Post #8

This semester is now coming to a close, causing me to reflect on the past guest lectures I’ve had the opportunity to listen. All of the speakers this semester opened my eyes to issues and point of views that I would not have been exposed to if it was not for this course.

 

With that being said, a few in particular stood out to me.

 

Sherry Mariea

Mariea, from the Trulaske College of Business, gave my favorite lecture of the semester. She’s a passionate, intelligent woman and I think the world needs more women like Mariea. She is an advocate for gender equality and provided a unique perspective. For someone so passionate about women’s rights, she does not identify herself as a feminist. It was interesting to hear her reasoning for such, and found myself agreeing with her in many ways.

One story that she told that I loved was when she was beginning early on in her career as a lawyer out at a restaurant. Beforehand, a male co-worker had called her “honey”, a sexist remark he would never make toward a male co-worker. While out one evening, she saw the man and his wife. He called her over to their table and introduced her to his wife as the one that was complaining that he called her “honey”. His wife then told Mariea that she had been waiting for years for him to call her honey, brushing off the matter jokingly. Mariea gave other examples of past gender discrimination in her life and praised her husband for accepting her as an equal partner in their relationship.

Mariea presented to the class the issues that many women around the world are facing such as child marriage, gender mutilation and access to proper, higher education. Her passion for this topic was evident in her presentation and it was very engaging to the class. I would love the chance to meet with Mariea again and discuss these important issues.

 

Debra Mason

As a student in the Missouri School of Journalism, I enjoyed Debra Mason’s presentation. I heard a similar presentation of hers in my Cross-Cultural Journalism course last semester. However, this presentation had brand new data from this past year which was interesting to observe any changes.
The topic that Mason presented on is very important, as religion is a topic that is important to many people and influences their decision making, but is rarely discussed in media. By emphasizing the importance of understanding religious diversity and the dynamics of those that identify themselves as religious and those that don’t, Mason covered a broad range of topics that are important in the media.

I found her lecture to be informative, especially to non-journalism majors, as they can understand the need for a general understanding of religious knowledge. As a journalist, I know based off Mason’s lecture, that I need to focus more on comprehending the complexities of religion in America and globally.

The data Mason presented was compelling and surprising at times. For example, I was surprised at the increasing amount of people that identify themselves as not having any religious affiliation, which is different from atheists. It was evident to the class that Mason is extremely knowledgable.

Mason presented a few issues that journalists are facing, that the general public is not aware of. Since there has been a decline in newspaper subscriptions and advertisements, resources in newsrooms have been drastically reduced. Journalists are over-worked as many jobs have been eliminated to compensate for the lack of income. There is also little to no background training in religion for journalists, who are expected to cover a wide range of religions and get the facts right for each one. The AP Stylebook provides a quick guide for journalists to world religions and their terms to assist journalists with writing, but this at times does not suffice and can cause journalists to avoid the topic in general.

 

Iran

This semester has given me the opportunity to explore the nation of Iran. I entered the semester not knowing anything really concrete about Iran. After hours of research, I now have a greater understanding and respect for the Iranian people and their culture. However, it was difficult to find sources with a Middle-Eastern perspective. One that I found to be one of the better ones, is the Middle East Eye. Most news sources and articles are written from a Western perspective, making it difficult to truly gain insight about life in Iran. It was difficult at first to seriously analyze a culture so different from American culture, but it pushed me to critically think in ways I had not before. One of my favorite posts I wrote about Iran was the climate and pollution issues in Iran. I also was challenged when I researched women’s issues in Iran, as they are plentiful. It was difficult for me to understand some of their policies and oppression of women, as their culture is so different than ours. I gained insight to life as an everyday citizen of a city like Tehran, where the pollution is so bad that millions of people are forced to wear a mask to go outside everyday.

Overall, writing about Iran this semester helped me to gain insight on the people, culture, history, government and environment in Iran which has given me a greater understanding of the diverse range of cultures and nations we have in the world. I can now say I am a better global citizen because of the global issues I have been exposed to not only in this course, but those that the Iranian people are facing. As I continue on with my college career, I will continue to expand my knowledge of other cultures and maintain a knowledge of current global affairs.

