Oct 12

The Hidden Side of Paradise

What do the countries of India, Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, and Brazil have in common? You could say rich histories, luscious and picturesque landscapes, succulent foods and colorful settings. Hidden beneath these vacationers’ paradise; however, is a cloak of secrecy that is a concealing a dark reality. These locations are not only a tourists dream, but a perpetrators fantasy. These locations have been identified as the main hotspots for CST, which stands for child sex tourism.

Approximately 2 million children around the world are affected by this multi-billion dollar nightmare. It is estimated that 1/3 of individuals prostituted in Cambodia are children; in Thailand, the number is almost half. This business is mostly funded by men who travel from developed nations, like the United States, Australia and Canada. It is sad to call it a business, but for those who pay for this service, it is simply a transaction. For the minors involved; however, it is much more costly. It signifies the loss of innocence, of safety, and adds an exposure to psychological trauma and distress, diseases and unwanted pregnancy. This is situation where the vulnerable are exploited. Most times, children are coerced into these situations due to poverty in their home country or the need to survive.

So why does it happen? A common reason given by the perpetrators is that it is a mutually-benefiting situation.

“On this trip, I’ve had sex with a 14 year-old girl in Mexico and a 15 year-old in Colombia. I’m helping them financially. If they don’t have sex with me, they may not have enough food. If someone has a problem with me doing this, let UNICEF feed them.” –Retired U.S. Schoolteacher .

Studies have found that the true reasons behind child sex tourism are a combination of the following:

  • Belief that the younger the child, the cleaner, or less likely to expose the person to diseases like HIV or AIDS
  • Belief that the buyer will not be prosecuted in their home country or that it is legal in the country that they are visiting
  • Knowledge of cultural practices that exacerbate the demand for children for sexual practices

The internet also provides a forum where individuals can share information on destinations and methods of securing that which they are looking for abroad. Additionally, sex tour travel agents guide individuals through the process of booking this type of vacation. According to the United States Department of Justice, in 1995, there were over twenty-five businesses in the United States that offered sex tours. One particular website promised nights of sex “with two young Thai girls for the price of a tank of gas.”

The good news is that at least three dozen countries have extraterritorial laws that allow their citizens to be prosecuted specifically for child sexual abuse committed while abroad. This includes the United States, which in 2003 passed the PROTECT ACT. Under the PROTECT ACT, it is a federal crime for a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to engage in sexual conduct with a minor while traveling abroad. The penalty at this point is 30 years imprisonment.

A global Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism was created in 1999. As of June 2005, 200 travel companies from twenty-one countries had signed the code. Cynthia, a fellow SISGI blogger wrote on this effort in her piece titled Adopting “The Code” to Combat Child Sex Tourism .

So what can we do? While this seems to be a world away, we can each do something to stop the continuous exploitation of children around the globe. We can start by supporting the companies who have adopted the code of conduct mentioned above. They are household names and our support will show those who have not adopted this standard, how we as consumers hold our companies accountable. It’s a small step, but if each of us takes a step, we can make a bigger impact. More information on this initiative can be found by clicking on this link .

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Oct 11

Successes in Sustainability: Green Mountain Coffee

In my last post I discussed the Global Conference for Social Change that I attended last week here in New York. With one day focusing on women and girls, the second day was all about leaders of change. Guests ranged from business to business (B2B) organizations such as DSM, to the department store Marks and Spencer; all discussing the need to recognize and adopt sustainable supplies and practices. All of the organizations presenting that day had implemented measures to instill fundamental changes towards social and global sustainability; and one organization that has been successful in leading this pursuit is Green Mountain Coffee (GMC).

With the slogan “Brewing a better world”, Green Mountain Coffee has been proactive in integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into all aspects of their organization: from tree to cup. With over 12 million pounds of coffee shipped annually, they have a large steak in building a demand for sustainable products. GMC is working to expand Fair trade Certified products in the supply chain, and demanding more environmentally friendly packaging on the production end, both taking humanitarian and environmental concerns surrounding coffee harvesting to heart. Currently, they are the largest Fair Trade buyers in the world.

