Sexual predators at school: why South African law is failing to protect children from teachers: Schools should be a safe environment, a place of learning where children can develop their potential. In South Africa, many public schools aren’t like this. Instead they are hothouses for teachers’ poor performance, financial mismanagement, assault and sexual misconduct. When …
Rwanda’s role in eastern DRC conflict: why international law is failing to end the fighting: The power of international law lies in its potential to offer alternatives to force and violence. The ideal is that states submit their grievances to a court rather than duke them out on a battlefield, or carry them out against …
Mexican government failing to provide decent jobs for vulnerable youth – leaving the door open to cartel recruitment: Mexico’s “war on drugs” began in 2006, when the newly elected president, Felipe Calderón, ordered thousands of troops onto the streets in an attempt to combat drug violence. The results have been disastrous. The government’s military operations …
UK government facing legal action for failing to tackle climate change – but it could backfire: The parish of Whimpell once stood on the Norfolk coast between the village of Happisburgh and the sea. Whimpell disappeared into the sea centuries ago thanks to coastal erosion. And now Happisburgh is facing a similar threat. Some, however, …
Government’s pandemic catch-up tutoring programme is still failing to meet the mark: Joyseulay/Shutterstock A government scheme to help children catch up with schooling they missed during the pandemic is still struggling to help those most in need. A recent independent evaluation of the National Tutoring Programme has assessed the impact of the catch-up strategy in …
Longer sentences? Overcrowded UK prisons are already failing society: The UK government plans to impose tougher sentences on those convicted of serious crimes, it announced via this year’s king’s speech at the state opening of parliament. Political pundits reacting to the speech on the BBC immediately questioned the rationale behind potentially putting more people in …
Rising costs and delays don’t necessarily mean HS2 is failing – an expert in new infrastructure development explains: The UK government is reportedly considering scrapping the second phase of its long-term high-speed rail project, HS2. It has been revealed that a cost analysis outlining the benefit of doing so was prepared ahead of Prime Minister …
Daniel Khalife: escapes are just one symptom of a failing prison system: HMP Wandsworth. William Barton/Shutterstock Following the recapture of escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife, there will no doubt be an inquiry into the prison system and how an inmate managed to apparently strap himself to a van and be driven out under the noses …
GCSE results 2023: how the qualification is failing disadvantaged young people: All the teenagers collecting their GCSE results this year have overcome significant difficulties. Their secondary school education has been thrown into upheaval by COVID-19: they have faced cancelled classes, have had to learn from home, have dealt with the social isolation and uncertainty of …
Ghana’s housing policy and regulation is failing – COVID proved as much: Affordable housing in Ghana is unavailable for most people Wikimedia Commons Access to decent housing is a fundamental human right. Across sub-Saharan Africa, however, this right remains an elusive dream for many households. In Ghana, for example, the government estimates a staggering deficit …
South Africa is failing to live up to its constitution. Gains made since democracy are being squandered – report: Extreme poverty has seen shack settlements mushroom in South Africa. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images The end of apartheid in 1994 and advent of constitutional democracy resulted in major societal changes in South Africa. The …
How heating your home fuels climate change – and why government measures are failing to stop it: Heat pumps are three times more energy-efficient than boilers. Virrage Images/Shutterstock The UK’s housing stock is old, energy inefficient and heavily reliant on fossil fuel heating systems – mainly gas boilers. With heating responsible for 17% of the …
Windrush compensation scheme: how the UK government is failing its citizens with this ‘belittling and horrible’ process: The Windrush scheme was set up in 2018 to provide documentary confirmation of British citizenship and residency rights for the Windrush generation and other commonwealth citizens, and their children. This came in the wake of the growing scandal …
Plastic recycling is failing – here’s how the world must respond: Recycling was once considered the obvious solution to the excessive amount of new (or virgin) plastic produced each year. This is no longer realistic. Global recycling capacity simply cannot keep up with the taking, making and wasting of natural resources. Growing mountains of plastic …
Juvenile offenders in Ghana aren’t prepared for rejoining society – how the system is failing them: Juvenile offenders face stigma once released Wikimedia Commons Globally, about one million children are held in police custody annually; 410,000 of them are held in detention and remand centres. On any day, it is estimated, remand homes around the …
Sex education review: controversial proposals risk failing young people: Juice Verve/Shutterstock Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has brought forward a planned review into sex education in English schools. This is in response to concerns raised by Conservative MP Miriam Cates over sex education that is “age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate” being taught in schools. Nearly 50 …
How tech companies are failing women workers and social media users – and what to do about it: Lerbank-bbk22/Shutterstock From Elon Musk’s erratic start as Twitter’s new owner to Meta’s recent decision to layoff more than 11,000 employees, and an ongoing downturn for tech stocks, the social media sector is once again in turmoil. But …
South Africa’s intelligence watchdog is failing civil society. How to restore its credibility: Shutterstock In October, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet committed to a range of reforms to the country’s intelligence services. He based these reforms on recommendations made by the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture. The reforms include strengthening …