In northern Italy a campaign group of mums, Mamme No PFAs, is fighting against the “forever chemicals” that are poisoning their water supply and their children. Beatrice M Spadacini visits Veneto to speak with the Italian mothers who are documenting the devastating health effects of PFAS in an area three times bigger than the US community featured in the film Dark Waters.   The post PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ – and the Italian mothers fighting for health justice appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

Who decides who has the right to health and the right to life in the favelas of Brazil? And what impact did Covid-19 have on the 16 million people living in favelas? After spending two years in Brazil, and visiting Complexo do Alemão favela in Rio de Janeiro, PhD student Maria Weickardt Soares wrote this story as a response to the annual Lacuna Writing Competition.  The post The right to health in times of crisis: ‘Necropolitics’ in Brazil’s favelas during the Covid-19 pandemic appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

This memoir from a summer spent in Palestine explores the existence and resistance of communities living in the shadow of the Separation Wall. Undergraduate Law student Jaskiran Sandhu wrote this story as the joint-winning response to the annual Lacuna Writing Competition. The post Resistance is existence: The defiant Palestinian art of the West Bank Separation Wall appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

From microaggressions and "subtle sexism" to emerging from domestic violence and supporting women in prison, these eight articles offer unique views of gender justice. For International Women's Day, we're revisiting some of our favourite pieces of research, memoir, fiction and journalism calling out sexism around the world. The post International Women’s Day 2024: 8 stories battling for gender justice appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

This tribute to Bisan Owda, Palestine’s cultural vlogger turned war journalist, was written by Eli Langfere, an undergraduate student of the Warwick Writing Programme, as the joint-winning response to the annual Lacuna Writing Competition. The post Bisan Owda: Palestine’s Cultural Vlogger Turned War Reporter  appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

Turkey’s Alevi Kurds fear a series of dams and hydroelectric power plants on their sacred Munzur River will exterminate their culture. Following an Erdoğan win in the 2023 general elections, these fears have worsened.  The post ‘No river, no life’: Alevi Kurds in Turkey battle to save Munzur River appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

This climate fiction story explores the idea of a body acting as a passport, shaping the spaces that a person is allowed access to. It urges the reader to see just how dystopian things already are. The post The Passing: A climate fiction short story appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

From decolonising the curriculum to everyday sexism, Lacuna's stories have covered a wide range of issues that shaped the UK's human rights landscape in 2023. We have invited teachers and students to write about their own experiences. Join us in revisiting our editor's picks of impactful human rights stories from 2023. The post 6 human rights stories by teachers and students: A look back at 2023 appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

With the climate crisis growing more urgent and the number of refugees worldwide rising, 2023 has been a year of pressing human rights issues. Lacuna’s stories have highlighted the joy that is essential to human rights and explored uplifting forms of resistance - including reading, gardening and wedding celebrations. Here's a collection of inspiring human rights journalism from around the world to conclude 2023. The post Human rights journalism and research from around the world in 2023 appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more

While some see faith spaces –churches, mosques, synagogues or temples – as safe havens, the reality can be starkly different for the most marginalised. Mina Hadi interviews two writers whose book invites 30 disabled people to share their experiences of access and exclusion in UK churches.  Writers Dr Naomi Lawson and Emily Richardson, both disabled... Read more » The post How two disabled Christian activists are challenging ableism in churches and other faith spaces appeared first on Lacuna Magazine ..read more