Mexico, U.S. Border: Increase in prices by human smugglers
npr.org It has gotten harder for undocumented migrants to sneak into the U.S. from Latin America. That has led to a rise in the price charged by human smugglers.
Section » Social Issues
COLOMBIA: INSIDE LOOK AT THE WOMEN OF FARC
Nick Miroff/Washingtonpost.com reported many of the guerrillas in the photos appear to be female. This is not news to Colombians, but the images were striking nonetheless…….The officers I spoke to explained that FARC has long incorporated women into its ranks. Having a mixed-gender army helped keep rebel soldiers on the battlefield longer, warding off potential homesickness.
There were FARC fighters wearing lipstick, bathing in creeks and cuddling up to their male companions — whom they refer to as “partners” since marriage isn’t allowed in the rebel ranks. The VICE crew found them to be fans of Katy Perry videos, nail polish and, evidently, giant charm bracelets.
I asked the officers: Are the FARC camps really like that — sort of an armed, jungle version of Outward Bound? And are there really that many women among the ranks of FARC’s 7,000 or so fighters?
What they told me next was a stunner.
“The women are the worst,” said one special forces officer, his name withheld because he works under cover. “If you get captured, you pray it’s by the male rebels.”
The female guerrillas are the most savage and brutal interrogators, he said. “They’re more ideological than the men. They’re merciless.” Read Article
El Salvador: Murder rate is pandemic according to coroner
Violence has risen steadily in El Salvador since a 2012 truce between the country’s two main gangs began to fall apart in 2014. Last year was the most violent on record, with a 70 percent increase in murders from the previous year and a surge in attacks by street gangs, said a civil servant. The […]
Ecuadorians rank sixth among sixty nations in lack of trust in dealing with others
Infobae – Albavisión News Network By: Dario Mizrahi World Values Survey 2010-2014 ElComercio.com reported Ecuador ranks sixth of the countries less confident in the other 60 who participated in the global research project World Values Survey (World Values Survey 2010-2014) In the first index lower interpersonal trust are the Philippines and Trinidad and Tobago, with […]
El Salvador: 2015 most violent on record in reported murders
Violent deaths in El Salvador spiked 70% in 2015, figures reveal theguardian.com reported at least 6,657 people were violently killed in the Central American country, making last year the most violent since the height of 1983 civil war. El Salvador saw a 70% spike in violent deaths in 2015, making last year the bloodiest since […]
Ecuador graduates 1500 community health care assistants with help from Cuba brigade
telesurtv.net reported the graduates are community leaders and were picked by their own community to be part of the program. Over 1,500 community health care assistants graduated in Ecuador on Wednesday in collaboration with the Cuban medical brigade. Following a two-year training by Cuban medical professionals, the 1518 Ecuadorean graduates will work to promote health […]
Spanish Pick-Up Lines — Spanish Piropos
If you love and adore Latina women, this is the book for you. A unique aspect to the Spanish language and Hispanic culture is the use of flirtations and phrases by males for women. These are referred to as piropos. In English they may also referred to as pick-up lines. This book provides the reader […]
Bogota Colombia: Police detain members of gang using children age 2-10 distributing cocaine
This criminal organization was led by alias ‘German’, who also was engaged to collect extortion and arms trafficking in the localities of Kennedy, Tunjuelito, South San Cristobal, Puente Aranda and Bosa. The Head of the Narcotics Group Dijin greater Villarte Marcel Ricardo said that this action was seized drugs which were marketed by children and […]
Sinactraho, Mexico’s union to defend rights of domestic workers
bbc.com/ “Conditions for women who work in homes in Mexico are very precarious,” says Marta Leal Morales, general secretary of the newly-formed National Union of Domestic Workers (Sinactraho). “We decided that this union would be to defend the rights of domestic workers, so they could have a better quality of life.” According to the country’s […]
U.S. Federal Govt. opening shelters for Unaccompanied Minors from Latin America
npr.org / Several centers for migrant children have opened in Texas. Authorities expect more children and families escaping violence from Central America to make their way north to the U.S. this coming year. There are reports of a roundup that might be coming. Immigration agents could, as soon as next month, be rounding up mothers […]
Ecuador makes history, father to be carrying baby of transgender partner
lgbtqnation.com reported a couple in Ecuador are making history with a unique pregnancy: The father-to-be is carrying the baby of his transgender partner. Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez announced their pregnancy, believed to be the first of its kind in South America, on social media earlier this month, and it’s received widespread attention on a […]
Surge of Minors into U.S. from Mexico on Texas Border, National Guard still deployed
theguardian.com reported Republican Texas governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday extended the deployment of National Guard troops at the Mexico border due to a spike in the number of unaccompanied minors entering the country. The order comes in the wake of US Border Patrol figures that show more than 10,000 unaccompanied children crossed into the US […]
