What is the current state of knowledge and distribution of evidence on established policies and programs to regulate international wildlife trade? A systematic map protocol

Background: The international trade of wildlife (animals and plants) provides critical resources for human communities worldwide and contributes to local, national, and international economies. However, increasing demand presents a significant threat to both species and ecosystems as well as wildlife-centered livelihoods. Concerns regarding illicit trade of wildlife and unsustainable harvest has propelled international wildlife trade regulation to the top of political and conservation agendas. Consequently, a broad range of interventions have been established to regulate the trade and address biodiversity decline. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of international wildlife trade interventions, this protocol sets out the parameters for a systematic map which will comprehensively collate and describe the extent and distribution of the evidence base. The resulting map aims to provide insight to guide future research and inform practice. Methods: This systematic map will identify, map, and characterize the available evidence on the impacts of established policies and programs to address international wildlife trade. Specifically, the systematic map will describe: (1) the volume and distribution of studies that have examined impacts of various interventions on conservation, biological, and socioeconomic outcomes; (2) research methodologies that have been used to evaluate impacts; (3) distribution of studies on particular taxa and geographical areas; and (4) identify evidence gaps in need of more research. We will search two publication databases and several organizational and topical websites for relevant published articles and grey literature. In addition, a call for literature will be issued among relevant research networks. The titles, abstracts, and full texts of captured studies will be assessed against inclusion criteria. Double screening will be carried out on a subset of studies to ensure consistency. Relevant information from studies will be extracted using an a priori codebook. The resulting map will consist of descriptive statistics, a heat map in the form of a matrix, and a narrative synthesis describing characteristics of included studies.

Identification of Reproductive Health Monitoring Indicators in Iran

Introduction As a result of recent demographic changes, Iran has revised its reproductive health programs. To respond to the essential need for monitoring the new programs and policies, this study aimed to identify tailored, appropriate, and measurable RH indicators in the Iranian context, using available evidence and international indicators.Method This is an applied mixed-methods research, which was conducted in four phases: Identification of goals of RH policies and programs, scoping review of the RH indicators in the literature, developing and ranking the identified indicators, and finalization of indicators. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the textual data of the documents and policies. We analyzed the studies in the scoping review by narrative synthesis. The final indicators were selected through the consensus of experts, with a cut-off point of 75%. Result We identified 689 indicators through document analysis and scoping review. After three round of screening, a total of 37 RH indicators were finalized. The first five indicators with the highest score were: total fertility rate, population under 15 years, total population, population aged 65 years and older, and age-specific fertility rate.Conclusion: The nature and number of indicators for monitoring and evaluation of reproductive health programs might vary at different organizational levels; hence the need to develop specific indicators for each level is pivotal. In addition, the need for collection, processing and dissemination of reliable data for evaluation of these programs is essential.

Child Sex Tourism: A Case Study in Surabaya, Indonesia

This article provides a case study of child sex tourism (CST) in Surabaya, Indonesia. CST cases are difficult to surface because the victims of CST are such vulnerable human beings. Victims of CST need a variety of forms of support for their recovery and reintegration. This article contends that social, economic, political, technological, and individual factors cause CST. It examines the negative impacts of CST, which are medical, social, psychological, and physical in nature. It also reveals that the techniques used for CST recruitment are fake promises, debt bondage, emotional abuse, counterfeit love, drug addiction, physical abuse, and gifts and favors. The elimination of CST calls for ending certain depraved cultural practices and beliefs, rehabilitation and reintegration of the victims, proactive anti-CST government policies and programs, enactment and effective enforcement of tough laws prohibiting CST, prosecution of the offenders, raising public awareness about the ills of CST, providing education for all children, the provision of national identification documents to all children, and strict border controls to prevent the trafficking of children for sex tourism.

Book Review: From the inside out: The fight for environmental justice within government agencies by Jill Harrison

In From the Inside Out: The Fight for Environmental Justice within Government Agencies (MIT Press, 2019), Jill Harrison offers a nuanced study of why U.S. state agencies fail at implementing robust environmental justice (EJ) policies. Through a rigorous interview and ethnographic based methodology Harrison details the discourses, ideologies, and everyday practices and through which government agency staff, daily, undermine and even outright reject EJ policies and programs. The book is a richly empirical study that makes valuable contributions to academic and activist understandings of the government's failure to respond meaningfully to environmental injustices, and offers specific recommendations for how to reform government agencies. It is a timely monograph as EJ advocates seek to reimagine government agencies in the wake of the Trump administration, and in the context of an expanded public consciousness of racism following the killing of George Floyd and subsequent uprisings during the summer of 2020.

Education for Women and Girls in Iraq

Women in Iraq are still acquiring equality and equity in various aspects of their personal and professional lives. Hence, it is essential to identify factors that influence their education, emphasizing equity as it fulfills lives with strength, success, and prosperity. This chapter presents key challenges that impede a prosperous educational climate that is fair among genders. The chapter presents cultural, economic, social barriers, and pushbacks against women's education in Iraq, the overall impact of education decline, among other factors that reduce equity for women. The author then presents various solutions and recommendations based on an analytical evaluation to achieve education access, equality, and equity for Iraqi women. The chapter calls to develop effective policies and programs that target the identified cultural, societal, and infrastructure obstacles to help improve women's education in Iraq and assure equality and equity.

