Lisa Nikolau
Humanosphere
Seattle, WA, United States
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Past articles by Lisa:
Study: Climate change will perpetuate U.S. inequality
Unmitigated climate change will make much of the United States poorer and generally exacerbate rising wealth inequalities, according to a new study. For every one degree Celsius rise in global temperatures, the study projects that the country will lose about 1.2 percent of its Gross Domestic Product. The economic impact of climate change will not be uniform, say the researchers in this week's… → Read More
More than 200 million women still lack access to modern contraception
A new study published Wednesday by the Guttmacher Institute reports that some 214 million women, mostly in the developing world, lack access to modern methods of contraception and other reproductive services routinely available in the West. → Read More
Women in Venezuela suffer greater human rights violations
Venezuela's political and economic crises have human rights experts concerned about the country's rate of gender violence, for which legal systems are in place but no government data is available. Luz Patricia Mejía, a lawyer at the Organization of the American States (OAS) and women's rights expert, says there is reason to believe the rate of violence against women may be rising. → Read More
Women's rights groups condemn ban on pregnant schoolgirls in Tanzania
Women's rights groups have condemned Tanzanian President John Magufuli's comments that schoolgirls who give birth should be banned from state schools. More than 55,000 Tanzanian schoolgirls have been expelled from school over the last decade for being pregnant. Experts warn that low education rates are tied to a lack of proper healthcare for mother and child, illiteracy and poverty. → Read More
Deadly factory fire in Peru exposes country's high use of slave labor
A factory fire in Lima, Peru, that killed four young people has drawn official and international attention to the sometimes deadly risk posed by the country's use of forced labor, or slave labor. This tragedy, the International Labor Organization says, revealed that the Peruvian factory had operated in an abusive manner that "approaches modern forms of slavery such as forced labor, which affects… → Read More
US rejects international resolution to fight violence against women
The U.S. has rejected a UN resolution aimed at preventing violence against women because it included language on access to safe abortions. The resolution expressed "outrage at the persistence and pervasiveness of all forms of violence against women and girls worldwide" and called on countries to take immediate steps to prevent gender-based violence and discrimination. → Read More
Rise in poverty rate in Paraguay shows farmers hit hardest
Paraguay had been making progress against poverty over the years, but the government has reported a recent rise in poverty that some say stems from an inadequate focus on agricultural communities. Despite the country's overall economic growth last year, the total poverty rate rose from 26.6 to 28.8 percent. → Read More
Committee urges Canada to address indigenous suicide epidemic
Urgent government action is needed to address inadequate health care, housing and other root causes of a suicide epidemic among Canada's indigenous, according to a new report. Canada's indigenous suicide crisis stems from a long history of poverty, chronic unemployment and generations of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. → Read More
Traveling exhibit seeks to build U.S. empathy for refugees
Today is, unfortunately, a World Refugee Day like no other. Never before in the history of the world have so many been on the run, more than 65 million people, most of them displaced from their homes due to conflict or other threats to their welfare. → Read More
UN urges Caribbean nations to see benefits from surge in refugees
The United Nations is urging countries around the Caribbean to view the recent surge in refugees, from near and far, as a long-term benefit and not just a short-term challenge. More than 5,000 people came to various Caribbean nations last year seeking asylum, representing a 257 percent increase in the number of asylum seekers between mid-2015 and mid-2016 for the region. → Read More
Study: Mexico to blame for nearly half of child labor in Latin America
A recent study has found that Mexico is home to nearly half of all children and adolescents who are employed in Latin America. The study found that 3.6 million Mexican children and adolescents between five and 17 years old are employed and that six out of every 10 children in Mexico are looking for an “informal but honest” way to survive. → Read More
Reversing U.S. policy on Cuba will not improve human rights, experts say
Human rights experts warn of negative impacts from U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to revive trade and travel restrictions with Cuba that former President Barack Obama had relaxed in an effort to improve relations between the two countries. Many say the sanctions against Cuba accomplished little, other than to undermine economic opportunities of Cubans. → Read More
Ecuador's indigenous await government pardon for jailed activists
Advocates for indigenous people in Ecuador have appealed to the government to pardon and release more than 177 activists and leaders who were arrested last month for participating in protests. Indigenous peoples face the highest levels of poverty in Ecuador, with little access to health care, justice or education. → Read More
Canada's new foreign aid budget puts focus on women, girls
Canada has decided to shift its foreign aid spending so that it emphasizes empowering women and girls. By setting a goal of 15 percent of aid spending on gender equality, Canada will become the single largest contributor in bilateral funding to women’s rights organizations. → Read More
Rejecting US immigration strategy, Mexico works with Guatemala to protect refugees
In a rejection of the U.S. government's military-based approach to illegal migration, Mexico is now working with Guatemala to make their shared border safer and more humane for refugees fleeing violence in Central America. Many refugees travel to Mexico or the U.S., where they fall victim to criminal organizations, violence or other abuses that can leave them injured and traumatized. → Read More
60,000 Colombian teachers on strike to demand education reform
Sixty thousand public school teachers gathered on the streets of the Colombian capital on Tuesday to demand reforms in an education system plagued by poor funding and inequitable access. Experts say reducing inequities in education will be critical to breaking Colombia's historical cycle of violence and civil war, which was recently halted in a peace deal. → Read More
Investors withdraw from deadly dam project in Honduras
Investors are withdrawing all funding from a controversial hydroelectric dam project in Honduras that had been accompanied by murders of protesters. More than 30 people who opposed the dam project at Agua Zarca dam on the Gualcarque river have been killed over the years - allegedly by state-sanctioned military death squads - including famed activist Berta Caceres. → Read More
3D printer technology project makes prosthetic limbs for amputees in Haiti
One of the biggest 3D printing technology projects in the developing world is for making prosthetic limbs in Haiti, where amputees often face debilitating poverty and social exclusion. About 80 percent of the world's estimated 33 million people with limb loss live in poor countries and are often without access to prosthetics. → Read More
Trudeau asks Pope to apologize for abuses in indigenous schools
The Canadian prime minister asked Pope Francis to apologize for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in schools where indigenous children were abused. → Read More
Colombia's indigenous suspend peace process talks
Indigenous groups in Colombia this week suspended the process of prior consultation related to the implementation of the peace deal with the FARC. → Read More