tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43719244484575846832024-03-05T03:16:29.060-08:00The Right HumanNews and views on social issues, development, human rights and the environmentVeronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-82374704826918300322022-03-01T04:43:00.004-08:002022-03-01T04:43:36.531-08:00Where the Sun is Used to Freeze<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcDZlFkuTtGfhht7APM8c7WBHiYDk6ta1Sm1tff9J7ySpP2sLJz4W8UnuVOt0mSXuqqr-BYwLTQnmkj7uEVnajneLxRbjr8B0Yy_bVPi0VT1Nywi0dy5rhjVpbJwBPLq_3vqFr4HuLDsWhL-Rig5qrH4bA-sYFmN-ciHWMWC14TRGBnt0zcbxCbBfm=s5781" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5781" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcDZlFkuTtGfhht7APM8c7WBHiYDk6ta1Sm1tff9J7ySpP2sLJz4W8UnuVOt0mSXuqqr-BYwLTQnmkj7uEVnajneLxRbjr8B0Yy_bVPi0VT1Nywi0dy5rhjVpbJwBPLq_3vqFr4HuLDsWhL-Rig5qrH4bA-sYFmN-ciHWMWC14TRGBnt0zcbxCbBfm=w640-h443" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skills training by Solar Freeze for Kakuma youths/credit: Ashden<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><br /></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="7ab4"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong class="nl ku">With
temperatures soaring across most of Africa due to climate change,
preserving agricultural produces, medicines and other perishables is
increasingly challenging. In eastern Kenya, a group of young people from
smallholder families have created a pay-as-you-store solar cooling
service, benefiting small-scale farmers, as well as health clinics and
small businesses in Kakuma refugee camp, the oldest refugee camp in East
Africa.</strong></span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="76f0"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Like
many people our age, we watched our parents and grandparents work
tirelessly, toiling in rural farms, only for a huge chunk of their fresh
produce to rot away due to lack of proper cold storage units,” says
Dysmus Kisilu, 27. “Often times, middle men would quickly swoop in and
offer dirt cheap prices, and farmers would be forced to sell for a song
out of fear of post-harvest loss,” says Kisilu.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0704"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kisilu
and many of his friends sought a better life in the city, but in 2016,
some of them pulled their skills together to create <a class="co cs" href="https://www.solarfreeze.co.ke/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Solar Freeze,</a>
a social enterprise harnessing solar power to offer off-grid
small-scale farmers portable and affordable cold storage units in which
to preserve their fresh fruits and vegetables.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b982"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“The
growing seasons are now erratic and produce goes to waste because it
cannot be stored. Whole communities are being destroyed as climate is
changing. I knew I had to do something.”</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bde0"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Two years later, after meeting refugees in the huge <a class="co cs" href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/after-three-decades-how-are-refugees-kenyas-kakuma-refugee-camp-faring" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Kakuma</a>
camp, Kisilu decided to expand into the humanitarian context. Kakuma,
located in Turkana County, one of the poorest counties in Kenya, is home
to 160,000 refugees from South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The camp has no
access to energy from the national grid. Only 20% of its clinics have
electricity and it is produced by polluting diesel generators, which
operate only during specific times. Solar Freeze allows Kakuma’s clinics
to store their medical products and vaccines, such as Covid, yellow
fever, measles and rabies. The company has since diversified to include
cold storage to food and drink shops, fishing and other businesses and
households in the camp — a much needed service in the heat of the camp,
and particularly as global warming increases.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3b58"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Options
for customers include buying cooling units on a lease-to-own basis or
renting space in them on a pay-per-crate basis. This helps even
worse-off individuals access cooling, as there is no upfront cost and
the fees are low.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5c67"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Solar
Freeze team also launched an ‘Each One Teach One’ programme to train
youth from agricultural families, especially women, to install, operate
and maintain their units. The initiative was expanded to Kakuma and now
also includes operation and maintenance of other solar products like
solar-powered irrigation equipment, and sales.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4b19"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“The
education was super — it was not discriminatory to me by saying that I
could not do it as a woman,” says Sakina Kariba, a refugee in the camp
from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was trained as a solar panel
installer and now works freelance installing throughout the camp. “I am
happy that even if I leave the camp today and I decide to go to back to
Congo or another part of Kenya, I now have a skill that I can use.”</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="432e"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So
far, Solar Freeze is working with 3000 smallholder farmers — reducing
waste of fresh produce by 95% — and has 180 cold solar units in Kakuma.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="252d"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Solar
Freeze’s model is replicable to combat harvest loss and provide clean
energy to off-grid small-scale farmers and vulnerable populations in
sub-Saharan Africa. About 470 million smallholder farmers in developing
countries lose an average of 35% of their income to food spoilage. The
company plans to expand its work into other refugee camps, and to nearby
nations including Rwanda and Uganda.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9b0d"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last year, it has won the prestigious <a class="co cs" href="https://ashden.org/awards/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Ashden Awards </a>in
the Humanitarian Energy category. The Awards highlight some of the
world’s most impressive climate pioneers and innovators and help them
power up their impact.</span></span></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph ub uc ud nl b ue uf kw ug uh ui kz uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ll cd" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3149"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a class="co cs" href="https://ashden.org/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">The climate solutions charity</a> is now calling for entries from similar climate innovators for their 2022 Awards. The application deadline is 15 March.</span></span></p><div class="vv ae"><span class="ae h g f wl wm"><br /></span></div>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-11934566144181060392022-01-17T10:59:00.002-08:002022-01-17T10:59:57.481-08:00How to make pre-school accessible to every child on the planet?<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj75kLTMk-XNbX4HqxBhqI4ZZ64wSZm6o_U34BU2Ct4ncPHn5J7pLtUtqpqYcEFMbhHCkOK2nFHsX9-ANl2eUr9Qs04bBw5gVy0-sDsmpPVyibJSJ-g6XpUdq3T3_hRB_-Y_6SWnmCc_Ya-Y5ex1Mrj-XNDLMh63CSpwDiNBN7JLv1Q2uUx1cvKiq9p=s700" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj75kLTMk-XNbX4HqxBhqI4ZZ64wSZm6o_U34BU2Ct4ncPHn5J7pLtUtqpqYcEFMbhHCkOK2nFHsX9-ANl2eUr9Qs04bBw5gVy0-sDsmpPVyibJSJ-g6XpUdq3T3_hRB_-Y_6SWnmCc_Ya-Y5ex1Mrj-XNDLMh63CSpwDiNBN7JLv1Q2uUx1cvKiq9p=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Teacher Hosna Ara Dipu interacting with pupils of BRAC Pre-Primary
