Feb 09

Counting Calories

Yesterday I walked into one of my favorite restaurants, Chipotle. I usually order the exact same thing, a burrito bowl with chicken. However, this time I was in the mood for something new. I glanced up at the menu above the register to make my choice. As I panned across the menu I noticed what has become a familiar sight – all the menu items had calorie counts listed.  As a New Yorker, this did not seem strange at all. As of 2008, New York law requires that many restaurants (primarily chains) post on all menu boards, menus, and food tags the calories contained in each menu item.

However, this summer, as part of the new federal health reform act, calorie posting will be seen throughout the U.S. For all you health conscious “calorie counters,” the government is making your task a lot easier for you. For the rest of us… it’s another story. No longer will a person be able to walk into their favorite fast food restaurant and look up at the menu without being met with a rush of guilt as a result of the “1200 calories” marking next to their favorite food item.

As you might have guessed, the purpose of this new rule – tucked deep within the health reform – is to discourage people from eating high caloric meals. The government hopes that by informing the general public about the amount of calories in their food, the public will be discouraged from indulging in foods loaded with calories. As a result, obesity rates will be reduced and the general public will be healthier. Whether or not this will work still remains to be seen. I believe that this rule will be largely ineffective as far as our immediate future is concerned, but I am still in favor of it. I think that with the proper changes, the rule can be very valuable for helping people lead healthier lifestyles and can prove to be quite significant further down the line.

Keep in mind that New York has already implemented calorie postings. Multiple studies have shown that listing calorie counts has had little to no effect on New Yorkers’ food spending habits. One study compares a group of people from New Jersey to a group of people with similar socioeconomic status from New York that have access to calorie postings.  The study – like others – finds, more or less, no difference between the two groups’ eating habits. I believe that the reason behind the unchanged behavior is the result of a single, major issue plaguing our nation.

This issue is the lack of education on health issues in our nation. People will see and understand that the cheeseburger they are consuming contains 700 calories, but they might have no idea what that means for their health. Providing information to people that lack full understanding of the information will prove to be a futile endeavor. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, this nation needs to invest more in health education, through its public school systems. The government can post all the facts and figures it wants, but until the public understands what exactly those numbers mean, we will continue to see these sky-high obesity rates.

Why do people agree to risky mortgage terms? Not because they were not told the terms, but more than likely because they do not understand them. The same logic can easily be applied to calorie posting. Before people can act on the information presented to them, they must be educated on the information itself.

While I do not believe calorie postings will have an immediate effect, I am in support of them. One benefit of calorie postings is that it’s a step in the right direction. The posting of food calories alone – in my opinion – will do little to change our nation’s eating habits. However, if other actions are taken, such as increasing funding for health education in public schools, then posting calories will be a valuable and necessary component in the nation’s fight against obesity and poor eating habits. Once people do become educated on eating healthy, knowing the amount of calories in their food will be very helpful in making informed and healthy choices.

In short, calorie postings will do very little to reverse our obesity rates in the near future. However, with the proper education, calorie postings can become invaluable pieces of information for people making healthy dietary choices. This new rule will do no harm, and in the future it might be incredibly useful and beneficial. So, let’s embrace it, learn from it, and make the proper adjustments to our society’s approach to poor eating habits in order to make the most of it.

 

Luke Richner is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focused on global health issues, energy markets, and economic development. He is a senior at Duke University, completing his final semester. 
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Feb 09

Remesas

Read this post in English

La inmigración en los EE.UU. es un tema muy caliente que a menudo se simplifica a una sola palabra: la pobreza. Puede ser cierto que la pobreza es uno de los factores principales que ha aumentado la inmigración a los EE.UU. Sin embargo, muchas veces es demasiado fácil de compilar todos los problemas estructurales y políticos en una gran bola de subdesarrollo. Uno de los mayores problemas, que creo que es pasado por alto en el análisis de las crecientes olas de inmigrantes, especialmente de los países de América Latina y del Caribe son las remesas. La primera vez que escuché este término, no fue en un salón de clases. De hecho, fue cuando mi abuela estaba hablando con su amigo acerca de todas las remesas que estaba enviando a su familia. Eso es exactamente lo que son las remesas: dinero que los inmigrantes en los EE.UU. enviar a sus familiares y parientes.

