MANILA, Philippines (PRWEB)
May 26, 2022

Protecting the Protectors: Why Mental Health Support is Essential for Content Moderators

Being on the internet has become a regular part of our everyday life. According to the latest statistics, 3.96 billion people use social media globally, with each person spending an average of 147 minutes or two hours and seven minutes on digital platforms every day.

How is information sifted and checked in the online worlds we love to immerse ourselves in? Websites and applications, big and small, have community guidelines that protect their users from being exposed to harmful information, but who exactly are the people working behind the scenes and doing the heavy lifting of screening this information? In this article, we will talk about the sentinels of the internet and the plight that comes with their profession.

Meet the Content Moderators.

Content Moderation in a Nutshell

Content moderation, at its simplest, is the process of screening and monitoring user-generated content posted on online platforms. Whenever a user submits or uploads something to a website, moderators go through the content to make sure that the material follows the community regulations and is not criminal or illegal in nature. Some examples of banned content that content moderators screen are those that contain sexual themes, drugs, bigotry, homophobia, harassment, and racism.

There are two different types of content moderation that websites use: AI-automated and human moderation. In the first type, a machine learning system is designed to moderate posts based on previous data gathered from the internet. AI moderation is significantly faster–sometimes only taking seconds to review posts, but it might not always be 100 percent accurate because it relies on machine learning which may not always pick up the right cues.

Human moderation, on the other hand, is a manual type of process that involves an actual person who reviews the posts. Under this category, the screener follows specific platform rules and guidelines to check the user-generated content submitted to the website. While this type of moderation is more foolproof than its counterpart, it also takes more time due to its manual nature. Moreover, it also presents a serious problem within its workforce that unfortunately, is not often well addressed: mental distress.

The Dark Side of Content Moderation

Moderators sift through hundreds of submissions that contain triggering content not limited to depictions of death, torture, mutilation, and violence for hours, sometimes with only limited time for breaks. The nature of the work can lead to the development of mental distress and psychological issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and even depression. This is something that is also supported by data from other studies in journalism, law enforcement, and child protection which claim that repeated trauma exposure can lead to psychological distress. On top of that, workers in the said areas have also been stated to suffer more from burnout, relationship challenges, and even suicide.

Protecting the Protectors

While overarching guidelines to protect and support the mental health of content moderators are already being developed on a global scale, it cannot be debated that a huge chunk of the responsibility should fall on the shoulders of the employers who are in a better position to observe and improve the best practices in this area. At Infinit Care, for example, they follow a tried and tested framework, the Mental Health Continuum, to make sure that every employee working in high-risk professions gets the mental health support that they need, wherever they are on the scale – whether they are excelling, surviving or in crises. (Click here to know more about the Mental Health Continuum.)

Infinit Care’s Head of Clinical Care Shyne Mangulabnan suggests several ways on how employers can put this to work. “Having a counseling professional who can help these employees is essential as well as having a solid support and assessment system for them. For example, surveys given to agents which can be used as a reference for the design of a wellness strategy is a good place to start. Constant monitoring of employees should also be done to make sure that their needs are met.”

On top of that, Mangulabnan also suggests creating proper escalation procedures for concerns relating to the mental health challenges of content moderators. Proper education of important stakeholders within the company (human resource team, upper management) about mental health risks of the job is also necessary since they are the decision-makers who create systems that take care of employees.

“It would be best to have an end-to-end solution: an onboarding process that gives candidates the training and education they need to understand the risks and concepts of well-being, round-the-clock onsite and virtual counseling services, community support groups, yoga and meditation activities, and workshops are just some of the many things that employers can initiate to make sure that they give the support that their workforce needs.”

True enough, it is the responsibility of employers to make sure that they ‘protect the protectors’ of the internet. However, it’s not only the content moderators who should be given this kind of support, especially with 43 percent of the global workforce expressing that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the stress that they suffer from work. This story is just the first chapter of a series that will shed light on all the professions who need mental health support most in these trying times.

Infinit Care is a mental health-tech company that helps companies and organization provide comprehensive mental health care support to their employees through the use of science-backed methodologies and technology. Reach out to Infinit Care here to know more.

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
December 01, 2021

Today, Catholics for Choice President Jamie Manson joined the Abortion Is Essential Rally for Our Rights at the Supreme Court. Below are her remarks, as delivered:

“My name is Jamie Manson, and I am a proud queer CATHOLIC woman who supports abortion access – queer rights are repro rights, repro rights are queer rights! As President of Catholics for Choice, I represent the 68% of U.S. Catholics who do not want to see Roe overturned.

