Latest news with #Western-centric
Observer
22-04-2025
- Health
- Observer
Why we need a mental health revolution today
Imagine waking up every morning to a barrage of headlines about wars, economic collapse and environmental ruin, all live-streamed to your pocket. This isn't another Netflix movie; it's 2025. While our ancestors faced crises in isolation, we're drowning in a 24/7 feed of global threats: A US-China trade war destabilising economies, a devastating genocide in Gaza and Yemen described by many as a modern-day holocaust and escalating US-Iran tensions narrowly averted by mediators like the Sultanate of Oman. The toll? A mental health epidemic hiding in plain sight. Our ancestors feared 'surviving' crises, we're crumbling under the weight of 'watching' them. We are the first generation to witness global catastrophes in real time, not as distant headlines but as visceral, algorithm-fuelled content. The psychological cost is staggering. A 2023 American Psychological Association study found that 78 per cent of adults now cite news consumption as a 'significant stressor', while Unicef warns that 1 in 5 young people globally show symptoms of anxiety or depression linked to 'doomscrolling'. Worse, research in 'Nature Human Behaviour' reveals that constant exposure to suffering triggers 'compassion collapse' - numbness to human pain. Yet mental healthcare remains frozen in time. Traditional therapy can't scale to meet demand, stigma silences millions, and Western-centric models fail diverse cultures. In low-income countries, 75 per cent of people lack access to care (WHO). Refugees in Jordan, for example, often reject clinical therapy, seeking community-based healing instead. Our systems are Band-Aids on bullet wounds. Mental health innovation, like health-tech, has lagged far behind the pace of crises. Apps like Nafas, Calm or crisis hotlines offer temporary relief but ignore systemic roots: collective trauma, economic despair, and the isolation of digital life. Meanwhile, social media algorithms profit from our despair, pushing polarising content that deepens divides. We're stuck in a loop - treating symptoms while the world burns. Mental health To survive this age, we need mental health solutions as dynamic as the threats we face. Here's what a revolution looks like: 1. AI that heals, Not hurts Imagine AI platforms trained to crowdsource resilience strategies from trauma survivors worldwide. Rwanda's 'Ubuntu AI' pilot does exactly this, generating culturally tailored coping tools for refugees. Instead of algorithms that feed rage, we need ones that foster collective healing. 2. Teletherapy for the masses When Türkiye-Syria's 2023 earthquake struck, free teletherapy apps saw a 300-per cent surge in users. This proves scalable digital care works, but only if made affordable and multilingual. 3. Decolonising mental health South Africa's 'Healing Through Heritage' programme slashed PTSD rates by 40 per cent by blending traditional rituals with clinical therapy. Solutions must respect cultural roots, not impose foreign frameworks. 4. Policy as prevention New Zealand's 2019 'Wellbeing Budget' ties mental health funding to real-time crisis data. Governments must treat mental health like infrastructure - critical, urgent and lifesaving. The chaos won't stop, but we can rewire how we respond. This isn't about 'self-care' - it's about societal care. Tech giants must redesign algorithms to prioritise hope over harm. Schools and workplaces need 'mental health first aid' training to spot crises early. Communities must revive ancestral wisdom, like Oman's mediation ethos, which bridges divides through dialogue. We're at a crossroads: perpetuate a broken system or build one that turns collective trauma into collective strength. The next crisis is already trending. Will we be ready?
Morocco World
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Saudi World Cup 2034: No Alcohol, But ‘Everyone Welcome'
Doha – Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Kingdom has confirmed that no alcohol will be permitted during the 2034 FIFA World Cup, maintaining the kingdom's longstanding prohibition policy that dates back to 1952. In an interview with LBC radio on Wednesday, Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud explicitly stated that alcohol would not be available anywhere during the tournament, including hotels, marking a stricter approach than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 'At the moment, we don't allow alcohol,' Prince Khalid said. 'Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol – it's not 100% necessary and if you want to drink after you leave, you're welcome to.' When specifically asked about hotel bars, he emphasized: 'There's no alcohol at all. Rather like our weather, it's a dry country.' The ambassador defended this position by citing cultural considerations: 'Everyone has their own culture. We're happy to accommodate people within the boundaries of our culture but we don't want to change our culture for someone else.' This stance differs from Qatar's 2022 World Cup approach, where alcohol was available in designated fan zones and hotel bars, despite being banned in stadiums two days before the tournament began. Addressing concerns about LGBTQ+ visitors, Prince Khalid stated: 'We will welcome everyone in Saudi. It is not a Saudi event, it is a world event and, to a large extent, we will welcome everyone who wants to come.' Read also: Morocco & World Cup 2030: If You Build It, They Will Come This echoes similar assurances made by Hammad Albalawi, head of Saudi Arabia's World Cup bid unit, who in September said LGBTQ fans would be welcome and their privacy respected. The announcement comes amid what many observers describe as a persistent pattern of Western-centric criticism toward Arab nations hosting major sporting events. This criticism has been evident in reactions to Qatar's 2022 World Cup preparations and Morocco's joint bid with Spain and Portugal for 2030, leading many to question the underlying biases in such responses. Following this familiar pattern, Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance lashed out against the decision, denouncing that hosting the tournament could lead to 'severe and widespread' human rights violations. 'Fans will face discrimination… migrant workers will face exploitation, and many will die,' thundered Steve Cockburn, Amnesty's head of labour rights and sport, in a scathing condemnation of the tournament plans. The tournament's infrastructure plans include 15 stadiums, either new or refurbished, to be completed by 2032. FIFA officially confirmed Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host in December 2024. The kingdom has recently increased its involvement in global sports through its Public Investment Fund, which owns Newcastle United and established the LIV Golf tour, while critics continue their Euro-American gaze by characterizing these investments as attempts at 'sportswashing.' Tags: Cultural SovereigntySaudi Alcohol Banworld cup 2034
