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The Power Of Womanhood
Malala Yousafzai said, "We realise the importance of our voices voices only when we are silenced." We have been silenced for centuries and during these years of silence, we eventually realised the importance of our voices. Speak up. Make sure your voice is heard even when certain evil forces are attempting to silence you with all their power because believe me, words cut deeper than swords. Let's collectively fight for the rights that we have been denied for years. Here is how you can make a difference: when your friend tells that her significant other abuses her, speak up for her. When a...
Why Pride is ALWAYS Necessary
The LGBTQ+ community has always had to fight through hardships to gain acceptance from the rest of the world. From discrimination to the illegalization of same-sex marriage, they’ve gone through many difficulties. I’ve heard some say that Pride month is too much, that the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t need it and that it shouldn’t matter. This kind of thinking is actually pretty insensitive and ignorant. In reality, the LGBTQ+ community’s battles are still not over. Even though it may seem to be more accepted in the United States, there still are acts of discrimination going on in other countries...
We met again!
Five months have passed since the Syrian war memory, the war that forced us to do things we don't want to do. This year, I wrote a blog five months ago about the story of my life and how my childhood was living since the beginning of the war and until now under name: "How war changed me." I also mentioned - in this blog - my story with my first friend in my life, we were five years old when we first met and we stayed together until the war started and forced us to leave each other. Since 2011 I have not received any news about her, I only hear from time to time that she is alive. Recently, I...
What about children’s rights in this COVID-19 crisis?
We recently celebrated the Day of the African Child on June 16 and being a child parliamentarian, I see this as a big day for all of Africa’s children and more so for the children of Djibouti. Since I am their voice in Parliament I can say we are dismayed by the situation we are going through because of COVID-19, which is worse still for most children who do not have birth certificates We welcome the salutary measures decreed by the political and health authorities to protect us from this misfortune of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the African child in general, and the Djiboutian in particular, find...
How war changed me
2011. I was 11-years-old when the war started in my country Syria. I was too young to understand what was actually happening. Before the war started I had many dreams. I wanted to be a doctor, be with my friends forever, or grow older at the same place where I lived. But suddenly, I found myself without dreams, friends and dolls. I woke up one morning and everywhere was full of hatred, I have seen many horrific scenes that are still stuck in my brain. 2012. I had to change the place where I live to start a new life again, but I became despaired, secluded, more shy and more nervous. 2013. I was...
Why child protection cannot be forgotten during COVID-19
In just a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 outbreak has already had drastic consequences for children across Djibouti. Their access to education, food, and health services has been dramatically affected all over the country. The impact has been so marked, that the UN Secretary General has urged governments and donors to offset the immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis on children. In discussions of the pandemic to date, child labour (i.e. forms of work that are harmful to children) has played only a marginal role. Yet, as I describe in this blog, child labour will be an important coping...
Letter to the Refugees
Dear refugees, I will always flounder to put out your stories of resilience in the finest of the words. Many a times I tried but failed. So today, this is another try to see whether I am able to touch an element of your stories or not. Let me tell you that you are just more than your stories and agony. You all are incarnation of robustness, endurance and a definition of hope. Every physical and mental torture, forced displacement, remoteness etc., you have had been through weren't worth at any point of time, but you emerged braver and stronger than before. It feels like hope emanates from the...
One afternoon in July
Sitting beside the tea stall, Sipping my tiredness away, I see the children in the hall, Carrying the stones in a difficult sway. The scorching July sun shows no mercy, As if these little souls deserve no pity, The sweat and dirt has soiled their torn jersey, Their filthy palms marked with lines of iniquity. Returning the empty glass, I walk up to the hall after paying a note, "Why don't you send these children to class? Someday, they might also wear a coat." "It is easy for you to say so sire, The windows of rich offices are opaque to reality, Poverty is what these children have got in hire...
FAWAKA with You(th): “Deaf people are equal to hearing people, we just don’t get the same opportunities”
During these challenging times it’s more important than ever that Every Child has equal access to information and medical services. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Surinamese government responded by translating relevant information in multiple languages and also having a sign language interpreter present during press conferences. All of UNICEF’s communication material and interventions are also developed as inclusive as possible: multiple translations and using subtitles and sign language interpreters during events and infomercials. The sound of words like ‘social distancing’, ‘COVID-19’...
Menstrual Rights: World Leaders Accelerate Investments on Menstruators Urgently
The United Nations Women Organisation has just recently celebrated it’s Tenth birthday from the date of its establishment, 2 July 2010. According to the organisation, “we have worked to place women’s rights, priorities and voices on critical global agendas. But there is still much work to be done before we can achieve gender equality, and all of us have a role to play ” As a South African Activist for Menstrual Health, Founding Director, Chief Executive Officer and Campaign Leader of Team Free Sanitary Pads, attaching great empathy as well as resilience from a grassroots perspective, I relate...
