Friday, July 28, 2017
All-female police squads crack down on street harassment in India
They know karate. They’re preventing street harassment.
More than 34,600 cases of rape were reported in India in 2016. Many believe that the real number is far higher, with many victims failing to report sexual assault as they don’t think their cases will be properly dealt with by the country’s mostly male police forces.
Authorities in Jaipur, one of the country’s largest cities, have set up an all-female police squad to crack down on sexual harassment. The officers are part of a special unit that patrols bus stops, parks and colleges where women often face harassment. Officials are reporting a significant reduction in sexual and street harassment at hotspots around the city.
Congress considers bipartisan bill to forgive student debt for young farmers
Want your student loan debt forgiven? Try farming!
Family farming provides 70% of all the food we eat. But the high costs of getting into farming mean that fewer and fewer young people are getting into farming.
The average American farmer is 58 years old and half of all our farmers are set to retire in the next 10-15 years.
There are millions of workers who want to farm and get access to land, but can’t because it’s too expensive. But there’s hope, as Congress considers a bipartisan bill that would forgive student debt after 10 years of farming.
A campaign to get more women cycling on Africa’s roads
In many African countries it’s unusual to see women riding bikes. Yet women
stand to gain the most from cycling.
Campaigns promoting cycling in Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa are helping to decongest cities like the Ugandan capital Kampala, where cycle lanes were introduced in 2015. But the main purpose is to speed up long walks to school, clinics, work or markets – mainly for women.
Another outcome is a reduction in sex attacks. As Irene from Zambia put it: “I can pedal faster than a man can run.”