Comments by "Stella Maris" (@SuperGreatSphinx) on "Al Jazeera English"
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Homelessness is defined as living in housing that is below the minimum standard or lacks secure tenure.
People can be categorized as homeless if they are: living on the streets (primary homelessness); moving between temporary shelters, including houses of friends, family and emergency accommodation (secondary homelessness); living in private boarding houses without a private bathroom and/or security of tenure (tertiary homelessness).
The legal definition of homeless varies from country to country, or among different jurisdictions in the same country or region.
According to the UK homelessness charity Crisis, a home is not just a physical space: it also provides roots, identity, security, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing.
United States government homeless enumeration studies also include people who sleep in a public or private place not designed for use as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
People who are homeless are most often unable to acquire and maintain regular, safe, secure and adequate housing due to a lack of (or an unsteady) income.
Homelessness and poverty are interrelated.
In 2005, an estimated 100 million (1 in 65 at the time) people worldwide were homeless, and as many as 1 billion people live as squatters, refugees, or in temporary shelter, all lacking adequate housing.
Historically, in the Western countries, the majority of homeless have been men (50–80%), with single males particularly over-represented.
In 2015, the United States reported that there were 564,708 homeless people within its borders, one of the higher reported figures worldwide.
These figures are likely underestimates, as surveillance for the homeless population is challenging.
When compared to the general population, people who are homeless experience higher rates of adverse physical and mental health outcomes, which renders them vulnerable to health conditions associated with changes in climate.
Chronic disease severity, respiratory conditions, rates of mental health illnesses and substance use (and abuse) are all (often) greater in homeless populations than in the general population.
Homelessness is also associated with a high risk of suicide attempts.
People experiencing homelessness have limited access to resources and are often disengaged from health services, making them that much more susceptible to extreme weather events (e.g., extreme cold or heat) and ozone levels.
These disparities often result in increased morbidity and mortality in the homeless population.
There are a number of organizations who provide help for the homeless.
Most countries provide a variety of services to assist homeless people.
These services often provide food, shelter (beds) and clothing, and may be organized and run by community organizations (often with the help of volunteers) or by government departments or agencies.
These programs may be supported by the government, charities, churches and individual donors.
Many cities also have street newspapers, which are publications designed to provide employment opportunity to homeless people.
While some homeless have jobs, some must seek other methods to make a living.
Begging or panhandling is one option, but is becoming increasingly illegal in many cities.
People who are homeless may have additional conditions, such as physical or mental health issues, or substance addiction; these issues make resolving homelessness a challenging policy issue.
Homeless people, and homeless organizations, are sometimes accused or convicted of fraudulent behaviour.
Criminals are also known to exploit homeless people, ranging from identity theft to tax and welfare scams.
These incidents often lead to negative connotations on the homeless as a group.
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A police force is a constituted body of persons empowered by a state to enforce the law, to protect people and property, and to prevent crime and civil disorder.
Their powers include the power of arrest and the legitimized use of force.
The term is most commonly associated with police services of a sovereign state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of responsibility.
Police forces are often defined as being separate from military or other organizations involved in the defense of the state against foreign aggressors; however, gendarmerie are military units charged with civil policing.
The police force is usually a public sector service, funded through taxes.
Law enforcement is only part of policing activity.
Policing has included an array of activities in different situations, but the predominant ones are concerned with the preservation of order.
In some societies, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, these developed within the context of maintaining the class system and the protection of private property.
Police forces have become ubiquitous in modern societies.
Some are involved to varying degrees in corruption, police brutality and the enforcement of authoritarian rule.
Alternative names for a police force include constabulary, gendarmerie, police department, police service, crime prevention, protective services, law enforcement agency, civil guard or civic guard.
Members may be referred to as police officers, troopers, sheriffs, constables, rangers, peace officers or civic/civil guards.
The word police is most universal and can be seen in many non-English speaking countries.
As police are often interacting with individuals, slang terms are numerous.
Many slang terms for police officers are decades or centuries old with lost etymology.
One of the oldest, "cop", has largely lost its slang connotations and become a common colloquial term used both by the public and police officers to refer to their profession.
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Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse - or other forms of sexual penetration - carried out against a person without their consent.
The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability, or is below the legal age of consent.
The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.
The rate of reporting, prosecuting, and convicting for rape varies between jurisdictions.
Internationally, the incidence of rapes recorded by the police during 2008 ranged, per 100,000 people, from 0.2 in Azerbaijan to 92.9 in Botswana - with 6.3 in Lithuania as the median.
Worldwide, sexual violence, including rape, is primarily committed by males against females.
Rape by strangers is usually less common than rape by people the victim knows, and male-on-male and female-on-female prison rapes are common and may be the least reported forms of rape.
Widespread and systematic rape (e.g., war rape) and sexual slavery can occur during international conflict.
These practices are crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Rape is also recognized as an element of the crime of genocide when committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a targeted ethnic group.
People who have been raped can be traumatized and develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
Serious injuries can result, along with the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
A person may face violence or threats from the rapist, and, sometimes, from the victim's family and relatives.
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Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life.
Nurses may be differentiated from other health care providers by their approach to patient care, training, and scope of practice.
Nurses practice in many specialties with differing levels of prescription authority.
Many nurses provide care within the ordering scope of physicians, and this traditional role has shaped the public image of nurses as care providers.
However, nurse practitioners are permitted by most jurisdictions to practice independently in a variety of settings.
In the postwar period, nurse education has undergone a process of diversification towards advanced and specialized credentials, and many of the traditional regulations and provider roles are changing.
Nurses develop a plan of care, working collaboratively with physicians, therapists, the patient, the patient's family and other team members, that focuses on treating illness to improve quality of life.
In the United States and the United Kingdom, advanced practice nurses, such as clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners, diagnose health problems and prescribe medications and other therapies, depending on individual state regulations.
Nurses may help coordinate the patient care performed by other members of a multidisciplinary health care team, such as therapists, medical practitioners and dietitians.
Nurses provide care both interdependently, for example, with physicians, and independently as nursing professionals.
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