School at Korail Slum, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo credit:
courtesy of UNICEF</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> As Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on education systems around the planet, educators and leaders from around the world are trying to build them back better. They are particularly focusing on early education, which has a lifelong impact on children’s education and well-being.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In Sweden, the pre-school curriculum has been designed to respect the language and culture of refugee and migrant children. In Zimbabwe, an organization works with parents of children with disabilities and pre-schools to promote inclusion. These are the types of innovative initiatives from around the world, which the Global Partnership meeting will look at today.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Many studies have shown that the absence of early childhood education can lock children into deprivation and marginalization. And benefits for children attending quality early education impact not only the children, but generations and society as a whole. Yet, too many young children are missing out. Two in five children, mostly in lower income countries do not attend pre-primary school — especially girls, children with disabilities and children living in vulnerable situations, according to a recent <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000378078" target="_blank">UNESCO report</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Ensuring early universal access to education is the foundation for inclusion in the lifelong journey to learning and a decent life,” says Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO. “Numerous benefits for children attending quality early education span generations and spill into society as a whole. Yet, too many young children are missing out. If we want them to reach their full potential, we have to get it right from the start”.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Educators and leaders from around the world have recently launched a <a href="https://en.unesco.org/news/unescos-global-partnership-strategy-early-childhood-care-and-education-takes-and-takes-root" target="_blank">Global Partnership Strategy (GPS) for Early Childhood Education</a>, a series of recommendations and action plans to help governments make pre-school compulsory and inclusive, and tackling new challenges arising from the pandemic. The guidelines address barriers related to socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, language, disability and remoteness. They also call for educators to be given the knowledge, training, and support to implement inclusive practices and work with families from all backgrounds.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Here are just two examples, amongst many others presented at the meeting, showing positive, promising and innovative initiatives, which could be reproduced elsewhere.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />1. Over half of Roma children in Europe are still missing out on pre-primary school. In the small town of Orehovica, in the northern part of Croatia, Roma and Croatian pre-schoolers get together twice a week to play and learn. The activities have been adapted to their needs and specific culture. This has created a sense of belonging for everyone regardless of their ability or their background. Teachers have been trained on inclusive education practices and how to best support these young children before they enter primary school. Parents also play a central role at the school and feel supported and valued. The positive impact is not only evident on the children but has spilled over into the entire community leading to better social cohesion.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />2. Disabled children are more likely to miss out on pre-primary school because these settings are not adapted to their specific needs. The Masvingo Community Based HIV/ AIDS and Vulnerable Children Organization (MACOBAO) in Zimbabwe has done research (this is very important as there is not enough data on pre-primary children, especially those who are excluded) and identified the reasons children with disabilities could be excluded from pre-primary school. These range from discrimination, stigmatization, prejudice and isolation. Once they had this information, they set about educating parents, communities and schools about their responsibility in insuring that children with special education needs access early childhood development and education. To do so, the organization organizes home visits to establish trusting relationships with the parents. These meetings encourage parents to access services for their child and to overcome their fears about enrolling their children in preschools.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Educators hope that these examples and recommendations will be promoted widely across the globe and lead to collaborations at regional, national and global levels in order to bring about concrete actions and real changes.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span><br /></p><div class="yt yu ic yv ae yw" role="button" tabindex="0"><div class="ao ap ym"></div></div>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-14699677393773792682021-10-19T08:36:00.003-07:002021-10-19T08:42:23.912-07:00#OneThingForTheFuture - Young leaders create memories and history for future generations<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWaMVWWfBlDWvdA-42zgOk3pBRtvFussWIeoNm3BhUZTwJWy5EcJ6q0qNwo-2y2kpkvkSLKE2kURHA4mNJhRzFM22VeWgeJT0qzkG45QyplnLIU6pnfAl-iOYfgfXr1Xr6AIYVgKSRMY/s2000/Future+Vault+Twitter+Card.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWaMVWWfBlDWvdA-42zgOk3pBRtvFussWIeoNm3BhUZTwJWy5EcJ6q0qNwo-2y2kpkvkSLKE2kURHA4mNJhRzFM22VeWgeJT0qzkG45QyplnLIU6pnfAl-iOYfgfXr1Xr6AIYVgKSRMY/w640-h360/Future+Vault+Twitter+Card.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Two blocks of Lego
retrieved from the Beirut blast; the Crested Crane, the national bird of
Uganda; the </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Peepal tree, which grows in Nepal. These are
among seven objects selected by seven young people from six continents to be
stored in “the <a href=" https://ourfutureagenda.org/futurevault" target="_blank">Future Vault.</a>” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> These objects
represent </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">core issues
affecting young people today, such as education, climate change, the future of
work and political representation of young people. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These young
people are now asking political leaders and youngsters everywhere to join them
in saving the one most important thing they want to preserve for future
generations.</span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht24NY-dxWk7Zg9PuSljegdppv4o6PNoWv2y9QsLrFHe3OyK8IRh_2lX6_yggYEZj1Q-n9KaiQNGpnOm-MbtjRKc0AyGV2G6NWMFTINqGZj3B0ZZKX3jRdOxDj5fd1uyw7mzGyHUhcla4/s2048/ngf_timecapsule_v3-01.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht24NY-dxWk7Zg9PuSljegdppv4o6PNoWv2y9QsLrFHe3OyK8IRh_2lX6_yggYEZj1Q-n9KaiQNGpnOm-MbtjRKc0AyGV2G6NWMFTINqGZj3B0ZZKX3jRdOxDj5fd1uyw7mzGyHUhcla4/w400-h400/ngf_timecapsule_v3-01.png" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All of the objects will be stored in a digital format
(illustrations and descriptions) so that the meanings and messages are resistant
to damage and accessible from the first day of the 22<sup>nd</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">They seven young people are the <a href=" https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/putting-young-people-at-the-forefront-of-our-common-agenda/" target="_blank">UN’s Next Generation Fellows,</a> global
