SEATTLE — As organizations and higher education institutions act to engage citizens, create social change and address social issues, it’s important to consider how to create advocates and activists. In doing so, studies on empathy and in-group biases have much to offer. By definition, empathy has two major components: understanding someone else’s world and feeling the reality of that world. These are respectively called cognitive and affective components. Studies have shown that expressions and feelings of empathy are affected by an individual’s proximity to the other individual and whether or not the other individual is a member of his or…
Author: Priscilla McCelvey
Priscilla McCelvey
Priscilla is a writer for The Borgen Project. Priscilla studied psychology with minors in creative writing and human development at Colby College. She is a published poet.
SEATTLE — With the 2015 release of the Trafficking in Persons Report in July, there is increased attention on the need for sustainable fishing practices. U.S. policymakers and consumers both need to work together to end human rights abuses in the fishing industry. Regulating the fishing industry is incredibly difficult, especially for developing countries. A lack of transparency regarding business practices on a ship-to-ship level only leads to problems down the line. Yet for countries without the policies and means to regulate the industry, corporations are all too able to exploit fishers by forcing them to work in unsafe conditions and…
BROOKEVILLE, Maryland — The second round of Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) grants promises $70 million in humanitarian aid. Specifically, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh will benefit from this aid. The CERF grants are used by the U.N. as a means of last resort humanitarian aid operation funding. The fund has $4.1 billion generated by donations from 125 different member states. Since its establishment in 2006, it has been used to provide assistance to 95 countries. Recipients are generally highly vulnerable populations, such as those affected by natural disaster, climatic shocks, or protracted conflict. Almost half…
NEW DEHLI, India — The World’s Children’s Prize (WCP) honors three heroes of children’s rights each year and one will receive a $50,000 grant. Kailash Satyarthi works to free child slaves in India and put them into school. Around the world, there are 215 million children forced to work and 60 million of these children are from India. A major risk factor for children being victims of forced labor and trafficking is extreme poverty, which affects a significant portion of the Indian population. One of every three of the world’s poorest people lives in India. The average income per person…
SEATTLE — The links between poverty and poor mental health have become increasingly clear over the years; the stress of poverty impacts one’s physical and mental health and development. As aid and developmental organizations make progress on addressing physical needs in Africa, work to address the connection between poverty and mental health gains greater importance. Poverty, in psychological terms, can be seen as a stressor and therefore, a risk factor for mental illnesses such as depression. In addition for being a stressor, poverty also increases the probability one is malnourished or does not have access to medical care, which impacts cognitive…
SEATTLE — On July 30, the second annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (WDAT) was celebrated worldwide. The past year has seen much progress in the movement against modern slavery. Human trafficking includes practices such as debt bondage, forced labor, sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, recruitment and use of child soldiers, domestic servitude, and removal of organs. It is estimated to be a $150 billion industry. There are an estimated 21 to 36 million people trapped in forced labor (ILO and Global Slavery Index) with approximately one-third of those enslaved being children (U.N.). No country is exempt from trafficking;…
BANGKOK, Thailand — The Freedom Fund, a private donor fund, has launched a $5 million, three-year program to educate and train workers in the Thai seafood industry. This, in conjunction with more transparency and government regulation, should work to reduce exploitation of labor. The Freedom Fund’s program focuses on empowering impoverished persons susceptible to exploitation by corporations in the Thai seafood industry. Through jobs training, education and community organization, people can be more aware of their rights and gain skills that should augment their wages. The on-the-ground approach will be supplemented by improved government regulatory framework emphasizing an increased number…
SEATTLE — No country is exempt from the scourge of slavery today. As people around the world work to improve the lives of millions through initiatives against global poverty, it is critical to think about how slavery contributes to the cycle of poverty. Here are ten facts you should know about slavery today: Slavery has many names, but all of them define the practice of forcing people into work through mental, physical, sexual, or verbal abuse. Enslaved people of all ages and races are controlled by their “master” and often held against their will. Today, slavery looks like human trafficking, forced…