Post #8 – End of Semester Reflection

The past sixteen weeks have been an utter whirlwind. I finally declared a major, signed a lease for next year, and even got a job. Everything in my life has been moving forward and I’ve had a lot of good times, but I’ve also had class. Some of these classes take all of my willpower to attend and others, like the Fundamentals of Globalization, are so interesting that it feels like the class is over shortly after it begins. All the guest lecturers this semester had profound insight and knowledge in their area, but two stood out to me the most.

Sherry Mariea

“Honey.”

Mariea was told by her co-workers to take it as a compliment, but how could she? She was a woman in a man’s world and she just wanted to be taken seriously. She already had to change her handwriting to get good grades and had to fight for eye contact when the topic of sports got brought up, so what else did she have to do?

Mariea doesn’t completely identify as a feminist, but she does believe that women and men should be equal. As a lawyer, she saw the disparities between men and women in her career. In fact, women make up on 36% of the law population and even fewer hold top positions in firms. Throughout her lecture, Mariea gave examples of gender discrimination and how she handled it.

Traditionally, people focus on what men should do to help change out culture, but Mariea ended her talk by giving a list of things that both men and women can do to combat the problem. It takes cooperation and education to solve the issue.

Debra Mason

“The problem is that most people aren’t knowledgeable of religion. Not even their own.”

We experience religious ignorance almost every day in the United States. From not knowing the difference between a burka and a hijab to misidentifying something as Passover friendly, we make mistakes when describing religions different than ours. Why is this? Mason gave a few suggestions.

It’s a journalist’s job to inform the public, but there are a lot of systems and practices that prevent that from being done as well as it should. First, newsroom resources are scarce. It can be expensive to hunt down the sources your may need to conduct and interview and get a full picture of a religious event. Second, most journalism takes places within a 24-hour atmosphere that primarily cares about speed and profits. Journalists often feel pressured to get a story out as soon as they can, so to save time, they leave out religious information instead of taking the time to research the facts and include them in the story. This may seem like good plan on the surface (saving time and money are good things, right?), but in the end it simply leads to an uninformed audience and the continued perpetuation of misinformation.

It should be our duty to accurately educate ourselves and the public on issues like religion. People all across the world are religious and it’s important we have an understanding of what that entails.

Thoughts on Israel

The goal of this blog was to read, learn, and write about the Middle East and Israel. Going into this project, I thought I knew a lot of about the area, its history, and its interaction with other countries. I could not have been more wrong. Through my research, I learned about settlements, human rights violations, pollution, corruption, and that, quite frankly, Israel isn’t the perfect country that the United States makes it out to be. There were a lot of negatives, but there were also positives. I was inspired by the groups that are standing up to make a change and by individuals that refuse to give up and I was called to be a more diligent global citizen: to actually read the news, not take things for granted, and to want happiness for more than just myself. There’s a whole world that exists outside of Columbia’s city limits.

Shalom: peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. Hello and Goodbye.

Post 8

We listened to a lot of insightful guest lecturers in this course, but the two that stood out to me the most were Sherry Mariea and Joe Erb.

Sherry Mariea’s lecture stood out to me because gender inequality is an issue I feel strongly about. She said that she never considered herself a feminist even though she advocates for a world of gender equality, and I have always felt the same way. Like her, I have been excluded from conversations about ‘masculine’ topics that I wish I could have been a part of. I think that it is important to learn about different topics, and I don’t think that others should assume that a female enjoying sports is a sign she’s questioning her sexuality or gender identity. Although I may have a similar mindset as many feminists, I choose not to identify as one. This is because the term ‘feminist’ implies many ideologies and if I come across one I don’t agree with, I don’t want to have to pretend to agree with it to keep my identity as a feminist.

I am entering a field dominated by men(actuarial science) and I hope that I am lucky enough to work in a firm where my gender will not determine how I am treated. In the beginning of my career it may determine my salary and my relationships with clients and colleagues, but like Mariea, I hope that I don’t live in a world like that for the rest of my life.

