Tag Archives: 5: Excellent

Class + Socioeconomics, Ideology + Affiliation

Peru Feature | Farmers

Big Victory for a Small Farmer in Peru

Peruvian Máxima Acuña de Chaupe may have seemed like an unlikely agent for the deterrence of a major international company’s mining project, but the 47-year-old farmer and mother of four was able to halt U.S.-based Newmont and Peru-based Buenaventura’s joint development of a mine on her 60-acre farm with the help of social media and international organizations. Despite physical violence, arson, lawsuits, and fines, Acuña fought to stop the expropriation of her land and stave off eviction attempts that began back in 2011. A recipient of the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize, Acuña has brought global attention to ongoing rights battles as private development encroaches upon territory small, often poor farmers depend on for their livelihoods. The Guardian and El País have profiled Acuña and the centrality of international solidarity in efforts to protect land and environmental rights.

“No sé si la situación se calmará, voy a seguir defendiendo mi tierra, tengo fe y seguiré pidiendo justicia.”

Translation: “I don’t know if the situation will calm down, I’m going to keep defending my land, I have faith and will continue demanding justice.”

Read:
“Peruvian farmer wins David-and-Goliath battle against US mining giant” (The Guardian)
“La vuelta a la lucha de Máxima Acuña” (El País, in Spanish)

Additional:
Máxima Acuña: Goldman Environment recipient (The Goldman Environmental Prize)
“Peru’s Goldman Prize Winner Maxima Acuña’s Life is in Danger” (teleSUR English)

(Image Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize, via The Guardian)

Gender, Sexual + Gender Minorities

U.K. News | LGB

Scotland becomes first country to have out sexual minorities comprise majority of political party leaders
  • Kezia Dugdale, leader of the Scottish Labour party, came out quietly in an interview with the Fabian Review, mentioning her relationship with another woman.
  • Dugdale joins the leaders of the Scottish Conservative, Scottish Green, and UKIP Scotland parties as an out politician.
  • At 34, Dugdale is also the youngest leader of the Labour party and discussed how her relative youth has affected perceptions of her leadership capabilities.

Read more:
“The long road: interview with Kezia Dugdale” (Fabian Review)
“The Scottish Labour Leader Just Came Out And No One Batted An Eyelid” (BuzzFeed News)
“Kezia Dugdale: Scottish Labour leader announces she is in a same-sex relationship” (The Independent)

(Image Credit: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images, via BuzzFeed News)

Gender

Vietnam News | Women

Vietnam parliament elects first woman chair
  • Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan became the country’s first parliament chairwoman, the fourth-highest government office.
  • Legislators lauded the historic moment and noted the ongoing push for 30% of the parliament’s seats to be occupied by women.
  • Her election was expected after she was re-elected to the 19-member Politburo within the Communist Party, the lead decision-making body in the country.

Read more:
“Vietnam has first chairwoman of parliament” (Thanh Nien News)
“Vietnam elects first woman to lead parliament” (Deutsche Welle)
“Vietnam Elects First Chairwoman of Parliament” (AP via ABC News)

(Image Credit: Ngoc Thang/Thanh Nien)

Gender

Bangladesh Feature | Women

Sewing Clothes, Sewing Futures

A new initiative is providing Bangladeshi women working in garment factories with the opportunity to earn a college education. Through a partnership with the Asian University for Women (AUW), garment factories, many affiliated with popular global brands, are sending select workers to school while maintaining their pay. Factories’ reputations have taken a blow in the fallout from the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, and some employers are keen on improving their public image through social responsibility initiatives. The Guardian takes a look at the program and a few of its bright young student-workers.

Read more:
“Dresses to degrees: university opens its doors to Bangladesh garment workers” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: David Levene/The Guardian)

Gender

Global Research | Women

Leave a comment

Global Companies Profit from Women in Leadership

As global public and private sectors alike search for ways to connect the social value of workplace diversity to companies’ economic value, a study by the Washington D.C.–based Peterson Institute for International Economics has found that increased gender diversity in corporate leadership benefits businesses’ bottom line. The analysis involved more than 20,000 firms from 91 countries.

