Human trafficking is a multimillion dollar transnational business, but the crime seems to be shrouded in secrecy. Tamica Parchment, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent living in Kingston, Jamaica, investigates the reasons behind human trafficking’s lack of exposure in the public and political eye. After the dramatic rescue of three young women in Cleveland, there was a …

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 For sport to build peace, it needs to be coupled with educational processes and guaranteed commitment from  everyone involved, otherwise it can be a slippery roadmap argues Alvin Ma, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada. At meetings for Commonwealth Sports Ministers convened to coincide with the London Olympics one summer ago, there were many posts on …

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Electronic cigarettes are rapidly gaining ground with consumers in North America, writes Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada. But the media has yet to explain the risks and benefits of the new product. “Electronic Cigarettes Could Save Lives – Or Hook a New Generation on Nicotine” is the exploratory tagline of Eliza Gray’s …

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Multiculturalism in Canadian and American cities has an impact on the physical education and health of students, writes Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada. But in some cases schools are missing opportunities to make use of multicultural resources in the community. “Jimmy, you must study harder…not just hockey all the time!” During the …

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The Olympic Games create a legacy, according to event organizers, but do they encourage participation in sports? Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada, argues that watching Olympic sports does not translate into mass participation at the amateur level. At a recent academic conference, I presented on Asian student experiences in my university’s kinesiology …

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The first goal in sports is having fun, writes Alvin Ma, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from  Canada. But how well recreation centres make newcomers – and those from other cultures – welcome has a big impact on participation. “It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A” goes the refrain of the famous Village People disco song. …

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Multi-national corporations have enormous influence over food production, writes David Masengesho, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kigali in Rwanda who is currently in the USA. At the same time, consumers are demanding accountability from those corporations. It is on Saturday, May 24, about 2:30pm EST, I am in Portland Public Library.  I find myself unable …

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Asif Reza Akash recently wrote about FIFA World Cup fandom in Bangladesh. Here, Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada, offers a complement to those experiences with a perspective from halfway around the world in Toronto, Canada. Whereas Bangladeshi people are watching FIFA World Cup matches at 10 pm, 1 am, and 4 am; Toronto …

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Different sexual and gender orientation is an open topic during Pride in North America, writes David Masengesho, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kigali in Rwanda currently residing in the USA. Every year in June is a celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and allied community (LGBTQA). LGBTQA pride parade, also known as gay …

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During a visit to China Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada, explored some of the political and tourist stereotypes that dominate western concepts about the country. What he found was a pleasant surprise. “Yīnwèi wǒ láizì jiānádà, wǒ de pǔtōnghuà bù hǎo, wǒ huì shuō​​zhǐyǒu yīngwén, duìbùqǐ.” I scribbled the above romanized Chinese words …

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