Tag: poverty

Violence in Africa

Posted on by kathiemm

First in a series by guest author Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka

Some schools of thought maintain that force or violence can sometimes be an effective means of resolving conflicts. The reality, however, is that violence breeds violence. The perceived enemy whom you beat down today may rise up tomorrow and obliterate you.

African wars and conflicts--map
African wars and conflicts 1980-1996. Image in public domain.

In cases of civil wars and insurgencies, the warring parties may believe that violence is the only way to either maintain the status quo or protect the rights and interests of a perceived marginalized or isolated group.

The bitter truth remains that it is the ordinary men, women, and children who are plunged into unimaginable suffering. Most of these civilians become Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) or refugees in their own homelands.

Most civil wars or crises happening in Africa today are manifestations of the “greed and grievance theory”—that is, it is the corrupt practices of many government officials that give rise to conditions of poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy. These conditions in turn give rise to feelings of exclusion or marginalization, both of which are recipes for disaster and potentially violent confrontations.

Governments have the bulk of the blame for the under-developed state of most African countries. Therefore, it should be their responsibility to remedy those conditions through dialogue with the aggrieved parties and developmental projects.

Unfortunately, what most African governments do to silence or discourage any form agitation or protest is to engage in indiscriminate killings, unlawful incarceration, and torture. African politicians would rather die in power than take responsibility for their failures and resign. When the government responds with violence to political/economic issues, radical groups, more often than not, equally counter with force.

Thus, the cycle of violence continues until the power elite can become convinced of the benefits of nonviolence.

Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka has a Masters of Science in Conflict Management and Peace Studies from University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State. He is a member of Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, and works as a paralegal counsel at the Legal Aid Council for the Federal Ministry of Justice in Nigeria.

How do we end violence against children? Let me count the ways.

Posted on by kathiemm

Violence confronts children at every level of society–in their relationships with parents and siblings, in the home, at school, and in the media and values that dominate their nation.

  • Hitting, punching, kicking are forms of violence.
  • Humiliation is a form of violence.
  • Poverty, discrimination, and the denial of opportunities are forms of violence.

How do we end these?

Laws do not solve all problems, but laws against corporal punishment—as have been enacted in many Western European and other nations—send a message and set a standard for parenting behavior.

Education does not solve all problems, but citizen education concerning alternatives to corporal punishment and psychological maltreatment can contribute to the development of healthier environments in which children can learn and play without constant fear of  harm from others.

Efforts at social reform are not always successful. Yet recognition and commitment to social justice, equal opportunity, and equal protection will increase the likelihood that children can be provided with enough food to eat, safety to survive, and opportunity to become positive contributors to society.

You can help in each of these areas. How?

  • Find positive ways to deal with your own inevitable anger and frustration when you feel disappointed with the people you love and/or for whom you feel responsible.
  • Be aware of and responsive to what is going on in local schools in your community. Is bullying widespread? Is anything being done about it? Do children have safe places to play?
  • Listen to leaders at the neighborhood, state, and national level. What agendas do they promote—equal opportunity and social justice? Or the rights of the rich and powerful at the expense of everyone else? Listen, learn, and decide what will contribute most to healthy environments for all children. Then take action.

To learn more, please watch “A mission to end child abuse.”

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Prosecuting the perpetrators (The Khmer Rouge genocide, Part 3)

Posted on by kathiemm

[This is the third of four posts by Dr. Leakhena Nou on the legacy of the Khmer Rouge genocide.]

In the 21st century, efforts have been made to promote restorative justice and end the culture of impunity in Cambodia. For example, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a hybrid court drawing on U.N. and Cambodian legal teams, began prosecuting senior Khmer Rouge perpetrators in February 2009.

Killing Fields bones
Killing Fields bones of children in Cambodia. Photo by Oliver Spalt used under CC Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

In Case 001,  Kaing Guek Eav (alias Duch, former S-21 Chief Commandant), was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity (murder, enslavement, torture, and other inhumane acts). When Duch appealed the verdict,  the ECCC responded by handing down a sentence of life imprisonment without parole or further appeals.