Latin America, U.N.: Huge task to reverse discrimination against those of African descent
un.org reported The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, saying he was struck by the “enormity of the task” over the next decade to reverse five centuries of discrimination against the 150 million people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean, has urged the region to draw on […]
Latin America: 80% of trans women murdered are in their 30’s or younger
pinknews.co.uk reported trans women in Latin America have a life expectancy of just 35 years a new study has found. Research into the Violence Registry reveals that 80% of trans women murdered in Latin America are in their mid-thirties or younger. However, the Organisation of American States (OAS) say that even though crime against the […]
Ecuador: Despite ban of bullfighting in certain areas, the tradition continues
newsnetnebraska.org reported Corridas de Toros, or bullfighting, came to Ecuador with the Spanish more than 400 years ago. Since then the tradition has been ingrained into the culture of Ecuador. In 1822 after the Battle of Pichincha, the definite victory over the Spanish rule was celebrated with eight days of bullfights. “The festival was so […]
Ecuador, Peru hand down first prison sentences for racial discrimination
amsterdamnews.com/ Karen Juanita Carrillo reported: Ecuador and Peru – first imprisonments for racial discrimination Ecuador: An anti-racial discrimination decision was handed down Nov. 19, 2015. This case involved Michael Arce, who entered Ecuador’s Escuela Superior Militar—the nations’ premiere military college, known as ESMIL—in 2011 in hopes of becoming Ecuador’s first Black army officer. Arce was […]
Colombia passes new law for those who commit acid attacks
bbc.com reported Colombia’s Senate has passed a law which will impose harsher sentences on people who have committed acid attacks. Anyone convicted of harming another with a chemical agent will now serve between 12 and 50 years in prison. In Colombia, an estimated 100 people per year are attacked with acid, but so far only […]
Ecuador: one in six women have suffered physical, sexual, psychological violence
huffingtonpost.com reported in Ecuador, roughly one in six women have experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence. To put it another way, 3 million Ecuadorians have counted themselves a victim of gender-based violence in their lifetime. According to the same Pan American Health Organization research, 38 percent of women in Ecuador have been physically abused, 26 […]
Ecuador, Colombia: Sexual trafficking ring of underage girls dismantled
elcomercio.com reported the authorities of Colombia dismantled in Caqueta (south) and Nariño (southwest) a network dedicated to trafficking operating in the Colombian Pacific and Ecuador, reported today, November 23, 2015, police said. The organization moved by deception to Florence, capital of Caqueta department, to underage girls who promised to join the “Summer Girl” competition taking […]
Underground world of Cachinerias in Quito Ecuador, stolen goods market
Mercado San Roque timesofindia.com reported …. QUITO: Six blocks from Plaza San Francisco, tarpaulins and spread-out sheets take over a maze of alleys in Ecuador’s capital city every Saturday. Men, dressed in worn-out jackets, hover around mounds of shirts, ornaments, backpacks, stuffed animals and a host of other knick-knacks put out for sale at the […]
Ecuador: Excessive Use of Force, Arbitrary Detentions, Illegal Home Searches of protesters
hrw.oRg REPORTED: Ecuadorian security forces used excessive force to disperse anti-government protests in August 2015, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities appear to have made no serious effort to investigate officials who committed abuses. Instead, the government congratulated security forces for their performance, dismissed the protests as violent, and brought criminal charges against nonviolent […]
Iran to assist Ecuador in education, science and technology
hispantv.ir reported…”Iran is self-sufficient in the development of science and technology,” says Ximena Ponce. The vice president of the Education Commission of the National Assembly of Ecuador said that his visit to Iran aims to use the experience of Iran in the fields of education, science and technology. In recent years, Iran and Ecuador have […]
Ecuador: Government begins action to shut down press freedom group
abcnews.go.com/AP reported President Rafael Correa’s government has initiated proceedings to shut down Ecuador’s sole remaining press freedom group, accusing Fundamedios of political partisanship. The watchdog group was notified Tuesday in a letter from the Communications Secretariat, director Cesar Ricuarte said Wednesday. The letter accused Fundamedios of publishing essays and tweets “of indisputably political bent” but […]
Ecuador: Child Labor Reduced 13% over a decade
telesurtv.net reported the period that knew the greatest reduction of child labor rates is 2007-2010, stated the U.N. body. The number of working children under 15 years old has dropped in Ecuador from 15 to 2 percent in over a decade, the National Institute of Statistics and the UNICEF revealed during the presentation of a […]
Ecuador: Research indicates middle class almost doubled to 27 percent in last decade
