Happy Friday, muggles. Having trouble sleeping? You’re not alone — though you might want to ditch the white noise. Some researchers are warning that apps or devices that simulate white noise might actually be disrupting your sleep. While you might want to try something different for a bit, we’re also going off our normal U.S. route to tell you about some important stories happening around the world. 

Violent protests continue in Indonesia against loss of labor and environmental protections

Tue Oct 20

The Indonesian government just changed 79 existing laws. Passed earlier this month, the bill itself was about 1,000 pages long. The government says the law will help an economy hurt by the coronavirus, but protesters, which include university students, trade unions, and activists, disagree as hundreds were arrested and detained in cities around the country. 

What does the new omnibus bill affect?

The bill will loosen Indonesia’s business, labor, and environment laws in an effort to attract more foreign investment and create millions of jobs. It’s unclear which changes will be helpful versus harmful, but it is clear there’s a lot of change happening all at once. Some include:

• Getting rid of sectoral minimum wage 
• Reducing severance pay to a maximum of 19 months salary (previously 32 months)
• Creating a new government fund to provide an additional six months pay to newly unemployed people
• Increasing the work week from five days to six
• Reducing restrictions on outsourcing 
• Simplifying and speeding up the process to receive a business permit
• Relaxing environmental standards and only requiring businesses to submit environmental impact analysis if the projects are considered high risk

Who is against these changes?

Trade unions and activist groups have condemned the bill and are calling for a national strike. They say it will decrease wages and remove worker protections. The Human Rights Watch is demanding revisions to the bill, saying it will hurt workers, indigenious groups, and the country’s declining rainforests.

SOURCES: BBC, The Washington Post, Reuters, Human Rights Watch

Greece plans to build a wall along its border with Turkey

Mon Oct 19

Looks like Trump isn’t the only one interested in building a wall. Greece says it plans to add to its already six-mile fencing on its northeast border because of concerns over mass migrant crossings into the European Union. The new wall is expected to be done in April, would span 16 miles, and cost $74 million.

But why Turkey? 

Greece and Turkey have been at odds over immigration and energy rights. 

• Earlier this year, Turkey announced it would no longer stop migrants trying to reach the EU (often by crossing to Greece) after feeling unsupported by the EU in managing the growing crisis in northern Syria   — Turkey currently has the most refugees worldwide with nearly 4 million people
• Turkey has accused Greece of illegally pushing migrants back into the eastern Aegean Sea without access to asylum procedures
• They are also fighting over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean that has led to military buildup

Which brings us to the wall, the latest step by Greece as tensions build (no pun intended). The wall will include:

• Galvanized square steel tubes and concrete foundations that are 15 feet wide
• A surveillance camera network that will cover the entire Greek-Turkish border (which is about 120 miles)
• High-powered mobile sirens to deter migrants

SOURCES: ABC News, The Guardian, Forbes, AP News

Anti-femicide protesters want to #ShutItAllDown in Namibia

Mon Oct 19

Namibia police are being accused of using tear gas and rubber bullets at gender-based violence protests, and now protesters want the government to declare a state of emergency or they will #ShutItAllDown again.

Wait, again?

Protests first began online using the hashtag #ShutItAllDown in response to a gender-based murder where a 22-year-old woman was found in a shallow grave. As protesters took to the streets to demand action against rape, sexual abuse, and femicide, the protesters created a standstill by blocking streets in the country’s capital for four days in early October. They are also fighting against period poverty — which is the inability to access adequate menstrual hygiene tools — and child marriage.  

And the data shows it’s not just the recent murder. In Namibia:

• 36% of ever-partnered women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence from their intimate partner 
• 19% of women reported someone other than their partner has been physically violent with them since the age of 15 — 26% reported physical violence from teachers
• 21% of girls anonymously reported sexual abuse before the age of 15 (when asked face-to-face, only 5% reported the abuse) 

On October 13, in response to the standstill caused by the protests, the government promised to implement new measures. Part of the changes would include the creation of:

• A sexual offenders registry
• Specific courts to handle sexual and gender-based attacks

But activists say they haven’t been given a timeline for when these changes will take place, and are continuing their protests with demands to declare a state of emergency. While previous protests for these issues have been local and short-lived, this time protesters are hoping the disruption is loud enough to enact meaningful change. 

SOURCES: CNN, Essence, Al Jazeera, World Health Organization