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Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kicked Out of School For Being Pregnant: Forced Pregnancy Tests Violate Girls' Rights in East Africa
EyeEm Mobile GmbH This story on forced pregnancy tests was reported and first published by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Teen Vogue lightly edited this story for style. Learn more about TBIJ here. Auma Angella was 14 when she was called into the staff room at her school in Busia, eastern Uganda, and asked why her stomach was curving. A teacher began to press her abdomen. Before she understood what was happening, she had been told to go home and not come back. Angella hadn't known she was pregnant — but by the end of the day, her whole class knew. Angella's story is part of a pattern that exists across the continent and has for generations. Coercive pregnancy testing that results in girls being expelled from school is humiliating, invasive and potentially unlawful. But the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) can reveal that schools in some African countries are continuing the practice in breach of national guidelines or legal judgments. 'Teachers examine girls, [touching them] around their bodies,' explained David Mwanga, a legal worker who supported Angella. 'They look at the changes of their body, the changes in the breast size.' Sometimes testing is performed using the same kits found in pharmacies around the world, but often it's done via the sort of hands-on process Angella was subjected to. In recent years, West Africa's highest court and a pan-African human rights body have ruled the expulsion of pregnant girls to be in violation of legally binding African charters on children's rights, including to education, privacy, and freedom from discrimination. Forced pregnancy testing has also been found to breach human rights. In Uganda, a government guideline was issued at the end of 2020, allowing pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to continue their education — a noted break from previous practices. But even with rules in place protecting pregnant students, TBIJ has found that girls are still at risk of coercive testing and exclusion. TBIJ has examined six other cases since the start of 2021 that appear to have breached the guideline — but the true figures are likely to be far higher. The cases were recorded by the legal charity Mwanga works for, Women With a Mission (WWM), which serves just nine of 146 districts in Uganda. Families are often wary of engaging with these services for fear of reproach from their community, so these instances are probably just the tip of the iceberg. Angella was made pregnant, she says, by an older man. (He is now awaiting trial, according to her legal team.) The ordeal was distressing enough before her teachers compounded the damage. 'I was stigmatized by the administration of the school,' Angella said to TBIJ via a translator in her local language of Lusamia. Even though it was the school that was in the wrong, she said, 'they kept on talking wrong about me within the community.' Angella's parents have consented to her being identified in this story. The school did not respond to TBIJ's request for comment. It had initially denied examining and expelling Angella but after WWM applied to the high court detailing her experience, it agreed to readmit her. For Angella, though, the prospect of being shunned by teachers and pupils was too much. She has not gone back. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancies of any region in the world, according to UN data. And in some parts of Uganda, teenage pregnancies rose by as much as 49% after the Covid pandemic, when the country's schools were shut for longer than in virtually any other nation. These figures shocked the government into action. Despite opposition from religious leaders, a guideline was issued in December 2020 saying that pregnant girls and adolescent mothers should be allowed to continue their education – after a year's enforced maternity leave – and to sit their national exams. But government directives have come up against deeply-rooted beliefs, explained Mwanga. '[People think] these girls were going to be a bad example to others. They were going to influence others to do the same thing,' he said. 'If these girls are to remain in school, it will be like a tomato which is rotten that remains in the basket of new tomatoes and then makes them all rotten.' If Angella had kept quiet about her experience at school, Mwanga said, 'no one would have known.' But she decided to speak out – and told her father what she'd been through. After hearing about WWM on the radio, he approached the charity for advice and together they were able to mount a legal challenge against the actions of her school. In September 2024, a high court judge in Tororo, eastern Uganda, handed down a consent order (an agreement between two parties supervised by a judge). The school agreed Angella should be allowed to continue her education. While the agreement is specific to Angella's case, it sets a precedent and has already sparked a national conversation in Kampala's corridors of power. But it hasn't put a stop to school exclusions. WWM has worked on the cases of five other girls expelled due to pregnancy since the ruling in September. All were readmitted after WWM's challenge. But the charity has heard of other exclusions outside its remit. Though Uganda's new guideline is a seemingly progressive move, it actually formalizes the invasive testing policy, stating that 'all girls should be examined for pregnancy periodically, at least once termly.' What's more, it has been condemned as discriminatory by Ugandan NGO the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) because it enforces a year of mandatory maternity leave once the girls are around three months pregnant. 