leaders nominated by youth movements around the world. They </span><span style="font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">consult
with their Generation Z peers to capture concerns about the planet they will
inherit and propose innovative solutions, some of which have helped shape major
<a href="https://ourfutureagenda.org/report/" target="_blank">UN global reports. </a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"> </span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: black;"> “Too much is at peril. We need to preserve what is
important and meaningful for future generations, so that they are not forgotten
by the change that is going to happen in the next decade or so,” explains one
of the young leaders,” </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Valeria Colunga</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, 21, </span><span style="color: black;">UN’s
Foundation Next Generation Fellow</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> from Mexico, and an activist and podcaster</span><span style="color: black;">.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So far, the Future Vault also includes among many
other things, a replica of a warrior queen’s mask from Benin representing the
need to protect women’s rights; </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">St Lucia’s Dou Dou Falls, representing
the need to protect our ecosystem; </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">a ration</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> card from
Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, representing the need to protect people’s homes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“Coming from a community so immediately affected by rising sea levels
and more intense natural disasters has made me acutely aware of the urgent
actions needed to address climate change. My submission of an image of the Dou
Dou Falls from my native St Lucia shall therefore represent the need to protect
our ecosystem, as this is vital to our survival,” says </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Jevanic Henry</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">, UN’ Foundation Next Generation Fellow
from St Lucia. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The young
people hope their time capsule will inspire future generations to build their
own futures, but also prompt adults and world leaders to act for the nearly half
of the world’s population who are under the age of 30 and for the 10 billion
people who are yet to be born this century. </span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Xc7BUKo4-2S0t3aqb4k-ZpiwSZ0LOrWrUO3NR0WKs139Oe7kR63Q_VXfjFIPZKHY1RpVCoS1ElwXqutuH-g-DtxiH1GhnwaPAzIsiBeSID5dlM6u6C3-GbpNwl7ORA3RwKrTQ-lgaZY/s2048/ngf_timecapsule-04.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Xc7BUKo4-2S0t3aqb4k-ZpiwSZ0LOrWrUO3NR0WKs139Oe7kR63Q_VXfjFIPZKHY1RpVCoS1ElwXqutuH-g-DtxiH1GhnwaPAzIsiBeSID5dlM6u6C3-GbpNwl7ORA3RwKrTQ-lgaZY/w400-h400/ngf_timecapsule-04.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /> </p><p> </p><p><style>@font-face
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<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-41218453847941985062021-08-17T10:43:00.000-07:002021-08-17T10:43:23.936-07:00Afghanistan Crisis: Human Rights champion Dr.Sakena Yacoobi pleas for help <p> </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADEaG8D9evKdr1ynLAz2rjpmupgx0GIq_oMYghSn8wWnCeIVpeijM_18HgMq3Y0txbNnxKA9TBuBRLXXJoi0o_GI1ITvk1i9me2sa6mZtY4ek9WbCEv_Jc-nr-jE_S6QzCZzmvZADpzI/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1440" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADEaG8D9evKdr1ynLAz2rjpmupgx0GIq_oMYghSn8wWnCeIVpeijM_18HgMq3Y0txbNnxKA9TBuBRLXXJoi0o_GI1ITvk1i9me2sa6mZtY4ek9WbCEv_Jc-nr-jE_S6QzCZzmvZADpzI/w400-h167/19667576-1426310157463044-5843985846760677955-o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dr Sakena Yacoobi teaching/Credit: AIL</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wanted to share with you this heart-wrenching letter I've received from peace
activist and educator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakena_Yacoobi" target="_blank">Dr Sakena Yacoobi</a> about the crisis going on in
Afghanistan. Please read her first-hand account of the chaos and help out in any way you can.<span> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span></span>Yacoobi is an amazing
woman: people call her Afghanistan’s “mother of education". She has founded the <span><a href=" https://www.afghaninstituteoflearning.org/" target="_blank">Afghanistan Institute of
Learning (AIL)</a> there and <span></span></span>dedicated
her life to educating women and children. I've interviewed her for <a href="https://newint.org/columns/makingwaves/2016/09/01/sakena-yacoobi" target="_blank">a piece </a>in the New Internationalist a
few years ago. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is her letter: </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 20.65pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #202020;"><i>Dear, Friends, Supporters, and Colleagues,<br />
<br />
This is one of the most difficult letters I have ever written. After twenty
years, our government collapsed with almost no resistance. The constitution we
worked so hard for, the rights our women sacrificed so much to gain, thrown out
the window like scraps for the dogs. Our military and the Ghani government
fled, leaving our women and children to face the Taliban with no support. The
world watched it happen, without care. We begged, screaming for help. So, now
we see peace is again made on the back of women and children. It is what it is.
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has fallen, and Kabul is in complete chaos.
My office and staff are unharmed, for which we thank God. <br />
<br />
The nation of Afghanistan is in turmoil. My schools still stand, as of now, we
have been instructed that we can continue as long as we separate boys and
girls. The day the Taliban took Kandahar, they planted their flags in the
courtyard of three of them. My schools must be important, as they visited the
very first day the Taliban took control. Our Women Learning Centers remain open
as they primarily serve women. As of now, my staff is unharmed. We hope and
pray this remains true. We have been told that Radio and TV Meraj are not to
operate until we are given notice, we will wait for that instruction. We hope
and pray that the Taliban wasn’t lying when they told the world they did not
intend to shut the schools, but our universities have already shut their doors
to women and told them to go home. Burqa sales have tripled, as have the prices
to purchase them. Women who lived through the Taliban before, go now to
purchase these garments, while the daughters raised under the American
occupation throw them in the faces of their mothers, refusing to wear
them. <br />
<br />
We are a nation at a crossroads, but AIL will do what AIL has always done. We
will continue to educate and provide a safe space for children and women. We
will continue to offer food and job training and medical care for as long as we
can remain in our facilities. When it is no longer possible to remain in those
buildings, we will find new buildings, and work from there. Wherever we have
schools now, we will have schools next week or next month or next year. AIL was
started in secret and it will continue in secret if it must. While we are
afraid, we are not defeated. Our mission remains the same. We will set up
schools in every province, now that the worst has come. We know what to expect.
We know the Taliban very well. There is no question of how they operate, or
what they expect. We know how to manage them. We will do so. <br />
<br />
Letter after letter, phone call after phone call, came in this weekend asking
how you can help. We need humanitarian supplies. The refugee situation we
updated you with last week and the week before has only deteriorated. We have
300,000 internal refugees and 80,000 children who are without shelter and food.
