Mar 08

100 Years!!!

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Today, March 8, 2011, marks International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of giving women in society an equal footing with men. It is not only a time for men, women and children to reflect on progress and changes made worldwide but it is also a time for everyone to celebrate the determination of  ordinary women who played an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights. This celebration is 100 years today, and so I made this video in its honor.

Happy International Women’s Day everyone!

Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire is a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group please visit www.sisgigroup.org.

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Mar 04

Cidade de Deus

The City of God’s Peace Police

Most people living in a developing country usually welcome a high growth rate. The standard of living improves, unemployment falls down and people are removed from the depths of poverty. But unfortunately, not everyone gets to reap the benefits of a country surging forward. There are always small pockets of people and areas that just do not seem to improve. Brazil’s Cidade de Deus – the City of God – is one of these areas.

The purpose of this post is not to provide you with gaudy details about how people live in their dilapidated favelas, or how drug lords roam the streets with big guns and a threatening stare. That story is a familiar one. Nevertheless, Brazil is not turning a blind eye to this particular area in Rio de Janeiro. Unlike most countries that face problems and conveniently ignore them, Brazil has decided to use a rather unorthodox method of winning back these slums from the wrath of crime and poverty- their domestic police force.

For years, the City of God was one of the city’s most fearsome neighborhoods, so dangerous that even the police refused to enter. But because of the upcoming World Cup in 2014 and Olympic Games in 2016, Brazil was forced to eradicate any security concerns that existed in and around the area. The “peace police” as they are so called, perform their normal job of policing and add a bit of social work to their job. They do not really engage in much of the gun battles that take place between the military police and the drug lords. They devote themselves to winning over the residents who have been exposed to violence in their past. They integrate with the residents, play with the children and protect the neighborhood from the prevailing drug lords. While it is true that the City of God is not what it once was and has vastly improved, many residents still can’t see the 315 police officers as anything but the enemy.

Why do residents not trust the very police who spend hours at orphanages and community centers in their own area?

For years, government officials refused to take responsibility for the slums, and as drug gangs built caches of weapons it became harder for the police to enter without a firefight. Eventually, the people resented the police for abandoning them. But today, not a single resident would doubt the fact that the police have done a good job in maintaining a decent amount of security in the area. While it may be true that drug lords still exist and crime is still practiced on a large scale, no longer do you see gunmen openly walking the streets between favelas, threatening and plundering people.

While all this is a vast improvement to the standard of living in the Cidade de Deus, it must be noted that the government only made an effort when the country was announced to be hosts of the World Cup and the Olympics. Residents of the area may believe that the police will leave them again when these two events are over. It could end up that the drug lords will take over control once again if all of the eyes of the world have turned away. I strongly believe that residents have something to worry about. While the media is publishing images of police officers playing with children, the drug lords are waiting for the level of security to be turned down a couple of notches after the international events conclude. What do you think the governments’ next move will be and what can be done to Cidade de Deus to make it a safe place to live permanently?

Udit Hinduja is a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group please visit www.sisgigroup.org.
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Mar 03

Score One for International Law

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard something about the ongoing situation in Libya. The violence there has escalated since the protests began on the 15th of February, and the international community has finally decided to get involved. On the 26th, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution calling for an embargo on Libya. In that same resolution, the UNSC referred the problems in Libya to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to determine whether or not there was a case for individuals violating the human rights of the protestors.

A brief introduction to the ICC: The ICC became active in 2002 after the Rome Statute, the treaty that created it, entered into force. Constituting one of the biggest changes in international law since the formation of the United Nations in 1945, the ICC allows for the criminal prosecution of individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Currently, there are only three ways that the ICC can prosecute: 1) The state that the individual in question is a citizen of must be a state party to the Rome Statute, 2) the person(s) against whom the crimes were committed must be a citizen of a state party to the Rome Statue or 3) the UNSC must refer the case to the ICC…unless you are the United States, in which case you are immune. The ICC is an incredibly important international organ because, unlike its predecessor the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where only states can be parties in a case, the ICC allows for the trial of individuals for crimes committed.