The Ecuadorian middle class rose nearly doubled in 10 years rose from 14% to 27% Consumption in malls, walled housing and tertiary studies define people in this stratum. The political aspirations between Guayaquil and Quito are different. telegrafo.com.ec reported research by INEC (National Institute of Statistics and Census) in 2011. Senplades data even speak of […]
Costa Rica to shutter both its zoos, release animals in ten years
The biodiverse nation intends to shut down both of its zoos and release all captive animals. This news is too awesome not to share. In 2013, the beautifully diverse country of Costa Rica announced that it would become the first country in the world to shut down its zoos and free all captive animals. Home […]
Venezuela: Narcostate
aei.org/ Venezuela is a narcostate, controlled by senior political leaders and security officials who have used state resources and state-owned companies in the cocaine trade. For example, US authorities have gathered documents and eyewitness testimonies implicating officers of the state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), in engaging in transactions and money laundering on […]
Venezuela: Law of the Jungle takes over in search of groceries, desperation showing
panampost.com reported it’s the law of the jungle in Venezuela, as shopping for groceries becomes an increasingly dangerous activity. As the shortage crisis worsens, more and more angry mobs are raiding the nation’s supermarkets, looting whatever basic goods they can find. During the first half of 2015, the Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict (OVCS) registered […]
50,000 Ecuadorians return to home country under Plan Kukayo
telesurtv.net reported the 1999 financial crisis forced over 2 million people to migrate from Ecuador. Initiatives like Plan Kukayo look to restore their confidence in the country. In the Carcelen neighborhood of north Quito, Ana Isabel Gonzalez and her family make clothing and customize embroidery. But back in 1999, the financial crisis forced Ana to […]
Colombia: Large Mass Grave may offer hope to families of missing
yahoo.com/AP reported…Human rights activists say it could be the biggest mass grave ever in Colombia and the dig represents a glimmer of hope that justice will be realized. But the search will be complicated. Despite more than a decade-long clamor by victims’ families that the landfill be closed and excavated, giant trucks have continued to […]
Young woman’s horrible experience with rumors on Facebook in Mexico
BBC.com …. A young woman who was subjected to awful rumours online decided to turn the tables by posting a Facebook video criticizing her anonymous bullies. Lilia Rodriguez had good intentions. Two years ago she started a Facebook page for her local community. It was intended to bring people together in her town, Leon in […]
Bolivia: Series of child rapes in a village prompts ban on alcohol and a new curfew
telegraph.co.uk reported after a series of child rapes, La Asunta has taken the drastic action “for the good of all”, says community leader, Jorge Mendoza. Villagers in a small community in Bolivia have implemented a dry law and curfew to try to cut crime after a spate of child rapes. La Asunta, a coca-growing neighbourhood […]
Five Ghanaians found dead on Colombia-Panama border in route to U.S.
ghanaweb.com reported five Ghanaian citizens, presumably illegal migrants traveling to the United States of America, were found dead on the Panamanian-Colombian border over the weekend. A farmer found their bodies washed up on the Turquesa River near Bajo Chiquito. The deceased were allegedly part of a larger group of 35 people fleeing from three separate […]
Citilcum Mexico: Kots Kaal Pato, the killing of innoncent animals in the name of celebration
vice.com reported Every year, without fail, the locals in the Yucatán city of Citilcum,celebrate a tradition known as Kots Kaal Pato. Basically, it’s a day when the whole town puts on their best clothes, gathers around a huge city center scaffolding and then proceed to kill a whole bunch of innocent animals, mostly for the […]
Ecuador: Historical look at emigration and return migration
migrationpolicy.org/Brad D. Jokisch reported Ecuador’s geographical variety is nearly matched by its diverse migration patterns. Although it is a small Andean country of approximately 15.7 million people, Ecuador accounts for the largest Latin American nationality in Spain, the second largest in Italy, and one of the largest immigrant groups in metro New York. Ecuador also […]
Ecuador: Shrimp farming and the destruction of mangroves, social and enviromental conflict
THINKING OF MOVING TO ECUADOR? READ THIS BOOK
Ecuador: Gay activist continues fight against homophobia
telesurtv.net reported activists have maintained consistent dialogue with the legislative and executive branches. With her organization ALFIL, activist Rashell Erazo works tirelessly to combat homophobia in Ecuador and promote LGBTQ rights within the country. While she says that there is still discrimination against transsexuals and people of distinct sexual orientations in access to employment and […]
Mass Arrests of child sex offenders in Colombia
Authorities in Colombia have arrested 298 people in a nationwide operation against child sex offenders, prosecutors said. More than 1,180 arrest warrants were issued for the April 20-21 operation, and 298 people have been detained so far, the office of the country’s top prosecutor said. This year, authorities have received 11,729 reports of such crimes […]
Ecuador: Sex Workers Organize, want to be included in social security