'In effect, the guidelines do not permit pregnant girls to be in school,' said ISER. WWM said in the future it would like to challenge these parts of the guideline. Rosette Nanyanzi, a gender adviser at the Ugandan Ministry of Education, told TBIJ both pregnancy tests and the period of leave were there to protect girls. A school routine that includes sitting on hard wooden benches for 12 hours a day is 'not safe and conducive,' she said, and pregnancy testing makes sure they access the 'proper services.' But she also acknowledged the decision to begin the leave at the three-month mark was motivated in part by 'morals' — the idea that visibly pregnant girls are a bad influence on their peers. The ministry did not respond to TBIJ's further questions. In Tanzania the practices are even harsher — and once again, marks of apparent progress do not tell the whole story. Until late 2021, there was an outright ban on pregnant girls attending school at all. Rights organizations filed a complaint to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) in 2019 to challenge the government, claiming that girls as young as 11 were being subjected to painful, non-consensual pregnancy testing in almost all public schools. It said those found pregnant — even in cases of sexual abuse or incest — were almost always expelled. They won their case, but TBIJ has seen documents revealing that no laws have yet been introduced to prevent forced testing or expulsion. Instead the government is currently relying on a 2021 notice from the Ministry of Education that says, among other things, that students who have dropped out due to pregnancy should be allowed to return to school within two years. However, the notice is not legally enforceable. The government has issued figures suggesting more than 10,000 pupils who dropped out for a variety of reasons have returned to school as a result – though the two year cut-off excluded the girls at the heart of the original case, according to one lawyer involved. The notice also forms part of the agreement for a $500 million loan granted to Tanzania from the World Bank to fund secondary education, which includes the condition that girls in the country must be allowed to resume their studies after pregnancy. The money was paid on account of the government issuing the notice, as well as a separate guideline forbidding non-consensual pregnancy testing. But it is uncertain how much has truly changed for many girls in Tanzania. Getrude Dyabene of the Legal and Human Rights Centre, which helped bring the ACERWC case, said schools are often not aware of the changes. She said that visits by her organization have revealed that forced testing is still happening — and expulsions routinely follow. 'The practice is still ongoing,' she said. 'The government said they have directed schools not to conduct pregnancy testing for girls. And we are like, 'Okay, where is that directive? Is there a letter?'' The World Bank told TBIJ it monitored closely for instances where pregnant girls or young mothers were prevented from continuing their education. 'When we are made aware of situations like this, we follow up with the authorities to take remedial action,' a spokesperson told TBIJ. 'This includes reinforcing the guidelines with school staff and providing further training.' Tanzania's ministries for health and education did not respond to questions about what actions they are taking to implement the ruling. It's been more than a year since Angella was expelled, and her baby girl is now nine months old. On an oppressively hot day on the eastern border of Uganda, she talks about the hairdressing course that she enrolled in when she felt unable to return to school. She says she's enjoying it — happy to have friends in a similar position to her and to be able to provide for her daughter. But she says she would have loved to have had a full education, 'like any other [person],' before considering a vocational college. 'What the teachers did, it was torturing her,' said her father, David Wafula. 'And even shaming her in front of her friends at school.' A keen artist, she had dreamed of making wedding dresses. 'My desire and passion was always to be a designer,' she said. For now, that dream has been put on hold. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
Buzz Feed
25-03-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
Non-Americans Are Sharing What They Think The "Average American Home" Is Actually Like, And Wow
The classic American home has a well-known aesthetic, for better or for worse. So much so that, on Reddit, non-Americans are sharing the household essentials they've been led to believe that nearly all Americans almost certainly have in their homes. The answers are specific and, yes, pretty darn true. Here are 17 that stood out: 1. "I'm so astonished by a switch that, when you flick it, turns your sink into a blender. Like, where does the trash go from there? I want to visit America just to experience that!" — ryder_palash & Kingdom-Kome "A trash smoothie." — ClapBackBetty "This is my favorite way to describe a disposal! Lol" — quiet_repub 2. "A coffee machine with a large glass jug full of black coffee being kept warm. The UK mostly has electric kettles for making hot drinks individually." — None "Most of my family is like this. A large coffee maker that usually makes at least 8 cups in a thermally insulated carafe to stay warm for a long time. It's often run twice per day." — bdfortin 3. "I would say BBQ sauce." — ThrewawayXxxX "I have at least five varieties of BBQ sauce in my fridge at the moment, including two that are homemade. 