Joe Erb’s lecture also stood out to me because I believe that culture preservation is important. There are many people in the world who feel helpless to preserve their languages and cultures. in the new technological era of our world. Major web pages are available primarily in languages spoken by hundreds of millions of people, and these languages dominate the international business world. Because of this, parents are feeling more and more pressured to teach their children these languages so they can thrive in this new era. Joe Erb showed that it is possible to preserve a language without living in the past. He is the reason that the Cherokee language is available on Apple devices and is compatible with other technologies. I think this is inspirational because if other dying cultures were to have advocates as strong as him, maybe we wouldn’t live in a world dominated solely by Chinese, Japanese, and major European languages.

Before I began blogging about Afghanistan, I didn’t have much of an idea of what goes on there. I knew that it’s constantly used as a war ground and that the US is constantly sending troops over there, but that was all I knew. My research taught me about how climate change is effecting Afghans, not just tropical and polar regions. This helped bring the issue of climate change to my attention. I began to realize that it’s a real issue that is affecting the entire planet, and soon we will all begin to see the consequences. My research also showed me how corrupt governments can be. Many past and present Afghan political leaders have been unfair to their citizens, and there is no one to hold them accountable. This inspired me to look into advocating for a better global law enforcement system. I am realizing that in an increasingly globalized world, we can only remain peaceful if everyone is held accountable for their actions. This means that either the United Nations needs to gain more authority and law enforcement power, or a new system needs to be created. The current United Nation’s purpose is to prevent World War 3, but maybe it isn’t enough anymore.

Post #8

My Favorite Guest Lectures

1) Women’s rights by Sherry Mariea

I found this lecture especially enticing and thought provoking because Mariea gave a new spin to gender issues. She started off early on by saying that she would not specifically call herself a feminist. As she went on with her lecture, this shocked me. I was surprised because she talked about things like gendercide, sex trafficking and her own personal experiences of gender discrimination. All of these things are usually issues that feminists want to reverse so it was so intriguing that she didn’t necessarily consider herself a feminist.

I thought about why she didn’t consider herself a feminist for awhile the next couple of days after her lecture. Although I never got to ask her, through my own thoughts I came to a sad conclusion: our world has tainted and twisted the word “feminist” so much from its true origin and essence. Too often, when you ask someone what a “feminist” is, they think that it is only someone who advocates for the rights of women. When in fact, feminist really means advocating rights for all. 

This comment, and her lecture as a whole, then allowed me to examine my own beliefs. Would I consider myself a feminist? I think I would consider myself a feminist but I think that I look at gender differences through a much different lens than the typical feminist. Because I am entering a field dominated by women, education, I have often been questioned (by myself and others) what issues of gender inequality mean to me. It’s been hard to hear people say, “You don’t need to be a feminist because you’re going to be a teacher and all teachers are women.” This has had the opposite effect than people have intended by saying this because it makes me want to be a feminist even more. I think female dominated fields (such as nursing and education) almost need feminists the most.

Below is a video about how much we have changed as a society over the years. Cars have changed, technology has changed, and even attitudes have changed. However, in this video, it illustrates that classrooms have not changed at all in the last 150 years.

This video and lectures like Mareia’s allows me to examine how important it is to bring change into my profession to better the lives of all.

I loved this lecture because it got me to think past my normal sphere of comfort and allowed me to establish my true beliefs. Mareia wasn’t afraid to share a different viewpoint (not being a feminist) and because of this it challenges me to share my different viewpoints to enact humanitarian change.

2) Service learning by Ann-Marie Foley

Service has always been something I have been very passionate about. I have gone on 6 mission trips and love any and every opportunity I get to serve because it teaches me a lot about my world, my community, and myself.

This presentation was especially interesting to me because it pushed me to examine a lot of my beliefs and perspectives. I went on a mission trip to Jamaica after this lecture was presented and after we had spent a lot of time talking about negative impacts NGO’s can have. Because of lectures like this, I went on my Jamaica trip curious about the positive and negative impacts we had. I never thought that NGO’s could ever have any sort of negative impact because we are never taught to think that way.

Pictures from serving in Harmons, Jamaica this spring break. 

