Tag: Social Issues

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Spain recently introduced a new law aimed at combating human trafficking in the country. This law toughens penalties for those who participate in human trafficking for various purposes, such as forced labor or sexual exploitation. The government hopes this new legislation will help protect vulnerable people and punish those who exploit them.

Read the article and share your thoughts about it.

https://migrant-integration.ec.europa.eu/news/spain-new-law-trafficking_en

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What is a “third-country national or TCN”? “Third-country nationals (TCNs) in Spain are disproportionately affected by crimes related to human trafficking and exploitation: traffickers take advantage of the country’s proximity with Northern Africa, its cultural connection with Latin America, and migrants’ vulnerability.” Use it in a sentence.
2. What does “organic law” mean? “The Spanish government announced its decision to transform the draft of the Integral Organic Law against Trafficking and Exploitation of Human Beings, promoted during the previous term, into law.” Use it in a sentence.
3. What does “prerogative” mean? “The key aspects of the law relate to specific prerogatives that will be granted to the victims without the need for them to file a complaint, including the rights to receive the Minimum Vital Income (MVI), to be considered priority group to access public housing, to receive legal assistance throughout the process, to receive compensation from confiscated property, and to obtain a temporary certificate of residence and work.” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. How big is the problem with human trafficking in your country? What are some problems caused by this illegal activity in your country?
2. What is the new law about? What are your thoughts on some of its prerogatives?
3. What steps can countries take to strengthen laws against human trafficking? Do you have any suggestions?
4. How can awareness about human trafficking be raised?
5. Talk about the things you know about the VioGén system.

The question of a mother’s liability for her son’s actions, particularly in cases involving serious crimes such as murder, raises complex legal and ethical considerations. In instances where a mother suspects that her child may be involved in violent behavior, the extent to which she can be held legally accountable for their actions becomes a subject of intense debate.

This article examines the implications of maternal liability in cases where there is prior suspicion of potential wrongdoing by a child, focusing on the intersection of legal duty and parental responsibility.

Read the article and share your thought about this issue.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/sep/08/georgia-school-shooting-suspect-mother

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “to seek bail” mean? “Their attorneys declined to immediately seek bail during their first court appearance on Friday.” Give a similar expression and use this phrase in a sentence.
2. What does “taunting” mean? “The Georgia teenager had struggled with his parents’ separation and taunting by classmates, his father told a sheriff’s investigator last year when asked whether his son posted an online threat.” Give 2 synonyms and use this word in a sentence.
3. What does “disproportionate rate” mean? “Their killings renewed the American public debate about safe storage laws for guns while also prompting parents to ponder how to talk to their children about trauma and school shootings, which occur in the US at a disproportionate rate.” Use the phrase in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. Which detail/s in this news caught your interest? Talk about it/them.
2. Do you think a parent is responsible for their child’s criminal behavior? Explain your opinion on this.
3. What might be done to prevent this kind of horrible incidents from happening again in the future?
4. What problems do you see among teenagers and their behaviors in your country these days?
5. Give an example of a sensational case involving a teenager or teenagers in your country.

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In the Sunshine State, Florida, the issue of prison labor raises significant ethical and economic questions, as a majority of incarcerated individuals are compelled to work without compensation. This practice, deeply ingrained in the state’s penal system, sparks debate over labor rights, rehabilitation, and the broader implications for justice and society.

Learn more about this issue by reading this article.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/21/florida-unpaid-prison-labor

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “to turn a blind eye” mean? ““Is it shocking that Florida is seeming to turn a blind eye to prison slavery? No, not at all,” said Bianca Tylek.” Make a sentence with this.
2. Define “in the wake of something”. “No criminal charges were filed against the officers involved and no reforms were enacted in the wake of the incident.” Use this in a sentence.
3. What does “unabated” mean? “Kimber Tough, an organizer with Florida Prisoner Solidarity based in Gainesville, Florida, helped with efforts to get Alachua county, Florida, in 2019 and the University of Florida in 2020 to stop using prison labor, which included numerous protests and advocacy efforts. But across the state, the practice still continues unabated.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘unabated’ in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you personally feel about the practice of unpaid labor by incarcerated individuals in Florida’s prisons?
2. In your opinion, should inmates be properly compensated for their labor while incarcerated? Why or why not?
3. How can individuals and communities advocate for changes in the treatment and compensation of incarcerated workers in Florida?
4. State your insights on this statement, “Florida charges prisoners debt, with prisoners levied $50 a day for their incarceration, which can often leave people trapped in debt once they are released.“.
5. Talk about the prison labor system in your country.

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Hundreds of demonstrators assembled outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasilia on Wednesday to protest against a bill aimed at further criminalizing abortions. This proposed legislation has sparked outrage and mobilized activists across the country, highlighting deep divisions over women’s reproductive rights.

Learn more about this protest by reading this article.

https://apnews.com/article/brazil-abortion-bill-protests-rape-21ee9a590cafdaa11108b54029660ba8

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What is the meaning of “to take to the streets”? “Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday as protests sweep across Brazil in opposition to a bill that would further criminalize abortions.” Use this in a sentence.
2. Define “to be whipped from all sides” in this context. “We are being whipped from all sides, us women. It’s past time we do something.” Use this in a sentence in this context.
3. What does “emblazoned” mean? “Placards, stickers and banners emblazoned with the slogan have abounded during demonstrations.” Make a sentence with this expression.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you feel about equating late abortions with homicide?
2. In your opinion, how should the government respond to the concerns raised by the protesters?
3. How do you think international attention could impact the debate over this bill in Brazil?
4. How does the abortion law in your country compare to the proposed legislation in Brazil?
5. What is your insight on this, “Late access to abortion reflects inequalities in health care.“?