telesurtv.net reported sex workers are looking to be incorporated in the social security system under the recently passed Law for Labor Justice and Social Security. Lourdes Torres has been working as a sex worker in Quito for the past 30 years. She was driven to create the Pro-Defense Association of Women after suffering abuse at […]
Massive police effort in break up of human trafficking ring between Ecuador, Pakistan
elcomercio.com reported a two-year investigation led Thursday April 16, 2015 to the arrest of eight people in Quito, The Core, Ambato and Tulcán. This was announced by the Ministry of Interior of Ecuador. The suspects, Pakistan and Ecuador, are the alleged leaders of a network of trafficking, said State Portfolio. According to research, citizens of […]
The life of refugees in Quito Ecuador engage in sex work to survive (opinion)
aljazeera.com / Jennifer S. Rosenberg (opinion) reported in this vacuum, some refugee sex workers in Quito are referred to a local anti-trafficking organization that takes an explicit anti-prostitution position: Everyone who engages in sex work is presumed to be a victim of trafficking to some degree. The organization teaches them alternative ways to generate income, […]
Tenancingo, Tlaxcala Mexico: Ground Zero for Lucrative Sex Slave Trade
TheGuardian.com/ Nina Lakhani reported….Méndez, like thousands of other vulnerable women in Mexico, was hoodwinked by a family of traffickers in Tlaxcala, the country’s smallest state just two hours south of Mexico City. This is a deeply religious place, where the indigenous Nahua people united with the Spanish to conquer the mighty Aztecs, but which over […]
Guayaquil Ecuador: Police bulldoze slum, leaves families without anywhere to go
Panamapost.com / Rebeca Morla reported Ecuadorian police destroyed the houses of 40 families in Isla Trinitaria, a deprived neighborhood in the port city of Guayaquil, on Friday citing environmental protection reasons. On March 27, over 200 officers from the irregular housing prevention agency STPAHI arrived at the squatter settlement on the shores of the Estero […]
Ecuador: Rafael Correa warns of resurgence of right-wing forces in the region
telesurtv.net reported President Rafael Correa issued a statement warning of a resurgence of right-wing forces throughout the region. In his weekly presidential address Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa warned that a “resurgence of conservative sectors is occurring both nationally and internationally” in an attempt to undermine his administration and other progressive left-wing Latin American governments. “You […]
Colombia: FARC recorded training children
ecuavisa.com/afp reported a video showing a group of children and youth while they are trained, allegedly by the FARC, was released Tuesday by the Army of Colombia, two weeks after the guerrilla group renounce recruit children under 17 years. In the images, the group of children-where there children- runs a series of exercises in a […]
Ecuador: Rapid Decline in Press Freedom (video)
Mid-Missouri Public Radio Alexander Brockwehl, a Latin American and Caribbean researcher for Freedom House in Washington, D.C. Mauricio Alarcón-Salvador, program director at Ecuadoran press freedom group Fundamedios Carlos Andres Vera, an Ecuadoran political activist, filmmaker and journalist INTERVIEWED BY Managing Editor/Host, Global Journalist Jason McLure is the managing editor and host of Global Journalist. A […]
Florida: Patrick Minga former expat living in Ecuador sentenced in sex trafficking case
On 06-25-2014, Patrick R. Minga, plead guilty to attempting to induce and facilitate, for his own financial gain, the travel of an individual from Florida, to Quito, Ecuador for the purpose of that individual to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minor girls. Sentencing was scheduled for November 20, 2014 and continued to February 5, […]
U.S.: Two Cuban Nationals detained, deported to Ecuador for human trafficking
reported that two Cuban nationals detained crossing the border from Mexico have been deported to Ecuador. They are wanted for smuggling women from Cuba and forcing them to work as prostitutes to pay off debts. They had tried to enter the U.S. through Laredo, Texas. Read Article
Ecuador announces 1.5 million people lifted out of poverty
telesurtv.net reported Ecuador has made enormous social investments over the last eight years of the Correa government. The Ecuadorean National Secretariat for Planning and Development announced Friday that between 2007 and 2014, more than 1.5 million people had been lifted out of poverty in the South American country. These years coincide with Presdient Rafael Correa’s […]
Debate continues over communications law in Ecuador’s constitution
cpj.org reported…Attempts to amend Ecuador’s constitution to categorize communications as a “public service” has sparked a fierce debate, with one critic drawing comparisons to the way dictators such as Stalin and Hitler used the press as a propaganda tool, and supporters of President Rafael Correa’s government arguing that the proposed reforms will make journalism more […]
Quito Ecuador: Survey says, 80 percent of women afraid to use public transport
radiohcjb.org reported…Quito seeks to break the silence and denounce sexual harassment in public transport and to this end, the City has installed booths where professionals listen and provide psychological and legal support for victims, said in an interview with Efe Deputy Mayor of the capital, Daniela Chacon. Victim of sexual harassment on public transport, Chacón […]
Ecuador: Study shows high rate of “bullying” in schools
