The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
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Five men have been formally charged in India with the kidnapping, gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus. India erupted in protest after the violent attack. The case has shone a light on other instances of sexual violence in India, where one woman is raped every 20 minutes. Meanwhile the attitude of Indian authorities towards violence against women is extremely negligent. Conviction rates in rape cases in India have decreased from 46% in 1971 to 26% in 2012....
In 2011 a group of world leaders including seven ex-presidents set up The Global Commission on Drug Policy to end the 40-year 'War on Drugs' -- but wars are easier to start than they are to finish.
Narrated by Morgan Freeman, "Breaking the Taboo" is a film that follows the Commission on its mission to break the political taboo over the US-led War on Drugs and expose what it calls the biggest failure of global policy in the last 40 years. It calls for the United Nations and all...
Venezuela is experiencing a new housing boom. Cranes can be seen dotting the skyline of the capitol, Caracas, from the central district to the outskirts of the city. The new buildings popping up all over the city are part of a state-led housing initiative seeking to revolutionize access to housing and democratize the city's space.
Venezuela's new housing projects are funded by the country's vast nationalized oil reserves. The program, which started in April 2011 has already constructed...
Talking about how to make South Africa's democracy work for the poor, Steven Friedman, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy argues, "telescoping" all the countries problems onto one mediocre politician (Jacob Zuma) is misguided. Government does not have a bad record of "sheer physical provision to the poor". The real problem that South Africa has faced over the last 18 years has been that we haven't got to grips with the inequalities in the market economy, he...
In this animated representation of his talk, philosopher and author Roman Krznaric explains how we can bring about social change by stepping outside ourselves. If the 20th century was the age of introspection, then the 21st century needs to be one of "outrospection".
The ultimate art form of outrospection is empathy. Empathy is about a revolution in human relationships.
We often think of empathy as happening between two people, but it can also be a collective force that...
Whistleblower Bradley Manning’s pre-trial proceedings, which were intended to determine whether his treatment while in custody was too harsh, have been postponed. His defence team argues that his treatment amounts to torture. Al Jazeera's Inside Story examines Manning's case and how the US treats its whistleblowers. Manning is the man accused of the largest ever document leak in US history. He is suspected of leaking more than 250000 diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks. He has been charged...
