The curse of silence
We are watching a genocide take place before our eyes; Shias are being killed mercilessly. The Hazara community in Quetta has been decimated. The Hazara Shias – numbering some 700,000…
Silent victims
Besides the challenges of economic and political uncertainty, Pakistan has another crisis to deal with – human trafficking. As the country grapples with one challenge after another, its vulnerable citizens…
For migrants, the Darien Gap is hell; for adventure tourists, it’s a magnet
Deep in the Panamanian jungle, Venezuelan migrant Franca Ramirez was scrambling to reach higher ground as a rushing river broke its banks, he said, when something caught his eye: a…
A dangerous world
Child trafficking is a widespread phenomenon. Children make up 27 percent of the 40 million victims of trafficking worldwide. Two out of every three identified child victims are girls. The…
Unaccompanied children evacuated from Afghanistan in Qatar limbo
The daily life of unaccompanied Afghan refugee children in Qatar is punctuated by recurring questions, “where are we going?” and “can I have some chips”. About 200 uprooted young Afghans…
Taliban, Americans, terrorism & drug trade
Tomorrow, June 26, will mark the International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The theme for 2021 is “Share facts on drugs, save lives”. Terrorism, drugs-for-arms and money laundering,…
A new Saigon moment?
“The great challenge to Afghanistan’s future is not the Taliban, or the Pakistani safe havens or even an incipiently hostile Pakistan. The existential threat to the long-term viability of modern…
Crackdown on migrants
In mid-March, Reuters reported that Mexico would “restrict movement on its southern border with Guatemala to help contain the spread of COVID-19.” The same article noted that the Joe Biden…
Sordid business
FOR 20 years, the US State Department has been annually documenting the efforts — or the lack thereof — of governments to check trafficking in persons (TIP) that has become…
Rich nations ramp up anti-slavery funding yet businesses urged to do more
The world's top economies have ramped up spending on the fight to eradicate modern-day slavery, according to new United Nations figures, but campaigners said businesses needed to play a greater…