Strategic Human Resource Management

Human resource management has become an integral part of management with the basic aim of maintaining better human relations at work place through the application and evaluation of organizational policies and programs so as to utilize human resources in an optimized and effective manner. In this context, this chapter focuses keenly on the various domains centering around human resource management. Initially a detailed theoretical background regarding this construct has been presented followed by highlighting the components and objectives of strategizing human resource management. Lastly, the models and perspectives pertaining to strategic human resource management have also been discussed considering their application and relevance in modern-day organizations.

Providing accessible distance learning for students with disabilities in Saudi Arabia

After the COVID-19 outbreak, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education transformed the education system from traditional learning to distance learning (DL). The aim of this study is to share the Saudi experience including plans, policies, and programs regarding the use of DL for students at various levels of education. This is the pioneer study from Saudi Arabia, which evaluates DL impact on special students and provides recommendations for such students regarding DL. The Saudi Ministry of Education released one of the most powerful and diverse electronic systems with fully interactive technology options through the following platforms: Madrasati School, the IEN National Education Portal, IEN educational television, and virtual kindergarten. The same platforms are accessible for students with disabilities and we have found that such students can equally benefit from them with some modifications. These modifications are on the individual needs of special students. This article presents the details of various tools and programs available for DL to students in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, we have analyzed the suitability of these programs for special students in our discussion. Finally, we have made our recommendation and provided future directions to improve the DL experience for students with disabilities.

Políticas sociales de protección a las familias en dificultad en tiempos de pandemia

Families generate social capital for society, playing an essential economic, social and political role for social cohesion and sustainability. The emergence of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has profoundly altered family realities and care strategies. The pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses of social protection policies in general and those aimed at families in particular. The article analyzes the changes in family structure and behavior, the social exclusion of households and the protection policies and programs aimed at families with greater social difficulties that are developed by the different public administrations in Spain. The research methodology is based on the systematization and analysis of statistical sources, updated studies and research, and the content analysis of the policies, plans and measures that are developed from the different levels of public administration, especially in the social services system. The research results confirm that social policies for the protection and support of families are scarce, insufficient in coverage and amount, fragmented and unequal in the territories. It is necessary to increase the extension of coverage and the quality of services and social benefits to improve the quality and living conditions of families, especially in times of pandemic peñando un papel económico, social y político imprescindible para la cohesión y sostenibilidad social. La irrupción del coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 ha alterado profundamente las realidades familiares y las estrategias de cuidado. La pandemia ha evidenciado las debilidades de las políticas de protección social en general y las destinadas a las familias en particular. El artículo analiza los cambios en la estructura y comportamientos familiares, la exclusión social de los hogares y las políticas y programas de protección destinadas a las familias con mayores dificultades sociales que se desarrollan desde las diferentes administraciones públicas en España. La metodología de investigación se basa en la sistematización y análisis de fuentes estadísticas, estudios e investigaciones actualizadas y el análisis de contenido de las políticas, planes y medidas que se desarrollan desde los distintos niveles de administración pública, especialmente en el sistema de servicios sociales. Los resultados de la investigación constatan que las políticas sociales de protección y apoyo a las familias son escasas, insuficientes en cobertura y cuantía, fragmentadas y desiguales en los territorios. Es necesario incrementar la extensión de cobertura y la calidad de servicios y prestaciones sociales para mejorar la calidad y condiciones de vida de las familias, especialmente en tiempos de pandemia.

Religious Institutions and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

In spite of the numerous poverty reduction policies and programs of successive administrations in Nigeria, the generality of the populace are still in a web of deprivation and hunger. It is apparent that government is unable to stem the tide of poverty and thus the need for surrogate stakeholders to lift the poor out of poverty. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to estimate the factors influencing the willingness of religious institutions to undertake poverty reduction programs for it members and the constraints limiting their ability to initiate programs that will ameliorate the suffering of poor members in the congregation. A total of 60 churches were sampled through the multistage sampling procedure and information were elicited using questionnaire. Data were analyzed using probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Result revealed that the most critical factors influencing the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lift poor members of the congregation out of poverty were age and educational level of the church leaders, size of congregation, church income and age of the church. Result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance indicated that there was 54 percent (moderate agreement) between the ranking of constraints associated with the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lessen the pains of poverty among its members. Findings further showed that the top five most limiting constraints were lack of finance, lack of trained personnel, inadequate knowledge about the programs, unfavorable government policies and low membership strength.

The Effects of the Maternal Health Improvement Project in the Louga Region of Senegal

Maternal mortality remains a major global health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Senegal is one of the countries in the region that lagged behind in reaching the Millennium Development Goal 5, the deadline of which passed in 2015. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of information, education, and communication (IEC) activities conducted in Louga, Senegal. Community groups and facilitators conducted IEC campaigns, home visits, and various awareness-raising activities. This study used secondary data as part of the baseline and mid-term evaluations. Participants included women and men who had one or more children under five years of age. It was found that the level of awareness of at least three danger signs of pregnancy recognised by men significantly increased, and husbands/partners more frequently accompanied their wives during antenatal care in 2019 than in 2018. Women’s empowerment improved significantly in terms of women making their own health decisions, joining community decision-making associations or groups, and using contraception. This project indicates that policies and programs are needed to increase men’s involvement and empower women to further women’s reproductive health to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3 and reduce maternal mortality in Senegal.