Development Magazine
Hijras have for a long time been entertaining spectators on the big screens of South Asia. In the Hindi movie Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), for example, they accompanied one of the heroes, Akbar (Rishi Kapoor), in a song entitled “Tayyab Ali Pyar Ka Dushman” (“Tayyab Ali, the Enemy of Love”). Many other films portray their […]
“Our society pushes transgender people into prostitution”. GSDM’s Tithe Farhana interviews Pinky Sikder, the Director of Badhan Hijra Sangha, an NGO aimed at protecting the human rights of the transgender community in Bangladesh. I am the child of a mother and father like everyone. I was born in Gajipur in 1965 . I have 3 […]
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not officially at war, but for decades the ordinary Congolese haven’t experienced an essence of peace either. After years of bloodshed and devastation, the DRC is staggering towards normalcy, but after brief intervals the country finds itself rebound into violent conflicts again and again. This Spring 2012 edition […]
“People are products here. But now, I am a survivor", are the words of a 14 year old sex trafficked survivor in Cambodia. NGO in Focus hones in on The Cambodian Centre for the … [Read More...]
LONDON, September 2011 - It is not often a technology guru will say, “Forget the internet!” but Ken Banks, founder of Kiwanja.net, advocates going back to basics – using … [Read More...]
Burundi, a country praised in recent years for its free and dynamic press and active civil society, is witnessing a worrying deterioration in media freedom. Reporters Without Borders’ annual Press Freedom Index reveals a startling trend in this country located in the heart of the African Great Lakes region: between 2008 and 2011 Burundi slipped […]
On September 13, 2011, USAID announced a partnership with Monsanto and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) for introducing and promoting hybrid maize seeds in Nepal. The move became a controversial one and a group of activists formed a nationwide campaign ‘Stop Monsanto in Nepal’. The campaigners also organized a sit-in protest in front […]
Beijing, China. Hundreds of buildings tower over the people that bustle between them every day. Some get demolished, some get rebuilt, some just get a fresh layer of paint. But what strikes you as you walk through this eclectic monster of a city is that none of its buildings are covered in tags or graffiti […]
In recent years, international relations experts have debated the question of nation building – the process of constructing a functioning state that involves the creation or establishment of the institutions, public services, and security associated with a sovereign nation. Until recently, born out of U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which are considered […]
“We don’t know when we will die, [so] I like to do as much as I can. I want to try to make a difference.” The words of Nget Thy (pronounced “Tee”), Executive Director of The Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights (CCPCR), could so easily be passed off as empty platitudes by […]
Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. The governing political party, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional(FSLN), was brought to power after overthrowing longtime dictator Anastasio Somoza in the 1 979 revolution. In the 1 980s, the FSLN began implementing social programs aimed at reducing illiteracy and hunger, but was soon forced to divert scant resources to fight Contra Wars against U.S.-armed militias, which were notably […]
June 2012 saw the convergence of world leaders, powerful participants of world governments, agents of the private sector, and non-governmental organizations at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The goal – to discuss, define and agree on an international document wherein governments can provide a framework for economic growth […]
