by Daniel Warner | 30 Apr 2024 | Decoders, History, Human Rights, Israel-Palestine, Middle East, Politics
To understand the anger and fear in Israel and Palestine, you have to go back to Israel’s foundation and the lines drawn in the sand. A Palestinian protester argues with Israeli security forces to prevent shooting tear gas at Palestinian protesters during a...
by Martin Langfield | 25 Apr 2024 | Decoders, Human Rights, Politics, United States
Millions of migrants cross the U.S.-Mexican border. North of the border, some fear them. But the economy depends on migrants and it is they who face real dangers. A man carries a child as they are taken into custody by officials at the Texas-Mexico border in Eagle...
by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 17 Apr 2024 | Decoder Replay, Environment, Europe, Human Rights
Threats to nature persist despite global efforts to save our planet. But do we have an inalienable right to a habitable planet? People demonstrate outside the European Court of Human Rights, 9 April 2024 in Strasbourg, France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)...
by Katharine Lake Berz | 8 Apr 2024 | Culture, Education, Educators' Catalog, Human Rights, Middle East, Syria
Desperate to give daughters a safe life, some refugees marry them off early. One organization in Lebanon is showing girls that there is an alternative. Batoul, age 13, in an Alsama classroom in Lebanon. Batoul came to Alsama two years ago illiterate because her...
Girls face barriers to education due to poverty, cultural norms and practices, traditional gender roles, societal pressure and gender inequality. Katharine Lake Berz looks at how education and gender equality play a crucial role in redressing the balance and keeping girls worldwide from early marriage.
Exercise: Read the article. Use the ‘Questions to Consider’ below it as a starting point for discussion. Find out more about the importance of girls’ education and think about why it should be a priority. For further reading and research, use the following information on girls’ education: Girls Not Brides, World Bank. Discuss why this issue should be a priority and how it relates to SDG 4 and SDG 5. You could screen this ‘School is just the start’ TED Talk by Angelina Murimirwa (8min) and discuss the key points in groups.
by Lizan Nijkrake | 27 Mar 2024 | Africa, Decoder Replay, Health and Wellness, Human Rights, Women
Millions of girls around the world undergo a brutal and unnecessary surgery. Gambia, which banned the practice, is set to reverse course. Doctors in Somalia perform a repair surgery on a patient who had previously undergone female genital mutilation, 8 February 2022....
by Ramanpreet Syan | 8 Feb 2024 | Contest winners, Culture, Human Rights, Religion, Student Posts, Tatnall School, Youth Voices
In Sikh culture, the turban is a symbol of spirituality, holiness, respect and self-honor. Why then do some people react to it with fear and anger? Members of the Sikh community walk during the Parliament of World Religion Parade of Faiths in Chicago, 13 August 2023....
by Alistair Lyon | 24 Jan 2024 | Decoder Replay, History, Human Rights, Middle East
The Houthis, battle-hardened from years of fighting a civil war in Yemen, have proven to be a formidable adversary to Israel and its allies in the Red Sea. A Houthi forces helicopter approaching the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on 19 November 2023. Yemen’s Houthis...
by Jeremy Solomons | 22 Jan 2024 | Africa, Human Rights, Politics
Britain wants to send migrants to Rwanda. The British court says that’s not safe. For our correspondent Rwanda is home — and a place people come to for safety. Home Secretary James Cleverly and Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta shake hands at a...
by Ella Gorodetzky | 18 Jan 2024 | Educators' Catalog, Human Rights, Israel-Palestine, Media Literacy, Middle East, University of Wisconsin, Youth Voices
From Gaza to Israel to the United States some people are turning to social media for civil discussion. Can we stop disinformation about the Middle East? Posts on an imaginary social media page calling for civil dialogue about the Middle East. (Illustration by News...
Social media can be a double-edged sword — with the power to unite and to divide. How can students differentiate between disinformation and credible content? Journalism undergraduate student Ella Gorodetsky from the University of Wisconsin-Madison looks at social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war to investigate.
Exercise: After reading the article together, have students come up with a social media campaign to stop the spread of disinformation. In 160 characters or less, students should invent a catchy slogan to help others distinguish between credible and fake content. This activity should be done in groups of 2-3.
by Joseph Katusabe | 17 Jan 2024 | Africa, African Leadership Academy, Catholicism, Decoder Replay, Human Rights, Religion, Student Posts, Youth Voices
One parishioner argues that the Church should welcome gay members. The Pope is just now cracking open the door by offering a small blessing. Vatican City with an LGBT flag superimposed to seem waving in welcome. Photo illustration by News Decoder. Editor’s note:...