Abstract disde.minedu.gob.pe reported: Fifty-seven private schools in Quito (n = 7,992) participated in the present research; a questionnaire on bullying was administered in order to obtain general information, to get a global index of bullying and intensity, and to measure specific subscales of be- havior. The results show very high percentages of victims (52%), viewers […]
Americas: Media Under Threat report, World press freedom index 2014
rsf.org reported…. More than 20 years have passed since the military dictatorships and civil wars ended in Latin America and the Caribbean, except Colombia, which still endures an armed conflict that began half a century ago. Cuba is also distinguished by a regime inherited from the Cold War that tolerates no independent watchdogs although an […]
Colombia: Journalist investigating child prostitution gangs, assaulted and threatened
en.rsf.org reported the journalist Oscar Castaño Valencia was assaulted and threatened by armed men four days ago as he was investigating the involvement of criminal gangs in child sexual exploitation in Antioquia department in North-West Colombia. For the past three months Castaño, director of the program “Oriéntese” on the TV station Cosmovisión, has been carrying […]
Mexico: President Nieto issues warning over protests in case of missing protesters
telesurtv.net reported at a press conference, Enrique Peña Nieto said he will address corruption allegations this week and issued a warning over protests demanding justice in the case of the 43 missing the Ayotzinapa protesters. Mexican President Peña Nieto has said that while he will try to establish a dialogue with protesters demanding justice over […]
Ecuador: Upcoming Vote Could Alter Laws Governing Mass Media
knightcenter.utexas.edu / Dylan Baddour/ An upcoming vote that could alter the laws governing mass media in Ecuador has stoked fears in the Andean nation that the end of a free press in near. The constitutional court recently declared that the National Assembly could bypass a public referendum to decide if the 2013 Communication Law – […]
Ecuador to have eleven rehabilitation centers for addressing drug, alcohol abuse
americaeconomia.com reported Ecuador will have until 2015 with eleven rehabilitation centers for drug and alcohol users, the president, Rafael Correa said. “We are doing a comprehensive policy to combat drug use. By 2015 we will have eleven specialized centers of which two are for Quito to Guayaquil and two, which reach to have 600 beds, […]
Bolivia: Significant increase in violence against girls and women
bbc.com reported the Bolivian ombudsman has said he is worried about a rise in sexual attacks against girls and women. Rolando Villena said that local, regional and national authorities were failing to act in the face of a growing number of increasingly cruel attacks on young girls. Last week, a four-year-old girl was raped and […]
Ecuador: Proposed constitutional amendment to categorize news media as a public service
cpj.org reported the Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a decision by Ecuador’s highest court that has paved the way for a constitutional amendment that would categorize the news media as a “public service” subject to government regulation. The Constitutional Court announced on October 31 that the proposed amendment should be decided by the […]
Ecuador. ranks 37 of 142 Nations in prosperity index in 2014
telegrafo.com.e reported according to the study by the Legatum Institute, the best performance of the country is in the subscript of Personal liberty, where he occupies the number 37. The index of prosperity 2014, which annually produces the Legatum Institute, revealed yesterday that Ecuador climbed a position in the ranking of this year up to […]
Ecuador: Over 600 children reported making trek solo to U.S. to join parents
elespectador.com reported This year(2014) we have a terrible and regrettable sum that exceeds the 600 children who travelled unaccompanied”looking for their families, Vice-Minister of human mobility, María Landázuri told AFP. The number triples the cases reported in 2013.Son many, but no one speaks openly of “migrant children” because their families or friends know who travel […]
Cañar Ecuador: Social changes improves lives of many women
OP-ED Ruxandra Guidi nytimes.com / For the 60,000 residents of this rural county of green hills and small villages, migration is something of a rite of passage. The share of Cañar’s people leaving the country is greater than that of any other district in Ecuador. More than 70 percent of its households receive remittances every […]
Socialism in Ecuador, why it is not what it seems
Why Latin American socialism isn’t what it seems (Opinion Piece) By Ananda Paez / Tufts November 3, 2014 Ananda Paez Ananda Paez is a junior majoring in economics. She can be reached at Ananda.Paez@tufts.edu. “The Citizen’s Revolution moves forward!” These words, which I have heard countless times enounced passionately on TV, whispered like a prayer […]
Guadalupe Mexico: Many residents have fled across border to U.S., flee drug war
nytimes.com reported…But shades of the yearslong drug war that gripped this gritty part of Chihuahua State known as the Valley of Juárez remained intact. Abandoned buildings where broken windows reflected graffiti were common, and unmaintained streets and empty shops sat near the town square. The emptying of Guadalupe comes at a time when officials in […]
Mexico City ranks 2nd worse in survey for safety of women on public transport