😆" — Ruckbeat "Is You're dead on, but I never really thought about it." — manaworkin "I don't even like BBQ sauce, but I have it in my fridge and a back-up in the pantry because what if someone comes over and they like it???" — Not_floridaman "Hi, American here, and I'm here to say this is true." — HHistory1 4. "Apparently, Americans are rather fond of pickles and peanut butter. Is that a fair assumption to make?" — tree_of_lies "Yes. I have three kinds of peanut butter and five kinds of pickles. I went and looked." — judgymcjudgypants "Guilty. I love making gherkins, and I always have a jar of PB in the pantry." — kingofthecairn "As an American, I would say this is one the most accurate comments here so far." — ItsNadaTooma 5. "The popcorn setting on their microwave!" EyeEm Mobile GmbH / Getty Images — someone_somewear "Settings: popcorn, pizza, and (oddly) potato." — BracedRhombus "I actually use the potato button." — Limberpuppy "And everyone knows to NEVER use the popcorn setting…" — Mountain-Safety2099 "The popcorn companies usually tell you on their packaging not to use it." — Inner_Character9081 "Not big on the popcorn button, but I love the sensor reheat 'leftovers' button." — St4y_Puft 6. "Oh, the washing machines where you put everything in on the top! This fascinated me when we visited the States. They're huge!" — Tired3520 "Yes, and a matching dryer. They make those as well." — Cakey-Baby 7. "Individual cans or bottles of soft drinks." — LL112 "I came here ready to roll my eyes at the expected responses. Instead, I am here to confirm your accusations." — ButtDonaldsHappyMeal "They taste way better from a can than a big plastic bottle. It's the second best way to drink Coke." — PNutMB 8. "A plastic bag filled with plastic bags." — bird-137 "Perfect for the bathroom garbage can." — wifespissed "The Bag of Bags is what makes a house a home." — Accidental-Genius "Yes, I just started a new one yesterday after recycling the other ones." — yourshowermonster 9. "Every American household has a drawer full of random shit: died batteries, screws, shoelaces, etc." — Firm_Ideal_5256 "Called a junk drawer :)" — LilithAjit "They all have that distinct junk drawer smell too, like old playing cards." — LieutenantRiggs "And everything you need is in that drawer, but it's all been compacted into an unsearchable mess." — Anonymoosehead123 "Surely this one has to be universal, right? It can't be just us that has the junk drawer." — HighOctane881 "Dane here. Definitely a thing here, too. We usually call it 'rodeskuffen': 'the messy drawer.'" — Granitbandit 10. "Large quantities of over-the-counter drugs in huge bottles." — Wombattalion "…like Tylenol and ibuprofen? Yes, actually" — None "Plus, we all have our home ibuprofen and our work ibuprofen and our purse ibuprofen and our…am I missing any?" — None 11. "Fridge with an ice dispenser built in." — Fun_Accountant7632 "As an American living in Amsterdam, I miss my ice dispenser." — kafkaesque_bugman "At age 38, I finally bought my first place instead of renting, but what really made me feel like an adult was that I finally had a fridge with an ice dispenser. I have arrived." — Strongdar 12. "Multiple different types of weird sauces." — c_byum "They take up 1/4 of my fridge. I didn't realize this is weird..." — saintErnest "So many sauces. An entire refrigerator door with sauces." — Buster_Bluth__ "When your country's food is made up of parts of every other country's cuisine, remixed, and combined, you end up with all the sauces." — RoboNinjaPirate 13. "I'm convinced almost every American has a mountain of pillows on their bed." — NoImnotadumbass "Not a mountain, but perhaps a small hill." — Cakey-Baby "...and our couches. I like to build a nest." — feigndeaf "But I need four pillows to sleep." — Drak_is_Right 14. "Just a literal block of cheese, just chilling in the fridge. I'm certain Americans wake up randomly at 3 a.m. and go, 'OMG, cheese sounds good right now.'" — AntarctMaid "I didn't think I was going to be attacked on Reddit this early." — Shwangdoodler "So, I live in Wisconsin. My dad is actually a cheesemaker. I joke about the cheese fairy visiting me. Because whenever I get low on cheese, more just appears in my fridge. I love cheese, but my husband loves it more. He will actually just hack off a big two-inch thick hunk of cheese and eat it." — duckieleo "I love block cheese, lol. It's so much cheaper than buying sliced or shredded. You get so much more. Also, sitting down with a few cut-off cubes and crackers for a snack is comforting." — Cosmic_miscreant 15. "Ranch dressing: I often feel like an outcast in American society because I don't like ranch dressing." 16. "One of those giant containers of orange ball food." — acid-nz "Honestly, I wish I had a container of cheese balls rn." — __Axe__Man__ "Orange ball food? You mean Cheese Balls? lmao" — ApplesBestSlave "Haha. I don't have one. But my grandparents did when I was growing up, and we LOVED it." — hepatica_radica 17. Finally, "A mounted bass that sings." Anastasiia Babakova / Getty Images — hldsnfrgr "That's Mr. Big Mouth Billy Bass to you!" — Beavur "This one made me laugh." — Grand_unLawfulness
USA Today
14-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
8 expert tips to stay healthy when the air quality is bad