“Catholics for Choice is as old as the Roe decision and we have been fighting nearly 50 years for all people to have access to the full range of reproductive healthcare. But it is not enough – and has never been enough – to just defend Roe. We must guarantee that abortion care is safe, equitable, affordable, and available to all.

“Now, you see what’s going on here. There is no secular antichoice movement. It is led by fringe zealots who want to make abortion impossible to access. As a Catholic, I am well aware that we are fighting a right-wing religious ideology born of white men desperate to control the bodies of women, trans, nonbinary, and queer people because they are desperate to limit our freedom, equality and power.

“I support abortion access because of my Catholic faith – not in spite of it. My faith teaches that healthcare is a human right — and that includes abortion. My faith teaches the importance of conscience, that every individual has the freedom to make their own moral decisions about their bodies and lives without interference by white supremacist, anti-feminist, Christian nationalist religious forces.

“Protecting the right to an abortion is essential to protecting true religious freedom. No government that believes in the separation of church and state should enshrine one group’s religious doctrine into law.

“I support abortion access because as a Catholic I was taught a theology of social justice. The Mississippi law we are fighting today is the antithesis of those social justice values. Abortion bans disproportionately affect people who are already broken and crucified by the sinful structures of systemic racism, gender inequality, economic insecurity, and immigration restrictions.

“In the gospel, Jesus tells us the truth shall set us free. Here is the truth: one in four abortion patients in this country is Catholic, and for them, abortion is a blessing. The majority of people of faith support abortion access. We have the moral high ground here. I call on people of faith not only to pray in silence, but with their actions to courageously speak out about their support for abortion.

“Today, sitting in this court are six – yes, six – Catholic Supreme Court Justices. Yes, six of nine Justices are Catholic. I call on them to honor what is best about the Catholic tradition: protect justice, especially for the most marginalized, uphold human dignity and liberate all people by liberating abortion.”

CONTACT: John Becker; jbecker@catholicsforchoice.org; 202-203-0931

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Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
December 01, 2021

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case that directly challenges Roe v. Wade. At issue is a Mississippi law that would ban abortion care after 15 weeks of pregnancy. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, 24 states are poised to ban access to abortion care immediately.

The state of Mississippi’s efforts are in direct conflict with popular opinion. Recent polling from Power to Decide shows that 74% of respondents (including 75% of white, 80% of Black and 65% of Hispanics respondents) believe abortion care should remain legal. In addition, two-thirds (66%) are concerned that people may not be able to access abortion care now and in the future.

“Abortion care is an essential part of the full spectrum of reproductive health services and a common part of the reproductive life-course for many people,” said Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide. “Despite public support for abortion care, the state of Mississippi is asking the court to reverse Roe which would threaten people’s ability to manage their reproductive health and endanger their physical and emotional well-being.”

Research shows that abortion care restrictions and bans impact people’s financial status and emotional health. Women denied abortion care are four times as likely to live below the federal poverty line compared to those who were able to access abortion care when needed, according to data. In addition, they are more likely to experience serious health complications from pregnancy and experience poor physical health for years after the pregnancy.

“We only have to look to Texas to see what is at stake before the court today,” continued McDonald-Mosley. “The harmful Texas ban has forced people with lower incomes, people of color and people in rural areas to travel to other states for abortion care. Many have been unable to surmount these barriers and are unable to receive the care they need. The ability to access the full spectrum of reproductive health services should not depend on your income level or where you live. Everyone – regardless of background or economic status – deserves the opportunity to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child.”

Power to Decide is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to ensure all people—no matter who they are, where they live or what their economic status might be—have the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant or have a child. Please visit us our follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
November 24, 2021

On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, The Supreme Court will be hearing the Oral Argument in the Mississippi Ban on Late-Term Abortion Case, Dobbs. https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization/

The law’s intent is to ban late-term abortions after 15-weeks.

According to The Justice Foundation founder Allan Parker, the Dobbs case is the best opportunity since 1992 to see the reversal of Roe v. Wade and end legalized abortion in our country.

Said Parker, “We believe we should come together to pray the day before, the day of, and the day after the Oral Argument.”

“The final decision on the Dobbs case is expected to be announced by the Supreme Court in June 2022, so we must continue to pray even after this three-day event, opined Parker.

Allan Parker in concert with other pro-life activists have scheduled a global 40-hour broadcast in support of the Dobbs case, featuring:

• 
  Live prayer and worship events at the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Supreme Court on November 30, 2021.
• Hearing the Supreme Court Oral Argument on December 1, 2021 at 10 am ET
• Mississippi’s ‘Empowering Women’ Rally in front of the Supreme Court on December 1, 2021 from 8am to 12 pm ET.
• Global Ministry Leaders leading our event in prayers of repentance and worship.