Where we were short of supplies, now we are out. Those in need are overwhelming
us. Aid agencies have left with the American’s. AIL will not be leaving, so we will
expand our facilities to help those who lost everything, including their homes,
in the fighting. We need dry milk, clothes, school supplies, medicine, hygiene
items, and Covid is still present, so soap and sanitizers are critical. Many of
you have asked what else you can do, and to that I say contact the UN and
government officials and tell them you want them to use every possible tool
they have to protect our women and girls through diplomatic means. Sanction
Pakistan for their invasion of my country, and pray for the safety of my
people. <br />
<br />
Our democracy may have fallen for now. Ideas do not disappear so easily. One
cannot kill whispers on the wind. The Taliban cannot crush a dream. We will
prevail, even if it takes longer than we wanted it too. <br />
<br />
Much love to you all,<br />
</i><br />
<i>Dr. Sakena Yacoobi</i></span></span><b><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"></span></b></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #202020;"> </span><strong>What
you can do to help:</strong></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Donate to AIL <a href="https://www.afghaninstituteoflearning.org/">https://www.afghaninstituteoflearning.org/</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">UK MP information line, simply tell them whom you wish to speak to or give address
information to find out the name of your MP. 020 7219 4272</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Email the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Email Number 10 Downing Street https://email.number10.gov,uk/</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Request Peacekeepers <a href="https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/contact">https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/contact</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">International Committee of the Red Cross https://www.icrc.org,/en/contact</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><style><span style="font-family: verdana;"><font size="3">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-34688345453328052582021-07-09T09:18:00.000-07:002021-07-09T09:18:32.466-07:00“A Refugee is…” – The Refugee Dictionary<p> <span> </span><span> </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81igKCyIlmuBzNHzYaxFF5KrCEMeX695XG8IiFshB92pJP2XPpULRldyXQVrg8Tm03uoGU_PXN1HuI8ztk9xymjImY0NBU145hpIweT0R1HROVZgYB0lyg_pdd1D61We-nhc35TtVw7M/s2048/UKForUNHCR+-Mevan+Babakar+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81igKCyIlmuBzNHzYaxFF5KrCEMeX695XG8IiFshB92pJP2XPpULRldyXQVrg8Tm03uoGU_PXN1HuI8ztk9xymjImY0NBU145hpIweT0R1HROVZgYB0lyg_pdd1D61We-nhc35TtVw7M/w267-h400/UKForUNHCR+-Mevan+Babakar+5.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #222222;">UK for UNHCR Trustee Mevan Babakar, who was a refugee from
the Gulf war in the 1990s </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What does
the word “refugee” mean to you? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For Maya Ghazal, a Syrian refugee and a
pilot, “A
refugee is a human being with hopes and dreams like everyone else. A refugee
can be anyone, like a pilot flying your plane – a pilot like me!”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And
for actor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Morrissey" target="_blank">David Morrissey</a>, <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/uk/" target="_blank">UNHCR</a> Goodwill
Ambassador, ”A refugee is “a boy who had to give up his childhood to
provide for his family.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What is it for you? <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>To mark the 70th
anniversary of the <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/uk/1951-refugee-convention.html" target="_blank">1951 UN Refugee Convention</a>, on 28 July, <a href="https://www.unrefugees.org.uk/" target="_blank">UK for UNHCR</a>, the UN
Refugee Agency’s UK charity, is asking Britons to help compile a dictionary
that will define only one word – “refugee” – but in thousands of different
personal, emotive and thought-provoking ways. </span></span></span></p><p><style></style>
</p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>The (physical) dictionary
with its 1000s definitions of the term “refugee” will be unveiled on 28 July,
the day, 70 years ago, when the convention first legally defined the term
‘refugee’ in universal terms and outlined the rights and obligations of women,
men and children fleeing the horrors of war and persecutions to seek safety in
another country. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since then,
the word refugee has taken on countless personal meanings, so “The Refugee
Dictionary” aims to remind us of the rich tapestry of stories and futures made
possible because of this significant human rights convention - and celebrate and
encourage the UK’s proud tradition of giving refuge by inviting the public to
join in. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is hoped
the project will bring thousands of new meanings to the word and highlight
that refugees aren’t confined or defined by one word, but are individuals
with myriad rich stories, hopes and lives.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;">UK
for UNHCR is encouraging everyone to take part, from those who have sought
refuge in the UK or people whose family members were refugees, to those who
simply want to celebrate the positive role of refugees in their communities and
to the country.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;">You
can enter your definition until July 12<sup>th</sup> <a href=" https://www.unrefugees.org.uk/refugeedictionary/" target="_blank">here. </a></span></span></span>
</p><div align="center">
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-43690604616934541132021-02-16T08:47:00.005-08:002021-02-16T08:50:39.109-08:00A Domestic Worker' Story - photo essay on love, loss, and displacement <p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibme67Z8l6dA5XXcvw2rfuP5KQD-VxDxkC7WGpHfUCSpbblYCA6F9ZE9P-7pBVNXF3Eaz4qP2g9RkjY_zZND7gsH6iakXBGLIoO66N1atMRB7kB_fkV9A_UdAfDfLjLhocYx3Lq1IjK7Y/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="567" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibme67Z8l6dA5XXcvw2rfuP5KQD-VxDxkC7WGpHfUCSpbblYCA6F9ZE9P-7pBVNXF3Eaz4qP2g9RkjY_zZND7gsH6iakXBGLIoO66N1atMRB7kB_fkV9A_UdAfDfLjLhocYx3Lq1IjK7Y/s16000/Someone_Else%2527s_Mother_009.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85098)" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Caroline’s daughter, Elodie with Juning’s second son, Roel, on the family farm in Bantayan Island/Credit: Caroline Irby</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85098)" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Award-winning photographer <a href=" https://carolineirby.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Irby </a>grew up in London with Juning, a Filipina woman, who stayed with her family for 22 years, first in Hong Kong, then in London. “I can’t say where Juning’s influence on my early years began and ended: she was in almost every part of my life.” Caroline says that today no smell is more comforting than the smell of rice, which Juning loved to cook. And it is now her children’s staple.