We’re currently living through a very tumultuous time in modern history, wars raging around the world, governments in chaos with elections looming and the ever-present threat of climate change. With all these events however, it’s important not to forget the human element in all of these situations. The civilians caught in conflict, the people whose rights are at risk and the communities on the frontier of extreme weather events.
It can be hard to see where we can help in all of this, so where can we be the change? There are the more obvious ways to help like finically and with our time – but let’s be honest, as students, we don’t have much money and our time is usually spread across a myriad of things. I have the upmost respect for you if you can do these things but for the rest of us it doesn’t mean we have no way to contribute to causes.
Some people might think that “Instagram Activism” has had its time, but we all have a platform and from there we can highlight and inform our friends and family. You may have noticed that this is a special edition of the paper. We are highlighting the recent revelations about sexual violence here on campus.
Emily Carr, the former women’s officer, compiled Freedom of Information requests from schools and the Uni itself and shone a light on systematic failures to tacking the issue. In a recent BBC article and interview with BBC Wales, Emily went into more details about the findings saying there was a “a dismissal of rape culture that continues to fester throughout the university”. I was honoured to be a part of a continuation of this movement by giving them a platform here in the student newspaper.
Gair Rhydd is the voice of the student population, and we have a duty to highlight the issues effecting students on campus right now. Sexual violence must be stamped out on campus to make the student experience the best it can be for everyone.