In the lecture, on the slide it said that a challenge of NGO’s can be, “Ethical purpose and aid as forwarding self-serving purposes (religion, volunteerism, professional development, ideological and political control)” (Think Global PowerPoint). I didn’t want my trip to be something that forwarded my own personal motives, but rather helped a community so different from mine. While on my trip, I asked the director, Josh, a lot of questions about this. It was so interesting to me because he was telling me that this is something they’ve diligently and consciously thought a lot about. They make it their mission to work with the Jamaicans instead of for. A really cool example of this is Won By One (the organization I went on my trip through) has each participant bring two suitcases full of donations to leave in Jamaica (including everything from medicine, to toys, to clothes for all ages). Instead of just handing these over to the Jamaicans, they put them in a store where they can buy them at very low costs. This then allows the Jamaicans to not be dependent on a “white savior complex” (as talked about in this lecture) and gives them a sense of worth through being able to buy their own stuff and work in the store.

The store where the Jamaicans work and where our donations went.

This lecture gave me such a cool, new perspective that I never would have had going into my trip without. It has pushed me to be a more critical thinker and citizen of this world.

What insights did you gain doing research on your country?

My country, Syria, is in the news all the time. Even if you don’t know anything about what’s actually going on in Syria, you know that it’s at least on the news. And sadly, before this blog research that was the extent of my knowledge. I knew that something was going on in Syria, but didn’t know what.

After learning a lot about the conflict in Syria, it has made me want to be a more knowledgable citizen. It’s important that I do know things about Syria, and other countries, because we are all globally connected. I have learned so much about my own government and beliefs through learning about Syria and that’s the way it should be. I should be able to know what my beliefs and thoughts on a global situation is without doing it just because it’s a blog post.

Because of this blog, I want to continue to learn about Syria and the world with an open mind. I want to become a better informed global citizen.

Post #7 Human Trafficking

Every 30 seconds, a human being is sold.

Every 30 seconds, a daughter, sister, brother, mother, cousin or friend is sold into the atrocities of the world of human trafficking.

This statistic is the driving force for countless organizations, nations and individuals that are working endlessly to combat this form of slavery.

Human Trafficking in Iran

The United States’ Trafficking in Persons Report of 2016 reported Iran a Tier 3- the lowest ranking. The report further explains that Iran is a hub for human trafficking of women and children for the entire region including Afghanistan, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates and Europe.

“Iran is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.”

–U.S Department of State

While there has been an increase in efforts to halt human sex trafficking, there has been an increase in Iran for the past several years. Iran has had previous recognition for its negligence in dealing with human trafficking. In 2006, the US Department of State also placed Iran at the bottom of a list comprising of 12 countries that are not considered to have taken the necessary measures to stop this atrocious trade. This is especially prevalent in major cities such as Tehran and Tabriz. Not only are their teenage girls and women being sold and transported through Iran for sex, but also young children are kidnapped by organized crime groups and sold for labor.  These children, who may be as young as 3, are coerced through physical and sexual abuse and drug addiction; reportedly many are purchased for as little as $150. These crime groups are destroying a portion of the future of Iran by committing these atrocities against children- placing them in the worst conditions imaginable for any human in the most crucial years for a child’s development. It is reported that Iran currently has 200,000 Iranian children living on streets, and half of them are thought to be Afghan child refugees. With that being said, 200,000 children are denied the most basic rights not only for children, but just for humans in general. It is inhumane to say the least.

According to the Trafficking in Persons Report, the Iranian government was unresponsive and inefficient in dealing with the ongoing human slavery crisis. The government did not report anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts and was reportedly complicit in trafficking crimes during the year. Iranian law does not prohibit all forms of trafficking.

The only form of prohibition is the 2004 Law on Combatting Human Trafficking. This legislation was adopted on July 18, 2004. The Law prohibits trafficking in persons through use of threats, force, coercion, abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability of the victim for purposes of prostitution, removal of organs, slavery, or forced marriage.  While this law is in place, it needs to be enforced more by the government. However, there is some speculation within the media and the NGO’s in Iran that some government officials may be a part of the large population that purchases sex. Their lack of enforcement as well as general repressive culture toward women leads to a culture that not only tolerates this kind of oppression, but promotes it from the leadership down to the human traffickers.

Born Free

Born Free, an article by Sarah Mendelson, explains global policies being created in the effort to halt human trafficking, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals

The 17 goals of the Sustainable Development initiative. 

The Sustainable Development Goals are a UN initiative and is compromised of 17 targets. The targets focus on ending long standing global issues such as hunger, poverty and education as well as infrastructure improvements.