<br /><br />But Juning had four children of her own living on her native Bantayan, a small island in the Philippines 7,000 miles away. <br /><br />It was only when Caroline became a mother herself that she grasped the price Juning and her children had to pay. “I can’t shake off a feeling of strangeness that their lives and mine carried on in parallel for all those years, mine with their mother, theirs without. We are all part of the same curious equation, and after decades of living in tandem but remotely, I wanted to try to understand how this all happened and what the effect on the people involved had been.”<br /><br /> </span></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieagKqXZy_-02czv6dhlEqqb1U4LqARfNs0vC_IJnUBYGjokWuvU5QTfsEels7URYeQhP0ET4va5WU-Ldc_rec-w3QncygJT4UY1tbLzyOPrkJifcKLJxnwuq5ZqpcLPD3nkzVyniLkcY/s825/001.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieagKqXZy_-02czv6dhlEqqb1U4LqARfNs0vC_IJnUBYGjokWuvU5QTfsEels7URYeQhP0ET4va5WU-Ldc_rec-w3QncygJT4UY1tbLzyOPrkJifcKLJxnwuq5ZqpcLPD3nkzVyniLkcY/w440-h640/001.jpg" width="440" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85098)" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Juning’s four children left behind</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The result is <a href=" https://www.schiltpublishing.com/shop/books/new-releases/someone-elses-mother/" target="_blank">“<i>Someone Else’s Mother”</i></a>, a beautiful and sensitive photo essay, interweaving Caroline's own recollections of a childhood spent with Juning with conversations and photos with Juning and her four children – gleaned in London and over three visits to Bantayan. <br /><br />I found the book particularly interesting and moving because, although it tells the very personal story of Caroline and Juning and their families, it also echoes parts of the stories of millions of nannies and their host families across the world. <br /><br />Every day, just from the Philippines, 5,000 people leave their country in search of work abroad. For decades, this movement has been female dominated: more than 70% of Filipino emigrants are currently women.<br /><br /> </span></span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>When she became a mother, Caroline decided to look after her children herself as much as possible, aware that is a freedom of choice Juning couldn’t have.<br /><br />Juning explained: “I was desperate to earn more money. My children were still young and I left them with my mother. It hurt me when I left them, but I had no choice: I had to work abroad for their education.” <br /><br />And Roly, Juning’s oldest child, told Caroline when she visited Bantayan in 2018 with her own children: “I was lonely. Everywhere I was looking for her care. You were lucky, Caroline: you had her care for so many years. I had no one to talk to when I had a problem.”<br /><br />Juning achieved her goal of feeding and educating her family: three of them have university degrees. Between them, there is a farm, several other homes, nine children, two foster children, and the extended family is well supported. “Quietly, Juning has been a vessel for a huge amount of change.” <br /><br />Yet,<i> “Someone Else’s Mother”</i> is a bittersweet story with no happy ending. The thoughtful texts and light-infused photography weave together a story of attachment, loneliness and displacement, love and loss, memory, sadness and hope, guilt and inequality. It is also a story to try to understand. <br /><br />And nannies and domestic workers all over the world will recognize parts of that story.<br /><br />The book, published by Schilt in 2020, can be ordered <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/someone-elses-mother/caroline-irby/9789053309407" target="_blank">online </a>and from bookstores (and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Someone-Elses-Mother-Caroline-Irby/dp/9053309403" target="_blank">here</a>). <br /></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_skVK0sO5S6aMyyifNEIfaDaXFl2r67UvMlHdur863M_pYILu5yy6XE0JRsVXLdsiEbLftQMpijhfY-lfv-ctzaZf3kczAZC0Rx7akM8q283Rgb9FDfqess1xiFQpPzDMg4LWYxY3Gj4/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="567" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_skVK0sO5S6aMyyifNEIfaDaXFl2r67UvMlHdur863M_pYILu5yy6XE0JRsVXLdsiEbLftQMpijhfY-lfv-ctzaZf3kczAZC0Rx7akM8q283Rgb9FDfqess1xiFQpPzDMg4LWYxY3Gj4/s16000/014.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85098)" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Juning’s grown up children with Caroline’s children on Batayan Island/Credit: C</span>aroline Irby</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-80535084041337948022021-01-29T09:05:00.000-08:002021-01-29T09:05:39.614-08:00World's first graphic novel made by homeless people<p> <span> </span><span> </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKZW2Tt_uAun9fsTBD59mFm4lYJ5LM4l1nlScptXbR0HdPMK87cmexhWOGNZM7hWiG8r0Q58jO7ywsg9wift-vAh-6ltPY12tpA-UkoLA7vkTgAv00UYRYohr9uQyvQnxagXMgZ2MwXk/s1280/Book+of+H-+Day3-SabelaPeinado+32.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKZW2Tt_uAun9fsTBD59mFm4lYJ5LM4l1nlScptXbR0HdPMK87cmexhWOGNZM7hWiG8r0Q58jO7ywsg9wift-vAh-6ltPY12tpA-UkoLA7vkTgAv00UYRYohr9uQyvQnxagXMgZ2MwXk/w640-h427/Book+of+H-+Day3-SabelaPeinado+32.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Authors working on <i>The Book of Homelessness</i>/Courtesy of Accumulate<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love graphic novels and I love stories told by the people who are experiencing them, so this is my kind of book. <br /><br /><i><a href="https://accumulate.org.uk/product-category/book-of-homelessness/" target="_blank">The Book of Homelessness</a>,</i> recently published in the UK, shares the life stories of people affected by homelessness through their own drawings, texts, poetry and photography. Their stories are personal, emotional, raw and honest. They talk about pain, abuse and dysfunction, about families, war, rejection and misplaced love, and about overcoming difficulties and fighting and succeeding. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />By telling their own stories in the form they wanted to tell them, the authors hope to show the complexities of homelessness and what causes it – and perhaps help change perceptions around homelessness.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTgqhuhy_RT8rpijd9E8slSaZqkvk0sFnz-iHXSJdyaQBnBfAR5cbsANFOryMOlezgTGK_jGX2mWEqx8Rhs9OvvxTNbuKVo5iR_Q9EnDjCydxzwlwoB5zIGTJXs_j1_UL05HJlInqk8Y/s1280/CC_REV_Mock_Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTgqhuhy_RT8rpijd9E8slSaZqkvk0sFnz-iHXSJdyaQBnBfAR5cbsANFOryMOlezgTGK_jGX2mWEqx8Rhs9OvvxTNbuKVo5iR_Q9EnDjCydxzwlwoB5zIGTJXs_j1_UL05HJlInqk8Y/s320/CC_REV_Mock_Cover.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> The project is the brainchild of <a href="https://www.creativereview.co.uk/creativeleaders50/leader/marice-cumber/" target="_blank">Marice Cumber,</a> founder of youth homelessness charity <a href="https://accumulate.org.uk/" target="_blank">Accumulate,</a> which describes itself as “the art school of the homeless”. <br /><br />The charity encourages young homeless people’s creativity through courses on fashion, photography, sculpture, graphic design and more. They also hold exhibitions and source funding to send really talented individuals to arts college. (So far, they’ve sent 20 to arts college).