Posts by Shannon Flynn

Brazil Sweeps Away Street Children to Prepare for Olympics

Brazil is working hard to prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Hiring security, building new sports venues and infrastructure, and beautifying the city’s tourist areas are all on the country’s to-do list. As part of the beautification process, known as “cleaning the streets,” Brazil is also removing homeless citizens from the […]

Peru’s Scandals Revisited during Presidential Election

During the 1990s, Alberto Fujimori ran Peru with an iron fist. Now, he’s serving a 25-year sentence after being found guilty of corruption and human rights abuses, including using death squads to carry out extrajudicial executions and overseeing the forced sterilization of at least 300,000 indigenous women. Today, Mr. Fujimori’s daughter, Keiko Fujimori, is running […]

Australia’s Controversial Treatment of Refugees

Australia has long been considered an international human rights leader. Right now, the country is competing with France and Spain for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. However, according to the Human Rights Watch 2016 World Report, the country has dropped the ball when it comes to its treatment of refugees and […]

Child Labor in Bolivia

While most countries in the world are trying to eliminate child labor, Bolivia has legalized it. In July 2014, Bolivia passed a controversial law that allows children as young as 10 to work under certain circumstances. The United Nations recommends that the minimum age for children to do any type of work should be set […]

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Post-Paris Attack

On November 13, the world was shocked by a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, France. As the world grieved for Paris, people began to wonder how these attacks would impact everyday life worldwide. As world leaders and citizens started to ask questions about safety and security, many people also began to question why these […]

Girls and Gang Violence in El Salvador

If you want to survive, never leave your house. This is what teenage girls in El Salvador are told. The gang violence in many parts of the country, including the capital of San Salvador, is so bad that staying at home is the only way for girls to stay safe. Civil War and the Rise […]

The Syrian Refugee Crisis

In recent weeks and months, the news has been filled with images and stories of human suffering in the form of what’s being called the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Among these are the heartbreaking photograph of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi and stories about refugees walking hundreds of miles to find safety. These images and stories have left […]

Child Marriage in Bangladesh

Child marriage is a worldwide epidemic. It’s especially problematic in Bangladesh. Maybe, you’ve read the heartbreaking story about Nasoin Akhter, a 15-year-old girl from Bangladesh who was recently married to a 32-year-old man. Many girls in Bangladesh have similar stories. In fact, when it comes to rates of child marriage, Bangladesh ranks fourth in the […]

Nepal’s Road to Recovery

On April 25, 2015, Nepal experienced the first of several devastating earthquakes and aftershocks, the strongest of which rated a 7.8 on the Richter scale. While the initial search and rescue efforts have ended, Nepal is still in the midst of recovering from these deadly earthquakes. Damage assessments estimate that recovery in Nepal will cost […]