April, 2020
Ten people arrested in human trafficking raids across England
April 7, 2020 ·
Ten people have been arrested in raids across England in an international human trafficking investigation. A total of eight women aged 18 to 30 were rescued during the operation led by South Yorkshire Police, which was supported by officers from Romania. The women were taken to a “place of safety” and the suspects, eight men […]
Read More...Priya: India’s female comic superhero returns to rescue ‘stolen girls’
April 6, 2020 · By Geeta Pandey for www.bbc.com
Comic crusader Priya, a gang-rape survivor who earlier campaigned against rape and acid attack, is back in a new avatar. This time she is fighting the trafficking of girls and women for sex. The “modern-day female superhero” was first launched in December 2014, exactly two years after the horrific gang rape of a young woman […]
Read More...New police team to target child trafficking gangs
April 6, 2020 · By BBC News for www.bbc.com
A new police team has been set up to tackle child trafficking after a major increase in the number of cases. The move follows concern about the number of Vietnamese youngsters who have sought help in Edinburgh. The officers will support the work of the National Human Trafficking Unit amid fears children are being used […]
Read More...Philippines: Covid-19 will devastate the poor
April 6, 2020 · By SHEILA CORONEL for www.lowyinstitute.org
The pandemic threatens to break the already frayed fabric ofcommunities that had not yet recovered from the drug war. Flaviano Villanueva was in tears last Thursday. It was day five of the “enhanced community quarantine” in Metro Manila, where the priest runs a homeless centre. The sprawling Philippine capital of 13 million people had been […]
Read More...Philippines COVID-19 state of emergency includes prison time for spreading ‘false news’
April 6, 2020 ·
Bangkok, March 27, 2020 — The Philippine Congress should repeal a recently enacted regulation that imposes criminal penalties for spreading ‘false news’ about the coronavirus pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The Philippine Congress passed the “Bayanihan to Heal As One Act” on March 24, giving President Rodrigo Duterte broad emergency powers to […]
Read More...Philippines: Curfew Violators Abused
April 6, 2020 · By Human Rights Watch for www.hrw.org
(Manila) – Philippine authorities should respect the basic rights of people detained for violating the government’s COVID-19 regulations, Human Rights Watch said today. Police and local officials have confined those arrested to dog cages and forced them to sit in the midday sun as punishment, among other abuses. Reports of abuse against detainees should be promptly investigated […]
Read More...Manila Catholic schools become anti-virus shelters
April 4, 2020 · By Joseph Peter Calleja, Manila for www.ucanews.com
Catholic schools opened their doors yesterday to give shelter to healthcare workers and the homeless in the Philippine capital Manila amid the Covid-19 pandemic. De la Salle University-Manila, Malate Catholic School, Paco Catholic School, Holy Trinity Academy and the Espiritu Santo Parochial School-Manila will serve as temporary homes and dormitories to more than 500 street dwellers and […]
Read More...China’s coronavirus censorship ‘cost lives’
April 4, 2020 · By UCA News reporter, Hong Kong for www.ucanews.com
The Covid-19 pandemic might have been avoided and thousands of lives saved if China had a free press, according to a media campaign group. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) gathered evidence from various studies and reviewed events in the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan during December and January to make its case. The ruling […]
Read More...Manila bishop warns of unrest if state mismanages lockdown
April 4, 2020 · By Eglises d'Asie reporter, Manila for www.ucanews.com
A leading Catholic bishop in Manila has warned of social unrest in the Philippines if the government mismanages a lockdown that President Rodrigo Duterte imposed to check Covid-19. Duterte on March 16 declared a lockdown in Manila and the whole of Luzon island, where half of the Philippines’ 104 million people live, aiming to prevent the […]
Read More...Is the Philippines ready for a pandemic?
April 4, 2020 · By Joseph Peter Calleja, Manila for international.la-croix.com
Commuters wearing protective masks wait for public transport vehicles in Quezon City, Philippines, 12 February 2020. (Photo by EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA/MaxPPP) The world is being ripped apart by the Covid-19 disease which has hospitalized over 341,000 people and killed nearly 15,000 worldwide, according to latest reports. Borders are being sealed to prevent transmission. Community quarantines are […]
Read More...