Everything you need to know about the air quality index Air quality is an issue across the U.S., from Los Angeles to Atlanta — Photo courtesy of EyeEm Mobile GmbH / iStock Via Getty Images Advertisement According to the American Lung Association, over 130 million Americans have unhealthy air pollution. This pollution is primarily caused by ozone and particle pollution from fires, construction, industrial emissions, and natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. With a surge in air pollution everywhere — from California to Ohio, Atlanta to Arizona — it's no surprise that concerns about air quality have surged, and people are turning more to air quality monitoring tools. But all air quality indexes aren't created equal. A weather app on your phone might say "good," but signs of toxicity, like ash or burning eyes, are present. So what gives? About the Air Quality Index (AQI) AQI calculations may not align with overall risk because most only measure levels of the five major air pollutants stipulated in the U.S. Clean Air Act. These are ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide gases, as well as two kinds of particulate matter: PM10 and PM2.5. (PM10 refers to particulate matter 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller that you can inhale, while PM2.5 is particulate matter that's 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller — 30 times smaller than the average human hair.) These calculations don't consider larger particles, such as ash, construction debris, or pollutants from events like chemical leaks, including asbestos, lead, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals. Interpreting the Air Quality Index While the AQI on weather apps can be helpful, AirNow, maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides an AQI chart for specific zip codes, thus providing more localized insight into the five major air pollutants mentioned above. AirNow provides some context, whereas the AQI on weather apps doesn't. A recent zip code search on AirNow for a neighborhood near Seattle showed little to no pollutants and a message to "enjoy your outdoor activities." At the same time, a search for the Los Angeles area resulted in a pop-up message with a link to a fire and smoke map. That map provided more specific information from sensors in the area. The fire and smoke map also identifies the location of existing fires based on reported incidents and smoke plumes detected by satellites. Users can click on any of these sensors to see a pop-up box containing a summary of recommended actions. (Spanish speakers can see this information in Spanish by toggling the language in the settings menu.) Ways to determine if the air quality is bad Air quality measurements don't always match real-world conditions, so other factors should be considered when assessing risk. 'It's important to use your eyes and nose and be aware,' says Dr. Rita Kachru, associate professor and section chief of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at the University of California at Los Angeles. 'If you can smell smoke or rubber or other unusual odors, or if you have a headache or your eyes are itching, that's a sign to stay indoors or wear a mask because the AQI is not picking up volatile compounds.' At-risk populations, including infants, toddlers, children, older adults, and those managing chronic conditions, are most susceptible. 'These are the folks who should be wearing an N95 or P100 mask, because a surgical mask won't help,' Kachru says, 'particularly for those directly exposed to the debris. First responders and anyone clearing debris should also shower and wash their skin, hair, and clothing after exposure.' If there was an event, like a wildfire, causing air quality issues, distance and time are also relevant. 'Think about how far you are from where the event took place and how long it has been,' Kachru says. 'Risk of exposure will lessen with time, distance, and wind direction.' But initially, the closer you are, the more concentrated the toxins will be. Tips to protect yourself when the air is bad Wearing a good mask is essential when the air quality is bad — Photo courtesy of GOLFX / iStock Via Getty Images According to Kachru, there are eight things you can do to protect yourself and stay healthy when all the signs point to bad air quality. These include: Minimize or avoid strenuous outdoor activities. If the air is exceptionally bad or you're at high risk, stay inside with closed windows and doors. Track the direction of the wind to gauge your risk. Knowing which way the wind blows matters during an incident or debris cleanup. You can do this by entering your location on the website Run an air purifier. An efficient air purifier with a HEPA or MERV (13 or higher) filter will remove or reduce harmful particles that may have seeped inside ventilation systems or around windows and doors. Avoid creating more smoke indoors. Don't use wood-burning stoves, light a fire in the fireplace, or burn candles if possible. If your power goes out, use flashlights or battery-run lanterns. Keep your body and environment clean. Remove your shoes to ensure you don't track toxic dust indoors and thoroughly wash your hair, body, and clothes. Keep the bad air out. Ensure that the heat or air-conditioning is recirculating air from inside your home and vehicle and not pulling in the toxic, dirty air. You may need to keep the central air turned off. Wear a well-fitted mask. A good N95, KN95, or P100 mask is necessary for bad outdoor air or exposure to toxic debris. Be aware of any physical symptoms. If you have itching or burning eyes, headaches, or breathing issues, seek medical help if you are concerned.
