Author Archives: essexjournalism

By Lewis Adams

Social networking site Facebook turned 13 this year and as the giant of the online communications universe enters its teenage years it seems adequate to explore the darker sides of the platform.

Communication at the click of a button, messages sent instantly without limitation, what’s not to love? I despise social media, a feeling of unrivalled abhorrence which so many people just do not understand. Although in 2012 94% of people belonging to my age group were found to be active on the site, I believe we need to take more forward-steps towards exposing the deceitful, sinister and more negative nature of Facebook and social networking as a platform which has evolved much further than functioning solely for communication. Continue reading →

By Karin Ekblom

Once upon a time there was a girl, born in a village she doesn’t know the name of, because she never had the opportunity to learn it. Her mother is sitting and breastfeeding her on a chair, and outside of their gangly walls the winds cold breath is trying to make its way in through the crevices. The winds are slowly neglecting her, slowly but firm. The winds are building walls around her, in an attempt to forget her existence, because in their eyes she is not worth a single bit.

She lives in extreme poverty, and as a last resort she decides to beg for money in a foreign and cold city, Stockholm in Sweden. A country barely touched by the 21st century’s cold hand, a place where the houses in the south matches autumns changing nuances, a colorful and clean place. But a place where you don’t ask for help. Continue reading →

By Shivani Dubey

The Supreme Court of India announced on Monday that it will re-examine its controversial 2013 verdict criminalising gay sex responding to pleas of five petitioners who said that they were living in fear of being punished.

The law in question, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, is a law which dates back to the 1800s which criminalises “carnal intercourse with any man, woman or animal” stating that it is “against the order of nature” and anyone found practising it will be sentenced to life term or ten years of imprisonment and is also liable to pay a fine. Continue reading →

By Rhiannon Bevan

At a glance, Ronan seems far from the image stirred up by staring at a list of statistics.
He’s in high spirits – joking about his student diet of chicken nuggets and coffee – and most interestingly, he’s open. Clad in a shirt reading, “Do I look like I care?”, you could be forgiven for assuming this outspoken attitude equates to a stress free life.

It’s hard to believe that he’s four times more likely to drop out than his classmates.
Ronan is a young adult carer: one of 375,000 Brits between the age of 16-25 who cares for a loved one with disabilities. Along with the other seven million carers of all ages, he saves the NHS over double its budget, but as they now share, they are not getting enough in return, which makes it even more difficult for them to pursue other aspects of their lives, and in Ronan’s case, getting an education. Continue reading →

By Kai Wei Cheng

Campaigners will be back at the earliest given opportunity before they can tackle the issue for women’s only swimming sessions at Colchester Leisure World (CLW) as snow stopped them on Sunday 10 December.

CLW is known for their facilities such as the gym, courts, pitches, and their swimming pools for the public. With this wide variety, they also offer a few women’s only swimming sessions that run for an hour from Monday to Thursday. Continue reading →