Category Archives: Insights

New decisions by global conservation group bolster efforts to save Africa’s elephants

African forest elephant in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of the Congo. Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images March 31, 2021 3.05pm BST Robin Whytock, University of Stirling and Fiona Maisels, University of Stirling Two big decisions have been made in the last few weeks in relation to African elephants that willContinue reading “New decisions by global conservation group bolster efforts to save Africa’s elephants”

Tiny witnesses of war: Palestinian children’s voices should guide a renewed commitment to peace

Photographs of children killed in Gaza after Israeli strikes are held by demonstrators during a National March for Palestine in Washington, May 29. 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) June 1, 2021 3.02pm BST Aparna Mishra Tarc, York University, Canada Palestinian children have borne and continue to bear the devastating effects of the never-ending conflict between IsraelContinue reading “Tiny witnesses of war: Palestinian children’s voices should guide a renewed commitment to peace”

British Somalis and FGM: ‘everybody is a suspect – you are guilty until proven innocent’

shutterstock/Monkey Business Images March 18, 2020 9.42am GMT Saffron Karlsen, University of Bristol; Christina Pantazis, University of Bristol; Magda Mogilnicka, University of Bristol, and Natasha Carver, University of Bristol Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), whereby the female genitals are deliberately injured or changed for non-medical reasons, is considered by the UN to be a “global concern”.Continue reading “British Somalis and FGM: ‘everybody is a suspect – you are guilty until proven innocent’”

South Africa’s COVID-19 hunger relief efforts are working: why they must continue

A women receives bread at the ‘Hunger Has No Religion’ feeding scheme run by Muslims in Johannesburg, South Africa. EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook October 15, 2020 7.26am BST  Leila Patel, University of Johannesburg Since the year 2000, South Africa has made big strides in lowering levels of both child and adult hunger, as well as improving food securityContinue reading “South Africa’s COVID-19 hunger relief efforts are working: why they must continue”

Education and inequality in 2021: how to change the system

Students take their test outside due to their overcrowded class room in Kisumu, Kenya. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images April 29, 2021 4.00pm BST Conrad Hughes, Université de Genève Since its earliest traces, at least 5,000 years ago, formal education – meaning an education centred on literacy and numeracy – has always been highly selective. AncientContinue reading “Education and inequality in 2021: how to change the system”

Stereotypes about young jobless South Africans are wrong: what they’re really up to

Makeshift shops have mushroomed as people try to make ends meet amid South Africa’s excessive unemployment. Hobermunemployment. an Collection/Universal Images Group via Getty Images June 14, 2021 4.09pm BST Hannah J. Dawson, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. A whopping 63% of its young peopleContinue reading “Stereotypes about young jobless South Africans are wrong: what they’re really up to”

Smallholder farming is a proven path out of poverty, but climate change is changing the rules

October 29, 2021 By Enock Chikava In the 1990s, Zimbabwe had one dry year every five years. Now it is once every two years, and sometimes the dry years are back-to-back. I have been involved with smallholder agriculture my entire life. Along with my 10 siblings, I grew up on a small farm in Zimbabwe, whereContinue reading “Smallholder farming is a proven path out of poverty, but climate change is changing the rules”

We interviewed 150 women migrants – revealing how their journeys involve peril at every turn

There were seven women and three children among the 27 people who tragically lost their lives in the English Channel this week. Women and children are frequently among those seeking a new life in Europe: as of November 21, this year 27.1% of migrants arriving by sea in the Mediterranean are women or children.

Preventing future pandemics starts with recognizing links between human and animal health

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that zoonotic diseases – infections that pass from animals to humans – can present tremendous threats to global health. More than 70% of emerging and reemerging pathogens originate from animals. That probably includes the SARS CoV-2 virus, which scientists widely believe originated in bats.