OP-ED: Christmas couple goals: Woman’s rom-com holiday fantasies test her interfaith marriage

When I was single and in my 20s, the winter holiday months were filled with angst, loneliness and feelings of emptiness.

Then I met my now husband and rejoiced at finding my person. It finally meant the end of all holiday-induced torment. Sure, we’d have arguments along the way, but the Christmas season would be filled with joy and cherished memories and only the happiest of holiday RomComs.

Fast forward a decade.

Last year my husband treated our two small children and me to the ultimate Christmas destination—Europe. We spent 10 days in Austria visiting holiday markets, drinking mulled wine and enjoying all the wintry treats.

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PHOTOJOURNALISM: “Banned Beauty” and the Practice of Breast Ironing in Cameroon

Light, and specifically the contrast of light, plays a dominant role in the photo labeled “November 06, 2016,” from the series Banned Beauty by photographer Heba Khamis (see fig. 1). The image documents a family of women gathered together in their home—a mother with her four children. The mother assists her eldest daughter who is participating in the cultural tradition of breast ironing or flattening, in Cameroon. The girl’s younger sibling stands beside her—her chest wrapped and taped, depicting her involvement as well in the breast flattening tradition.

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FEATURE: The Forgotten & Unprotected - Rainbow Refugees

Most refugees are fleeing war or violence. But for rainbow refugees like Sulah, identifying as LGBTQ+ is reason enough to flee violence and persecution back home.

Sulah Mawejji, a refugee from Uganda, went to live with relatives after his mother and later father passed away—both from HIV. When those relatives learned he was gay, Sulah was bullied and told to leave at just 16 years old.

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EXPLAINER: Why Human Trafficking Follows The War

As the war in Ukraine continues, women and children are fleeing for safety, but that road to safety is likely lined with human traffickers.

While many Ukrainian men stay behind to defend their country, women and children remain the most vulnerable to trafficking as they venture across neighboring borders. UNHCR reports at least 90 percent of those fleeing are women and children.

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EVENT COVERAGE: Emotions Run High at Start of UN Human Rights Council Meeting, Over Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has remained a primary focus at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva this month as delegates walked out on the Russian Foreign Minister in protest.

More than 100 UN members left the assembly hall as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on the second day of the Council's session where he accused Ukraine of its goal to acquire nuclear weapons—which the country abandoned in exchange for security in 1994.

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BREAKING NEWS: More Than Half of Adult Refugees In Jordan Now Vaccinated Against COVID-19, Thanks To New Vaccine Centers

Over 90 percent of adults in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, due to new vaccination centers.

Over 74 percent of adult refugees are fully vaccinated in Azraq Refugee Camp—located in northern Jordan and created after the Syrian Civil War in 2014—according to the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management (NCSCM) as issued in a statement this week by the United National High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR).

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OPINION: December is the Merriest, Unless you have an Elf on the Shelf

Even in 2020, a year filled with misery and disappointment for all, the holiday season is filled with a magical hope—the promise of Santa Claus, a delicious supply of baked goods, and the anticipation of presents. But, lurking among the beautiful mystery of the season is an air of torment. For out there, among the twinkly lights, the pine-scented homes, and the cookie-covered kitchens is another holiday mystery.

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ESSAY: A Call for Sex Education in Uganda

This past fall I was given the unique opportunity by a client to accompany her to Uganda as she works to treat women in Africa, affected by pre-cancerous cervical cells. What I discovered is the important of women’s healthcare education to both men and women, and the domino effect when both sexes are not equally taught the basics of sex education.

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