Despite the many developments in agriculture, the sector is still heavily dependent on cheap labour. Thus, labour exploitation is rife in the Southern European countryside, present in many countries such as Spain, Italy, and Greece. What is gangmastering? Agricultural slavery is organised in a system by which an intermediary – the gangmaster – liaises between … Continue reading Modern Slavery in Southern Europe: What to Know and What We Can Do
Human Duties and Universal Responsibilities
“Human duties are the universal responsibilities of human beings regardless of jurisdiction or other factors, such as ethnicity, nationality, religion or sex. The idea of human duties arises as a natural counterbalance to the philosophical idea of human rights.” These days, the whole world is paying lip service to human rights. At the United Nations … Continue reading Human Duties and Universal Responsibilities
Look Beyond the Polar Bear: Embrace the Maths of Climate Change
The son shall not bear responsibility for the sins of the father, they say, but climate change would beg to differ. The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, is set to take place in Glasgow on October 31st to November 12th. With the COP26 around the corner we have been truly inundated by increasingly sobering … Continue reading Look Beyond the Polar Bear: Embrace the Maths of Climate Change
“Peacemaking” Hypocrisy: Human Rights Violations are Turning into a Norm Under the Taliban Regime
Despite their promises, the Taliban have failed to honour their word on a number of commitments. There are still ongoing violations of basic human rights (such as the right of women to study and work, and freedom of the media). The amnesty offered to political opponents turned out to be mere lip service. The situation … Continue reading “Peacemaking” Hypocrisy: Human Rights Violations are Turning into a Norm Under the Taliban Regime
Mind the Gap: Global Travel During the Pandemic
There was a period during the pandemic, somewhere near the beginning, where some optimism seeped through. Could this, like so many junctures of calamity in modern history, lead to a further interconnected world? One where a new era of transnational collaboration and unity could come to the forefront, placing shared humanity ahead of conflict, isolationism … Continue reading Mind the Gap: Global Travel During the Pandemic
The Ethics of Eating
Attempting to decipher what constitutes a “good” or a “bad” business or industry is an impossible task because to call any business good is a paradox. Companies exist because they have a desirable good or service, but profit is what companies need in order to survive. Therefore the profits of a business are the only … Continue reading The Ethics of Eating