<br /><br /><a href="https://accumulate.org.uk/" target="_blank">Accumulate</a> launched a crowdfunding initiative for the book two years ago, and creative workshops with the participants – who were all living in hostels, shelters or temporary accommodation – started last January. <br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Morton" target="_blank">Samantha Morton</a>, herself previously homeless, has written an intro to the book entitled <i>“How homelessness shaped my life”</i>, and Colin Firth has said about it: <i>"This is a remarkable collection in any context. The fact that these beautiful, personal works are the expressions of our neighbours who are homeless makes it untenable to ignore them ever again." </i><br /><br />All profits from <i>The Book of Homelessness</i> are shared with its authors and Accumulate so it can continue to provide creative workshops for people who are homeless. <br /><br />Please visit <a href="http://www.accumulate.org.uk" target="_blank">Accumulate</a> to purchase a copy of the book (£25)<br /></span><br /><p></p>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-8049159666344543232020-11-23T07:29:00.002-08:002020-11-23T07:29:26.055-08:00A bloody problem - Why and how is Poland’s richest woman trying to tackle period poverty<p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpibn_rKPwJ_iFgctNssoRSHo9c7mTeZ-NhCjU30_FlVlczUzR4m2Sqag-Gu1XJkL0LN57z3DkDxAbkCMFrhibRPxaaiHEkoXdPDK8EEjlb0ZwbVwuJPEV_h-BSANBOYG2oi_IW31Src/s2048/571A6181.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpibn_rKPwJ_iFgctNssoRSHo9c7mTeZ-NhCjU30_FlVlczUzR4m2Sqag-Gu1XJkL0LN57z3DkDxAbkCMFrhibRPxaaiHEkoXdPDK8EEjlb0ZwbVwuJPEV_h-BSANBOYG2oi_IW31Src/w640-h427/571A6181.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dominika Kulczyk attends a lesson on menstruation in Nepal/ courtesy of Kulczyk Foundation</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/04/india-sanitary-towel-hero-padman-bollywood-glory-arunachalam-muruganantham" target="_blank">In India, 78%of women cannot afford menstrual products</a> and between 6% and 43% say they missed school or work due
to menstruation. Even in the UK, a recent report by <a href="https://plan-uk.org/period-poverty-in-lockdown" target="_blank">Plan International UK revealed that 3 in 10 girls struggle to afford or access sanitary wear.</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Globally,
around 500 million people lack complete menstrual health and hygiene, something
the world calls period poverty, according to <a href="https://data.unicef.org/topic/water-and-sanitation/sanitation/" target="_blank">UNICEF</a>.<br /></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Harmful stigma, lack of access to toilets and water, lack of education
or not being able to afford tampons and pads cause millions of girls and women worldwide to miss
out on education, job opportunities and quality of life. And Covid-19 is making
things worse. </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Yet, despite growing attention
over the past few years, period poverty remains massively neglected. </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>That a fundamentally
basic need can be so challenging in 2020 is astounding. Why is more not being
done? </span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>This is a question <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominika_Kulczyk" target="_blank">Dominika Kulczyk</a> wanted to address. She is a philanthropist, entrepreneur and
a journalist – and also Poland’s richest woman. </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>“As a journalist
and film director, I have seen the devastating impact of period poverty
first-hand. If
you are made to feel ashamed of your body, struggle because of the stigma, if
you cannot attend school or go to work because your clothes are red, then you
cannot participate fully in society,” Kulczyk says. </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span lang="EN-US">“Access to
complete menstrual health and hygiene is a basic human right. Without it, women
and girls cannot pursue full lives with dignity and confidence. It is deeply
unfair that girls in all parts of the world miss out on better education, and
women on work, because they were too poor to have a period.” </span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span class="article-container"><span>After filming in Nepal earlier
this year and seeing women and girls asked to hide in caves and cowsheds while
on their period, </span></span><span>Kulczyk</span><span> </span><span class="article-container"><span>decided to act. </span></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>As a first step, she partnered
the <a href="https://kulczykfoundation.org.pl/en/" target="_blank">KulczykFoundation </a>(her family foundation) with
<a href="https://founderspledge.com/" target="_blank">Founders Pledge</a> to produce an <a href="https://kulczykfoundation.org.pl/uploads/media/default/0001/05/465728000cda27b8f50a3acc18d77c7b4df8b482.pdf" target="_blank">extensive report</a>
reviewing the current state of funding and solutions to ending period
poverty.<span> </span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>One of the report’s shocking
findings is that global spending on period poverty amounts to less than 20¢ per woman per year. “It means that
the issue is not taken seriously by anyone,” Kulczyk says.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The report highlights eight organizations providing outstanding and cost-effective solutions in different
parts of the world, and and what
are the next steps for the
international community in terms of funding.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>
</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span> </span>“The <a href="https://kulczykfoundation.org.pl/uploads/media/default/0001/05/465728000cda27b8f50a3acc18d77c7b4df8b482.pdf" target="_blank">Kulczyk Foundation’s report</a> highlights this fundamental gendered inequality that persists globally – and
serves as a call to action to governments, donors and the world, to take long
overdue action on period poverty,” says
Marni Sommer, Associate Professor, Columbia University,
who contributed to the report.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span> </span></span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-78678463662476310772020-09-23T08:50:00.002-07:002020-09-23T08:52:18.036-07:00Run for Rangers – Rangers across Africa unite to protect wildlife from Covid-19 impact<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1XQsnNZBrL7sSkP4pFQKrVXcyk9_ItFUOon3MVb4-DqZuMMw1W2zobqM6n3BQmYkwBhc9IKbEFi__Ortmj47zoH-5bL6qiUwoqdS3uMEbvmZ1nFhacuDODP9t_WwmOag52GGzJn7P_E/s2048/5.+Credit+MartinBuzora%252C+Wildlife+Ranger+Challenge%252C+Leruati+Morijo%252C+a+ranger+at+a+remote+outpost+on+Lewa+wildlife+Conservancy+in+Kenya%252C+cares+for+a+baby+rhino.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1XQsnNZBrL7sSkP4pFQKrVXcyk9_ItFUOon3MVb4-DqZuMMw1W2zobqM6n3BQmYkwBhc9IKbEFi__Ortmj47zoH-5bL6qiUwoqdS3uMEbvmZ1nFhacuDODP9t_WwmOag52GGzJn7P_E/w640-h426/5.+Credit+MartinBuzora%252C+Wildlife+Ranger+Challenge%252C+Leruati+Morijo%252C+a+ranger+at+a+remote+outpost+on+Lewa+wildlife+Conservancy+in+Kenya%252C+cares+for+a+baby+rhino.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leruati Morijo, a ranger at a remote outpost on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, cares for a baby rhino. Credit: Martin Buzora, Wildlife Ranger Challenge</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Covid-19 has devastated African wildlife tourism with