Aunque es un concepto muy simple, las remesas pueden ser considerados como una de las más grandes razones por las que la inmigración sigue aumentando y por qué la gente señala el “subdesarrollo” de estos países como causa principal. Las remesas son, de hecho, una gran ayuda para América Latina y el Caribe … SI fueran reducidas a una simple transacción monetaria. En teoría, la remesas evitan que estos países se empobrezcan más.  Creo que debemos mirar más allá de esta teoría que dice que simplemente poner más dinero en manos de los pobres realmente les ayuda a salir de la pobreza.

De hecho, en mi punto de vista, las remesas puede afectar tanto a los receptores y a los trabajadores inmigrantes en el largo plazo. Las cifras y los números son útiles para entender la cantidad de dinero que se envía desde los EE.UU. a América Latina, pero también enfatiza una palabra: la dependencia. La dependencia tiene que ser uno de los principales elementos destructivos de estos países que están tratando de mejorar su economía.

Uno de los países que mejor ejemplifica esto es El Salvador. El Salvador es uno de los países de América Latina con el mayor porcentaje de inmigrantes, que aumentó considerablemente durante la guerra civil del país (1979-1992). Hoy en día, los efectos de esto se puede ver en el valor de las remesas que ingresan al país en dólares estadounidenses; en el 2005, las remesas añadieron a 3.000 billones de dólares USA.  En una perspectiva macro, algunos podrían estar tentados a decir que esto está inyectando dinero en la economía salvadoreña, pero en realidad sólo está ayudando a la gente a mantenerse a flote mientras que sus niveles de vida se mantienen al margen de la pobreza.
Podemos hablar sobre el PIB de este país, el porcentaje del PIB que representan las remesas y otros factores que entierran a el países más y más en la dependencia. Pero si queremos entender el efecto de las remesas en este países (y en EE.UU.), tenemos que ver cómo se comportan los hogares en este ambiente de las remesas. He encontrado un Continue reading

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Feb 09

Remittances, Poverty and Development

Immigration in the U.S. is a very hot topic that often gets simplified to one word: poverty.  It can very well be that poverty is one of the key issues that has increased immigration trends to the U.S.  However, it is often too easy to compile all the structural and political problems into one big ball of underdevelopment.  One of the biggest issues, which I think is often over-looked at in analyzing the increasing waves of immigrants, especially from Latin American countries and the Caribbean is remittances.  The first time I heard this term, was not in a classroom setting.  In fact it was when my grandmother was talking to her friend about all the “remesas” (remittances in Spanish) that she was sending to her family.  That ‘s exactly what remittances are: money that immigrants in the U.S. send to their family and relatives.

Although it is a very simple concept, remittances can be thought as one of the greatest reasons why immigration continues to increase and why people pin point it on the “underdevelopment” of these countries.  Remittances are in fact a great help for Latin American and Caribbean countries…If it were reduced to a simple monetary transaction.  In theory, they are what keep these countries from further becoming impoverished.  I think that we should look beyond this theory that says that simply putting more money into the hands of poor people really does help them come out of poverty

In fact, in my perspective, remittances can hurt both the recipients and the immigrant worker in the long run.  Figures and numbers are helpful when understanding the amount of money that is sent from the U.S. to Latin American, but it also emphasizes one word: dependency.  Dependency has to be one of the biggest destructive elements for these countries that are trying to improve their economy.

One of the countries that best exemplifies this is El Salvador.  El Salvador is one of the Latin American countries with the highest percent of migrants, which sharply increased during the country’s civil war (1979-1992).  Today, the effects of this can be seen in the value of remittances entering the country in U.S. dollars; in 2005, remittances added to 3,000 billion U.S. dollars.  In a macro perspective, some might be tempted to say that it is injecting money into the Salvadoran economy, but in reality it is only helping people to stay afloat while their standards of living remain at the margin of poverty.

We can talk about the GDP of the country, the percent of GDP that remittances represent and other factors that drives the country further into dependency.  But if we want to understand the effect of remittances on this country (and the U.S.), we need to look at how households behave in this environment of remittances.  I found a report prepared by the Organization of American States and after looking at the various charts, what most impacted me about remittances was the administration of the money.

So how do the majority of the recipient families handle their money in El Salvador?  It’s not shocking to see that the majority of the money goes to living expenses, while other areas like savings and investment goes to the back burner.  But what I think truly paints the picture of the dependency these remittances are creating is the percent of remittances that goes to education.