In this conference Mike Dupee who is the head of CSR efforts spoke about the strides that GMC is making. One take away quote from his presentation was the recommendation to “listen and learn with humility before you realize the reality [of what is happening on the ground]”. While he acknowledges that every environment has unique problems to face, here are larger projects he shared with us that GMC has started implementing.

On the ground, GMC is working with the supply chains to improve training techniques towards cultivation and fostering connections with others in the industry.  Similarly, they are helping other non-profits on the ground within the coffee growing community to create sustainable futures.

Another initiative that Dupee spoke of was working towards creating sustainable lifestyles for year-round farmers. Tackling what they call the “thin months”, these are the cyclical times after the harvest where savings are depleted and families must cope with less food. Working with a number of organizations, GMC is attempting to bring light to this problem within the coffee communities and help provide work year round.

On a more macro level, GMC is working towards environmentally sustainable practices. Both thermal and carbon footprints are important to the organization, as well as physical waste. Similarly, they are developing what they call an ecotainer, with paper grown sustainably and ultimately environmentally friendly (a product that actually won a sustainability award in 2007).

While Green Mountain coffee has been solid in their commitment to incorporating CSR into their business practices, when asked Dupee said they still wish to do more in the future. They are one of the leading organizations to bring sustainability to their business plan, and I applaud them for the successes they have had. In looking through their CSR report for 2009,  their business looks to be forward thinking and maintainable, with goals for the next few years.

I believe that GMC is making great strides in bringing charity and activism to the forefront of the coffee growing community. While it is true that they are not solving all of the world’s coffee related problems, the fact that they are a growing business while maintaining their moral outlook has put pressures on others in the coffee business to follow suit. One can fear that this is a greenwashing product or a high-end marketing ploy, but I don’t see this as the case. GMC is addressing concerns only that relate to coffee; as opposed to taking on a variety of issues. While yes they are writing large grants (which can foreshadow doom for intended solutions), GMC works with organizations such as Save the Children on specific problems like food insecurity. Similarly, as they continue to expand, they have continually stood by their outlook that CSR is important in all aspects of the chain. Offering small examples such as installing solar power panels and efficient technologies in offices to large scale examples of keeping farmers healthy to provide quality coffee, Dupee maintained that doing social good has provided many examples for helping their bottom line. Also, as a global awareness continues to grow, I foresee an increasing consumer demand for companies who are working to counteract these social and environmental issues.

I would like to see more companies integrate these goals into their focus. When asked why most companies don’t, Dupee speculated that in an economy like today, many organizations can not afford to make risky choices and changes. However, if I learned one business tip from the conference all week was that incorporating CSR is always going to be better for the bottom line. I hope that in the future we see more companies adopting green practices and begin to take notice of the burden we are putting on the earth and one another. While GMC is not the silver bullet in solving environmental and humanitarian concerns, they are definitely leading the battle in America in bringing awareness, raising the bar for other companies to follow suit. Perhaps one day we will see more organizations adopting similar versions of Green Mountain Coffee’s plan of sustainability and we can work towards a better tomorrow together.

–Katherine Peterson is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focused on theories of development, globalization, and political ramifications of development work. 
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Oct 11

Inspirational Women: Wangari Maathai

On September 25, Wangari Maathai, the environmentalist, politician, human rights activist and Nobel peace prize died in Kenya. She was 71 and left a big legacy behind her. She is best know for founding and leading and environmental non-profit, the Green Belt Movement.

The Green Belt Movement (GBM) advocates for human rights and supporting good governance and peaceful democratic change through the protection of the environment. It’s success as a poverty alleviation and environmental organization gave it quick international recognition.

GBM is different from many environmental NGOs and non-profit organizations because of the role it played in Kenya’s politics. Wangari Maathai always had engaging opinions about politics. She was clever enough to use GBM media power and recognition to mobilize many citizens and lead the political change that she wanted to see in Kenya.

She became a leader of the movement against president Daniel arap Moi of Kenya. The pro-democracy group she was part of was the Forum for Restauration of Democracy (FORD).  In January 1992, she was arrested accused of conspiracy but released soon afterwards because of the international attention she received. Would it not have been for the Green Belt Movement’s international presence, her name would not be as known and her release would have been less probable. Her organization played a key role helping her to change the political arena of Kenya.

