Social Issues Blog Articles

How to Cope with High Energy Costs

Energy poverty, also known as heating poverty, has become a major problem in recent years. The cost of living crisis has meant that many people are having to choose between ‘heating or eating’. They can either spend money on food or pay for gas/electricity, but not both. This issue has been largely driven by the huge increase in the cost of energy…

Period Poverty — The Price of Being a Woman

Having a monthly period is something every female goes through from puberty to menopause. It is part of life and part of the reproductive cycle. However, the cost of a monthly period is rarely discussed. When money is tight, people make cuts where they can. Very often it is groceries and personal hygiene products that take the hit…

Coping with the Rising Cost of Living

The cost of living has been increasing year on year. This has left many people struggling to maintain a decent standard of living, particularly the elderly and families with young children. This blog explores the financial impact of the cost of living increase, the effect these increases have on different areas of life…

The Cost of Living Crisis

Most countries were affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It pushed millions into poverty. Both Russia and Ukraine are major global suppliers of important cereal crops, and Russia supplies 40% of Europe’s gas…

The Cost of Living Crisis and Suicide

The cost of living crisis is a term that is being widely talked about in the media. The rate of inflation is increasing and petrol and diesel prices are rising fast. The cost of electricity and gas are astronomical and are set to increase further this year…

The Needle Spiking Scourge

The thought of having a drink spiked while out socially is horrendous. We have read of numerous cases where victims had their drinks spiked before being assaulted or raped. In most cases, the victim was unable to remember…

The Scourge of Racism

It would be nice to assume that, in our modern and enlightened world, racism is a thing of the past. Unfortunately, as recent events have shown hate crimes are on the rise and racism is alive and prevalent. Sadly a small minority…

How To Build A Fairer, More Equitable Healthcare System

Healthcare is a subject which invokes strong feelings and discussions. This is especially true when considering whether healthcare should be free for everyone. Some countries, such as the UK, have a free healthcare system…

The Homelessness and Temporary Housing Crisis

The terms ‘homeless’ and ‘temporary housing’ are becoming increasingly commonplace. The amount of people and families who have no permanent place to live and who are on a waiting list for housing…

Fuel Poverty — The Stone Cold Reality

Fuel poverty is a very real issue. As with food poverty, it affects every member of a low-income household. Fuel poverty can be defined as: ‘A situation where members of a household cannot afford to keep adequately warm at a reasonable cost, given their income’. So, in a nutshell, the problem is high fuel bills coupled with poverty…

Children and Food Poverty During the Pandemic

An issue that has been discussed many times during the coronavirus pandemic is that of food poverty. The campaign to reinstate free school meals was championed by footballer and food poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford MBE. This led to a turnaround by the government and free school meals were finally provided during the first lockdown…

The Increasing Rise in Knife Crime

Knife crime is not something restricted to TV, films or violent inner city neighbourhoods in America. In fact, knife crime statistics are a much closer reality. For example, 2018 was London’s bloodiest year in almost a decade with the murder toll from knife crime claiming 134 lives. On 3rd July 2019, the Sun Online reported that in London so far this year, more than 30 knife-related deaths have been reported…

Positive Steps to Leaving a Gang

This is the third blog in our gang series which will discuss how to help and advise youths if they want to leave a gang.

All gangs are different and have different sets of rules. However if you are involved with gang culture or you are worried about a family member or student or friend, there are ways to leave a gang…

How to Recognise if Your Child is in a Gang

Youth gang involvement is a growing problem. Following on from our previous blog Why Do People Join Gangs?, this article will examine how you can know if a child is a gang member. The thought that your child may be affiliated with a gang is extremely upsetting and worrying. However, it is important to look out for the signs of gang membership…

Why Do People Join Gangs?

Gangs and gang violence are always in the news — and the high level of shootings and stabbings in inner cities is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Most of us view gangs as something frightening, to be avoided at all costs. However, to many people, mostly males from poor backgrounds, the appeal of gangs is very strong…

Social Services in Ireland and the Roma Community

On October 21st 2013, a child was removed from her parents’ home in Tallaght by the Gards. On October 22nd it was reported that a 7-year old blonde haired, blue eyed girl was removed from the care of her parents and family home… because a question had been raised regarding her parentage. She did not look like her mum and dad. This followed the hype when a child…