The conflicting views of these international agencies place those who advocate abandoning it as a cutting tool in a bind. They are caught between the commitments to universal human rights and cultural tolerance. The common belief that cutting is a local practice based upon a deeply ingrained social norm exacerbates this dilemma. This view is a popular one,…
Fans confront sexual assault in entertainment
It remains to be determined how the fans’ advocacy and their comments will influence a reckoning on the culture of sexual abuse that has been exposed within the Japanese Entertainment Industry at large. Johnny & Associates: Fall of a Titan For decades , Johnny & Associates was plagued by rumours and allegations of sexual abuse. Kitagawa was the…
Brazil’s proposed policies will harm women’s equality and men too
As we were writing this article in Rio de Janeiro’s bohemian Lapa neighborhood, we heard the sound of tear gas being used by police to suppress mass protests against harsh austerity plans proposed by Brazil’s three-month-old conservative government. If approved, the so-called “Bridge to the Future” policy would impose a spending cap that would freeze the federal budget, but…
Will US missile strikes be a turning point in Syria’s shifting war
The US has attacked the Syrian airbase that was used to launch an suspected Sarin gas attack on Khan Sheikhun, which killed over 80 civilians. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of state Rex Tillerson cited the chemical attacks as the reason their country was involved in Syria’s six year war. According to a Pentagon spokesperson,…
Understanding the causes of natural disasters
Each year, disasters cause deaths, significant damage, hinder development, and lead to conflict and forced immigration. Unfortunately, there is a trend of increasing. In May 2017, disaster management experts and policy makers from more than 180 countries met in Cancun to discuss how to combat this trend. The Cancun Summit was interrupted by the news that large areas…
Is Mexico Ready for Gay Marriage
The ” march for the family” was held in September by 100 cities across all 32 Mexican states. It was a protest against a proposal that would legalize homosexual marriage. According to the National Front for Family coalition of civil societies and religious groups who organized the march, more than one million people took part. Other sources put the number at…
Celebrity, melodrama, and Philippine politics are all deeply intertwined
Since Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines in 2016, international media has been very interested in Philippine politics. The international press has been much more interested in Philippine politics since Rodrigo Duterte was elected president in 2016. To understand Philippine politics in general – and Duterte’s success in particular — it is necessary to…
In Trinidad and Tobago the Carnival becomes feminist
Carnival in this Caribbean island, which has 1.4 million residents – mostly descendants of indentured Indians and enslaved Africans — is not a mere imitation of similar celebrations in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans. Instead, it combines African traditions and European pre-Lent festivals with Indian musical rhythms. It’s not surprising that over the last…
How the heartbreaking images of Aleppo can actually change international norms
The siege in Aleppo has reached unprecedented levels of public awareness. Many people have claimed that the destruction of the city and the testimony of the wounded survivors who used social media to communicate with the world are causing a total meltdown of humankind. Some people have complained that the post-Holocaust cry ” Never Again” has proven meaningless and…
In Suriname, an endless refrain
Recent street protests in Suriname haven’t made many international headlines. Only newspapers in neighbouring Guyana and in the Netherlands, the colonial metropole, have covered the marches in which thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest spiraling economic chaos. Suriname, a small nation on South America’s northern coast with a population of half…