Another great example of how the Green belt movement became a strong advocate of democracy and political reform in Kenya is in 1993. Ethnic conflicts rose in Kenya. Maathai believed the government, who had warned of stark consequences to multi-party democracy, had incited them. Maathai traveled to encourage people to cease fighting. With the Green Belt Movement she planted “trees of peace,” but it wasn’t long before the government opposed her actions. Planting trees for peace” was a truly innovative strategy to promote political expression and reduction of violence. This is a one of a kind type of activism and one that Maathai should be remembered for.

She and her organization continued to fight for democracy and sustainability. Her militancy against land grabbing and environmental degradation were persistent. By 1999, Maathai and the Green Belt movement were still doing what came naturally: planting trees. Maathai’s activities made the authorities uneasy. GBM and Maathai attempted to plant replacement trees, felled by real estate developers whose private security guards were reportedly behind an attack that left Maathai’s head gashed and many of her supporters injured. Even after these attacks the organizers of the GBM were conscientious enough to still frame their beliefs in a non-violent way.

Finally, on December 2002, the Rainbow Coalition defeated the ruling party in Kenya, African National Union. Once the political framework of Kenya changed, Maathai was able to do even more. She was subsequently appointed as Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in Kenya’s ninth parliament. She was the first woman with that post. After this, the Green Belt Movement became less active in politics. By this time the role that their leader wanted to achieve in politics had been accomplished.

Wangari Maathai’s life is important not only because of what she accomplished as an environmental and social justice activist. She is important because of the way she accomplished them, acting both as an NGO and with (or at times against) government. She knew that to gain political attention, she first needed serious civic engagement. Through her organization, she was able to raise strong political discontent and have an impact in her country’s democracy. She fought for democracy in creative ways. After all, who else but her and the GBM would’ve thought about “planting trees for peace”? This is a lesson to learn for present and future political reformers.

Her achievements as a human rights advocate, as a promoter of sustainable development and as environmentalism lead her to become the first African woman to win the Nobel peace price in 2004. Her activism was not purely environmental as her approach was holistic; her environmental fight was also a fight to protect human rights and to eradicate poverty.

Because the Nobel Peace Prize were just announced to three women, I would like to pay tribute in a series of post to three woman Nobel Peace prizewinners that have had permanent impact in our society. Wangari Maathai was one of them. The second one will be Rigoberta Menchú (Peace Prize in 1992). Both women were activists; they were women representing a different part of the world (Africa, Latin America respectively) for the first time. They both had experience with repression, violence, and violation of human rights but fought determinedly for their ideals. They are an inspiration. Check out next week’s post to learn more about Rigoberta Menchú.

Julia Naime (@julianasah) is a research intern at the SISGI Group. She is a senior at New York University majoring in Economics. During her internship, she is researching rural and international development and environmental policies. To learn more about the SISGI Group, please visit www.sisgigroup.org. 

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Oct 10

More than Just a Gadget

On October 5th, Steve Jobs passed away and left behind a legacy that is marked by products such as the iPad, iPhone, iPods, and of course the sleek Mac book.  Jobs was knows as the brilliant mastermind behind a plethora of Apple products that revolutionized how people thought about the personal computer, music, and technology in general.  However, the gadgets that many people bought for pleasure or luxury were the same gadgets that provided immensely to education as well.  Apple products not only made their way into thousands of schools across the country, but they also made a significant impact on the Autism community.

One of Apple’s most commercially successful products, the iPad, has become a source of great happiness for thousands of autistic children.  The sleek tablet computer has an easy to use touch screen with thousands of applications to help children with autism learn how to speak or provide them with alternative methods of communication when they are unable to communicate verbally.  An excellent example of an application that focuses on increasing communication through a non-verbal medium is the Grace app.  The application was created by a woman whose daughter was born with a non-verbal Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  Grace app is meant to be used as a Picture Communication System that stores pictures of various vocabulary words.  A child using the app has the opportunity to use the pictures to tell someone how they are feeling, what they want to eat, and a myriad of other desires.  The app is also meant to help improve verbal communication by having the child point out pictures that the listener will then pronounce for them.  After listening to the pronunciation of the word, the idea is that the child and listener will continue working on the words until the child is able to say the words by him or herself.  If a picture of a vocabulary word is not found, the app allows users to take pictures of an object and include it in the library of words, thus increasing a child’s word selection bank.

