For years, the communities surrounding the open-air landfill site at Duquesa in the Dominican Republic have lived with toxic gases, contaminated soil and precarious means of subsistence tied to waste recycling. A new state endeavour, supported by international organisations, seeks to close and transform the site, impacting almost four million […]
Latin America
Child violence and systemic fragility in the Caribbean
Recent figures demonstrate a persistent pattern of child violence in the Dominican Republic. The cultural acceptance of physical punishment, the fragility of the systems of protection and the limited use of trustworthy information hinders public actions capable of preventing repeated harm. More than 63% of girls and boys between 1 and 14 years old have been victims.
Rebuilding life and forging a future far from the Middle East
A Syrian couple rebuilds their life in Santiago, facing language barriers and limited job opportunities while navigating a society largely unfamiliar with Middle Eastern migration. (The Prisma memoirs) Marcella Via Loua and Amar are a Syrian couple who arrived in Santiago a year and a half ago. Since Middle […]
Petro and Trump: pragmatism, caution and political calculation
The Petro-Trump meeting seemed positive despite the coded rhetoric and general statements delivered by the Colombian president during the press conference held at the Colombian Embassy in the United States. Germán Ayala Osorio* The somewhat fawning tone of President Donald Trump’s response about how the meeting went forms […]
Rio under siege: when security is measured in bodies
Bullets, cordons and bodies have marked a state offensive which treated the favelas as if they were enemy territory. Decades of neglect, lack of public policies and turf wars against the poor, fuel a cycle of violence which does not reduce crime and further deepens social breakdown. Frei Betto […]
















