Lunes, 13 de julio de 2020 (Continuación)

ReflexionesSocial,

La tan repetida idea de que la COVID‑19 es «el gran igualador» es un mito. No hay igualdad de sufrimiento o sacrificio durante una pandemia que afecta sobre todo a las personas más pobres y vulnerables.

Y aunque los ancianos con menos recursos se han llevado una cuota mayor del daño de la emergencia sanitaria, la pandemia ha generado una crisis educativa inédita que está afectando sobre todo a los niños más pobres y creando una generación que aprenderá menos. Los confinamientos y otras medidas de distanciamiento social obligaron a cerrar escuelas en todo el mundo, lo que en el peor momento alcanzó a unos 1600 millones de niños.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

En Chile persiste, desde el término de la dictadura de Augusto Pinochet, una Policía que vulnera los derechos humanos, lo que ha quedado casi completamente impune y no ha sido abordado a fondo por ningún gobierno. Ni siquiera el COVID-19 ha frenado la represión en nuestro país y ahora tememos que las consecuencias socioeconómicas de la pandemia vayan a ser acompañadas por una intensificación de los abusos policiales.

El abuso por parte de la Policía se concentra de manera específica contra personas de menos recursos económicos, que participan en protestas o manifestaciones, e integrantes del pueblo mapuche. En teoría, ha habido avances con respecto al tema: en 2016, una ley tipificó el delito de tortura, y aclaró que los incidentes de violencia policial debían ser vistos por la justicia ordinaria, no militar.…  Seguir leyendo »

ReflexionesPensamiento, Cultura y Ciencia,

The global coronavirus pandemic has revealed how dangerously dependent we have become on Internet access.

The education system quickly shifted online in March. Telemedicine visits have replaced various health-care services. For many people, earning a living or running a business is contingent on e-commerce and Zoom meetings. And certain contact tracing protocols rely on cellphone data to track anyone who has been in the vicinity of a person infected with the coronavirus.

But not everyone has Internet access, and some people have much better access than others. In the face of a growing reliance on connectivity, the digital divide has prompted scholars to question more seriously the Internet’s importance and whether the ability to access it is a human right.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaUE a debate

With Trump’s US missing in action from the global stage, the European Union should be stepping into the vacuum. Germany, which has just taken over the bloc’s rotating presidency, could use the next six months to provide the leadership to boost Europe’s global impact. But is it ready to shake off its traditional reticence?

Immediate economic challenges will dominate EU leaders’ first in-person encounter since the lockdown, on 17 and 18 July. And Berlin is right to prioritise agreement on the EU’s new seven-year budget and a pandemic recovery plan, a task complicated by internal rifts and new forecasts warning of an even deeper recession than expected across the 27-nation bloc.…  Seguir leyendo »

Migrant workers plant paddy in a field at Jhandi village in Patiala, India. Photo by Bharat Bhushan/Hindustan Times via Getty Images.

MundoAsia, , ,

The World Bank estimates that the magnitude of internal migration is about two‐and‐a‐half times that of international migration. Within India, an estimated 40 million internal migrant workers, largely in the informal economy, were severely impacted by the government’s COVID-19 lockdown.

With transportation systems initially shut down, many had no recourse to travel options back to homes and villages, resulting in harrowing journeys home. Those who were able to make it home found, in some instances, villages refusing entry because of fears of transmission.

The shocking images of migrants forced to walk in desperation showed the enormity of the crisis as well as some of the challenges posed by an extended lockdown in India where so many people live hand to mouth and cannot afford not to work.…  Seguir leyendo »

Police officers clashing with protesters at a shopping mall in Hong Kong on July 1. Credit Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

MundoAsia

Last year, in July, a month after the protests over an extradition bill began in Hong Kong, I renewed the lease on my flat. For the first time since I turned 18, I would be living in the same apartment for more than two years. It felt like an accomplishment, like I was a real adult.

My place is almost 300 square feet, and it has a view of trees and steps, which is such an improvement from my last flat that sometimes just looking out the window makes me emotional. I ordered a cheap Ikea carpet and put up old posters.…  Seguir leyendo »