coronavirus – Catalyst

Grappling With the Surge of Gender Violence During COVID-19

December 10, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Misbah Lalani

Activism in the realm of women’s rights and more specifically in prevention and treatment of violence towards women is an arena that must be tackled from multiple angles. Gendered violence is an age-old problem that cannot be solved in one fell swoop. Rather, one must recognize the severity and depth of the issue in order to properly act.

Seeking Human Kindness for Unhoused Neighbours

December 1, 2020December 29, 20205 min read Jemima Maycock

The government is failing to provide sufficient support for houseless individuals, causing shelters to plummet into “constant crisis mode.” As a result, the situation is worsening because unhoused people are living in even more precarious situations than before.

The Triumph of Jacinda Ardern

November 29, 2020December 29, 20204 min read Mehak Balwani

Whether it is a pandemic or terrorist attack, Ardern has distinguished herself both by her decisiveness when it comes to policy as well as through the warmth of her messaging. While her policy accomplishments in the past term can be described as modest, where Arden has been transformative is in her individual, often intuitive, conduct, and her COVID-19 crisis management suggests that she has all the tools to change the politics of the global north.

Latin America’s Weak Democracies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

November 23, 2020February 12, 20216 min read Ariana Castillon

With many being asked to stay at home and unable to look for work, one would think the governments would implement relief programs to keep the economy running and support people unable to work. While many governments did offer some kind of relief money or package to their citizens, it was a very small amount, and only to those in the most precarious situations. Rather than appeal to the people’s collective conscience, many governments’ first step was to solidify military support before addressing their people, with generals behind them as they imposed new restrictions.

Collaboration vs. Isolation: The Coronavirus Vaccine

November 17, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Misbah Lalani

The picture of positive cooperation between nations takes on quite a different character in the United States. US decisions regarding international distribution and development of the vaccine have been extremely unclear. Although President Trump claims that the US is open to partnership, many of his actions directly contradict these seemingly inclusive claims.

Authority, Liberty, and COVID-19 in the World’s Greatest Democracy

November 13, 2020December 29, 20207 min read Santhindu Wijesooriya

The United States, with its decentralized government, has completely lost the battle against the novel coronavirus. China, Canada, and Sri Lanka, however, with their greater executive authority, have collectively demonstrated that the United States had no excuse for their malpractice. The three nations and their adherence to executive jurisdiction, demonstrated noteworthy abilities to combat an unanticipated crisis, leaving humanity to observe the capital of individual liberty and freedom in utter dismay.

Confronting Mask Culture in China and Canada

November 9, 2020December 29, 20205 min read Ruolan Ma

When it comes to a collective crisis like this, behaviour tends to be related to notions of collectivism and individualism. One may say that the Canadian protests display greater support for individualism over collectivism. However, in reality, the difference stems from how people from different parts of the world view the idea of collectivism. For Chinese, fulfilling social obligation arises out of moral responsibility.

Education in Bangladesh During COVID-19

November 7, 2020December 29, 20203 min read Kibel Aker

While many lockdown restrictions were later lifted on May 31st, the reopening of educational institutions was delayed to September. During this time, the country opted to adopt remote learning. However, Bangladesh didn’t have the digital infrastructure to move their complete education system to an online platform as planned.

COVID-19 and the Increase in Child Marriage

October 30, 2020December 29, 20204 min read Jasmine Acharya

With schools closed and lockdowns in effect, more and more women and girls are facing sexual abuse and gender-based violence. During this pandemic, the usual social fabric that protects many women and girls from domestic violence is not available as lockdown has forced many women and girls to become completely isolated.

The Art of Resilience: One Year post-Thawra in Lebanon

October 26, 2020December 29, 20208 min read Adriana Gabriela Franco

Last year I published my first article about the Lebanese protests in October 2019. It seemed like Lebanon was on the brink of something marvelous, on the road to overthrowing a government system that had caused them more woes than wins. [...] Unfortunately, the situation got bleaker before it got better.