The Libyan referral marks the first time in the history of the ICC that the United States has ever supported a UNSC referral to the ICC, and only the second UNSC referral to the ICC ever, the first being Sudan in 2005. In both instances, the US made it quite clear in the resolutions that no non-Sudanese/Libyan citizens who were not citizens of a State Party to the Rome Statute could be prosecuted, a defensive measure to prevent the arrest of any US nationals in the countries in question.

This is a very important step forward for the international legal system. The US has historically been very reticent about joining the ICC, and this show of faith in the work that it does could potentially have very positive ramifications for the support the ICC receives as it brings criminals who commit massive injustices to trial.

And, hopefully, the ICC will be better received than it was when it issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, in 2008. The international community, was very mixed in its reaction to the warrant. The African community, with an especially strong voice from Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, condemned the ICC as acting to usurp African sovereignty, and refused to arrest Bashir and turn him over to the court. The ICC’s case was not helped by the very strong economic ties between Sudan and China, and the unwillingness of the US to interfere in that relationship.

We could be on the brink of a new era in international law where international cooperation will see to it that those responsible for the mass violation of individuals’ human rights are individually held accountable for their actions and brought to justice. The shift in policy of the US is definitely indicative of the differences between the Bush and Obama administrations, and hopefully this new openness to international law will restore the legitimacy that the ICC lost after its failure to arrest Bashir.

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Mar 03

Millennium Consumption Goals for the Rich?

Most of us are familiar with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)., but for those who are not, the MDGs include a set of eight (8) goals that about 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have all agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The goals include eradicating extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as HIV & AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development.

A few days ago, I came across something markedly different called the Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs) and so I decided to find out more about these new sets of goals. I found out that the idea behind the MCGs is for rich countries (yes rich countries!) to reduce their climate-damaging consumption habits. Apparently, suggestions have been pouring in from across the world on how the world’s rich countries can take responsibility for their non-sustainable habits. At this time however, the MCGs are mere proposals which were initiated by Professor Mohan Munasinghe, an expert physicist and economist from Sri Lanka,  but they seem to be gaining a lot of support especially in the light of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development which will be held in 2012.

I think this is a great new direction for ensuring sustainable development worldwide, but what I find most amazing about the MCGs is that individuals do not have to wait on their governments in order to make a difference. So what can we do? A few suggestions I have seen online include:

  1. Teaching kids the habit of preventing wasteful use of papers, toys and clothes.
  2. Wearing second-hand clothes.
  3. Reduced working hours to increase use of bicycles and more walking. (I am not sure how far this will go but hey you never know!).
  4. Reduced meat and dairy consumption.

I came up with a few suggestions that I can personally apply which I have listed below:

  1. Turning off the light and reducing the amount of hours I spend watching TV.
  2. Using the stairs a lot more instead of the elevator.
  3. Taking a walk sometimes instead of driving, especially when heading just around the corner.
  4. Unplugging my laptop and computer more often or shutting it down when it is not in use.
  5. Recycle a whole lot more!

So what do you think and are you willing to give the MCGs a shot? Do you have any suggestions that could be added to the list?

Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire is a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group please visit www.sisgigroup.org.
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Mar 03

Skipping Class

Public Education System in America

671,616. This was the number of international students studying in the United States higher education system in 2008. While America continues to attract thousands of students from all over the world to its prestigious undergraduate and graduate colleges, it is the public school system that is being put under a magnifying glass and being scrutinized. Low rates of attendance, poor school funding and low teacher salaries are just some of the factors that contribute to the faulty public education system in America. The recently released documentary “Waiting for Superman” takes the audience through an emotional journey explaining to them what is wrong within the system and how people can make a difference to change it.

A well made video by CBS not only talks about the problem, but gives a plausible solution. It shows how much a difference it would make in outcomes, by changing some key aspects in the system. A basic level education is essential for the nation to move forward, and studies have shown that students who do not graduate from high school are eight times as likely to end up in jail. While some reforms have been made, the public school system needs to be made a priority before the next few generations are affected by it. What do you think about some of these strategies that are suggested?

