#issolation

2/3/26

During the night hours you can see the sex workers walking up and down Holbeck Lane of Leeds, the first legal red light zone in the UK. The red light zone was introduced in order to make the lives of women who work there safer, and make it easier to report an assault. Since October 2015 Leeds city council has allowed sex workers to operate in the designated area on the edge of the city center between 7pm and 7am without fear of being arrested. Twenty-one year old, sex worker, Daria Pionko was found dead after being severely beaten, two days before Christmas. Having a look at these pictures during day time takes away the connection of the place and the incident. It could have happened everywhere, and you could be walking down the street without knowing it’s connection to Daria’s death. How the morning light illumines the dark corners of the streets takes away the presence of the night. Like nocturnal animals that you can never see under the morning light, the creatures of Holbeck. You could never see their holistic identities, only imagine them leaving their wives secretly, and drive in the dark to an isolated street, meeting a girl who will never really be there. Though during day time it looks like another ordinary post-industrial area, full of life and death, as any other street.

2 year #issolation (at Burren, Clare, Ireland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgrFCqJjnrk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Residential schools

Social racism and oppression contribute to lateral violence and a sense of hopelessness and isolation. Too many young people believe that the only place they can live is on-reserve. This does not encourage them to pursue further education which opens other doors. There are inadequate culturally appropriate services and lack of recognition of the need for change among agencies providing services. We need economic development that gives families stability and youth opportunity. There are many resources available to us now (Public Health Agency of Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), WHO, CNN, The Star, personal testimonies) that have been written to document the negative factors that have contributed to this huge issue