Families in El Salvador, the country with the highest average monthly amount sent by their immigrants, puts 4% of remittances toward education. Nearly 81% of remittances are spent on consumption items, which are mostly imported from the U.S.  The effects of war and immigration are too intricate to find an easy solution to this dependency issue.  However, if so many of these Salvadoran would manage their money more wisely, it could have a long lasting effect on their household and on their communities.  For example, education should be one of the priorities that money is invested in after taking out for the essentials.  Also, consuming national products can have a resounding effect when thinking about individual actions people can do to help their economies.  Lastly, I think that savings can be beneficial for so many Salvadorans that do want to return to their country; having something to come back to like a built house is something most immigrants long for.

What these percentages are really saying is that people are far too comfortable receiving money from their migrant family members, which can ultimately hurt them and the country they live in.  As more and more people migrate from their countries, the number of families dependent on money from them increases and the dependency of these countries toward countries like the U.S. becomes stronger.  The problem at the household level is the lack of information that people have about how these remittances really affects them.  Because of the economic situation that families are in, they only worry about day-to-day expenses and they forget about the importance of self-sustainability.  Because of this increasing phenomenon of remittances to Latin American countries, I think that there should be a time where the administration of money is discussed.  If people thought more about the long-term effects and implementing more money into education, it could create a cycle of increased education levels and better opportunities in these Latin American countries.  Remittances perhaps are a small part of the causes of immigration waves, but it certainly affects households directly everyday.

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Feb 08

Foreclosure Conversion: Housing for the Homeless

Ever since the recession of 2008, we have seen an incline in homeless Americans.  The contradiction to this trend is that we have more vacant houses than ever in the U.S. as homes slide into foreclosure and people can’t afford to maintain a mortgage with an outrageous interest rate.  When the housing bubble of 2008 burst we had a crisis wherein Americans were discovering that the bank which refinanced their home overestimated their ability to pay by about ten times what they should have. 

As a result of this crisis Americans were finding themselves unable to make the mortgage payment when they became unemployed as many did during the recession.  Many people had to move out of their homes and downsize into an apartment with rent payments they could afford.  Many still became homeless and started living on the streets, or if they were fortunate they would live in their vehicles. 

Those who found affordable housing to rent could one day come home to find a foreclosure notice on the door because the landlord hadn’t made the mortgage payment.  Sometimes people would move into a new home they were renting only to find out a short time later that the home had been foreclosed on and they would have to pick up and move again.  For the first time in American history since the Great Depression people from all economic backgrounds and diversities were losing their homes. 

Of course never before have we ever had so many vacant homes around the country all at once.  Squatting by the homeless has risen considerably over the past few years.  People would rather take over an abandoned foreclosed home than a condemned home, as it often still has gas, water or even running electricity.  Squatters also found that foreclosed homes can be a safe alternative to shelters or to living on the street. 

We all know the recession contributed to the increase of homelessness but the question is how do we resolve this problem of both abundantly vacant foreclosed homes and homeless Americans?  Perhaps we should find a way to match the two parties, foreclosed homes to homeless Americans.  It seems simple but the problem is that the property has to be donated by banks who are already strapped for cash after the recession and are not thrilled about the idea of giving up potential profit. 

Banks would rather pay to preserve the homes than to rent them out to people who really need them as they don’t want to be in the business of property ownership.  They would rather find someone with the money to buy and get rid of the property as soon as possible.  However, in these times the economy won’t afford the general public with the income necessary to put a down payment on a foreclosed home.  The other issue for banks is that they often have insurance on foreclosed homes and therefore it’s more profitable to keep them empty, foreclosed upon, or to even destroy them than it is to rent them out. 

The good news is that some movement to resolve this crisis is finally occurring.  The Obama Administration called for a study Continue reading

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Feb 08

What Happened to Education in Cambodia?

The education system in Cambodia used to be the envy of most other Asian countries. Going as far back as the thirteenth century, Cambodians have valued knowledge and schooling and the power that they bring with them. In pre-revolutionary times, six levels of grade school existed, followed by four years of what would be the equivalent to junior high, and three years of “high school.” Children and youth studied concepts and foundations of religion, literacy, and trades that would benefit them in their everyday lives.