The application is popular with many parents and teachers who live or work with autistic or special needs children, and has attracted the attention of others as well.  Recently, the Grace app was selected as the winner of the United Nations World Summit Award Mobile.  It has been praised for its contribution to the autism and special needs community, and at $38 is considered to be a budget friendly application.  However, it is important to remember that the application was created for products that, though considered feasible by many, are way out of budget for others.  The application is available for the iPhone, iPod touch, and the iPad, but families with autistic children first need to purchase one of these items in order to use the Grace app.  Though the application is most certainly innovative, it might be nice to see if it could be incorporated into something that can be used on something cheaper.  Perhaps the program could be tailored into a Leap Frog sort of system or one that could be used on any phone that has an internet connection.

Nevertheless, the Grace app is an amazing application that has made a difference in the lives of thousands of autistic and special needs children.  It shows the power of technology, and how technology can be used for more than just games and video downloads.  The application also highlights the reason why Apple is considered to be one of the most innovative companies in the world.  Steve Jobs not only transformed music and computers, but he also provided technological avenues for the special needs community.

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Oct 10

Character Over Color

No matter how open-minded a group of people seem, wherever I have gone, I have noticed that most cliques perform some degree of self-segregation. White kids hang out with White kids, Black kids with Black kids, Asians with Asians, and Hispanics with Hispanics. Though this is obviously a bit of an overgeneralization, when I walk into cafeterias, whether it be at high school, college, or businesses, I usually see tables filled with people of one race with an occasional outlier or two.

Why is this the case? The Civil Rights Movement took place half a century ago. At this point, shouldn’t we have progressed to the point that when we look for friends, we judge them “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character?”

But new research suggests that latent racism might not be the reason that people seek friends of their own ethnicity. According to researchers John D. Cook and Justine E. Calcagno, when they controlled for degree of friendship, people did not feel any extra discomfort towards people of different ethnicities. For example, if a White subject held the same level of friendship with both another White person and an Indian, he would experience similar low levels of anxiety towards both people.

The implications of these findings are significant. Many people who have friends only within their ethnicity aren’t necessarily inherently racist. They are comfortable with the people they already hang out with, and these people happen to share the same ethnicity. This friend group continues to grow, and people become familiar with even more people of their own ethnicity. However, because neither they nor the rest of their friend group hang out with people outside their ethnicity, they continue to avoid other people. This is cyclical problem that doesn’t necessarily stem from racism. Essentially, people fear strangers, not different skin colors. And the only way to overcome this is for people of different backgrounds to actually interact and show each other that they can get along.

I have a pretty unique perspective on racial issues. I, as an American of Indian descent, grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, which is a conservative town in eastern North Carolina. My school was fairly homogenous racially. In fact, I was one of two non-White people in my graduating class. People from my region of the country are often judged to be racists by outsiders. From my experience, this characterization is extremely unfair. My town is so divided racially that White and Black people often do not interact. Sure, some of this lack of interaction may be a result of actual racism, but I think a hefty majority of this non-interaction is a result of non-opportunity. People are often not put in situations where they have to hang out with people of differing ethnicities, so they stick to what they are comfortable with. I know that I spent the majority of my childhood befriending people from different ethnic backgrounds than me and that I rarely, if ever felt like a second-class citizen. While they may have been weary at first, once people got to know me, they lost their anxiety and saw me for what I am – a person with decent character worth befriending.

Lack of opportunity is not the only reason for lack of interaction between people with different ethnicities. When I came to college, I was disappointed in the level of self-segregation that I saw. Duke has a very diverse student body. Regardless of high school background, students finally had the opportunity to reach out to people of all ethnicities. Although many of us have befriended people outside our ethnicity, others also stuck with what we are familiar with. However, I do not attribute this to racism but rather a lack of desire to step outside a comfort zone. People merely do not see the point of taking risks and as a result, put up a wall.