15% increase

Profitability change associated with an increase in share of women in leadership from zero to 30%

40% of board seats / 20% of executive positions

Women’s representation in corporate leadership in Norway, the highest from countries reported

12% of board seats / 16% of executive positions

Women’s representation in corporate leadership in the U.S., near the middle of the pack

Parental leave policies

Stronger paternity (versus maternity) leave policies correlate with more female leadership

Read more:
“Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey” (Marcus Noland, Tyler Moran, Barbara Kotschwar)
“Women in Company Leadership Tied to Stronger Profits, Study Says” (The New York Times)

Additional reading:
Women and Leadership (Pew Research Center)

Age, Class + Socioeconomics

Brazil News | Children

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Brazil sheds 43% of child workers over last decade
  • Brazil’s number of child workers decreased to 2.8 million in 2014 from 5 million in 2004.
  • The demographics of child workers also shifted from predominantly uneducated children from low-income families to teenagers from economically stable families.
  • The Brazilian constitution bans children under the age of 13 from working, while youth aged 14 and 15 can work under apprenticeship programs and those aged 16 and older can have formal day jobs.

Read more:
“Brazil reduces child labor by 43 percent in decade” (Xinhua)
2014 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor: Brazil (U.S. Department of Labor)
“Brazil halves the percentage of children working” (The Guardian, 2010)

Race + Color + Ethnicity

U.S. News | Latinos

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Latinos turn out in record numbers for Iowa caucuses
  • An estimated 10,500 Latinos turned out to Monday’s caucuses, more than 10 times the number in 2012 and quadruple that of 2008, and comprised 4% of Democratic caucus attendees and 2% of Republican attendees.
  • The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) undertook a $300,000 nonpartisan effort to get at least 10,000 of the 50,000 registered Latino voters to attend caucuses throughout the state.
  • On the Republican side, two candidates with Cuban heritage (Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio) won first and third place, respectively, in a first for Latino presidential candidates.

Read more:
“The Effort To Turn Out Latino Voters In Iowa Worked” (BuzzFeed News)
“Latino Turnout in Iowa Demands Attention From Campaigns, Experts Say” (NBC News)
“GOP: Iowa Caucus Is a Big Win for Latino Candidates” (Latin Post)

(Image Credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images, via Latin Post)

Race + Color + Ethnicity

Myanmar News | Ethnic Minorities

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Ethnic minorities in Myanmar nominated for top government spots under new government
  • Under Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD), politicians from the country’s largest ethnic minorities including the Kachin, Karen, and Rakhine were nominated for top positions.
  • Four MPs were nominated to speaker positions in the new parliament, which convened at the beginning of February.
  • The nominations come as leaders of ethnic rebel factions prepare to meet with government negotiators to address ongoing ethnic conflict in the country.

Read more:
“Myanmar ethnic minority MPs receive Suu Kyi boost” (Channel NewsAsia)
“Myanmar’s Suu Kyi lauds choice of ethnic and army-backed parliamentary speakers” (Reuters)
“Myanmar ethnic groups place faith in Suu Kyi govt for peace” (AFP, via Channel NewsAsia)

(Image Credit: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

Gender

Taiwan News | Women

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Taiwan elects first female president in significant victory
  • Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen became the nation’s first woman elected to the executive office after securing just over 56% of the vote.
  • The DPP unseated the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the 8-year incumbent party, as questions about the country’s relationship to China, which doesn’t recognize its sovereignty, grow.
  • Analysts view Tsai’s election as an attempt by voters to turn around the country’s struggling economy and reexamine the last administration’s pro-China policies, concerning China’s political leaders.

“The results today tell me that the people want to see a government more willing to listen to the people, a government that is more transparent and accountable, and a government that is more capable of leading us past our current challenges and taking care of those in need.”

Read more:
“Madam President” (The Taipei Times)
“Taiwan Opposition Wins Presidency, Parliament in Rout of Ruling KMT” (Radio Free Asia)
“Taiwan elects first female president” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: CNA, via The Taipei Times)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Colombia News | LGBT

Colombian high court legalizes adoption for same-sex couples
  • Colombia’s constitutional court ruled 6-2 in favor of opening adoption up to same-sex couples, drawing on both constitutional and international law as justification.
  • The Court struck down the prohibition against adoption by same-sex couples by affirming the rights of children to a family, arguing that parental gender and sexual diversity has no negative impact on a child.
  • The country joins regional neighbors Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in allowing same-sex couples to adopt.