In the 1970s, disaster struck. The Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia and war broke out across the country. Books were discarded. Pages were used to make cigarettes. Teachers were targeted and killed. The education system took a huge downfall and few children were receiving even the lowest standard of schooling. When the storm clouds dissipated and growth looked like a distant possibility, education was not as much of a priority for the Khmer people as was simply surviving.

As the years passed and rebuilding the country and the economy began, education was focused on again. By 2005, in fact, primary level education in Cambodia was at a surprising 91.3 percent. Unfortunately, lower secondary education was only at 31.3 percent, and upper secondary education at 11.3 percent. However, the Cambodian government has recognized the significance of education access to its youth, concluding that without it, Continue reading

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Feb 08

Violence against Women: A Global Epidemic

CNN reported last week that in Afghanistan police are looking for a man accused of killing his wife after she gave birth to his third child. The reason he killed her was because she had already given him two daughters and this third child was also a girl. Sher Mohammed blamed his wife for not being able to deliver a boy. According to local police, he convinced his mother to help him beat his wife and finally strangle her to death. His mother was arrested but he is now a fugitive of the law.

Gruesome as it seems, this story is not just a regional problem but a global issue. Violence against women is an epidemic that affects many women in the developed and the developing world. The sociological term for this phenomenon is gender-based violence, and it is defined by the United Nations as an act of violence that leads to physical, sexual or mental harm to a woman because she is female. Some types of acts are more common in certain regions due to cultural practices. These include forced marriages, female genital mutilation and honor killings. Others, like domestic violence are prevalent globally and affect women of all ethnicities, ages and socio-economic statuses.

The truth is that women experience violence throughout their life. The following chart shows a woman’s life from conception to death and the types of violence she experiences, mostly at the hands of men. Included are some case studies to illustrate what occurs during that particular phase.

Phase Type
Prenatal Prenatal sex selection, battering   during pregnancy, coerced pregnancy (rape during war)
Infancy Female infanticide, emotional and   physical abuse, differential access to food and medical care
Childhood Genital   cutting; incest and sexual abuse; differential access to food, medical care,   and education; child prostitution. Example: A   15-year-old girl was locked up in the basement of her in-laws’ house,   starved, and had her nails pulled out. The girl was married off to a   30-year-old man last year. Authorities said the girl reportedly was tortured   after she refused to submit to prostitution.
Adolescence Dating   and courtship violence, economically coerced sex, sexual abuse in the   workplace, rape, sexual harassment, forced prostitution.Example: A   young woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison after she reported that her   cousin’s husband had raped her. Her plight attracted international attention   when it came out that she had agreed to marry her attacker to gain her   freedom and legitimize a daughter conceived in the attack. She was eventually   freed.
Reproductive Abuse   of women by intimate partners, marital rape, dowry abuse and murders, partner   homicide, psychological abuse, sexual abuse in the workplace, sexual   harassment, rape, abuse of women with disabilities. Example: Gunmen   attacked and sprayed an Afghan family with acid in their home after the   father rejected a man’s bid to marry his teenage daughter.
Old Age Abuse of widows, elder abuse (which   affects mostly women)

Historically, violence was in part due to the perception that women were the weaker sex. Also, the role of women in the household created a dependent relationship upon men. Despite changes in their role in the home and the workplace, in certain parts of the world, violence has increased because of women’s awareness of their rights. In 2010, Amnesty International reported that mob attacks against single women were taking place in parts of Algeria. The report states that they were not only targeted because of their gender, but also because they lived alone and were economically self-sufficient.

Cultural practices also continue to exacerbate the problem. Stories written by fellow NotEnoughGood contributors speak of the plight of women around the world. Kristen Youngs examines such phenomenoma in her blogs Honor Killings – Culture and Education and Female Genital Mutilation: A Growing Problem in Western Countries. Katherine Peterson looks at how sex trafficking, which predominantly exploits women and girls, increases as a result of this male-dominate sporting event in her article titled The Super Bowl and the Increase of Sex Trafficking.

This topic has received considerate attention nationally by the media and the government. They have each tried to raise awareness and stop the practice of violence against women. Different suggestions including strengthening laws to outlaw certain practices, increasing criminal penalties for perpetrators, and building awareness and a system of care for victims of these crimes have been brought to light. The truth is that one response will probably not be enough. It will take all of these initiatives to tackle this problem.

