Emily Paskevics

Freelance Journalist & Independent Scholar

Toronto, Canada / Bogota, Colombia

Writer, Journalist, & Independent Scholar. Hunting for the Untold Stories.

Emily Paskevics

Freelance Journalist & Independent Scholar

Toronto, Canada / Bogota, Colombia

Writer, Journalist, & Independent Scholar. Hunting for the Untold Stories.

Monarch Butterfly: Migration Population Rebounding In Mexico Wintering Grounds
After a period of severe decline, the monarch butterfly population has made a big comeback in Mexico, where they migrate en masse during the winter, according to a new report. Monarch butterflies have made a significant comeback in their wintering grounds in Mexico after suffering serious declines in the past several years, investigators announced Friday.
Peru Oil Spill: Damaged Pipeline Leaks 3,000 Barrels Of Oil Into Peru’s Amazon Region
At least 3,000 barrels of crude oil have spilled from leaks in Peru’s main pipeline, impacting the water supply of at least eight indigenous communities in the country’s Amazon region. Leakages in Peru's main pipeline have spilled at least 3,000 barrels of crude oil into the Amazon region, polluting the Chiriaco and Morona rivers in the northwestern part of the country.
Ecosystem: Colombian Constitutional Court Bans 347 Mining Operations In The Andean Paramos
Nearly 350 mining projects will have to shut down extraction operations within the delicate Andes Mountain ecosystem in Colombia known as the páramos. The constitutional court in Colombia has revoked all mining licenses in the country's páramo regions — the moorland areas of the Andes Mountains that are above the tree line but below the permanent snow line.
Guatemala Sexual Slavery Trial: 2 Ex-Military Officials Sentenced For Using Women As Sex Slaves
Two former Guatemalan soldiers have been sentenced to 120 and 240 years in prison after they were found guilty of the systematic rape and enslavement of 11 Mayan women at the northeastern Sepur Zarco military base. Two former Guatemalan soldiers have been sentenced to 120 and 240 years in prison after they were found guilty of crimes against humanity, including the systematic rape and enslavement of 11 women in the northeastern Sepur Zarco military base during a 10-month period from 1982 to 1983.
Modern Day Slavery in Brazil: 340 Brazilian Companies Blacklisted For Forced Labor Conditions
Hundreds of Brazilian companies have been busted for using employment methods equivalent to modern day slave labor. More than 300 Brazilian companies have been fined by the country's Ministry of Labor for using methods that can be classified as modern-day slavery, including profiting from forced work, degrading labor conditions and giving little or no compensation to employees.
Sexual Slavery Trial In Guatemala: Two Ex-Military Officials Face Murder, Rape And Other War Crimes
Two retired soldiers faced court for the first time on Monday for charges of murder, forced disappearances and forcing 11 Mayan women into sexual slavery during Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war. Two former Guatemalan soldiers are on trial this week for war crimes during the country's 36-year civil war, including the forced disappearance and murder of indigenous men and the sexual enslavement of Mayan women during a 10-month period in 1982-83.
U.S. Senate Probe: Migrant Child Abuse, Trafficking Exposes Failure Of Health And Human Services
With a surge in child migrants from Central America overwhelming the system, federal officials cannot determine exactly how many of the children have been assigned to live with convicted criminals across the U.S. Faced with increasing numbers of Central American migrant children flowing into the country, the U.S.
Puerto Rican Migrants Drawn To Dominican Republic To Escape Economic Crisis
Faced with a severe economic crisis, an increasing number of Puerto Ricans are now moving to the Dominican Republic in a reversal of traditional migration trends. The downward slide of Puerto Rico's economy through the past decade has started to impact migration patterns in the region. "There's been a surge in all types of visas, and we believe this flow will only increase."
Guatemala Passes New Law To Combat Trafficking Of Women And Girls
With one of the highest femicide rates in the world, Guatemala has passed a law that requires authorities to immediately begin searching for women who are reported missing. The Congress of Guatemala has passed a law that now requires authorities to immediately begin searching for women who are reported to be missing.
Brazil Charges Mining Companies With Environmental Crimes
Calling the Fundão dam's collapse the worst environmental disaster in the nation's history, Brazil's government is suing the mining firms Samarco, Vale, and BHP Billiton for $5.2 billion to compensate for damages to victims and to clean up the toxic waste. Brazil's federal police have filed formal charges against three mining firms Samarco, Vale and BHP Billiton, along with seven executives, for environmental crimes in connection to a major dam collapse and subsequent mine waste spill that occurred in November 2015.
Lake Poopó, Second Largest In Bolivia, Dries Up Completely
Bolivia's Lake Poopó, formerly the second largest in the country, has completely dried up for reasons connected to climate change, mining pollution and the escalation of El Niño and El Niña weather systems. The area has been declared a disaster zone by the Bolivian government, but many are concerned that not enough action has been taken in order to make the area ecologically sustainable again.

About

Emily Paskevics

Writing

Research

Translation

Editing

Proofreading

Gender Analysis

Policy & Program Development

Copyediting

After pursuing a PhD program in colonial history, I accepted an assignment in the public sector supporting policy and program development in the area of violence against women prevention. I now work as a freelance journalist and independent scholar on assignment throughout South America.

Currently based in Bogota, Colombia, I cover a variety of political and social justice issues, with specializations in violence against women and children, migration, and environmental issues, blending my passion for research, writing, and uncovering untold stories.

My select contributions to arts & culture platforms, including interviews, literary translations, and creative writing, can be viewed at epaskevics.contently.com.