amidst Ramadan tensions leaves at least 18 dead in southwest Xinjiang in China
  • In the Tahtakoruk district of Kashgar (Kashi), suspects attacked unarmed traffic police with a vehicle, knives, and explosives, leading to three officers’ deaths and injuring at least four others.
  • Armed backup arrived and reportedly killed 15 suspects, though the exact number of dead was unclear in the confusion of the aftermath.
  • The violent incident occurs as tensions have increased in Xinjiang between the government and the autonomous region’s Muslim Uyghur population over Ramadan, with government restrictions on participation in activities for the holy month having angered citizens.

Read the full story at Radio Free Asia.

Sexual + Gender Minorities
Everyday discrimination and persecution blight on progress for Britain’s rural LGBT individuals
  • Permeation and permanence of bullying and other acts of intimidation in daily life leads to fear and alienation for LGBT people in rural areas, according to a hate crime researcher.
  • This fear leads to the under-reporting of hate crimes, with discrepancies between police reports and surveys of hate incidents indicating as many as 35,000 cases going unreported.
  • Lack of community, fear of being outed, communities’ intolerance of difference, and age all contribute to individuals’ vulnerability in rural areas, leading to social disengagement.

“We are a country with proud traditions of tolerance and respect but we must not let important progress in areas such as same-sex marriage mask the acute and continuing challenges that still remain. Researchers in today’s report were told of victims’ fear of not being taken seriously, how they were scared of being ‘outed’ and suspicion and distrust of the authorities. We must all redouble our efforts, and work together to give LGBT communities a stronger voice and put an end to the hatred that is a blight on modern society.”

Read the full story at the Guardian.

(Image Credit: Jose Jacome/EPA, via the Guardian)