Thomas Reuters Foundation/YouGov conducted surveys of 15 capitals and New York City regarding women’s overall safety on public transportation. Mexico City ranked 2nd worst after Bogota Colombia in the world. Here are the specific rankings for Mexico City. Confidence in Authorities How confident are you that authorities would investigate if you were to report harassment […]
Mexico considering move to include black identity on census survey
NYTIMES.com reported an official survey of around 4,500 households this month asked about African descent and preferred terms as part of plans to include the question on a national housing and population survey of 6.1 million households next year, a broad snapshot of the country in between the main censuses. It has not yet been […]
Bogota Colombia: Most Unsafe Public Transport System for women
BOGOTA, Oct 29 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The mayor of Bogota defended his administration’s efforts to tackle high levels of sexual harassment of women on buses in the Colombian capital following a Thomson Reuters Foundation poll on Wednesday ranking Bogota’s public transport system as the most unsafe for women among 15 of the world’s largest […]
Nicaragua: One of the Highest Rates of Sexual Violence Against Girls in the World
aljazeera.com reported Nicaragua has one of the highest rates of sexual violence against girls in the world that flourishes amid a patriarchal society, high levels of impunity, and discriminatory laws curtailing women’s human rights. Last year, forensic doctors examined 6,069 sexual violence victims – a 27-percent rise from 2010, according to new Institute of Legal […]
Ecuador: Foreign Minister wants transnational corporations held accountable
aljazeera.com/Ricardo Patino/ Opinion/ Ecuador has undergone a profound social, economic and political transformation over the past seven years, prioritising the needs and rights of its citizens, in order to tackle a great moral challenge of the 21st century: establishing people’s control over the forces that reign supreme in trade and commerce. Transnational corporations enjoy special […]
Ecuador: Radio Station operated by women in prison wins award
telesurtv.net reported the women of “Palabra Libre” radio station, produce, edit and conduct shows every week, which cover topics ranging from sexuality to environmental issues, and technological innovations. Operated by incarcerated women from inside the Latacunga Social Rehabilitation Center, Palabra Libre, meaning Free Word in Spanish, is a radio ran from behind the bars of […]
Mexico: New Mass Grave Unearthed in Cocula
Mexican authorities searching for 43 students who disappeared after clashing with police last month are investigating a suspected mass grave. Mexico’s attorney general said the testimony of two arrested members of a drug gang had led them to the site. He said police officers had confessed to handing the students over to the drugs gang […]
Ecuador: Ministry of Health reports on epidemic of obesity across the country
Ecuavisa.com reported Figures from the Ministry of health, according to a latest national survey revealed that 5 million 500 thousand people aged between 19 and 59 have overweight. This is compounded by a new and troubling fact: a survey by the Cedatos firm in partnership with others in the network Win Gallup International, called “Eating […]
Ecuador: Ikiam research university has been inaugurated in the Amazon
telesurtv.net reported the Ikiam research university has been inaugurated in the Amazon, and is working to democratize a quality education able to compete with the best universities in the world. Located in the Amazonian province of Napo with a campus of nearly 23,000 acres, the Ikiam research university officially began classes on Tuesday. 150 students […]
Mexico: Children being murdered, mutilated, recruited by gangs in drug war
thetimes.co.uk reported children are being murdered, mutilated and recruited by gangs in Mexico’s brutal drug war in sharply escalating numbers, with at least 2,000 killed in the past eight years. Infants have been murdered in their car seats, shot in the head and dumped in fields or even killed in the arm…….READ ARTICLE/SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED
Spanish Version of RT in Latin America, Telesur (opinion)
By FABIÁN BOSOER and FEDERICO FINCHELSTEIN/ The Spanish version of RT is intended as an antidote to the toxic influence of foreign media channels “that transmit news based on their interests,” as Mrs. Kirchner put it. The Spanish-language RT deal mirrors the Venezuelan-Argentine venture in the public news channel Telesur, in which Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, […]
Nicaragua: Pandemic of Sexual Violence Against Women, the hidden drama in an oasis of peace
laprensa.com.ni reported…. Nicaragua is the safest Central American country. And official discourse is accompanied by low homicide numbers in comparison with the region, but the apparent oasis of peace of the isthmus hides a drama that places the country at the same level of violence than the rest: the sexual and physical violence against women. […]
Latin America: corruption and tax evasion directly correlated to inequality, injustice
IPSNEWS.NET reported…The 2013 Latinobarómetro poll indicates that 26 percent of all Latin Americans said they were aware of at least one case of corruption in their country in the past 12 months. A similar percentage said that nearly everyone in their government was corrupt. Venezuela and Mexico top the ranking for perception of corruption, with […]
Ecuador: Correa Officials Roll Out “Civilian Safety” Plan, A Civilian Police Force?