As Mendelson explains Goal No. 5 focuses on gender equality and women’s rights, calling for ending violence among women as well as female genital mutilation and child marriage. The goal mentions human trafficking, as it disproportionately affects women and girls, since 70 per cent of all victims detected worldwide are female. Goal No. 8 mentions stricter regulations for child labor, as well as promoting “sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all,” (Mendelson 4).

While the goals do address human trafficking and other issues correlated with it, I feel as if there is not a great importance placed on it compared to other issues. The statistics of human trafficking are staggering, and this would have been an excellent opportunity to devote one of the goals to ending this form of slavery. If the UN had done so, it would have proven to the other nations that are of Tier 3 status that are a part of the UN that their blatant disregard for human trafficking will no longer be permitted.

In order to combat human trafficking, a large global initiative must be implemented. Governments that allow this to occur in their countries must be punished and withheld from other international policy involvement until they have reached the a set, and actively implemented, global precedent on human slavery. However, the efforts of many NGO’s are making a tremendous difference in human trafficking by raising awareness and exposing the atrocities to those that may not want to acknowledge what is going on in our world. From large initiatives such as COSA and The Empower Foundation to smaller ones shown in the video below, the effort and passion these individuals have is rapidly gaining momentum among concerned citizens of the world.

This video displays the great efforts of a small group of retired veterans and government officials who want to end human trafficking.

 

With the efforts of many and a stricter global stance on human trafficking, this inhumane form of slavery can cease to exist. Everyone must be aware of ways to spot human trafficking, as there are human slaves among us in all countries, states, neighborhood and walks of life. This list gives 15 points for the everyday citizen to become more involved in the efforts to end human trafficking. If all citizens are more conscientious and do not turn a blind eye to what is going on in the world around them, then human trafficking can be combatted.

 

It will take the efforts of many, but it can be done.

Post #7 – Human Trafficking

TIP Ranking

Every year, the U.S. Department of State releases a “Trafficking in Persons Report” for each country. Countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe are assigned a tier ranking that reflects its governments efforts against human trafficking (primarily in the sex industry) in accordance to the standards found in Section 108 of the “Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.”

The country rankings are from Tier 3 to Tier 1, and white Tier 1 is best, it doesn’t mean the country does not have an issue with trafficking. Being ranked Tier 1 simply means the country’s government acknowledges it has a problem and is making efforts to address it. To maintain a Tier 1 ranking a government has to show continues progress each year.

Since 2012, Israel has been a Tier 1 country.

A woman in Tel Aviv stands in a mall window with a price tag attached to her hand as a way to raise awareness of sex trafficking.

Prosecution

The Department of State organizes is recommendations for continued progress into three categories, the first focusing on legal prosecution of traffickers.

Since the establishment of its 2006 Anti-Tracking law, Israel has made the sentence for trafficking an adult to 16 years and up to 20 years for trafficking a minor. These sentences make sex trafficking as equal of a crime as rape.

However, the prosecution and conviction numbers have gone down and are often disproportional. Of the 234 investigations of sex trafficking crimes in 2015, only nine suspects were prosecuted and three later convicted; a drastic decrease from the previous year’s 18 convictions.

The DOS and other critics argue that the few traffickers that are convicted receive light sentences including reduced jail time, fines, community service, and probation.

Protection

The second criteria is based on how well the country protects victims. In 2015, Israel identified 50 trafficking victims and referred them to state-ran shelters. These shelters provided residents with work permit, job training, rehabilitation, legal advice, and medical care. Throughout 2015, the country’s 35-bed woman’s shelter aided 44 women and their children and the country’s 35-bed men’s shelter aided 39 men. For victims that prefer not to live in a shelter, the government operates a day center in Tel Aviv that also helps with rehabilitation and recovery. They also provided those victims living outsides of shelters with free medical care and with officials letters to prevent their arrest.

Yet, despite the resources provided and the progress being made, the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants filed a report saying organizations in the country were doing more than the government. According to the report, approximately 80% of trafficking victims are identified by human rights groups and not government agencies. Instead of being questioned by police, women engaging in prostitution are either arrested or deported for immigration violations.

