An exclusive Guardian investigation has uncovered allegations of trafficking and exploitation of migrant workers in the Irish fishing industry. The research found that some undocumented African and Asian workers are being used illegally, and the Irish government has since bowed to pressure to investigate the treatment of migrant workers on trawlers.
Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola-free, after going 42 days without recording a new case of the virus. There is caution amid the celebrations, however, as neighbouring Guinea continues to fight recent cases. As part of our coverage of the milestone in Sierra Leone, we looked at the spike in pregnancies among young girls during the outbreak and the education programme helping to get them back into school. You can also read about the ongoing work of the country’s safe burial teams, as well as the UK military’s “hospital in a box”, which will form part of the country’s response to future outbreaks.
Elsewhere on the site
- South Sudan: “a level of human suffering I have never seen anywhere else”
- Afghan earthquake victims face long wait for aid as threat of fighting looms
- Nepal warns of humanitarian crisis as India border blockade continues
- Sweden considers redirecting 60% of aid budget to refugee crisis
- Uganda’s supreme court rules maternal health suit must be heard
Opinion
When Mary Wanjiku Mwangi became pregnant as an 18-year-old, it was four months before she realised what was happening. Now a youth mentor in Kenya, Mwangi says she wasn’t aware she could become pregnant after having sex for the first time. Read her story and learn why she is urging world leaders to increase access to reproductive health education.
How can wealthy nations contribute to the sustainable development agenda? We asked students to send their thoughts on the universal ambitions of the SDGs, and which goals rich nations should tackle. Take a look at five of our favourite responses.
Multimedia
Video: Trafficking in Irish fishing: overseas workers used as cheap labour
Video: Nepal fuel crisis: “We are really hurting now. We really are”
Podcast: Measuring up: how open data could spur drive to meet global goals
Interactive: Portraits of lives in flux: Nick Danziger journey across four continents
Event – ending violence against women
One in three women worldwide face violence in their lifetime. To mark the final day of this year’s 16 days of activism to end violence against women, Guardian Global development is hosting an event organised by ActionAid to discuss what needs to be done to ensure global commitments to end violence are upheld. Among the speakers is Rashida Manjoo, former UN special rapporteur on violence against women. The event will be held from 10am to 1pm on Thursday 10 December 2015 at the Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. If you would like to attend, email Lizzie Gerrard at ActionAid: lizzie.gerrard@actionaid.org
What you said
On the piece “I didn’t know I could become pregnant after having sex for the first time”, consciouslyinformed wrote:
Mary’s a brave young woman who acts responsibly, regarding her situation. It isn’t just happening in Africa, other strict governmental agencies restrict sexual health matters to the people in need the most – the young, inexperienced individuals.
I am so amazed by Mary’s dedication to enlightening the other young people, as well as appealing to the establishment that imposes restrictions and control over the lives of the young people in the nation, to recognise how negatively the repression and non-existent health information about pregnancy and STDs ruin the lives of countless young women and men.
More young woman are clueless about how to prevent pregnancy, learning about sexuality from friends rather than reasonable, honest communications from the adults in the communities in which they are raised!
We need more young people, like Mary, who will speak to those who are attempting to keep the young people of their nation ignorant of what they need most, to make their lives matter most.
Highlight from the blogosphere
International Institute for Environment and Development: Ten urban planning principles every humanitarian should know
And finally …
Poverty matters will return in two weeks with another roundup of the latest news and comment. In the meantime, keep up to date on the Global Development website. Follow @gdndevelopment and the team – @swajones, @LizFordGuardian, @MarkC_Anderson and @CarlaOkai – on Twitter, and join Guardian Global Development on Facebook.