Read more:
“Corte Constitucional da vía libre a adopción gay en Colombia” (El Tiempo, in Spanish)
“Colombia joins growing group of countries that allow adoption by same sex couples” (Fusion)
“Colombia Rules in Favor of Same-Sex Adoption” (teleSUR English)

(Image Credit: El Tiempo)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Taiwan Feature | LGBT

Video

Proud in Taiwan

Taiwan celebrated Pride with its 13th-annual Pride parade, Asia’s largest. Tens of thousands descended upon the streets of Taipei from around the world to celebrate LGBT individuals and culture on an island notable for its LGBT acceptance.

View the Wall Street Journal video on YouTube.

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Canada News | Women & Minorities

PM Trudeau forms most diverse government in Canadian history
  • Fulfilling a campaign promise, Trudeau has created a gender-equal 30-member cabinet “because it’s 2015,” as he bluntly stated at a press conference unveiling his new government.
  • The cabinet also includes the country’s first Muslim minister, two indigenous ministers, three Sikhs, and two ministers with disabilities.
  • Trudeau’s cabinet is also relatively youthful, with most ministers under the age of 50, reflecting Trudeau’s commitment to generational change.

Read more:
“A Canadian Cabinet for 2015” (The Atlantic)
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveils diverse cabinet in touching ceremony” (The Star)
“Trudeau gives Canada first cabinet with equal number of men and women” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: Chris Wattle/Reuters, via the Atlantic)

Gender

Nepal News | Women

Nepal elects first woman president following establishment of new constitution
  • Bidhya Devi Bhandari, a member of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), was elected Nepal’s second president by the Nepalese parliament.
  • Though the presidency is largely a ceremonial role, Bhandari has had a long political career that began after the death of her husband, a Nepali politician, in 1993.
  • Although she worked to secure a one-third quota for women in Nepal’ parliament, Bhandari has been at the center of controversy surrounding the inclusion of women’s rights in Nepal’s new constitution, having made comments construed as supporting gender inequality in the country.

Read more:
“Bhandari is Nepal’s 1st female President” (The Kathmandu Post)
“This Woman Is Now Nepal’s First Female President” (BuzzFeed News)
“A Himalayan first” (The Indian Express)

(Image Credit: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters, via BuzzFeed News)

Ideology + Affiliation, Religion + Belief

Europe News | Saudi Dissident

Imprisoned Saudi blogger wins EU’s top human rights prize
  • Raif Badawi won the Sakharov prize for creating the secularist blog Free Saudi Liberals, which called for political reforms in the Arab world and criticized the illiberal effects of theocracy.
  • Following his arrest on charges of apostasy in 2012, Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes, the first 50 of which led to injuries that required the indefinite deferral of the remainder.
  • International authorities and advocates including U.S. officials and Amnesty International have condemned Badawi’s imprisonment and called for his release.

Read more:
“Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Awarded Top EU Human Rights Prize” (BuzzFeed News)
“Jailed Saudi blogger awarded Europe’s rights prize” (Al Jazeera)
“A look at the writings of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi – sentenced to 1,000 lashes” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: Facebook, via BuzzFeed News)

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Canada News | Women & Minorities

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Canadian elections bring significant victories for women,  First Nations, and other minorities
  • A wave of victories swept a record 10 new indigenous MPs (eight Liberal and two NDP) into the House of Commons as preliminary reports indicate higher than normal turnout rates among indigenous Canadian communities.
  • Women won 88 seats, increasing their representation to 26%, while new PM Justin Trudeau has promised to have equal gender representation in his Cabinet.
  • Six Muslims won seats during an election cycle that saw religious freedom issues contentiously debated, and visible minority representation increased to 13.6% from 9.7% in 2011.

Read more:
“Record 10 indigenous MPs elected to the House of Commons” (CBC News)
“On-reserve voters endure lines and ballot issues for historic election” (The Globe and Mail)
“Women and visible minorities make election gains” (Yahoo! News)

(Image Credit: CBC)