Udit Hinduja is a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group please visit www.sisgigroup.org.
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Mar 01

A Radical Notion that Women are People

Ever since the US House of Representatives became a Republican majority two months ago, the House, along with many state legislatures, have been churning out legislation targeted at limiting women’s rights, redefining victims of sexual assault and placing the lives of fetuses above their mother’s.

There are currently three initiatives against abortion at the Federal level. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is pretty self-explanatory. Originally included in the language of the act, but later removed thanks to the strong outcry of feminists and activists, was a qualification of “rape” to “forcible rape,” a politically motivated change that begs the question of what makes rape forcible.

Also coming from the House is the Protect Life Act. This Act allows hospitals and doctors to deny life-saving abortions to women on religious or moral grounds. This is in direct contradiction to the Hippocratic Oath, which requires doctors to do everything they can “for the benefit of the sick,” and makes no exceptions for religious or moral qualms.

Thirdly is the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act. This would amend Title X of the Public Health Service Act, which provides funding for family planning services, to no longer provide any family planning funding to clinics that also provide abortion services. Currently, Title X funds already do not go towards abortions because of the health care reform legislation passed last year, so this act will further limit the funding the providers receive for non-abortion related services (for instance, Planned Parenthood also provides cancer screenings, contraception, and std testing and treatments in addition to abortions). For more information about this see our post from last week Beyond Abortion. This legislation will most adversely affect low-income women who depend on free family planning services to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Things are as bad, if not worse at the state level. In Utah, legislators passed a bill that could theoretically criminalize any behavior seen as potentially causing miscarriages. Upwards of 20 states have legislation in the works to require mandatory ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion. In South Dakota, recent legislation would expand the definition of “justifiable homicide” to include killing in the defense of a fetus, which could theoretically allow for the killing of a doctor providing an abortion, or even the killing of a mother in the attempt to save a fetus inside of her.

In Georgia, Republican Bobby Franklin has introduced two extremely detrimental pieces of legislation. The first would criminalize any behavior that causes miscarriages, and would require that all miscarriages be federally investigated. If it is found that the woman intentionally caused the miscarriage, the crime could be punishable up to the death penalty. Included in the bill is the understanding that “The General Assembly knows the answer to [the difficult question of when life begins], and that answer is life begins at the moment of conception.” The second redefines victims of sexual assault as “accusers,” saying that criminal conviction should take place before a victim is defined as such.

With their first two months in power, the Republicans in the House of Representatives have chosen to target a woman’s right to choose instead of the numerous other pressing national and international concerns our government is facing, including the budget crisis and unrest in the Middle East. With the livelihoods of poor women in the balance, and an attack on women’s reproductive rights that has not been seen in such strength since the 1970’s, Republicans are seeking to undo forty years of progress. If you are interested in becoming active in contacting your representatives about this legislation, join the National Organization for Women or Human Rights Watch mailing lists and watch for updates as the fight in Congress continues.

Stephen Thompson is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group visit www.sisgigroup.org.

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Mar 01

U.N. Women!

Keeping the Gender Equality Flag Flying

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about my dinner with Marie Wilson and about the role of women in International Economic Development. In keeping with that theme, I was excited to read about the launch of U.N. Women on Thursday last week.

What is U.N. Women you might ask, and why do we need another agency pushing for gender equality? It is pretty simple actually. What U.N. Women does is that it combines four pre-existing U.N. agencies into one task force, i.e. the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, and the U.N. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW). But the amazing thing about this launch, is that U.N. Women is not only talking about pushing for gender equality but takes things a few steps further. Now for the first time in history, women at the U.N. will have a seat on all the major decision-making bodies within the U.N.

I have spoken with a few people who believe that gender equality issues, particularly as it affects women, receive a lot of attention. Some people even go as far as to refer to it as the “gender card”. I am always quick to correct them because the idea that gender issues are over-flogged is a serious misconception. Statistics and reports from most NGOs point to the fact that funding remains relatively low. IPS, for example reported that pledges for 2011 total $55 Million dollars. In principle, this may amount to a lot of money but when you look at the number of countries involved and the difficulties in pushing governments in those respective countries to conform to somewhat international standards, it is pretty easy to conclude that the funds pledged are insufficient to meet the problems.