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

In the UK, the number of people filing for disability claims has been continuing to increase in the last decade. 

Prime minister Rishi Sunak hope to put an end to the ‘sick note culture’, which refers to “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life” and the rise of recipients of sickness and disability benefits.

Read the article and find out Prime minister Rishi Sunak’s crackdown on the “sick note culture” in the UK. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://theconversation.com/rishi-sunak-wants-to-cut-the-cost-of-sicknote-britain-but-weve-found-a-strong-economic-case-for-benefits-228561

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “sick note culture” mean, “Prime minister Rishi Sunak has announced a crackdown on sickness and disability benefits in order to end a “sick note culture” and “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”, in part because he claims that “good work” can actually improve mental and physical health.”? Use this term in your own sentence.
2. What does “means-tested” mean, “There is a tendency in announcements, too, to conflate means-tested incapacity benefits with non-means-tested disability benefits, such as the personal independence payment.”? Use this term in a sentence.
3. What does ”cradle-to-grave” mean, ”Just as the social economist Lord Beveridge proposed in his 1942 report, we need cradle-to-grave social security that supports that ambition, rather than forced participation in harmful insecure employment.”? Use this expression in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What factors might have contributed to the rising number of people who claims for sickness and disability benefits? 
2. Do you think the same thing could be occurring in your own country? Expand.
3. What are your thoughts on sick note culture?
4. What is your opinion on the crackdown on it?
5. What is good system to identify those people who really need the sickness and disability benefits?
6. Share your thoughts on this, “Prime minister Rishi Sunak wants to focus on “what people can do with the right support in place, rather than what they can’t do.”?
7. Share your thoughts on this, “Most people who get social security don’t really deserve any help.”.

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In almost every country in the world, an armed forces is a crucial part of its system. Nations maintain an armed forces to secure exclusive rights and ownership of its territory. Recently, most European countries are scrambling to strengthen its military forces especially when the Ukraine war broke out. Unfortunately, the process of recruitment proved to be much harder than it used to be.

Let’s read the article and know more about the army recruitment crisis in European countries.

https://www.euronews.com/2024/02/16/why-are-european-armies-struggling-to-recruit-soldiers

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “to be spared from something” mean? “The problem is one that all European countries share – including France, Italy, Spain,” Vincenzo Bove, professor of political science at Warwick University in UK, told Euronews. “I don’t think there’s one country that’s spared from it.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘to be spared from something’ in your own sentence.
2. What is the meaning of “society at large” in this context? “According to Bove, the ideological distance between society at large and military forces has gotten wider in recent years.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘society at large’ in your own sentence.
3. Define the word “conscription“. “While there’s no clear explanation for why this gap is getting wider, Bove said this might be related to the end of conscription…” Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the reasons for European countries military recruitment crisis?
2. Is a military career an appealing option for young civilians in your country? Why or why not?
3. In your opinion, how can these countries boost recruitment?
4. Do you agree or disagree that, “Immigration could be the answer.”? Elaborate on your stance.
5. Share your thoughts on this statement, “Young civilians are overwhelmingly against wars, against increasing spending on the military and against military operations abroad; they are also more individualistic and less patriotic than those serving in the military forces.”
6. Share your views on this, “What a smaller pool of applicants might mean for European armies now is that the quality of recruits accepted might not be up to the same strict standards armed forces have imposed for decades – which could in turn allow for dodgy individuals like neo-Nazi sympathisers to slip in.“.

B2 – Upper Intermediate 

Current political struggles can lead to many people, even those who are deeply involved in activism, being politically burned-out. This is when one gets to a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion as a natural result of being engaged in emotionally demanding political situations for far too long.

It is important to be able to recognize the signs that you are approaching it or already suffering from it and know exactly how to cope with it.

Here are some helpful tips to help ward off any feeling of political exhaustion.

Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://medium.com/practicing-politics/how-to-avoid-political-burnout-84c764397031

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “to fend off” mean, “Use these 10 tips to help identify and fend off that feeling of being politically fatigued!” Give 1-2 synonyms or similar expressions and use “to fend off” in your own sentence.
2. What does “to take a toll on someone/something” mean, “And as mentioned before, these factors do not exist independently from one another. Stresses from home, your work, and your politics, can morph together and take their toll on the body.”? Give 1-2 synonyms or similar expressions and use “to take a toll on someone/something” in your own sentence.
3. What does “(to carry) the weight of the world on one’s shoulders” mean, “Realise that the weight of the world is not on your shoulders.”?Give 1-2 synonyms or similar expressions and use “(to carry) the weight of the world on one’s shoulders” in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. Express your thoughts on this, “Given political burnout is a natural outcome of prolonged political engagement, self-care has to become an integral part of your activism, not just a break from it.”.
2. What are your thoughts on this statement, “Whether you relentlessly feel bad for inaction, or feel there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the work necessary, remember, the problem is not yours alone to fix.”?
3. Share your insights on this, “Think globally, act locally.”
4. What political issues are you passionate about and those that you are tired of hearing about?
5. Have you ever had the feeling of political burnout? If so, how did you deal with it?