The Margins of Mercy

Article here. Excerpt:

'In the desperate aftermath of an earthquake in Haiti, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) excluded men from emergency food aid. WFP head Josette Sheeran announced the policy:

"It is our methodology to distribute only to women to ensure that food gets to women and children in Haiti."

I described what happened in my first essay but, here, I want to focus on what didn’t happen - concern for men.

If the WFP had withheld food from almost any other group, say people of colour, they would have been universally condemned. Instead, they were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. What could explain such indifference to the fate of men?'