The United Nations Security Council is urging all member nations to make piracy a crime. There have been a record 352 pirate attacks in 2011 alone, up 22 percent from last year. Pirates from Somalia, a hotbed of piracy, have been responsible for 199 attacks, 58 percent more than in 2010. Jon Manel of the BBC reports on the story of the personal impact of pirate attacks. South Africans Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz were captured a year ago as their boat travelled between Madagascar and Mozambique. They are still being held, and their family members are attempting to pay their ransom.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.