Melisa Rodrigues, a 27-year-old from Lisbon, used to work for a big international company. At some point she realized, money wasn’t the key to happiness. So she quit her job, did a Master’s degree in globalization and development and went to India to work for an NGO.

It was in India that she learned about the One Billion Rising movement – an annual dance event demanding an end to violence against women and girls all over the world.

Melisa realized that violence – particularly domestic violence – was a big problem in her home country, Portugal. So she organized a One Billion Rising event in a train station in Lisbon to raise awareness and help women affected by violence know they’re not alone.

Listen to the report by Nádia Dinis in Lisbon:

 

 

 

Global Youth Connect is now accepting applications for its summer human rights programs in Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Application Deadline:

Feb 15, 2014

Here’s more from the organization:

Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Future Participants:

We wanted to remind you that Global Youth Connect is now accepting applications for our Summer 2014 Human Rights Programs in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Rwanda.

Each program will bring visiting youth (from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and all around the world) together with youth in the host location to engage together in three key activities:

• A cross cultural human rights workshop

• Visits/meetings with policy makers, organizations, and to relevant sites

• Volunteer service with grassroots NGOs on a variety of human rights issues including but not limited to: conflict resolution, education, health care, food/shelter, access to justice, human rights of children/youth, women, low-income populations, LGBTQ populations, indigenous populations, genocide survivors.

The deadline for applications is February 15, 2014.

Ages 18 – 30 (for Bosnia Programs) and 18 – 35 (for Rwanda Program).

Anyone can apply! From the US, Canada, and all over the world.

So please forward widely, share on Facebook, or help promote by putting up this GYC 2014 Summer Programs Poster.

Note: Program fees quoted are for visiting participants (not for local Rwandan or Bosnian participants). Some tuition reduction scholarship assistance is available for each program. See individual application documents for more information about tuition reduction scholarships.

To apply, click here.

For testimonials, click here.

For previous Rwanda reports, click here.

For previous Bosnia reports, click here.

GYC Blogs: gycvillage.org and the Open Society’s youthpolicy.org/interculturalblogging

In Buenos Aires, it’s not uncommon to see ads plastered on every street corner featuring scantily clad women in lascivious positions. The prostitutes for sale, however, are often there against their will. Human trafficking in the sex industry is a major problem.

Jerónimo Velez is working to change that, together with the organization Martes Rojos. He leads volunteers on walks through the city to remove the sex ads. Their aim? To raise awareness for the fact that many of the city’s prostitutes are victims of trafficking.

For some people in the community, it’s unusual that a man like Jerónimo would have the courage to take a stand on this sensitive issue.

Listen to the report by Maria Cruz from Buenos Aires:

 

In Cambodia, violence against women is a troubling – and common – concern. Ou Ratanak, witnessed it first-hand when he was growing up. He says his uncle physically abused his aunt, but when he brought it up, he was told to mind his own business.

Now, however, he’s making women’s safety his business. And he’s hoping to tackle the problem for future generations, by heading an organization that works with young adults to change attitudes towards sexual violence.

Listen to the report by Irwin Loy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia:

Keeping women safe in Cambodia

 

DW presents a brand new series! Our correspondents profile local leaders, activists, artists, musicians, rich and poor, ordinary and extraordinary people from around the globe, whose lives tell us more about the world we live in.

Check out the first inspiring story to find out why this Kurdish mayor has been stripped of office and faces scores of court cases.

Jail is ‘occupational hazard’ for Kurdish mayor

Darko and his indie rock band Side Effect are singing for change in Myanmar. Despite looser censorship laws, he doesn’t feel totally free. But the band’s first-ever tour abroad has given them courage to continue.

Listen to the report by Nadine Wojcik in Berlin:

Singer raises his voice in Myanmar

 

 

Read more about Side Effect in the DW article.

As an upper-class Shia Muslim, Jihan Kazerooni was far removed from Bahrain’s Arab Spring revolution. But when she learned of human rights abuses in her country, she founded a rehabilitation group for torture victims.

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting provided a grant for Reese Erlich’s coverage of Bahrain. Listen to the report by Reese Ehrlich from Manama, Bahrain:

Bahraini crosses class borders to help torture victims

 

“Call me Kuchu” is a film about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender – or LGBT – community in Uganda. It is a feature film by two 28-year-old filmmakers Katherine Fairfax-Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall and has already won several awards around the world.

Listen to the report by Chiponda Chimbelu:

Listen to the report:

Freedom of speech and expression continue to spark debates around the globe: from the release of WikiLeaks files, to caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, and from staging a rock concert in a church to publishing news about minorities. Wherever the issue emerges, it’s often controversial and it often involves the media.

DW examines the background of the various contexts in which freedom of speech and expression is both fought for and restricted.

Check out all the content here.

Emma, 18, managed to flee North Korea with her mother. Now she’s networking with other young political activists with hopes of eventually developing democracy in her home country.

Listen to the report by Roberto Tofani, presented by André Leslie:

North Korean defector works toward democracy

Here are some organizations that promote democracy in North Korea:

Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights
Ydank (in Korean)
The National Democratic Institute