calamitous impacts on the animals and the people who have dedicated their lives
protecting them. In response, rangers across Africa are taking part of a challenge to raise
money to bring thousands of their colleagues back to the field. And you can
help too.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Next week,
on 3<sup>rd</sup> October, up to 50 ranger teams spanning the African continent
will compete in the <a href="https://wildliferangerchallenge.org/" target="_blank">Wildlife Ranger Challenge</a>, a half marathon race carrying their 25kg backpack containing a
typical day’s equipment - along the way, building friendship and raising awareness of the
hardship currently faced by those in their profession. </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Supporters around the world are encouraged
to bolster their efforts and to <span>‘Run
with Rangers’</span> by taking part in a virtual 5, 10 or 21km run and donating
funds or raising sponsorship. </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Support is coming from </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">the world’s greatest long distance runner, E<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/50025543" target="_blank">liud Kipchoge</a> from
Kenya, adventurers and TV personalities <a href="https://www.beargrylls.com/" target="_blank">Bear Grylls</a> and <a href="http://www.levisonwood.com/" target="_blank">Levison Wood</a>, as well
as the Duke of Cambridge, <a href=" https://www.tusk.org" target="_blank">Tusk</a>’s Patron, along with
many other people internationally.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">In 2018,
the global wildlife tourism economy generated over $100bn and provided 9
million jobs, worldwide, but Covid-19 has resulted in an almost complete end to
cross-border travel. The African Union has suggested that
the cost of the pandemic on the African travel sector may be $50 billion. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">The <a href="https://www.gameranger.org/" target="_blank">Game Ranger Association of Africa </a>estimates that there are
between 40,000 and 50,000 rangers across the continent and that the vast
majority of them have either been furloughed or had their salary reduced by 50% to
80% - leaving families destitute and wildlife vulnerable and unprotected. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">With remaining rangers stretched to capacity and international and
national borders re-opening, it is feared that protected areas across Africa
will experience a rapid increase in illegal poaching, as well as a decline in
wellbeing and economic security for the communities to whom this wildlife
belongs. </span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">This threatens to undo years of
rangers’ conservation gains, compromising decades of development and conservation
work across Africa.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">Funds
raised through the <a href="https://wildliferangerchallenge.org/" target="_blank">Wildlife Ranger Challenge</a> will cover salaries for at least
5,000 rangers, enabling them to provide for their families, protect communities
and defend endangered wildlife -</span><span style="color: black;">including elephant, pangolin, rhino
and lion - in some of the continent’s most vulnerable areas.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">“I have spent my entire career working for Malawi’s people and
wildlife. I have worked with and alongside wildlife rangers, and even as one
myself, and I know they are the lifeblood of the conservation sector in
Africa,” says </span><span style="color: black;">Brighton Kumchedwa, Director,
Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Malawi.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;">“I have
seen us move from a period of plenty in terms of wildlife to a period of huge
losses. We must support rangers to work every day to ensure that our wildlife
[is] not lost. The wildlife crisis we are facing is terrifying, but by
supporting rangers we are in a position to make a difference, before it is too
late. That’s what I remind myself every day.” </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span>
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div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-43610227858460432542020-07-24T08:14:00.000-07:002020-07-24T08:14:49.351-07:00Hear Us – How refugee and asylum-seeking women experienced the pandemic<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hLynxehV5FUE34b4Nyb_8bNCHjsbFu8-ddh9K-uhESCFPGk92THZfQcSaN4kZJwCmcfHT8ROWsZQnOTTAAlB4unVtbtWL90yujaWqrVQfKpJc-OpdyK7pD_2r6erdQmIbaUdx83QGRg/s1600/Sisters+Not+Strangers+-+8+March+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hLynxehV5FUE34b4Nyb_8bNCHjsbFu8-ddh9K-uhESCFPGk92THZfQcSaN4kZJwCmcfHT8ROWsZQnOTTAAlB4unVtbtWL90yujaWqrVQfKpJc-OpdyK7pD_2r6erdQmIbaUdx83QGRg/s640/Sisters+Not+Strangers+-+8+March+2020.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Being destitute during a pandemic is the worst feeling ever. It makes you feel like you are just a box and if someone wanted to kick you, they could. It’s not easy relying on other people for food and shelter and it has caused me a lot of mental health issues,” says Edna (not her real name), who is living with no statutory support and relying on charities for her survival in Liverpool.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Edna is one of 115 refugee and asylum-seeking women in the UK who have shared their experiences during the pandemic for ‘Hear Us’, a new report by <a href="https://www.sistersnotstrangers.com/" target="_blank">Sisters Not Strangers,</a> a coalition of eight organisations. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of these women have already fled violence and abuse. During the pandemic, they became more vulnerable: three quarters of them went hungry, a fifth of them were homeless, and most of them said that their mental health got worse, according to the report. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-understanding-the-impact-on-bame-communities" target="_blank">government’s research on the impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities </a>found that Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women are almost three times more likely to die from COVID-19, compared to white women. The intersection of gender, race and immigration status, coupled with the trauma of their past experiences, means that asylum-seeking women are among those BAME women most affected by the consequences of the outbreak.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With charities closed, women have been unable to access meals and small hardship payments that have become so crucial both for women within the asylum system, who live in poverty, and women refused asylum, who are so often left destitute.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Three quarters of the women surveyed went hungry, including mothers who struggled to feed their children. A third of women were at high risk from coronavirus, reporting a serious health condition such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes. While the government emphasised social distancing, a fifth of women were homeless, relying on temporary arrangements with community members, and moving from one house to another. Self-isolation was impossible for the 21% of women who were forced to sleep in the same room as a non-family member. Frequent handwashing was a serious challenge for the 32% of women who struggled to afford soap and other hygiene products. A fifth of staff and volunteers had supported women who were trapped in unwanted or abusive relationships during the pandemic. