The collective Center for Urban Justice advocates for more equality in the distribution of urban space. In our interview, they explain why 475 crossings in Luxembourg City are dangerous for pedestrians.
Local Matters: Cycling in urban traffic
Daniel Erpelding organizes the Critical Mass events in Luxembourg. We discussed road safety for cyclists with him.
Local Matters: Cycling class for adults
Many people, especially women, never had the chance to learn how to ride a bicycle. The association ProVelo provides classes for adults.
Local Matters: Towards better lighting
Daniel Gliedner advises municipalities, companies and private people on how to adjust their lighting to reduce health risks and light pollution.
Local Matters: Light pollution
Light pollution has increased rapidly in the past few decades. Even in Naturpark Our, animals suffer from the lack of darkness.
Local Matters: Awareness on Human trafficking
Human trafficking happens here in Luxembourg. Severla associations try to raise awareness.
Local Matters: Human trafficking in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a target country for human trafficking, victims work in forced labor in construction, restaurants, in prostitution and private households.
Local Matters: Ayo's story - Human Trafficking
As concerns about the security of the female refugees from Ukraine are growing, our topic on Local Matters this week is human trafficking. Ayo was trafficked to Europe, on our microphone she told her story.
Local Matters: The Jugendhaus in Bonnevoie
At Jugendhaus in Bonnevoie, young people from the neighborhood learn about responsibility and social relations, they spend some time and participate in activities.
Local Matters: Second-chance education
A new law wants to make education compulsory for everyone under 18, to increase young people’s chances in life. The school ENAD already tries to improve young adults' professional perspectives.
Local Matters: Info for Ukrainian refugees
Finally, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs informed about what the government is doing to provide help for refugees from Ukraine.
Local Matters: Solidarity with Ukraine in Luxembourg
On Local Matters this week, we see how residents here in Luxembourg express their solidarity with the people from Ukraine. Every day, loads of donations are dropped off at Kirchberg.
Local Matters: Growing up in a children's home
Anne-Catherine Raach grew up in a children's home. In our interview, she tells us how she experienced childhood and what challenges she has in life until today.
Local Matters: A visit in the Children's home
Local Matters is all about children this week, those children who don’t have the chance to grow up in a regular family environment, but in alternative care. A visit in the children's home in Grevenmacher.
Local Matters: Children in social care - interview
1.300 children in Luxembourg live in children’s homes or foster families. Pascale Engel de Abreu launched a new study that examines their mental health.
Local Matters: Esch2022 – an invasion
Richtung22 celebrated their pre-opening of Esch2022 last Sunday.
Local Matters: Maskénada for Esch2022
For Esch2022, the artist collective Maskénada works on a project that manifests the role of women in local legends.
Local Matters: Esch2022 in Rumelange
While all eyes travel to Esch and Belval this week for the opening of the European capital of culture, we took a trip to Rumelange. Their project for Esch2022 is a new cultural hub.
Local Matters: Ice-skating Youth
Local Matters this week speaks to young athletic hopefuls.
Local Matters: Olympics and Human Rights
This week on Local Matters, we focus on the Olympic Games in Beijing. Our guest for today was Olivier Pirot, General Director of Amnesty International Luxembourg who is more than concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.
In January, the organisers of the Olympic Wintergames in Beijing warned athletes not to violate the “Olympic spirit” or Chinese rules, after human rights advocates expressed concerns about the safety of the athletes. “Any behaviour or speeches that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against Chinese laws and regulations, are subject to certain punishment,” said Yang Shu, deputy director general of Beijing 2022’s International Relations Department, during a press conference in January.
While athlete teams from all over the world compete in the Games, other countries decided to boycott the Olympics sending a clear message: We don’t support nor tolerate the human rights violations in China. Luxembourg is not part of this movement and neither the human rights NGO Amnesty International Luxembourg voiced a call for boycott. General Director Olivier Pirot explains: “A boycott is not enough. If you are there as a partner, it is an opportunity. You should use this opportunity to remind China of its obligations. China is member of the United Nations. So, they have to respect the human rights declaration.”
Olivier Pirot is concerned about the lack of the freedom of expression in the country, and not least about the high number of executions due to the death penalty. “Every year, we launch a report on death penalty. China is not even mentioned in the report with figures because we’re talking about thousands of executions in China. We don’t even know how many.” But Pirot is hopeful: “If you look decades back, there were a lot of countries where death penalty was still ongoing and with this slow pressure, things are changing. Every year, we see improvements. It is long processes.”