As someone who has experienced people letting down their wall and befriending me first hand, I urge all people to step outside their comfort zone and meet people of all ethnicities. For those of you already comfortable with people of all races, this responsibility is particularly important for you. You can tear down biases and prove people’s misconceptions wrong. More importantly, you can provide others with an opportunity that they may want but are far too anxious to seek out. Perhaps if enough people do so, next time I walk into a cafeteria I will see people sitting at tables according to personalities and interests rather than color of skin.

Shaunak Varma is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group. To learn more about the SISGI Group visit www.sisgigroup.org.
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Oct 07

World Teachers Day and the Gender Gap

Last Wednesday, October 5th, was World Teachers Day, initially recognized by UNESCO. While I will assume that many people did not do too much to celebrate, coincidentally I happened to attend a conference on international education.  Foundation for Social Change hosted the Global Conference for Social Change here in New York City, and Wednesday’s theme was women and girl’s education. As any responsible attendee should do, I was simultaneously listening, taking notes, following twitter, and googleing guest speakers. It was as I was juggling my attention that I realized I was witnessing first hand the entrepreneurs who are the driving force behind the movement to expanding women’s education opportunities internationally.

While the theme of the day predominantly focused around South America, I soon realized how little I actually new abut what is being done through both large and small-scale projects.  I listened to speakers on a variety of topics from Patricia Velasquez talk about the Wayuu Taya Foundation that works with indigenous communities in Venezuela, to Liesel Pritzker who works with the IDP Foundation to provide micro-loans to empower low cost private schools abroad. Equally as impressive were the organizations with a domestic focus such as Girl Up, a UN foundation teaching American girls about how other children around the world are living. With a goal of instilling awareness and compassion, the organization attempts to channel the student’s energy into understanding the circumstances of others at an early age. Despite initially being incredibly humbled by a room full of great minds, in conferences like these you can’t help but become motivated to become an advocate for change as well.

The theme for this year’s World Teachers Day was gender equality, and this fell perfectly inline with the message of the conference: empower women, empower the world. This conference brought together socially responsible and entrepreneurial organizations working towards empowering women and children. Despite the popularity of books such as Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea, and Kristof and Wudunn’s Half the Sky, I still cannot imagine that a majority of Americans are all that concerned or aware of the global inadequacy facing many of the world’s women. This sad truth is only further verified as our government treats education as an unnecessary commodity even domestically, repeatedly cutting funding for schools.

The one thing education has going for it in the western world is that there is little disagreement about the need to send women to school. While we see this as acceptable, this topic becomes contentions or downright outrageous in other countries. I think that Americans need to be shown that these are the basic hurdles needing to be overcome in so many other countries.

In 2010, UNESCO compiled the Global Education Digest, and in it claims:

The Digest finds that 60% of countries have not reached gender parity in primary and secondary education – a goal that had been set for 2005 at both the World Education Forum and the Millennium Summit at the turn of the century. The share of illiterate women has not changed over the past twenty years: women still represented two-thirds of the world’s 759 million illiterates in 2008.

Without bogging you down with all the statistics about the gender education gap, or facts about how an educated mother is more likely to have healthier children, the bottom line is that the world must focus now to begin making a dent for the future. Without question, families, cities, countries, and the world will all start moving in a positive direction when we promote educating the “forgotten half”.

The theme of this week’s conference has been promoting social responsibility in all facets of business. While there are many great organizations making strides in this direction we all have to do our part to promote morally responsible companies. More and more companies are realizing that the need to donate towards education improves livelihoods as well as their bottom line. In addition, I think we must all become a little more proactive in educating ourselves as to the realities of what is happening and what still needs to be done with international issues.

Happy World Teachers day. Lets hope that by this time next year we will be celebrating greater strides in awareness and education for women throughout the world.