Additional information about the marathon broadcast, including directions on how to view the event, is available at NationalDayOfRepentance.org.

Allan Parker offers the following Q&A for those considering participating in the event:

Q: May I attend in person in DC?

A: Yes, don’t hesitate to get in touch with nationaldayofrenentance@gmail.com for scheduling and more information

Q: Which ministries are involved with the National Day of Repentance?

A: For the list of over 70+ endorsing ministries, please see our website.

Q: How can I get more involved locally if I cannot attend in person in DC?

A: Several ways: Share this event, assemble a group from your church for viewing and praying gathering during the event, pray in front of abortion clinics, donate to pregnancy resource centers, sign The Moral Outcry petition at TheMoralOutcry.com, share the NDR Promo video and prayer guides on our website.

Pray for the Supreme Court Justices to rule with righteousness, to overturn Roe v. Wade, and to end the shedding of innocent blood in our land. Most importantly, pray for The Body of Christ in America to turn from our wicked ways and repent.

ABOUT ALLAN PARKER:

Allan Parker is the President of The Justice Foundation and was lead counsel for Norma McCorvey, formerly “Roe” of Roe v. Wade, from 2000 to 2012, and Sandra Cano, the “Doe” of Doe v. Bolton, until 2014 in their efforts to overturn the two landmark cases that brought legalized abortion on demand to America.

About The Justice Foundation

Co-founded in 1993 by former law professor Allan Parker, The Justice Foundation seeks to protect the fundamental freedoms and rights essential to the preservation of American society by providing free legal services to promote those rights. Its mission is to litigate, educate and advocate for life, liberty, and justice. Additional information about The Justice Foundation and The Moral Outcry movement is available at http://www.themoraloutcry.com.

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
August 05, 2021

Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, denounced the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) today for asking the Supreme Court to uphold a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks.

In a friend-of-the-court brief filed on July 27 on behalf of a group of anti-choice religious organizations, the U.S. bishops’ conference argues that Roe v. Wade – the 1973 decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, reaffirmed in 1992 at all points prior to fetal viability – was “deeply flawed” and wrongly decided, and should be overruled. The bishops’ brief further declares that a constitutional right to abortion does not exist at all and has “never met with general acceptance by the American public.”

Catholics for Choice President Jamie L. Manson said:

“The USCCB’s brief to the Supreme Court in support of Mississippi’s severe, extreme, and unconstitutional abortion ban is as outrageous as it is predictable. U.S. bishops were a primary architect of the anti-choice movement, and for decades, they have spent millions of dollars trying to end legal abortion, control women’s bodies, and persuade Americans to oppose reproductive rights. But they have failed spectacularly: a majority of Americans support legal abortion, as does a clear majority of Catholics. If the bishops wish to continue their unholy anti-choice crusade, they should at least do so honestly and stop falsely claiming a broad basis of public support that, quite simply, does not exist.”

Indeed, polls repeatedly show that most Americans support legal access to abortion. A nationwide AP-NORC poll, conducted in June after the Supreme Court agreed to review Mississippi’s abortion ban, found that 57% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, with 61% saying it should be legal in all or most cases during the first trimester of pregnancy. Strong majorities want Roe v. Wade upheld, not overturned, and Gallup, which has been tracking Americans’ opinions on the issue since 1975, has consistently found that most favor abortion remaining legal, at least under certain circumstances. And among U.S. Catholics, decisive majorities also support legal abortion and want Roe v. Wade to remain the law of the land.

“The U.S. Catholic bishops’ radical, right-wing views on abortion are grossly out of touch – not only with the beliefs of most Americans, but even the people in their own pews,” said Manson. “To pretend otherwise is to disobey the Ninth Commandment’s prohibition on bearing false witness. The Supreme Court should listen to the voices of everyday Catholics as they decide this issue, not the loud cries of those who deceptively claim to represent them.”

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Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.

Contact: John Becker, Communications Specialist

Phone: 202-203-0931

Email: jbecker@catholicsforchoice.org

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
May 24, 2021

According to data released by Power to Decide, an estimated 275,310 Ohio women of reproductive age (13-44) in need of publicly funded contraception live in counties impacted by the Title X Family Planning Program “domestic gag rule.” In fact, 9% of Ohio’s 88 counties have lost some or all of their Title X resources.

The domestic gag rule prohibits health providers receiving Title X funds from providing comprehensive options counseling to patients, including providing information about abortion services and care. In addition, health centers are required to cease providing abortion care with non-Title X funds at sites that offer Title X supported services, such as contraceptive care, breast and cervical cancer screenings and STI testing. The rule requires that abortion services, no matter how they are funded, be performed at a separate physical site, which is impossible for many health centers. In the face of these challenges, family planning providers are doing their best to provide high-quality service to their patients and fill gaps left in the wake of the disruption caused by the rule.

