#StreamUpdate: A look at the latest news from stories we’re still following
Australia’s asylum seekers, fast fashion in Bangladesh and the US’ first hijabi Olympic fencer.
On Monday, February 8 at 19:30 GMT:
The Australian High Court has upheld the country’s controversial policy of detaining asylum seekers in offshore processing centers. The court decided that the conditions at the offshore sites do not violate the constitution. This judgement will clear the way for approximately 267 asylum seekers, including children born in Australia, to be deported in the coming days. The decision has sparked an outcry from human rights groups who say detainees at the centers have been subjected to violence and abuse and thousands have protested the decision with cries of “let them stay” and “close the camps.” What do you think?
#FastFashion #WhoMadeMyClothes
After the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed more than one thousand people almost three years ago, high street retailers pledged to improve health and safety condition for people making their products. But a series of recent incidents have served as reminders that there’s still a lot of work left to be done to ensure garment workers are protected. Last week more 6,000 clothing factory employees just missed a fire that could have been deadly had it not occurred at 7am, before shifts had started. We’ll take a look what improvements have been made, if any, to clothing factories in Bangladesh where the industry is worth a reported $25 billion. Have retailers and high street shops done enough to protect the people who make their products?
Meet Ibtihaj Muhammad. A fencer from New Jersey, she will be the first American to compete in the Olympics in a hijab. We’ll speak to her about the road to Rio, her clothing line and what she’s keeping tabs on in the US presidential campaign. What do you want to ask her?
On today’s episode, we speak to:
Kon Karapanagiotidis @Kon__K
Founder, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
asrc.com.au
Mohammad Ali Baqiri @ChilOutRevived
Youth Ambassador, Children Out of Immigration Detention
chilout.org
Judy Gearhart @ILRF
Executive Director, International Labor Rights Forum
laborrights.org
Rubana Huq @Rubanahuq
Managing Director, Mohammadi Group
mohammadigroup.com
Ibtihaj Muhammad @IbtihajMuhammad
Fencer, United States National Team
louellashop.com
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.