Prevention

The Israeli government has made continuous  progress in preventing sex trafficking. They’ve shut down brothels, aired radio broadcasts, and even started education programs in schools. Most notably, Israel finished building a 152 mile wall along the border of Israel and Egypt. The area the cuts through was known for being a hot spot for smuggling and sex trafficking.

The Israel-Egypt barrier. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Sustainable Development Goals

While there isn’t a UN Sustainable Development Goal specifically aimed to combat sex trafficking, there are three goals that provide the groundwork for doing so.

Goal 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

The majority of sex slaves and sex workers are women and girls. A bulk of young girls are also sold and forced to marry men. By striving for global equality,  these types of crimes and traffickings are less likely to occur.

Goal 8 – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Due to poor economic conditions in some countries, women often feel forced to enter sex work and are often exploited and taken advantage of. By making efforts to raise global economy, we could eliminate the pressing need to sell a body for sex.

Goal 16 –  Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

This goal is broad. It could combat trafficking by creating more sustainable schools or even providing better access to legal help. They’re all little steps that will have wide-spread, lasting effects.

In the end, it takes more than a few goals and laws to fix this global problem; it takes every individual. The 2015 TIP report puts it this way,

“No nation can end modern slaver alone. Eliminating this global scourge requires a global solution. It also cannot be solved by governments alone. The private sector, academic institutions, civil society, the legal community, and consumers can all help to address the factors that allow human trafficking to flourish.”

 

Post #7

What is human trafficking?

“Organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor)” (Merriam-Webster).

How is human trafficking being seen around the world — specifically in Syria?

As the Civil War has prolonged in Syria, the number of human trafficking incidents has also gone up and victims have remained trapped inside the country.

Syria has become a source and destination for victims of human trafficking. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continues to force women into marriages with their soldiers. They also have abducted many women from other countries and have forced them into domestic servitude, marriages, and rape. In addition to this, in 2014 ISIL publicly released guidelines on how to successfully capture and enslave women and girls. 

Outside of sexually forced human trafficking, ISIL and other pro-government groups have also captured and made soldiers of many children. They also use children as human shields and other horrifying matters to fight. In addition, they use children as informants and this exposes them to cruel brutalities. They have had to see and be apart of harsh conditions and punishments such as taking part in beheading people. Some of these children can be as young as 6 years old.

One child’s story:

As a result, these children have been stripped of an education and childhood and even have been put in training camps. The conditions of these camps are very dangerous, including exposure to weapons and bombs at too young of an age.

These crimes are too normalized in Syria and need to be fought back with education, justice, and change.

How (or more fitting how not) is Syria responding to human trafficking incidents?

The Syrian government has not met minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking and they are not showing any intentions to do so. The government has continued to take part in human trafficking and in addition has failed to protect victims from it. No human trafficking perpetrators have been convicted by the Syrian government and victims have not been recognized. Syria has a long ways to go in not only ending but in acknowledging human trafficking to get on the right track.

https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2015/243543.htm

How are we combatting human trafficking on a global scale? 

In Sarah Mendelson’s article, “Born Free,” on preventing human trafficking she talks about the measures being done to end human trafficking. She opens the article by saying, “When it comes to generating public attention and outrage, the buying and selling of people has a lot of ghastly competition.” This quote shocked me — and rightfully so. The fact of the matter is that human trafficking has been put on the back burner for too long.

Luckily, recent moves have been made to enact change. Mendelson talks about the Outcome Document of Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals could help in greatly in the coming years. The Outcome Document specifically calls to get rid of trafficking in many places.

Listed below are the articles calling for change in the Outcome Document (from Mendelson’s “Born Free”):

Goal 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” — the drafters call for the end of trafficking of women and girls.”

Goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels” — the Outcome Document references bringing the trafficking of children to an end.”

Even more specifically, Mendelson talks about three key examples of ending human trafficking:

1. Giving legal identity with birth registration to all.
2. Promoting “sustainable” tourism and transportation.
3. Giving special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations including women, children and persons with disabilities.

The reason these examples are key is because not having a legal identity and being born into positions of automatic disadvantage (such as having a disability) makes people more prone to victimization. In addition, the tourism and transportation industries have been so vital in combatting human trafficking as it is, so providing them with more training and resources to be sustainable will help combat the issue even more.