Black and Beautiful!
Black lives matter! Present we have the darkest of days, Everyone is fighting a battle in their own ways, Together with COVID-19, black lives matter is a trending case, Unacceptable is the prejudice they bare and violence they face. White or black, dark or light, Colours from light of souls, has led to fights, Human race has crossed the verge of divides, Colours are not for differences but a souls pride. Just because they are not fair, They feel inferiority and difference in air, They are left out as if humanity disappeared, But their skin is what they wear with flare. Beauty is not defined by...
A girl is born...
A GIRL IS BORN…. Like a beginning of journey, a new dawn To create a new history a girl is born A world of her own, a deep ocean to dive She’s alone a daughter, a sister, a mother and a wife She cooks, she plays, she helps, she cries To bring happiness to family how hard she tries She’s vulnerable at times and fierce too She unconditionally loves and cares too Siblings’ friend, parents’ pride Children’s heaven and someone’s bride How fragile yet so strong To rock all the roles, a girl is born Eyes full of dreams, mind full of passion Every girl is a unique sensation Yet few hearts still mourn...
How social media is helping combat racism
The recent homicide of George Floyd sent shock ripples across the globe. Can police brutality really take this heinous form? How can the color of the skin be a determinant of someone’s character? Mass protests broke out in no time with the slogans of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and Floyd’s parting words “I can’t breathe”! Several people stood in solidarity, and soon anti-racism posts began to flood social media. A #blackouttuesday movement came up on Facebook-owned platform Instagram, with many well-known pages – from brands to influencers and organizations to celebrities, registering their protests...
Minorities Around the World
Our world has become increasingly globalized, diverse and rich in ideologies and practices. Countries around the world include communities and societies within their national identity, enriching the diversity of their population. But when so many different groups of people are embedded in society together, beliefs of superiorities and minorities come into place. The culturally rich beliefs and principles of groups develop the foundation of diversity and heritage in our world. While each group is different, one thing that’s common among minority groups is the fact that, more often than not...
Muslims, to unite or to divide
Happy, innocent, and carefree, and like all children of their age, the children of the middle east and north Africa (MENA) region were full of dreams, hopes, and expectations that were all buried with the beginning of the war. Now we know that war is one of the worst tragedies that can affect humans but sad enough, war has become an inevitable part of many children especially those living in the MENA region. Why does this mainly happens to countries in the MENA region? Why does it mostly target the Muslim communities? Is it because those countries are rich in petroleum? Well, that may be one...
What Inmates Truly Need
In the current state of federal and state prisons, prisoners are in more harm than good. Personally, I view the state of prisons to be of no good to neither inmates nor workers. Truthfully, the ideology of confining a person inside a cell for a discrete amount of years has riddled the justice system of countries across the globe. After "serving" this immense waste of time, criminals are plunged into a world unfamiliar to them. They are likely to commit even more time or end up negatively impacting their communities rather than creating positive change. The only way a person can truly change is...
Males & Females: 2 Sides Of The Same Coin
Have you heard of the term, "two sides of the same coin"? Humanity has two sides, just like a coin. If a coin has one side, it wouldn't be anything of value or anything at all. Humanity, like coins have two sides: males and females. Just like a coin, if humanity, for example, only had the male gender, it would all be meaningless without their female counterparts. In every living organism, males and females are integral. They all have an equal role to fulfill in creating life and leading the way for others to follow suit. So, if, among the 100%, 50% are males and 50% are females, equality...
What The 1992 New York City Police Riots Tell Us About Policing Today
In September 1992, former New York Mayor David Dinkins expressed support for a civilian review board in conjunction with the New York Police Department. The purpose of said review board would be to provide checks and balances to the police department and review complaints of officer misconduct. In response to Dinkins proposal, thousands of NYPD officers gathered in front of the city hall building and blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge to protest the board. Later reports of the event confirmed that officers could be heard chanting racial slurs and were seen drinking. After the demonstration...
The Million Man March: How To Stay Resilient in Times of Struggle
On October 16, 1995 the streets of Washington DC were filled with black and brown bodies gathered at the National Mall. Organized by local chapters of the NAACP and the National African American Leadership Summit, an estimated 400,000 to 850,000 people were in attendance. At the same time, women were organizing the Day of Absence, where African-Americans were encouraged to stay home from work and school. The purpose of these demonstrations was to express discontentment with the way politicians in the 80s and 90s largely ignored black issues, and even subjected the economic troubles of the...