Another great thing about U.N. Women in my view, is that when you have a woman like Michelle Bachelet as the Executive Director, you can expect great things and substantial change for women. She was at the top of my list in my post, Sunday Supper with Marie Wilson, for women we should all see as inspirational and empowering.

I intend to keep a close eye on the activities of U.N. Women and I expect to write about their works around the World in future.

Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire is a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group please visit www.sisgigroup.org.
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Feb 28

Women and Sustainable Development

Women in many parts of the African continent perform up to 80% of the labor in their respective countries, yet are often denied basic rights, such as the right to own land, to access credit, and to operate their own businesses. They are the fundamental caregivers and providers of their families, yet many of them are vulnerable to poverty because they are denied education. Their poverty leaves them at even greater risk for sexual exploitation and child marriage.

Here is a video produced by the Africare, an NGO committed to sustainable development in Africa, discussing how women are critical to ensuring development in Africa. Programs like theirs have been integral to closing the gender gap that exists in many African states. Take a look and see how Africare has committed itself to gender equality as a weapon against poverty, and if you like, consider donating to Africare here.

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Feb 28

Blood and Sweat

The Story of an Average Chinese Farmer

Ever since Deng Xiaoping reformed China’s economy in 1978, the Communist country has been enjoying rapid economic growth. An industrial powerhouse, China has quickly established itself as a global player in international politics. But behind this veiled economic growth lie vast income inequalities that span across the majority of the region. Unfortunately, while China is moving forward, it is leaving the very people the Communist Party of China fought for in the first place- the farmers.

The Chinese mainland has approximately 700 million rural people, an incredible amount of people not benefiting from the leaps China is making in the world. To single out one specific problem is nearly impossible. But the most basic of these problems begins with the government’s taxation policy. Taxes and fees are not supposed to exceed more than 5 % of a farmer’s income, but the actual amount is a lot larger. Ministry of Agriculture surveys have reported that the peasant tax burden rises as high as 15%, three times that of the official national limit.

Why does this occur? Why is it that the farmers are paying such a high tax and no one is doing anything about it? Corruption. Corruption is widely prevalent in all levels of government all the way from the local rural government to the top state officials. But even the corruption and taxation would have been bearable had the farmers experienced returns such as improved public health and education and more agricultural infrastructure.

It doesn’t end there. Aside from the fact that these poor farmers are subject to higher Continue reading

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Feb 25

SMART Aid

In my research on sustainable development programs, I have always been interested in organizations that focus on efficient and effective aid strategies in their work. I was particularly impressed with The ONE Campaign’s clever acronym explaining what “SMART” Aid means to them:
S – Sufficient in scale to achieve its intended goals.
M -Measurable so taxpayers and recipients can see results and monitor progress over time.
A – Accountable to the citizens of developing nations.
R – Responsive to the specific needs of the citizens for whom it is intended.
T – Transparent, to allow scrutiny by civil society and the media
In addition to their “SMART” Aid outline, ONE has listed a series of success stories on how effective aid has made significant differences in developing countries, such as halving Malaria deaths in Ethiopia, providing affordable health insurance in Rwanda, and increasing food production in Malawi. The Success Story that I found to be the most impressive was the Acumen Fund’s support of A to Z Textile Mills in Tanzania, a local factory that produces insecticide-treated Malaria nets for the local population. The factory employs more than 4,600 Tanzanians, mostly women, giving them the means to support their families while ensuring the locals are provided with the life-saving nets. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as UNICEF and Population Services International (PSI) purchase the nets from A to Z Textile Mills to distribute to those who cannot afford to buy them, both ensuring employment of the more than 4,600 employees, and protecting the local population from Malaria.

I applaud organizations like these who believe that just doing “good” is not enough. I joined their campus chapter at my university last year, and continue to be an active and passionate member because of the great work that they do!


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