Unhappy experience with racism prompts McPherlain Chungu, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Zambia now studying in India, to reflect on the role of apathy. He argues that each individual can combat racism by speaking up and looking for ways in which we are similar rather than different. Just weeks ago, ten Nigerian students sustained severe injuries after …
Uganda’s rural poor face multiple challenges to development, writes Munguongeyo Ivan, 24, a Correspondent from Kampala, Uganda, who argues for the need to place human rights at the centre of development policy. The rural poor in Uganda lack access to financial services, they are at the edges of communities, often isolated and have limited access …
Five years after a rape case that shook society in India and made headlines around the world, Shiboni D’Souza, 23, a Correspondent from Bangalore in India, looks at the changes in law and public perception that have evolved since the horrendous attack on a woman now known as “Nirbhaya”. It has been almost five years …
The arrest of an opposition leader made headlines around the world, but McPherlain Chungu, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Zambia now studying in India, examines whether the so-called crisis is a distraction from other serious political issues. When the news broke that the leader of the main opposition, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, was brutally arrested and …
“Political ‘crisis’ is a distraction from big issues” Read More »
Taking stock of the first few months of the new Presidency of the United States, Shannay Williams, 19, a Correspondent from St. Thomas in Jamaica, looks at how the founding values of truth and liberty are faring under an extraordinarily changed landscape. “We Hold these Truths to be Self Evident”, states one of the opening …
The UN has adopted the Convention Against Torture, but Ronald Tukachungurwa, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kampala in Uganda, argues that states must do more to ensure they are in compliance with the UN and constitutional laws. On certain Ugandan streets, billboards are hung with a message condemning torture, while in hospitals, schools, police stations …
Tutoring a refugee student gave Debra Grace Lim Jia-En, 17, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Malaysia, opportunity to learn about gaps in the rights and protections that are offered when people are forced to flee war or disaster. It was at a local NGO that I first met Sayyaf (not his real name), a 10-year-old Rohingya …
The issue of street kids has earned the attention of government authorities and policy makers, yet it remains a growing challenge in African cities and towns, writes Kiiza Saddam Hussein, 26, a Correspondent who lives in Uganda and Rwanda. When you talk to someone from western countries about street kids as an issue they might …
Recently, Commonwealth Correspondent Omeye Kenechukwu wrote about community identity in the south of Nigeria. Here, Folmi Yohanna, 27, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Bauchi State, examines the sense of inclusion for communities in northern Nigeria. Minority communities in almost any region tend to be targets of discrimination, exclusion and sometimes violence. Often, the poorest communities are …
At this point in the 21st century, the right to vote as a fundamental cornerstone of democracy appears to be beyond debate, writes Brian Dan Migowe, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kenya. However, those with disabilities may face obstacles in casting a ballot. For many persons with psycho-social and physical disabilities, the right to vote remains …