Safety on the job and at home, for Pakistani workers and Bolivian women
Women are teaching each other taekwondo to protect against gender-based violence
Government data says that 51,000 Bolivian women experienced domestic violence in 2022, and 8 out of 10 women face physical violence sometime in their lives. In the city of El Alto, the Warmi Power taekwondo studio (warmi means “woman” in the Quechua Indigenous language) trains women to defend themselves.
Black belts Laura Roca and Kimberly Nosa have trained 35,000 women around the country. Many students wear a pollera, the traditional voluminous skirt. Classes are translated into Aymara, a language spoken by more than 2 million, by Lidia Mayta, a Warmi student turned trainer.
Why We Wrote This
Our progress roundup looks at promoting well-being and safety, and examining what helps people feel unified instead of polarized.
Though Bolivia criminalized violence against women in 2013, critics say the government has not dedicated enough resources to reduce the risk. Warmi Power’s founders say their school is focused on prevention. “Violence is not solved with violence, but learning to defend ourselves can save our lives,” said Ms. Nosa.
Sources: Agence France-Presse, Human Rights Watch, UNESCO
Scientists used laser-treated cork to remove crude oil from water
Research out of China and Israel potentially paves the way for a nontoxic method of cleaning up marine oil spills. Chemical dispersants are often used to break down oil, but they release toxins into the water.
Researchers found that cork charred with a laser made the material both more oil absorbent and more water repellent and created grooves to increase surface area. Heated by the sun, oil would become thinner, making it easier for the darkened cork to quickly absorb.
The experiments also demonstrated the possibility of using a pump to recover the oil for reuse.
Sources: American Institute of Physics, The Naked Scientists
A German law is protecting textile workers in developing countries with new laws placed on supply chains
Western fashion companies have long outsourced manufacturing to countries such as Pakistan, where textiles are the largest industry. Despite local laws and international efforts to increase worker protections, labor rights groups find factories commit frequent violations that result in not only underpaid workers but also fatalities on the job.
Germany is Europe’s largest economy and clothing importer, and its Supply Chain Act now requires companies with over 1,000 employees to minimize human rights violations across their supply chains. Violations are punishable by fines of up to €8 million ($8.6 million).
Pakistani union leaders have met with several major brands since the law’s passage. In one case, a German retailer compelled a factory to comply with minimum wage laws, provide workers with written contracts, and give bonuses.
Sources: Foreign Policy, International Labour Organization
New Zealanders are increasingly engaging with the arts
Sixty percent of survey respondents said that art has a positive impact on society, and 72% attended an arts event during the year.
In its triennial poll released last month, Creative New Zealand, a part of the national Arts Council, found that 54% of people participate in the arts – the highest percentage since the survey began in 2005. Art is good for the economy, according to 64% of respondents.
While 63% of respondents said that art helps them define their identity as New Zealanders, the arts were of particular significance to Maori respondents, 78% of whom said art was important for staying connected to their culture.
Just over half of people said they have easy access to art, and that decreases to 48% for disabled people. In a new measure, 63% of people said art was good for their well-being.
Sources: The Big Idea, Creative New Zealand
Reminding people of their shared characteristics can help them feel bonded to humanity and be motivated to work together
In two studies of more than 1,000 U.S. citizens, researchers wanted to explore whether instead of parochial orientations to problems, a more global identity could be harnessed for prosocial action.
In one study, mothers choosing pictures to reflect their relationships indicated that they felt more bonded to other mothers in the world than simply to other women. Participants in the second study watched a TED Talk that portrayed humanity as a single family with shared biological characteristics. Viewers reacted with significantly stronger bonds to humanity as a whole, and even to people in an opposing political party, than those who didn’t see the video.
To measure altruism, participants were also asked how they would split money between various groups.
“Remembering that we are all related and all experience many of the same challenges in life could be the key to addressing a wide range of global problems, from intergroup conflicts to extreme poverty,” said Harvey Whitehouse, a study co-author.
Sources: University of Oxford, Royal Society Open Science