Duch’s formal apology was disseminated to the public:

“May I be permitted to apologize to the survivors of the [Khmer Rouge] regime and also the loved ones of those who died brutally during the regime […] I know that the crimes I committed against the lives of those people, including women and children, are intolerably and unforgivably serious crimes. My plea is that you leave the door open for me to seek forgiveness.”

In your view, how should Cambodians and others respond to such an apology after a genocide?

Case 002 brings to trial four other senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge including Ieng Sary (former Minister of Foreign Affairs), and his wife Ieng Thirith (former Minister of Social Affairs).

Despite current legal initiatives to end the culture of impunity and deter violence, Cambodia remains plagued by chronic, multifaceted, and evolving social problems. These include

  • Human and sex trafficking and other related human rights abuses
  • High rates of unemployment, poverty, diseases, and domestic violence
  • Widening inequalities among social groups, and
  • Lack of access to adequate education, health, and social services.

 

These shortcomings highlight and reinforce many of the social, economic, political, and structural problems and conditions that ignited the Khmer Rouge violence nearly forty years ago.

Leakhena Nou, Associate Professor of sociology at California State University at Long Beach and executive director of the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia

Child labor supports war machine

Posted on by kathiemm

[Note from Kathie Malley-Morrison:  Today we welcome guest contributor Roger-Claude Liwanga, a human rights lawyer from the Congo.]


Forced child labor in the Congolese mining industry supports the manufacture of missiles and other weapons systems used in global warfare. Children aged 5 to 17 years are forced to work under poor and dangerous conditions, without safety. They dig, gather, screen, wash, and lift heavy loads of radioactive minerals, including coltan, uranium, cobalt, and others.

Armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who are illegally exploiting minerals to finance their military activities, rely on child forced labor because children are malleable and cannot effectively resist. Recent UNICEF statistics indicate that 43,000 children were working in DRC artisanal mines in 2010.[1]

The circumstances of mining labor produce catastrophic consequences for children. Many  are killed in the mines, get ill with sicknesses such as pneumonia and lung disease, are gravely injured so that they cannot work in the future, and ultimately lose hope for a better life.

Coltan is a fundamental material for the production of modern electronics because of its ability to hold high electric charges.[2] It is used in cellular phones, computers, MP3 players, jet engines, missiles, ships, and weapons systems. Electronic manufacturers such as Apple, Dell, Motorola, Nokia, and Hewlett-Packard are among the principal consumers of coltan[3].

The DRC has 64% of the world’s reserves of this mineral, and 40% percent of those working in the Congolese coltan mines are children.[4] The problem of child forced labor in the Congolese mines emanates from the combination of poverty, political instability (war), lack of schools in the mining areas, ignorance of child labor laws and the dangers of mining work on children’s health, and failure to prosecute child traffickers.

All civilized nations should take action to end human rights abuse in the Congolese mines and to prevent the buying and selling of “conflict minerals” that motivate and finance wars.

Roger-Claude Liwanga is a human rights lawyer from the Congo, co-founder and executive director of Promote Congo Inc., and legal consultant at The Carter Center. Contact him at roger.liwanga@gmail.com

[1] UNICEF quoted by Amnesty International, The 2010 Annual Report for Congo (Dem. Rep. of), available at http://www.amnestyusa.org/annualreport.php?id=ar&yr=2010&c=COD.

[2] University of Michigan, “Computer Industry Impacts on the Environment and Society”. Available at: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section002group3/coltan_mining_in_democratic_republic_of_the_congo

[3] Amnesty International, “Exploitation in the DRC fuels mining trade: Apple, Dell look the other way”. Available at: http://blog.amnestyusa.org/business/exploitation-in-the-drc-fuels-mining-trade-apple-dell-look-the-other-way//

[4] BMS World Mission, “Combating child labour in Congo”. Available at: http://www.bmsworldmission.org/news-blogs/blogs/combating-child-labour-congo