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Oct 06

Defining Human Rights

In previous posts, I’ve stated that I consider myself a human rights advocate. I define this term as an individual who works to ensure that all human beings have their basic needs met and rights enforced. This includes needs such as food, housing, clothing and rights to education and physical and religious freedom. Under international law and religious doctrine, all human beings are entitled to certain basic rights. I’ve based my entire academic and professional career on this belief.

Last week, a professor shook the foundation of this conviction when he asked: “are the rights to housing, under international law, being met when someone lives in a shack and the other person lives in a mansion?” If we talk about basic needs, then the answer is yes. Both individuals have a roof under their head. What my professor meant; however, is how is that universal and equal?

Amnesty International provides a very simple definition of human rights. It defines it as “basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to regardless of nationality, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, language, or other status.” Human rights are supposed to be equal and given to everyone due to the simple fact that they are a human being. However, based on the example above, are they really equal when both individuals don’t share the same quality of life?

Human rights, as we know them today, were formally defined after the Second World War. The United Nations created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is central to all our modern human rights law. The document outlines basic principles like freedom and equality for all, as well as the rights that belong to individuals. Looking back into history, we even see that the Declaration of Independence of the United States, stated that “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The foundation of this country was created with the belief that everyone was entitled to the same privileges.

The word equality is central to many policies, statutes, and law around this issue. But the truth is, has the meaning of equality changed in the last few decades? Should equality be based on quantity and not quality? To elaborate, should equality be defined as having the same number of rights, such as having access to education, housing and food, rather than the quality of the item received?

The idea of human rights has evolved throughout the years. The definition has been revised to include the rights to access to water, and there has been an emphasis on reproductive rights, the right to political freedom, and to work. In that regards, laws have adapted to the times, and questions continue to arise. For example, do we need to provide everyone with electricity and the accessibility to the use of technology? What about broader areas? Movements that focus on child rights and women’s rights are advocating for the inclusion of these rights in today’s international public policy. Fetal rights and the rights to express sexual orientation and gender identity are also up for discussion. Lastly, with climate change a major focal point of policymakers, environmental issues have been added to international agendas.

So while the list of rights that are universal to all human beings seems to be growing, the question of equality remains. While several laws include the term “basic rights”, it makes me wonder did they mean basic, as in the most necessary, or basic as in the quality of what was given to those who did not already have it?

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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Oct 06

No-Fly Zone for Syria?

As you may recall, I wrote a post over the summer about Responsibility to Protect and the Arab Spring.  In this post I discussed the intervention in Libya and how the creation of a “no-fly zone” was a manifestation of this RtoP.   I also discussed the reasons why RtoP was not going to be invoked in any of the other Arab Spring nations, and some of the debate surrounding the issue.  Well, in a startling move this Monday, Joe Lieberman became the first US senator to publicly declare his support for a no-fly zone in Syria.

The opposition within Syria has wanted the imposition of a no-fly zone for some time now, but the international community has been slow to react. Every week protesters in Syria take to the streets, hoisting banners and loudly requesting the no-fly zone that they hope will stem the violence that has become part of their everyday lives.  People in the areas that have experienced the most violence especially support a no-fly zone.  And last week a coalition of leading Syrian opposition groups made a formal request for international intervention, a request that included the creation of a no-fly zone as well as the creation of a safe zone for military defectors, an arms embargo on Damascus, and a peacekeeping mission to protect civilians.

The response from the international community was tepid.  The United States and many European governments have little desire to repeat the intense campaign in Libya, and several permanent and temporary UN Security Council members have stated that they will not support any further sanctions against Syria.  Critics argue that the majority of people do not want a no-fly zone, pointing out that the Syrian National Council, the body appointed to try to lead the opposition groups,  did not join the formal request for intervention.  US officials look at the fragmented opposition groups and insist that the opposition groups do not want any kind of foreign military intervention, just monitors to help prevent civilian casualties.  Some activists outside Syria argue that the international community just isn’t there yet, and while the activists inside Syria are fed up with the way things are, the international community will not be the deus ex machina they are looking for.

