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Friday, November 13, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Population
POPULATION: ‘Natural Family’ Definition Rankles Rights Activists
Conservative groups calling for a return to the "natural family" gathered in Mexico to shower praise upon each other and to pledge to work harder in fighting homosexuality, divorce and "sexual wantonness" - positions that set more than a few human rights activists' teeth on edge.POPULATION-PHILIPPINES: After ‘Fatwah’, Muslims Face Taboo Issues
Upon birth, a Muslim infant is called to greatness. An imam, the keeper of faith in the mosque, cuddles the infant and whispers prayers traditionally held to be the first words the baby should hear as Allah's blessing.RIGHTS-SPAIN: Sex Workers Decry Crackdown in Madrid
Prostitutes in Madrid will bring a lawsuit against city authorities for ''perversion of the course of justice'' and ''coercion'', in opposition to a municipal campaign aimed at getting sex workers off the street in the centre of the city.BURMA: For Shan Women, Revealing Rights Abuses Come at a Price
For over a year, a woman belonging to Burma's Shan ethnic community has treaded a path of caution in this city surrounded by the hills of northern Thailand.POLITICS: U.N.’s Credibility At Breaking Point, Say Experts
The United Nations' continued engagement in Iraq - largely under U.S. pressure - is not only testing the credibility of the world body but also taking a toll on its Secretariat staff in New York.COLOMBIA: Indians and Blacks Displaced by War in Remote Northwest
Heavy fighting between leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups in the remote jungle region of northwestern Colombia led to the forced displacement of 1,275 Emberá indigenous people this week.CHINA-BURMA: Drug Trade Booms at the Border
Two young Burmese Muslims are hanging out, wearing neat, bright clothes and Ray-Ban sunglasses with golden hand chains. Around them are bustling Chinese and Burmese Muslims stealthily unwrapping pieces of cloth to reveal their wares of jade.SUSTAINABILITY: Water Woes Cloud Philippine Campaign, Poor Bear Burden
''We won't make our life more difficult paying for something we can't even have,'' Edita Mallorca, a resident of the Tondo slums here says, referring to services for clean water that have become an election issue in the Philippines.SOCIETY-SRI LANKA: Detained Would-be Migrants Live in Limbo
For almost three months, Shiran Russel and 268 others have been taken to a courthouse in the Sri Lankan capital every two weeks from a southern prison 45 kilometres away, unsure of their fate after having been caught trying to sneak into Italy by boat.JAPAN: Child Abuse Forces Tough Look at Isolated Society
A rising tide of child abuse cases is forcing the Japanese government to boost efforts to prevent adults from inflicting gross physical and emotional harm on children, a trend that experts link to increasing isolation in an affluent, modern society.RIGHTS-BURMA: Refugees’ Return Won’t be a Warm Welcome
The Burmese military government's notorious record when it comes to returning refugees is due to come under scrutiny again, following hints of another possible repatriation from Thailand.VENEZUELA: 150 Years After Abolishment of Slavery, Racism Persists
Racism continues to exist in Venezuela in different guises 150 years after slavery was abolished, according to the Network of Afro-Venezuelan Organisations, which wants the cultural contributions of black people to be recognised by the constitution.LABOUR-BURMA: Thai Crackdown Means Life in Hiding, Uncertainty
Htun Kyaw (not his real name) has been hiding at a friend's house, its doors and windows shut, at the Thai border town of Mae Sot.RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Northeast Major Source of Trafficking Victims
An estimated 100,000 Brazilian girls and women fall prey each year to organised rings of people traffickers and are taken abroad, where many end up in the sex trade, according to experts.THAILAND: Knowledge Arms Burmese Migrant Women against Abuse
She travelled to this city with her lips sealed. After all, she feared that even a word from her during a 14-hour train journey from Bangkok could have revealed her identity as a woman from Burma and lead to police arrest.POLITICS-IRAN: Fires of Defiance Light the Night Sky
Bonfires roared and firecrackers split the dark as Iranians defied Islamic hardliners to enact ancient rites ahead of the Persian New Year, which starts on Mar. 21.RIGHTS-BURMA: Refugees’ Return Won’t be Easy or Quick
When the U.N. refugee agency takes its first tentative steps into military-ruled Burma this year, the workshops and seminars it holds there will form the foundation of plans to prepare for the return - if and when this happens - of thousands of refugees.RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: Women Activists Brave the Dangers
Women activists in Colombia's ''oil capital'', Barrancabermeja, provide a lesson in bravery, defying pressure and threats from the right-wing paramilitaries to continue their social activism.EUROPEAN UNION: Circulation Restrictions Rock Expansion Boat
All citizens of the European Union have equal rights, but some seem to be more citizens than others as the bloc expands from 15 to 25 states, with restrictions on international movements of people from the new Eastern European members./CORRECTION*/HEALTH-BRAZIL: AIDS Spreading Six Times Faster Among Teenage Girls
HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate among teenage girls in Brazil, with six13 to 19-year-old girls infected for every boy in that age group.HEALTH-BRAZIL: AIDS Spreading Six Times Faster Among Teenage Girls
HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate among teenage girls in Brazil, with six 13 to 19-year-old girls infected for every boy in that age group.« Previous Page — Next Page »
One Thousand Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Relocated from Tomping Camp in South Sudan. Credit: UN Photo/Isaac Billy
It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world’s human population to cross one billion in 1804. Approximately 200 years later, the population has multiplied sevenfold. In 2023, the global population crossed 8 billion, and is expected to reach 9 billion before 2050. With the planet more crowded than ever, it is essential to keep track of population trends, urbanization, migration, and reproduction across the world.
Life expectancy has seen significant strides in the past century, largely due to economic development and increased standards of living. On the contrary, trends in global fertility are shifting, with certain regions in Africa and Asia reporting higher rates, while parts of Europe and North America report stagnant or lower rates. This is in part due to differences in sexual and reproductive healthcare, as well as societal and economic conditions around the world. For example, child marriage is prevalent in certain societies, where childbearing is also considered a familial duty. Meanwhile, stagnating economies frequently experience lower marriage and childbearing rates.
The increase in migration and urban development around the world is also linked to global population trends. By 2050, it is expected that approximately 66 percent of all people will live in cities. Furthermore, global crises such as warfare and natural disasters also prompt transnational migration. Transnational migration is linked to a variety of socioeconomic issues in both host and receiving countries: migrants often leave developing countries with less access to educational and economic opportunities and arrive in developed countries where they are frequently the targets of ethnic, racial, and cultural discrimination, and economic exploitation. Recent crises in Europe and the United States demonstrate the importance of advocating for migrants worldwide. As migrants from the Global South are increasingly stripped of their legal and civic rights in unlawful deportations, or targeted in acts of identity-based violence, it is essential to keep track of population trends and protect the human rights of migrant populations. Climate-related disasters are now a major driver of displacement, with nearly half of all new internal displacements in 2025 being disaster-related.
IPS is devoted to covering issues surrounding population trends, migration, and reproduction through its compelling articles, which use both statistics and human stories to provide readers with robust and informative viewpoints.
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