One story of how transportation has effectively intervened in human trafficking:

Although all of this new legislature is very progressive and optimistic for the fight against human trafficking, we still have a ways to go. Many challenges lie ahead of us, including how we can measure and fight against something that is so difficult to be measured and getting the international community to agree on and recognize such a complicated issue. We must continue to evaluate and improve our fighting tactics towards human trafficking.

“If the international community agrees to what is laid out in the Outcome Document, more donors, more funding, more organizations, and more people will flow to the movement to end trafficking” (Mendelson).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post #7

Because of the chaos and lack of government regulation in much of the Middle East, a large amount of human trafficking takes place in the region. In Pakistan and Iran, most modern slaves are used as domestic servants. They cook, clean, and perform other household duties for their owners, much like pre-1865 American slaves. In Afghanistan, however, some slaves serve a much different purpose. They are used to fulfill others’ sexual desires, and are sometimes forced into marriage. Others are used for drug smuggling purposes. Regardless of what work the slaves are doing, it is often dangerous and inhumane.
Sometimes, Afghan families even choose to sell their children into slavery in hopes of escaping poverty. These are the worst cases because if your family is not fighting for your freedom, it’s likely that no one is. In other cases, families will smuggle their boys into Greece in hopes for a better life, but they instead end up being used for labor or sexual entertainment. No matter what kind of slavery a person is forced into or how long they remained enslaved, it can have lifelong traumatic effects on a person. For example, many sex slaves end up with injuries and incurable STDs such as AIDs and herpes. Others end up with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which may cause paranoia and hallucinations. Slavery is by far one of the most inhumane things a person can be forced into, and there need to be more movements to bring attention to the issue and work on a solution, as well as counseling for all victims. The following video shows just one of the traumatic events experienced by Afghan slaves.

It is estimated that slavery is a bigger problem now than it was a few hundred years ago, during the time of the transatlantic slave trade. It is estimated that close to 30 million people are enslaved today, which is approximately the population(slaves and non slaves) of the United States at the time the slaves were freed. To try to put an end to this issue, the United Nations put together a list of goals known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Two of these goals are to “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all” and to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. Employment and decent work refers to paid and humane work, and does not include slavery. The phrases ‘access to justice for all’ and ‘inclusive institutions’ also imply an end to slavery. However, we can only hope that these goals are one day fulfilled. They were formed years ago, but were put on standby so humanitarians and government officials could instead tend to other issues such as the AIDs crisis and the Ebola outbreak. There is no definite reason to believe that another issue won’t soon take priority over ending slavery. Aside from other crises in Africa, there are other reasons slavery will be hard to fight. Human trafficking brings an estimated $32-$150 billion into the African economy every year, and there is no telling what economic crisis could be born from losing that money. Also, it will be hard to get support from potential donors or volunteers. People contributing to social issues like to see distinct numbers that show progress. Unfortunately, because of the lack of discrete numeric data concerning slavery, exact progress will be almost impossible to deliver.
The only way slavery can truly be ended today is if people are willing to be truly selfless. Victims of human trafficking need people willing to gather accurate data of their identities and people willing to have their owners imprisoned. Only time will tell if there are enough of these selfless people to truly make a difference.

Post #6- Crisis Caravan

Linda Polman’s book Crisis Caravan exposes the faults within humanitarian aid organizations, including NGOs.  

Her concerns begin with the dilemma expressed by some of the world’s first humanitarian workers: Henri Dunant and Florence Nightingale. The question they differ on is to what extent does one leave and ask “Is it worth it?” NGOs have been subjected to paying excessive amounts to rebel organizations, missing supplies, witnessing atrocities to other groups as well as not being allowed to treat others suffering.

Dunant believed it was a duty to help no matter what and he carried over the principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence while forming the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863. Nightingale believed aid fails in purpose of warning parties use to their own advantage.

One must determine whether it is just to pick certain human rights to defend and to have others that are chosen from as NGOs have to provide funds to rebel causes, and remain witnesses to atrocities for the sake of neutrality. For example, in Goma, NGOs were at the mercy of the Hutu extremists.