“Over 275,000 women in need in Ohio state could be impacted by the domestic gag rule,” said Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH, CEO of Power to Decide. “This federal rule is yet another obstacle for women already facing barriers such as transportation, child care and taking unpaid time off from work in order to access basic health care.”

Data from Power to Decide show that 724,880 women living at or below 250% of the poverty level in Ohio live in contraceptive deserts, counties in which there is not reasonable access to a health center offering the full range of contraceptive methods. Nationally, more than 19 million U.S. women of low income live in contraceptive deserts.

In this challenging landscape, states like Ohio can take steps to partially alleviate the impact of damaging federal policies and to proactively expand access to contraception in various ways. Ohio has already expanded Medicaid to low-income adults, which helps decrease the percentage of uninsured women, and by extension, give them contraceptive coverage they need to live healthy lives. Other policies that would help include allowing pharmacists to prescribe contraception, requiring insurance to cover an extended supply of prescription contraceptives and enacting policies that protect insurance coverage of the full range of contraceptive methods.

More information about these policies can be found here. In addition, information about Ohio’s telehealth policies relevant to contraceptive access can be found here.

Power to Decide is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to ensure all people—no matter who they are, where they live or what their economic status might be—have the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. Please visit us at http://www.PowerToDecide.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
September 30, 2020

Today’s 44th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment comes amid a national uprising for racial justice, allegations of forced sterilization of immigrant women, as well as a global pandemic that has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and, in the U.S., has fallen hardest upon Black and Brown women. We also face a consequential Supreme Court nomination that will have implications for our rights, including for abortion, for generations. This year, more than ever, the harms of the Hyde Amendment are on full display and demonstrate why it’s time to end this policy once and for all.

“What do police violence, wage gaps, likelihood of contracting COVID-19, and abortion coverage bans all have in common? They’re all rooted in systemic racism that denies the humanity of Black, Indigenous, and people of color and their ability to thrive,” said Destiny Lopez, co-director of All* Above All. “We’re united AF on at least one solution for a better future: lift the Hyde Amendment now.”

The Hyde Amendment, a policy that is rooted in systemic racism, denies people struggling financially, especially women of color, the ability to build their families on their own terms and furthers the harms for those who are already marginalized by our health care system.

“For 44 years too long, the Hyde Amendment has banned abortion coverage – keeping people from getting the critical health care they need,” said Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. “It is one in a web of abortion restrictions that are part of a system of racist, sexist violence and control. Congress must do better and permanently eliminate Hyde. Our national focus should be on expanding health care options including abortion care – especially during a global pandemic – and rejecting policies that attack Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) people.”

Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment, which restricts coverage for abortion for people enrolled in Medicaid and other federal health programs, has put abortion care out of reach, particularly for people struggling to make ends meet, women of color, young people, and immigrants. Studies show that when politicians place restrictions on Medicaid coverage for abortion, they force one in four poor women to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. Research also shows that denying abortion coverage forces low-income women deeper into poverty, which is especially harmful at a time when women’s unemployment is at an all-time high.

“We hear it every day,” said Parker Dockray, executive director of All-Options. “People’s lives have been upended by the pandemic and economic crisis, and families are struggling to meet their basic needs, from diapers and formula for their children to struggling to pay for their abortion care due to loss of income. We must do away with abortion coverage bans like the Hyde Amendment and ensure everyone has the support they need to make their own decisions with dignity and respect.”

Thanks to the leadership of women of color, elected officials at every level across the country are bold and united in their support to end the Hyde Amendment once and for all. The EACH Woman Act, a groundbreaking bill led by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth in the Senate and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee in the House that would ensure public and private coverage, is up to 207 co-sponsors. Earlier this year, U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barbara Lee, and Jan Schakowsky filed an amendment to strip Hyde from the federal spending bill. Local elected officials in cities like Austin and New York have stepped up for the second consecutive year to dedicate funding within their city budgets to practical support for abortion care.

Voters are united to end the Hyde Amendment – support for Medicaid coverage of abortion remains at an all-time high, with 62% of voters believing that the program should cover abortion. The same poll shows that support for Medicaid coverage of abortion is even higher in battleground states, with 69% of voters supporting coverage.

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All* Above All unites organizations and individuals, including 130 partner organizations, to build support for lifting bans that deny abortion coverage. Our vision is to restore public insurance coverage so that every woman, however much she makes, can get affordable, safe abortion care when she needs it. Learn more at allaboveall.org and follow our social media at @allaboveall.

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