Belén Marty/panampost.com reported On Wednesday, October 8, Ecuadorian officials from the Ministry of the Interior and National Police presented a new citizens’ manual that aims to better involve local communities across the country in crime prevention. The “Guide for Civilian Safety, Civilian Solidarity” was first introduced last week in the south Quito neighborhood of Solada, […]
Ecuador: Amazon region and four provinces have highest rate of poverty, issues of violence
Ecuavisa.com/EFE reported a study presented Tuesday on the situation of children and adolescents in Ecuador reveals gaps in terms of violence and in the quality of education and access to health, but it also says advances in the policies of protection to minors. The work indicates that the Amazon region and the provinces of Bolivar, […]
IDB report places Ecuador’s bureaucracy among worst on the continent
eldiario.ec reported President Correa refutes report by BID that places Ecuador among the worst bureaucracies on the continent. President Rafael Correa refuted a report by the Inter-American Bank of development (IDB), which places the bureaucracy of the country among the worst in the continent. “The latest farce”, wrote strap on his Twitter account, commenting on […]
Mexico: Violence flares as anger continues over missing students
theguardian.com reported Mexico violence flares as fury grows over fate of missing students Demonstrators attack government building with rocks and Molotov cocktails in protest at alleged abduction by police. Firefighters tackle fires in Chilpancingo after city hall was set on fire by demonstrators in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero. Photograph: Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters Hundreds […]
Gallup Survey results, Latin Americans least likely to say women treated with respect and dignity
gallup.com reported Latin Americans were the least likely in the world in 2012 and 2013 to say women in their countries are treated with respect and dignity. A median of 35% of adults across 22 Latin American countries said their women are treated this way — about half as high as percentages in any other […]
Ecuador: Two adolescents rescued in prostitution trafficking ring to Peru
Two teenagers who were reported as missing last week were rescued yesterday by the police of a group of individuals who allegedly wanted to prostitution in Peru. eluniverso.com reported this would be a case of human trafficking, according to the first investigations carried out by the police and the Prosecutor’s Office. The last Tuesday, at […]
First Group o Syrian refugees arrive in Uruguay
bbc.com reported a small number of Syrian refugees have arrived in Uruguay from Lebanon. Forty-two refugees, belonging to five families, were greeted on arrival by the Uruguayan President, Jose Mujica. They will spend two months in accommodation near the capital Montevideo. Read Article
Ecuador: Video removed from YouTube allegedly for copyright violation, reinstated
The Netizen Report originally appears each week on Global Voices Advocacy. Mahsa Alimardani, Juan Arellano, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Lisa Ferguson, Bojan Perkov, Sonia Roubini and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report. Global Voices Advocacy’s Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world. This week’s […]
Arizona Mexico Border, harsh politics
theguardian.com reported the high desert of Arizona is where border politics become a harsh, sometimes sinister experience – one that threatens to unseat two of the most vulnerable House Democrats standing for re-election in November’s midterm elections. Republicans have identified two neighbouring districts in southern Arizona as their best prospect for picking up seats in […]
Ecuador makes significant strides in poverty reduction
TELESUR.NET REPORTED Policies focused on inequality and heightened social and economic investment have led to a reduction in poverty in Ecuador. Ecuador has made important strides in poverty reduction and policies focusing on inequality since President Rafael Correa’s election in 2007. By restructuring external debt, Ecuador has managed to save and invest US$8 billion dollars […]
More African, Asian migrants using Costa Rica on route to U.S., Canada
ticotimes.net reported during the summer of 2014, massive flows of Central American migrants – many unaccompanied children – flooded the southwestern border of the United States. While tens of thousands of migrants have been fleeing violence and poverty in search of new opportunities in the U.S., other migrants from Africa and Asia have been traveling […]
Mexico: Disappearnce of students prompts call for nationwide protest