I also noticed that the chart above shows that most of the violence a woman experiences in her lifetime is at the interpersonal level. This means that is at the hands of her family or those she loves. This makes me think that the answer might be to stop violence at home first. What do you think?

Regina Bernadin is a doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University focusing on Conflict Analysis and Resolution. As a SISGI intern, her primary areas of interest are conflict resolution, human rights and Latin American political, economic and socio-cultural issues. Her interest in the development of human rights abroad has taken her to several Latin American countries, including Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname.

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Feb 07

Is a “Burmese Spring” Happening?

“What about Burma?”  Since the beginning of the Arab Spring I have found myself thinking this often.  Burma has been torn apart by civil war for over 60 years in what is currently the longest running war in the world.  Even today, in a time where Burma seems to be heading more and more towards true democracy, the minority tribes of the Burmese highlands continue to be oppressed in what could be considered ethnic cleansing.  Despite ceasefire negotiations violence still continues, especially in the Kachin State where over 40,000 people have been displaced by the fighting since June.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s recent diplomatic visit to the country highlights the thawing relations between Burma and the West, but is it too soon?  Following the fraudulent elections of 2010 Burma surprisingly has taken moves to end human rights abuses against the Burman majority in the country going as far as to release the long-imprisoned opposition leader and Noble Laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi.  Couple this with ceasefire negotiations with the Kachin Independence Army and other ethnic resistance groups and it would appear that peace will finally be attainable.  But, as the old cliché goes, appearances can be deceiving.

Despite an unofficial ceasefire ordered by both sides the government continues sending more and more reinforcements and supplies into the Karen State.  In the Kachin State, where negotiations are being held, attacks continue daily including bombardments of cities housing refugees and civilians.  After over a half century of war people are tired of fighting and dying but the government continues to antagonize.

But there is hope.  The ceasefire in the Karen state is unofficial but appears to be holding.  Local commanders seem to be using their own authority to end the fighting and there have even been moments of friendship such as the one in the picture in which a unit of the Burmese Army ran into a Karen National Liberation Army patrol.  Both sides agreed not to shoot and they exchanged jokes and handshakes.  After a few lighthearted moments in this seemingly perpetual war zone both groups exchanged farewells and left without firing a shot.  Do these actions suggest that the soldiers who have been fighting these battles are growing tired of war?  Has the message of peace the government proclaims but does not practice inadvertently reached these soldiers in the war zone?  Is it possible that the people of Burma are turning away from ethnic war and embracing freedom and democracy for all?  Will there be a Burmese Spring?  Is it happening already?

Time will tell but until that day the international community needs to wake up and take notice of the innocents being murdered daily.  We need to support the peace process and if the government refuses to stop the fighting we must support those men like the soldiers in the picture who are doing it themselves.  We need to let the tribes know that the world knows what is happening and stands by them.  And most importantly we need to continue sanctions until we are sure there really is peace. Burma seems to be opening a new chapter in its history but if the UN, US, and EU lift sanctions and legitimize the regime too early that new chapter might well just be a new war.  And while Libya showed us that was one solution, Tunisia showed us it did not have to be.  Peace is always preferable and it seems that peace can be attained if things continue as they are.  I think that the world must continue opposing the government of Burma until the day comes when we know their intentions are true and that peace has come.  If you would like to become involved you can donate to the Free Burma Rangers, a group dedicated humanitarian support that works with the rebels.  You can also make tax deductible donations to Burma Lifeline, a nonprofit organization that aids displaced people from all ethnic groups.  If you are unable to donate but you still want to help, tell people about what’s happening and help spread awareness as ignorance is what has allowed this conflict to continue for so long.

Rob Payne is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focused on emerging democracies in the Middle East, suppression of ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia, and neocolonialism in South America.  He is a history and peace studies student at Goucher College.
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Feb 07

An Unlikely Election

Last year a province in China called Guangdong made headlines as the residents rioted over a land dispute with the local officials in December 2011. The village residents of Wukan were upset that local officials were taking their farmlands and selling them to large companies for profit. The month long protests led to the corrupt officials removed from office, and concessions being made to return the contested land back to the village.

