Migrant worker deaths: Is Qatar making good on its promise to change?

An army of migrant workers has been helping Qatar to prepare to host the 2022 World Cup. However, headlines about excessive deaths, unsanitary living conditions and unpaid wages have led to criticism of their treatment.

 

Thai School Scandal

 

As stories about abusive teachers hit the headlines in Thailand, we meet the students who say they have had enough.

From regulating the length of students’ hair to what they wear and how they behave, Thailand’s schools have long been a place where one must abide by strict rules. In some schools, the power imbalance between students and teachers has left children exposed to abuse, bullying and humiliating punishments.

How the coronavirus lockdown is fueling domestic violence | DW News

Millions around the world have been forced into isolation as governments try and protect the most vulnerable, the old and the sick from COVID 19. But these lockdowns have exposed another category of vulnerable people to that which they fear most – domestic abuse.

Journalism that changed 2019

A look at cases where reporting speaks truth to power, exposes wrongdoing, and helps rectify it.

Picking just four was hard but we settled on West Africa and a documentary film Sex for Grades produced by Africa Eye, the investigative arm of BBC Africa.

It follows a radio presenter and investigative journalist, Kiki Mordi, as she exposes the extent of sexual harassment in West African universities.

Speaking from personal experience, she told The Listening Post: "People like to make excuses for abusers and people like making excuses for harassers. But right there, visualising it, seeing it and putting your own daughter in that room, I think you would have a rethink about the excuses you were going to make for abusers or lecturers who harassed their students."

Japanese teacher punches high school boy in the face

On January 15, a 16-year-old first-year student at Tokyo’s Metropolitan Machida Sogo High School got into a heated argument with a teacher in the school hallway. Prior to the argument, the student had been disciplined for wearing an earring to school, in violation of the dress code.

As the two were talking, another student filmed the exchange, which can be seen in the video below (which has been posted via multiple accounts on YouTube and Twitter). As it starts, the angered student can be heard saying “Don’t f**k with me.” He also commands the 50-something educator to “Use that tiny brain of yours and think about it” and asks him “Are you a damned idiot?”, as well as “How the hell am I going to be compensated, huh?”perhaps in reference to the ostensibly confiscated earring.

The teacher’s responses aren’t audible, as the student’s speaking with much more frequency and volume. Eventually, though, the teacher offers a much more physical rebuttal, chest-bumping the student away from him before swinging his right first into the student’s face and knocking him to the floor.

While the student was being a complete dick and a normal teenager there was absolutely no justification  for the teacher to punch the young man.  He should face consequences.

Nepal's Children at Risk

Investigating rising fears that Nepal has become a target for paedophiles acting under the cover of aid work.

Thousands of foreigners come to Nepal each year, offering to help children living in poverty.

Some provide money, others work for aid organisations or even set up charities.

But police say some come for more sinister purposes.

A rising number of foreigners have been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing children in recent months.

Why Universities Tolerate Fraternities?

The history of fraternities has a lot of ups and downs — and stretches all the way back to America’s founding fathers. Beyond the hazing and beer chugging, there’s a story that includes changes in higher education and even national politics. So why do colleges keep fraternities on campus? The reason is a web of incentives that make fraternities allies to administrators — despite the negatives they sometimes present.

Accused South Korean cult leader filmed beating her followers

Shocking footage showing a South Korean pastor beating her followers and ordering them to beat one another has emerged as Korean police investigate claims that she ran a cult in Fiji, forcing people to work without pay and endure violent rituals.

The footage appears to show violent assaults on members of the South Korean Grace Road Church.

Pastor Shin Ok-ju was arrested last month along with three other church leaders when they landed at Incheon airport just outside of Seoul.

Afghanistan: No Country for Women

In war-torn Afghanistan it is not the Taliban that poses the greatest threat to women - it is their own families.



Thirteen years after the fall of the Taliban, women in Afghanistan continue to suffer oppression and abuse.

Research by Global Rights estimates that almost nine out of 10 Afghan women face physical, sexual or psychological violence, or are forced into marriage.

In the majority of cases the abuse is committed by the people they love and trust the most - their families.

While shelters are trying to provide protection and legal help to some, many women return to abusive homes because there is no alternative. Unable to escape their circumstances, some are turning to drastic measures like self-immolation to end their suffering.

Unicef releases (video) showing how children can be abused and exploited in conflict zones

The number of children who have sought asylum in the European Union has almost doubled compared to the same period last year.


Unicef UK has launched a new film highlighting the difficulties faced by children in conflict zones and emergencies.

The video coincides with a new Unicef report showing that the number of children who have sought asylum in the European Union has nearly doubled compared to the same period last year.

With one in ten of the world’s children now growing up in a conflict zone, Unicef UK is calling on the Government to prioritise the protection of children in these difficult environments.

Waiting for Eviction

101 East meets Western Australia's indigenous communities who are facing eviction from their ancestral lands.


Hundreds of people in remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia will be forced to abandon the land their families have lived on for generations.

The state government is reviewing plans to cut services to up to 150 towns.

The government says it is not about saving costs, but concern over reports that some communities are dysfunctional, plagued by substance abuse, alcoholism and widespread child sexual abuse.

Critics accuse the government of racism and failing to understand the importance of indigenous people living on ancestral land.

Afghanistan: No Country for Women

In war-torn Afghanistan it is not the Taliban that poses the greatest threat to women - it is their own families.




Thirteen years after the fall of the Taliban, women in Afghanistan continue to suffer oppression and abuse.

Research by Global Rights estimates that almost nine out of 10 Afghan women face physical, sexual or psychological violence, or are forced into marriage.

In the majority of cases the abuse is committed by the people they love and trust the most - their families.

While shelters are trying to provide protection and legal help to some, many women return to abusive homes because there is no alternative. Unable to escape their circumstances, some are turning to drastic measures like self-immolation to end their suffering.