Arab governments, meanwhile, were a bit more positive.  They noted the rising casualties in Syria and agreed that intervention was becoming increasingly necessary.  Just the threat of a no-fly zone could help to tamper some of the violence and encourage more soldiers to defect. Unfortunately, without the UN, there is little that they can do.

Now that Joe Lieberman has stepped forward, however, I wonder if the conversation will change and the possibility of an international intervention will become reality.  Lieberman and others (including Ambassador Ford and Senator Robert Casey) spoke up out of frustration with the stagnation and inactivity on Capitol Hill when it came to Syria, and if more senators and government officials speak up it is possible that the Obama administration could start to push for an intervention in Syria.  This could in turn sway the UN, or at least some European governments, to impose a no-fly zone over Syria.  Whether or not this is a good idea is a question for another day, as there are lots of tricky issues to unravel when it comes to an international intervention.  Still, with the continued violence in Syria and the increasingly desperate cries of the protesters, it’s clear that something has to be done.

Michelle Bovée is a SISGI Group Program and Research Intern focused on international affairs, economic development, and responsible tourism. To learn more about the SISGI Group visit www.sisgigroup.org

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Oct 05

A Profile on The Elders

In 2010, not only did I go back to school, but for the first time took online classes. Because of my hectic work schedule, I couldn’t commute to school, so instead I decided to take courses in the comfort of my own home. I did fear; however, that I would miss out on networking and mingling with my professors and classmates. I decided that I would make up for that by attending on-campus events when the opportunity arose. A few months into my life as a PhD student I saw my first chance. The university’s speaker’s series was hosting a one-night only event featuring Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Having never heard him speak before, I was blown away by his charisma and the power of his message. In his wonderful speech, he focused on humanity, its atrocities and our responsibility as human beings, and he did it in a realistic yet lighthearted, humorous and heartwarming way.

In previous posts, I have discussed human rights issues affecting the most vulnerable in our society. In this post, I wanted to showcase a group who is working to combat some of our world’s most unsolvable conflicts. This group is called The Elders and it is chaired by Archbishop Tutu.

The Elders is an non-governmental organization (NGO) that was convened by former South African president, Nelson Mandela. At its launch in 2007, he stated that the goal of the group was to tackle some of the most prevalent problems we experience today: hunger, environmental disasters and climate change, AIDS, and poverty. Because of the high profile members, they hope to use their experience, knowledge and connections to make a change.

Apart from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Elders consists of 11 other world-renown leaders. In alphabetical order, these include:

  • Martti Ahtisaari, the former President of Finland
  • Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India
  • Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Foreign Minister of Algeria
  • Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director General of the World Health Organization
  • Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the former President of Brazil
  • Jimmy Carter, the former President of the United States,
  • Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese opposition leader and former political prisoner, General Secretary of the National League for Democracy
  • Graça Machel, the former Minister of Education of Mozambique, President of the Foundation for Community Development and wife of Nelson Mandela
  • Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa
  • Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Since the group’s inception, they’ve focused on projects that aid to alleviate human suffering and violent conflict. For example, The Elders visited Cyprus to discuss the tensions between the Greek and Turkish residents on the island. They’ve also attend meetings and functions in the Korean peninsula to help improve the relationship between the two countries (North and South Korea).

Several of the Elders traveled to the Middle East to examine the impact of the long-standing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians and to promote peace in the region. Their agenda also included a visit to the African continent, including the nation of Sudan, where they addressed the two-decade long civil war. The group does not only focus on highly volatile areas but on subject areas like gender equality, discrimination especially if it’s due to religion or tradition, and child marriage.

It is amazing to see a group of people of such caliber put aside egos and gender and cultural differences for the greater good. Their experience, intelligence and know-how are unrivalled. The realist in me worries that this might become another bureaucratic nightmare or only a symbolic entity with no real purpose or power.

The idealist part, who wishes to save the world, can’t imagine how the synergy between the members cannot generate solutions to many of the problems that plague the world. There is definitely no other group like it. For more information on The Elders, support their work and learn how to help, please visit this link.