This province is located just north of Hong Kong in the south of China. Run by Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang, this region could potentially alter the future for Communism in China. Being touted as one of the most progressive leaders in the country, Mr. Wang decided not to engage in the typical protest crackdown routine that China takes. Instead, in his region he employed mediators to help resolve the problem and then offered to let the village organize their own local government. This means an election will be held. Through a tightly controlled and monitored process, village leaders have been chosen to work out a process of how this election can be undertaken and implemented.

Choosing one of the protest’s leaders Lin Zuluan, the Communist party has allowed him to conduct the first round of elections held last Wednesday in an elementary school, determining who will be on the election committee. With an excellent turnout, the next round of elections will be held in March where leaders will be elected. The election committee will even include one woman up for the next round of elections.

While many eyes will be watching the proceedings and outcomes of this election, Mr. Wang has the most at stake.

Where Mr Wang sees the election as a solution to China’s problem of mass rural protests, other more conservative leaders believe Wukan is the first stop on a perilous political journey.

Regardless, this is a big step in Chinese politics. While it will not have immediate repercussions throughout China, it stands to show a progressive shift in politics taking place. While it would be reckless to predict that this is the way of the future for the quazi-Communist regime, it is a notable (but small) change of outlook. In allowing the villagers some autonomy in choosing their local level leader, this shows an experiment in self-rule for the country. Perhaps this will become a template for the country as more uprisings begin making the connection between the injustices many villagers face and the lack of democracy in the country.

Calling these uprisings “rice-roots movements”, many other villages are being inspired by Wukan as well as the recently held elections in Taiwan. The Chinese seem to be ready and eager for the opportunity to practice this democratic process. While it is true that however the elections in Wukan turn out it will not necessarily diffuse to the rest of China any time fast. But we will for sure see a few benefits come from it. To be certain, when the farmer’s land rights are more secure, all China will inevitably be better off.

If these elections turn out successful, perhaps we will begin to see this right demanded elsewhere. After all, China has a long track record of experimenting in small steps with economic and political reform. While some have been more successful and influential in the government, we will see if this election turns out to be one of the same stories. If so, perhaps this lifetime will see a dramatically altered course in Chinese politics.

–Katherine Peterson is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focused on theories of development, globalization, and political ramifications of development work. Follow her on Twitter @ktp907
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Feb 06

Support Beyond the Classroom

Khalil, a six year old in first grade, attends elementary school in Southeast D.C.  We just finished reading The Little Engine That Could, and began discussing what it means to overcome obstacles and believe in oneself.  Khalil is one of the sweetest kids I know, with overwhelming positivity and optimism for the future.  He always puts a smile on my face and encourages me that there is hope for him as he battles his way through the D.C. Public School system.  However, positive attitudes and curiosity for learning cannot alone predict his academic success. His future educational experience is likely to be filled with lack of resources, teacher firings, and potentially even a closing of his school.  When policy makers are pressured to make education reform, its kids like Khalil that should be on their minds.  A refocus on what is actually best for the kids of our school districts needs to take place.  A multidimensional strategy for education advancement should supplement a traditionally one-tracked academic approach.

Many children who struggle in school may also struggle with external factors such as poverty, family alcoholism and drug abuse, parent imprisonment, malnutrition, teenage pregnancy, and other issues including low-self esteem and mental health problems.  Government education policies are flawed in their focus on strict academics.   What happens in a child’s life outside of the classroom is just has important to their education as what happens inside the classroom.  Could we begin to close the achievement gap by exploring solutions to areas of a child’s life that have a direct effect on their ability to perform well in school?

In my story above, I was working with Khalil at a Community Night hosted at his school by the non-profit Turning the Page.  I’ve worked with Turning the Page for four years and through my experience with them and exposure to similar work by other non-profits, I have come to see a huge opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of.  Turning the Page’s mission is to build an educational community by linking parents, teachers, and schools.  At their Community Nights, students are mentored as their parents (and in some cases teachers and school leadership) participate in educational workshops.  Here, families are provided a space to communicate with one another about best practices for improving their child’s academic achievements.  The workshops provide the parents skills to extend the student’s educational experience beyond the classroom and encourage continuous learning throughout the day and year.