 “In one attack, twenty-five private security guards at an aid supplies warehouse belonging to CARE Canada were shot dead by robbers. Their places at the gate were coolly taken by Hutu extremists, who then demanded-and apparently got-regular salaries from CARE,” (Polman 31).

Polman expresses her concern with aid organizations that have to pay or give supplies to enter a war zone. Warlords use the money to arm themselves, while the aid organizations are trying to help the people they are injuring. For example in Somalia, “the entrance fee charged by warlords to as much as 80 percent of the amount the aid supplies were worth,” (Polman 96). Polman has an issue with the fact that the people who the INGOs are negotiating with are the ones that are mainly the cause of the conflict. By paying to enter the area, they are facilitating the conflict that is ravaging the area. Ethics are not considered once in a war zone, but they should be on this matter. Polman stresses the weight of the benefits the aid organizations are providing with the fact that millions of dollars are entering the pockets of these violent regimes only to make them more powerful. Not only do the aid organizations have to pay, but their lives are pt at risk by working with the powerful leaders. In the Congo, six Red Cross workers were killed for helping the Lendus, whom they were not allowed to help based upon an earlier agreement.

The Hema soldiers in the eastern Congo region, who have been at war with the Lendu people.

Another concern Polman raises is that NGOs provide aid that is not needed. With the introduction of MONGOs (My Own NGO) which are “run by people who are convinced they can get things sorted out in a crisis zone more effectively, quickly, and cheaply than the “real” aid workers with- to MONGO eyes at least- self serving motives and cumbrous bureaucracy,” (Polman 50), the influx of problems in providing any kind of emergency relief has increased. In times of crisis, MONGO carriers unknowingly bring in broken supplies, just bringing in whatever donations received. They focus more on the quantity of goods they are providing rather than the quality in order to boost their statistics. I will address their business mindset later on.

“MONGOs have been known to ship frostbite medication to victims of tropical disasters, and starving Somalis have received laxatives, slimming cures and electric blankets,” (Polman 52).

Polman has issues with MONGOs like this because they are doing more harm than benefit in the areas they enter. They are often unorganized and led by people who feel they have a calling to do good, rather than true humanitarian aid experience. Bringing supplies, medical equipment and clothes that the people of that country either can’t use or don’t need defeats the purpose of the MONGOs existence. Polman argues that those living in a war zone “deserve protection from people that arrive unannounced and set about to work without the most basic qualifications,” (Polman 62). Another issue Polman has with MONGOs is the fact that larger aid organizations rarely critique the faulty MONGOs to avoid negative publicity for the entire industry, so their mistakes rarely go noticed by the general public.

Journalists, Public and Government Officials

This is something that journalists, the public, and government officials need to focus on to make humanitarian aid more successful. Since larger organizations won’t hold themselves or MONGOs accountable, it is up to these groups to ensure that these organizations are performing justly and efficiently. Journalists need to expose the fact that an MONGO performing an operation killed a young boy or another one delivered winter coats to refugees in the desert instead of tagging along with them to refugee camps. Journalists need to distance their relationships with the aid organizations to do an un-biased job reporting on them. By exposing these mistakes, the public, including those that donate money or supply, learn the faults that these organizations have. Public officials need to create some sort of regulation to make sure only legitimate organizations are entering the countries needing aid, instead of a random group with no experience. These regulations will protect those who need the aid, ensuring they receive only legitimate aid. All of these groups are lacking the urgency to investigate these aid organizations properly and are missing out on an important ongoing global issue.

“Businesses Dressed up like Mother Teresa”

Polman uses this term in the afterword of her book Crisis Caravan to define the business mindset of many NGOs. They operate like a business for contracts to travel to provide aid in these areas, a term Polman deems “contract fever”. NGOs are in competition with each other by how much money they raise, the number of countries they operated in a year or the number of patients they have treated. These statistics are put together in a report published to the public to have donations poor in. For many NGOs, the percentage of a donation that actually goes towards humanitarian aid is lower than most would think. The website, Charity Navigator, allows people to see how much of their donation goes towards what causes. However, the NGOs hide their business motivations by portraying a “Mother Teresa” front to make themselves appear more charitable in the public eye. By competing with each other to make themselves appear the most involved in global affairs, the NGOs are positioning themselves to receive the most aid, which helps get the better contracts, and powers the entire cycle.