It feels pitch black in this light of day,And all I can think is how our worldMight be falling apart. He holds a gun up, Pointing it at someone’s head, But why? What has this man doneThat we should incite the violenceThat ends millions of lives a year? Over here, we’ll never knowWhy the people must be punishedPerhaps he was gay,Or maybe she was challenging the authorities.They could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time,But now we’ve got blood on our handsAnd tears in our eyes.The...

Yesterday my class and I were given the assignment to write a text about a problem or problems in society we’d like to solve or make a difference and why and how we’d like to do so.The hardest part was to pick a topic amongst all the problems in society. But I’ve minimised my interests to two quite current problems occurring in every society in this world.Problems in our society I wish I could solve are racism and discrimination against the LGBTQ community.I have put these two topics together be...

Throughout history, women have been oppressed and deprived of their basic rights. These days, thanks to feminism, conditions have improved a great deal and now, in first world countries, they have been given all of their basic human rights.Unfortunately, things aren't so good for women in third world countries. Sadly, the society is very biased. Women are considered inferior to men, especially in rural areas. This is also bad for these countries' economies as they aren't utilising the potential...

Dear VOY family,We're pleased to introduce to you our newest cohort of Voices of Youth blogging interns! During the coming weeks, the 9 writers will blog about two of UNICEF's key campaign topics - End Violence Against Women and Children Uprooted. We invite you to read their blog posts, comment, and share them with your networks. We're looking forward to your engagement and hope you'll enjoy the journey!And now, without further ado, we give the floor to our new interns:Ali, 25, SomaliaMy name is...

“I am not upset that you lied to me, I am upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” (Friedrich Nietzsch) People who are drawn towards the same goal always need a considerable amount of trust among them if they really want to effectively and efficiently achieve their established common goal. The question here becomes, isn’t it possible for people who have a lower level of trust towards one another, or who do not trust one another at all, to work towards a common goal? The answer to the ques...

Till last she was hookedAt the end his look was crookedHe laughed hearing their criesTheir hopes melted like iceNobody came to hear the criesJustice delayed was justice deniedShe pondered, was all this a hoax?The realities prevailingWere just a mere pokeOn the bubble of reverieTo which she just awokeSwollened with anguish were her eyesNobody came to hear the criesJustice delayed was justice deniedThe world was burning into flamesEven the fittest turned into a lameMelancholy ruled over this place...

“We can’t say anything, the baby’s position is not clear, pray from Allah for the best”. This is the first remark made for a girl when she is in her mother’s womb. The doctors fear to tell the parents about the feminine gender otherwise abortion is the sole payback towards the fetus. The day a girl is born, gloominess spreads in the family. People console the parents by giving them wishes and prayers for getting a son soon. The baby girl wrapped in a pink cloth sleeps in utter ignorance of the f...

Tears roll down her cheeks as she wished in her little mind that she could help in this situation. She was scared and all she has is just the tears rolling down her cheeks. She has been pleading but he is too busy to hear her tiny voice. She wishes that it was just a nightmare.She can’t believe that the man she calls Daddy is hitting the woman who has always been by her side and told her jokes after school. He is beating her Mommy. She is struggling for her life on the floor as he holds her thro...

In most parts of the world particularly in Africa where I come from, Public Speaking is considered an extracurricular activity, which is given little or no attention by the majority of people. The best defense these people have is that "I DON'T NEED IT", and this perception is conceived mostly by students or people who pursue an academic or professional career in the Science field.As an activity, Public Speaking does not restrict itself to the conventional individual and audience talk, but it tr...