I feel like this is the direction education reform should be going.  Instead of focusing funding and policies on standardized test performance, we should begin to consider a more encompassing model for improving academic success.  Harsh punishments including teacher firing, loss of funding, and school shut-downs for failure to meet standardized test requirements lead to  “teaching to the test.” Current education reform policies like “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” focus on the performance of teachers and schools in their ability to achieve certain scores.  There are merits behind such policies, and I am a firm believer in the value of an excellent and passionate teacher, however, the policies seem to stop here.  They focus on improving the end result instead of improving the process to get there.  If policy makers want to see improved test scores, they need to go back to the source of the problem, including the external factors outside of the classroom that cause a child to fall behind.

Here is where the role of non-profits is evident.  Although No Child Left Behind tackles the issues of drug abuse and violence, it is within the school’s borders.  Violence at home, drug abuse of family members, and low economic means all affect a child’s ability to perform at their best.  Because it is outside the school’s jurisdiction, greater support should be given to non-profits who make it their mission to fix problems at home that could halt a child’s educational potential before they ever reach a classroom.

Non-profits do not work against government policies, but instead often take a new and innovative approach to achieving certain requirements.  For example, Race to the Top stresses the importance of STEM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, and math), but how do we really improve our nation’s performance in these subjects?  I believe Continue reading

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Feb 06

Women aren’t the only ones- Gay Honor Killings

Most people think of women when the words “honor killing” are brought up. As I wrote in a previous post, women around the world are being murdered, typically by their relatives, due to the fact that they have somehow brought shame upon their family. In this post, though, I want to talk about victims of honor killings whom are not typically brought to light.

On July 15, 2008, Turkey’s first officially recognized gay honor killing occurred when Ahmet Yildiz was murdered for being a homosexual man. Ahmet was a bright, young physics student at Marmara University in Istanbul. His parents had presumed that he was gay, but were convinced that he could be “cured.” Ahmet rightfully resented and rejected their statement, and refused to go along with their wishes of seeing a doctor. After leaving his house one night, he was chased in his car and gunned down in cold blood by his father, his very own flesh and blood.

Two friends of Ahmet, Binay and Alper, decided to take a stand to what had happened. Instead of letting the honor killing melt away with the past, they took it upon themselves to document Ahmet’s life into a film called Zenne Dancer. This movie, which actually won four different awards, was a major taboo in Turkey. Not only did it showcase the LGBT community and the problem of honor killings, but it also made homophobia linked to honor killings known to the public.

Ahmet’s father has not yet been prosecuted and has been on the run since the incident. However, the release of the film did have some positive effects. Putting issues like this into the public eye is always important. People are often unaware of what goes on in their own backyards, much less their own country. The main reason as to why this film really caught my eye is the fact that Turkey is currently being considered as a candidate for joining the European Union and has been in that position since 2005.

I won’t go into every detail of how a country joins the EU, but I will note one of the top bullet points on the list. An important requirement for membership is the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities. I think we can agree that honor killings are a blatant act against human rights. Obviously, Turkey has some ground to cover before it can seriously consider becoming a part of the EU.

Raising awareness of the issue of gay honor killings is an important step for Turkey. I believe that Zenne Dancer will actually help Turkey in decreasing not just homophobia and the murders linked to it, but honor killings in general. With Turkey being in such a teetering state, their reaction to this film is vital. I think that Turkey would be wise to use the movie and the tragedy as a stepping stone in their path to joining the EU. By publicizing the movie instead of keeping it in the dark, Turkey could demonstrate how they are making improvements in areas that regard the EU’s priority list.

Turkey should utilize this opportunity to enforce the law on cases that violate human rights. Making an effort to catch Ahmet’s father and prosecuting other murderers for honor killings would take the country to the next level. Beyond that, attempting to bring tolerance into their country would be a pivotal point in their journey to connect to the European Union.

Turkey has an open opportunity to improve itself in the area of human rights. While the death of Ahmet Yildiz was tragic and heartbreaking, the light at the end of the tunnel is that others can be saved by his story. If Turkey continues to follow its goals of joining the EU, using Ahmet’s story would greatly help them center their efforts and improve human rights. The situation would be a win-win, both for Turkey and for its LGBT citizens and women who are at risk of an honor killing.

Kristen Youngs is a senior at the University of North Texas. She is majoring in Applied Arts and Sciences with concentrations in nonprofit management and anthropology. Her research focus areas while at the SISGI Group are international LGBT issues, education development in impoverished and rural areas, and global women’s rights.

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