telesurtv.net reported Protests will be held throughout Mexico in response to the alleged disappearance of student by police officials in collusion with organized crime. Students from the Teacher Training College of Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, alongside family members of the 43 disappeared students, have issued a call for nation-wide protests and demonstrations for October 8 organized under […]
Mexican Journalist, Family Escape Death in Attack on His Residence
theguardian.com reported the home of a Mexican journalist who covers crime and politics was attacked by gunmen who shot at his house while he and his family were asleep inside. Margarito Juárez González’s family narrowly escaped death or injury. He told his editors at the daily newspaper Página 24 in Fresnillo city that the bullets […]
Ecuador, under new drug laws, releasing thousands of drug mules
Ecuador is freeing thousands of drug mules Globalpost.com reported President Rafael Correa has said his country’s harsh old drug laws were ‘imposed by the gringos.’ Now officials see small time smugglers as victims of cartels rather than as hardened criminals.In Latin America’s latest challenge to Washington’s “war on drugs,” Ecuador has quietly begun releasing thousands […]
Cuban Migrants Stranded Survive by drinking urine, others perish at sea
theguardian.com reported Cuban migrants stranded in homemade boat drank blood and urine to survive Only 15 of the 32 passengers on board survived three weeks adrift in Caribbean before being picked up by Mexican fishermen. A group of Cuban migrants drank their own blood and urine after the engine of their homemade boat failed, leaving […]
Peru: Most violent political campaigns since 2000
ABC.com/AP reported Voters across Peru are choosing mayors, governors and municipal councils following the most violent campaign since 2000, with hundreds of candidates suspected of ties to drug trafficking. Two mayoral candidates have been slain in gangland-style killings, both in cocaine-trafficking corridors. On Friday, two police officers were shot and killed in an ambush blamed […]
Costa Rica: President Chinchilla explains challenges of free speech and social media
rnw.nl reported Over the past three years, the president of Costa Rica has been heavily criticised by her country’s citizens. Many see Laura Chinchilla as the worst president in Latin America. Much of the criticism is being expressed via social media, especially on Twitter and Facebook. Her government has found it difficult to deal with […]
How small villages in Mexico are gaining access to cellphone and internet service
rnw.nl reported …. Sick of waiting around until the telecoms bring you cellphone reception and a solid Internet connection? Techies believes there’s no need to wait around anymore. With cheap new technology and smart policy hacks, they’re helping remote towns build their own communications networks. One year ago, Talea de Castro, a small mountain town […]
Mexico City Modern: A Review Essay
Raymond B. Craib – scapegoat.org – Mexico City Modern: A Review Essay “Overcrowded, polluted, corrupted, Mexico City offers the world a grim lesson.” 1 Thus proclaimed Time Magazine in 1984. Never mind that it could just as easily have been describing any number of cities in the world, including a number of metropolises in the […]
Global AgeWatch Index 14′ Snapshot of situation for older residents of 17 countries in Latin America
In Latin America 17 countries were scored out of 96 countries worldwide. Here is the ranking for countries in Latin America: 22 – Chile 23 – Uruguay 24 – Panama 26 – Costa Rica 30 – Mexico 31 – Argentina 33 – Ecuador 42 – Peru 51 – Bolivia 52 – Colombia 54 – Nicaragua […]
Mexico: Remittances impact on crime
Remittances and the Impact on Crime in Mexico IADB.ORG PAPER Steve Brito, Ana Corbacho, René Osorio Abstract * This working paper studies the effect of remittances from the United States on crime rates in Mexico.The topic is examined using municipal level data on the percent of household receiving remittances and homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Remittances […]
Mexico: National Network Proposed to Search for Missing Persons
Fann.com.mx reported…… Will be composed by specialized cells of State and federal officials to investigate cases already reported.City of Mexico.-the Attorney general of the Republic, Jesus Murillo Karam announced that the unit in charge will continue with the signature of agreements so that the country’s universities are specialists in forensic areas, as well as to […]
Latin America: Report claims population of 45 million Indigenous
Eluniverso.com reported The new figure of 45 million indigenous people until 2010 poses a 49.3% increase in the first decade of the 21st century, as in its previous report of 2007 the Economic Commission for Latin America of the United Nations had estimated a figure of 30 million natives in 2000. The Ecuadorian indigenous population […]