

Vaccination Protesters Demand More Understanding
by Irina JiangImage: DJ Paine / Unsplash As COVID cases are trending down in Ontario, largely thanks to the mandatory vaccination policy to participate in activities, including restaurants, a new round of anti-vaccination protests has unfolded. It is intuitive for most people to get vaccinated to protect themselves from having the virus. However, even with statistical evidence showing the vaccines’ high efficacy, a 95% effective … Continue reading Vaccination Protesters Demand More Understanding

Western University Sexual Violence and Validation of Rape Culture 
by Sofia FreitasImage: Archives of Ontario / Flickr It is no secret that despite societal progression on a global scale, women across the world are still subjected to gratuitous violence and misogynistic preconceptions, with their heinous aggressors primarily known to be men. With this unfortunate notion understood, the incrementing sexual violence countless female students faced on the Western University campus came as no surprise. How … Continue reading Western University Sexual Violence and Validation of Rape Culture 

After the Detention of Otoniel: the End of the Gulf Clan?
by Paul FloresImage: Daniel Stuben. / Unsplash On October 24th, 2021, the Gulf Clan’s leader, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David— also known as “Otoniel”—was detained by the police and the Colombian army. Frequently compared to Pablo Escobar, Otoniel is the most-searched drug dealer in the country and the leader of the Gulf Clan, a criminal group that controls 250 of the 1122 villages in Colombia. As … Continue reading After the Detention of Otoniel: the End of the Gulf Clan?

A Dark Scar on Our Past — Residential Schools
by Yameen KhurshidImage: GoToVan / Flickr Earlier this year (June 24th), 715 unmarked graves of Indigenous children were found at a former Canadian residential school (Marieval Residential School) on the Cowessess First Nation, east of Regina — just weeks following the discovery of the remains of 215 more children at a former B.C. residential school. Over four-thousand children reportedly died in residential schools, however, estimates … Continue reading A Dark Scar on Our Past — Residential Schools

New Zealand: Pandemic Strategy Developments
by Annonymous Image: Karolina Grabowska / Pexels Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have had widely different approaches to handling the pandemic. One country, in particular, New Zealand, took a cautious approach against the virus from the very beginning. New Zealand received its first Covid case early in 2020 and took swift action. The country called for mandatory quarantines for all visitors and then later … Continue reading New Zealand: Pandemic Strategy Developments

Why have we not improved our hate crime responses?
by Monique KasongaImage: Jason Leung / Unsplash Despite the growing awareness and fight against hate crimes, hate-fueled violence is still growing rapidly in Canada and the United States. Increases in racist rhetoric have coincided with increases in racist attacks. Particularly, since February 2020, Asians and people of Asian descent around the world have been subjected to attacks and beatings, violent bullying, threats, racist abuse, and … Continue reading Why have we not improved our hate crime responses?

Afghan Allies Left Stranded: Inadequacies of the Special Immigrant Visa Program
by Karina MelencioImage: Ahmed akacha / Pexels The aftermath of the U.S. army’s complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover gave attention to the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program and how it can help evacuate the estimated 256,000 Afghan allies left stranded within the country. Numerous reports and reassessments of the program came through that showed the flaws of its slow, year-long bureaucratic processes (such as the … Continue reading Afghan Allies Left Stranded: Inadequacies of the Special Immigrant Visa Program

America’s Policing of Women’s Reproductive Rights: The Anti Abortion Legislation in Texas
by Sofia FreitasImage: Gayatri Malhotra / Unsplash On September 1st, 2021, the Austin Texas Circut Court of Appeals issued a one-page statement allowing for the temporary re-establishment of heavy restrictions on abortions. This law prohibits the termination of pregnancy once cardiac activity is detected – after about six weeks – with no exceptions pertaining to cases of rape or incest. This ban was initiated only … Continue reading America’s Policing of Women’s Reproductive Rights: The Anti Abortion Legislation in Texas

Jason Kenney & COVID-19: The Flaws of Democracy
by Shreya Viswanathan Image: Canada Club Toronto / Flickr Canada’s western province of Alberta had an enviable record of COVID-19 control until June 2021, but all this changed by early September. The province went from having a 7-day average COVID-19 case count of 63 to 20,000 in the span of three months. This rapid deterioration was due to Premier Jason Kenney’s decision to “open for … Continue reading Jason Kenney & COVID-19: The Flaws of Democracy

How is El Salvador fighting against violence?
by Paul FloresImage: Pexels In 2018, El Salvador was named the most violent country in the world, with approximately 52 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2020, the country’s homicide rate fell to a historic level after President Nayib Bukele came to power. Security has always been one of the main concerns of Salvadorans. It is the key to understanding the popularity of the current president, … Continue reading How is El Salvador fighting against violence?