Nigeria’s security nightmare continues to cause national havoc
Violent Islamic group Boko Haram has maintained a presence in the north of Nigeria despite government efforts to control unrest. It continues to disrupt civilian safety and educational opportunities. Nigeria has seen a recent spike in violent activity in the north-east as a result of militant Islamist group Boko...
Current in People
8 of the most creative protests from G7 Summit
As world leaders gathered to make key decisions, activists made their voices heard. World leaders descended on a picturesque part of the English coast in Cornwall last week, but so did campaigners and activists keen to make their voices heard. From a floating blimp to knitted pasties (the famous local delicacy) - these...
Opinion – India’s cow vigilantes are preying on minorities
(Trigger warning: The following article contains details about physical assault) On 24th May, a video showing a group of men attacking a Muslim meat trader went viral. These attackers called themselves ‘gau rakshaks’ (cow protectors) and suspected that the trader was involved in the butchering of cows. The police have filed...
Exclusive – Melati Wijsen on the power of today’s changemaking youth
The self-proclaimed ‘full-time changemaker’ is part of a growing phalanx of Gen Zers determined to shape our planet’s future. I sat down with this pioneering environmental activist to discuss the importance of empowering young people to step up, rather than shut down, against the climate crisis. ‘Us kids may...
Exclusive – Impactr, the app turning social media into social change
Thred has been given an exclusive, pre-launch peek at new app Impactr, the self-proclaimed ‘anti-Amazon’ about to revolutionise online interaction. What’s next in social media? It’s a question people have asked themselves since David Fincher’s The Social Network premiered in 2010, seemingly the swan song of a digital juggernaut that...
Opinion – why sex ed serves as an avenue for social change
Governments and schools now consider sex-ed lessons to be a vital opportunity for furthering greater inclusivity and increasing self-confidence in younger generations. When breaking down sexual education to some of its basic elements: establishing consent, respecting differences, setting boundaries, and regularly checking in with your personal health, it’s clear that...
Indigenous communities on the front line in climate change fight
Climate change is affecting all of us whether we feel it in our day-to-day or not. However, Indigenous peoples who depend on local ecosystems are speaking out more than ever. Indigenous people known as Aboriginals - or First Nations in Australia - are people who have lived in harmony with their surrounding natural environments for thousands of years. Despite these groups making up just 5% of global populations, they manage...
Why does isolated conflict lead to a rise in global hate crimes? Israel-Palestine explored
Leaders around the world have expressed their concern about a rise in xenophobia and racism after the recent resurgence of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. The eleven-day battle between Israeli and Palestinian armies has come to a close, with both sides declaring ceasefire from the 21st of May. At least 230 Palestinians and 12 Israelis were killed in the attacks, making this period the deadliest resurgence of the conflict in recent years. Though the...
Colombians continue to mobilise despite police brutality
The country is bracing for further unrest as citizens protesting a proposed tax overhaul tied to the pandemic face unnecessary violence at the hands of law enforcement officials. Protests against President Iván Duque’s controversial ambitions to raise taxes in Colombia have turned deadly. Intended to fill a pandemic-related fiscal hole and mitigate the country’s economic crisis, the now shelved reform would have lowered the threshold at which individual salaries are...
Is Peru veering towards a humanitarian crisis like Venezuela’s?
A Chavez-style socialist who seeks to impose ruinous policies leads Peru's upcoming election, putting human rights under threat. Self-described Marxist-Leninist Pedro Castillo – a far-left socially conservative authoritarian with plans to suppress the media and withdraw protection for gender rights – is currently on course to win Peru’s upcoming election on June 6. At present, the dissident union leader is the top contender for president, after surprisingly beating 17 other candidates...