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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Oct 05

Educación gratuita en línea

Hoy en día, Internet es nuestra principal fuente de información. Usamos el Internet para leer las noticias, para comunicarse, pero sobre todo para aprender. Es un fuente de conocimiento de gran alcance que está teniendo un impacto sobre el uso que le damos a las bibliotecas y a otros centros de investigación. Cada vez más, la tecnología está reemplazando. Esta semana me presentaron a un sitio web interesante que confirma este fenómeno.

El Khanacademy.org es una academia en línea (ver un articulo detallado sobre su origen) donde videos de temas como álgebra, sistemática, historia, finanzas, están disponibles al público. Los videos se volvieron muy populares ya que con ellos cualquier estudiante tiene la posibilidad de revisar y practicar cualquier tema tanto como ellos quieran. El estudiante tienen la opción de escuchar explicaciones de diferentes conceptos que están aprendiendo en clase o los temas que no tienen la oportunidad de aprender. La academia también les permite ver la explicación de los mismos conceptos (como la derivada) explicados una y otra vez, tanto como quieras, hasta que se esté seguro que entiende el concepto.

La educación gratuita y en línea tiene grandes ventajas. A medida que aumentan los recursos educativos, la educación y el conocimiento disponible para cualquier persona que realmente quiere aprender (y que también tiene un ordenador con conexión a Internet). Más educación significa más oportunidades, y sitios web como la Academia Khan ofrecen el potencial para crear las nuevas oportunidades.

En la página web de la Academia Khan, es posible practicar y mejorar las habilidades que se están aprendiendo. En efecto, el sitio web crea un aula virtual, donde el estudiante debe de resolver problemas y responder preguntas. Sin embargo, la Academia Khan es muy diferente de la sala de clases normal ya que la academia en línea se adapta al ritmo de cada uno de los estudiantes. El estudiante es completamente independiente de perseguir sus propios intereses y mejorar su conocimiento tato como él quiere.

Mientras observaba algunos de los videos, estaba muy complacida de ver que en efecto ofrecen una buena explicación y de manera divertida explican muchos conceptos. Conceptos tan simples como la suma y tan complicados como una ecuación diferencial. Invito a todo aquel que en la universidad o la escuela tuvieron dificultad con las matemáticas o con cualquier otra ciencia (finanzas, biología, química) de ir a su página web y comentar si usted cree que es un recurso útil para superar las dificultades anteriores!

La educación en línea, especialmente los sitios web como la Academia Khan, están cambiando la configuración del aula de clases. En el lado positivo, disminuye el número de estudiantes que se quedan atrás. Si los estudiantes tienen ahora la oportunidad de volver una y otra vez para escuchar la explicación de un tema que no dominan por completo, se podría mejorar la calificación promedio de toda la clase. En el salón de clase normal es difícil que el profesor se adapte y ajuste a la velocidad de aprendizaje de cada alumno. Algunos estudiantes son más rápidos que otros en la comprensión de algunos conceptos. Por lo tanto, esta academia en línea puede sustituir y paliar las dificultades que muchos profesores se enfrentan. Pero esto también puede conducir a una disminución en la necesidad de tutores y de profesores privados. Esto implicaría una reducción de los puestos de trabajo.

Es probable que a medida que las “academias en línea” se vuelvan más populares, van a crear más competencia para la clase normal. Esto es especialmente cierto si tenemos en cuenta cuanto la educación ha subido de precio. Si puedo conseguir educación en línea de forma gratuita, ¿por qué pagar para obtener un diploma? Sin embargo, sigo pensando que el salón de clases normal tiene una gran importancia, no porque da un diploma, pero porque permite la interacción directa entre alumnos y profesores. El conocimiento se transmite de una manera más directa, y una relación entre profesor-alumno se puede desarrollar. Esto es algo que ningún video en YouTube podría reemplazar. Estoy seguro de que las escuelas y universidades que ofrecen este contacto directo entre estudiantes y profesores seguirán siendo una necesidad por mucho tiempo.

Julia Naime (@julianasah) es Asistente a la Investigación y Programas del SISGI Group. Es estudiante de Economía en New York University. Durante su estancía en el SISGI Group, investigará sobre Desarollo rural, Problemas ambientales y Economía internacional 
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