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lo Lo (not her real name), an asylum-seeking woman who was homeless in London during lockdown says, “I have serious health conditions that mean it would be particularly dangerous for me to catch the virus. For a week during lockdown, I slept on buses. I went from one side of London to the other, because it was free to travel on the bus then.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Previous research has established that almost all women who seek asylum in the UK are survivors of gender-based violence. Even before this crisis, we have seen how they are forced into poverty and struggle to find safety,” says Natasha Walter, director of <a href="https://www.refugeewomen.co.uk/" target="_blank">Women for Refugee Women</a>. “During the pandemic they have too often been left without basic support including food and shelter. It is now vital that we listen to these women and ensure that we build a fairer and more caring society.” </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In exposing deep structural inequalities along existing fault-lines of gender, race, citizenship and class, the pandemic is testing our society. We cannot simply return to normal, the report concludes. “We must seize this opportunity to build back better, and to create a society centred on solidarity and human dignity in which the lives of women seeking asylum, and women of colour, are fully valued.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Sisters Not Strangers coalition includes Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group, Development and Empowerment for Women’s Advancement (Sheffield), Oasis Cardiff, Refugee Women Connect (Liverpool), Swansea Women’s Asylum and Refugee Support Group, Women Asylum Seekers Together Manchester, Women for Refugee Women (London) and Women with Hope (Birmingham)</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-71279320791058125622020-07-02T10:24:00.002-07:002020-07-02T10:24:20.267-07:00Renowned Iranian scientists attacked because of child rights activism<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjfDTnE2OWDt-TmBfQmsPEU5iGWRjAUsLhd1sPs-fWnELQtyy70Ziy0HCqy5U_Jg71rtTA254ec3y3lID99dVklO-s9ovLRu4hDHjcYFM3_Rt5MtcL9OY_P9koGPqqRtcyqFKxsLEmo8/s1600/Screenshot_2019-10-11-12-38-23-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="713" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjfDTnE2OWDt-TmBfQmsPEU5iGWRjAUsLhd1sPs-fWnELQtyy70Ziy0HCqy5U_Jg71rtTA254ec3y3lID99dVklO-s9ovLRu4hDHjcYFM3_Rt5MtcL9OY_P9koGPqqRtcyqFKxsLEmo8/s1600/Screenshot_2019-10-11-12-38-23-1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jahangir (left) and Shahin Gavanji</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two Iranian brothers,
both respected research scientists and child rights activists, have been
severely beaten by fundamentalists who see their campaigning work –
particularly against child marriage - as promoting anti-Islamic values. Fearing
for their lives, they had to flee the country. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Last May, a group of motorcyclists descended on the
brothers’ home in Isfahan. They assaulted them with truncheons and electric
cables, and threatened to splash hydrochloric acid on their </span><span style="background: #FCFCFC; color: #222222; letter-spacing: .15pt;">faces. </span><span style="background: #FCFCFC; letter-spacing: .15pt;">“They wanted to blind us. </span>They
shouted: ‘Away with you, you are representatives of America, Israel and the
United Kingdom’. It was horrible. I still <span style="background: #FCFCFC; letter-spacing: .15pt;">remember the voice who said: ‘We will kill you both.’</span><span style="background: white;"> My</span> brother Jahangir lost 30 kilos in one month
because of the stress, and his leg is now numb and he cannot walk
properly," says Shahin Gavanji, 35.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"We
don't want to do any political or religious activities," says Gavanji.
"We only want to focus on children's rights. Child marriage is a big
problem in Iran, as well as child labour, and physical and sexual abuse of
children are totally ignored.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">More than
half a million marriages of children are registered in Iran every year,
according to the Persian-language <a href="https://www.entekhab.ir/">Entekhab</a>
news website. Up to 40,000 of them are between the age 11 and 14, and more than
300 are girls under the age of nine. Physical and sexual abuses are widespread,
but these issues are completely taboo. In addition, according to UNICEF, there
are <a href="https://en.radiofarda.com/a/poverty-at-the-root-of-iran-s-child-labor-problem/29621609.html">three
million child workers in Iran,</a> but Iranian NGOs estimate their numbers at
seven million. Under Iranian law, it is illegal to work under the age of 15,
but because of circumstances like poverty and organized crime, the law is not
often followed. An estimated 14% of Iranian children are forced to work in
dangerous and unsanitary conditions - in the streets, in automobile or rug
factories, or in the sex industry, according to international child NGO <a href="https://www.humanium.org/en/iran/">Humanium</a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Gavanji brothers have received various awards for their research work
in their country and have been voted the best young inventors and scientists of
Iran in 2009 and 2010. They have also won several medals and awards at
international science festivals in Germany, Poland and Croatia. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “My
brother and I are very well-known in our country, so we thought that we
should use our voice to help children and make a better world for them,” says
Gavanij, who has a degree in Biotechnology and chairs the
Asian Council of the <a href="https://wams.online/about-us/">World Academy of
Medical Sciences (WAMS) </a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">T<span style="color: black;">o
break the silence around child rights issues, they have launched several
campaigns in Iran and abroad, including the first national campaign to prevent
child abuse in Iran and the Global Campaign for the Prevention of Child
Marriage in 41 countries. </span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “We focus on
raising awareness since we believe that education is the most powerful way to
help change the world.” They also held 5-minute classes in the streets
across the country to help child labourers recognize and
prevent different types of abuses. “We see a significant number of children who
blame themselves and are even afraid to tell their family or anyone else about
the abuse they have suffered,” Gavanji says. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: black;">The
brothers are also Iran ambassadors for <a href="https://www.mybodyismybody.com/">My
Body is My Body,</a> an international educational programme against child
abuse, </span>available in 21 languages. They have translated it into Farsi and organized information classes for children and their
parents in Iran.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With the support
of the World Academy of Medical Sciences, they have also created a national project
to raise awareness about the negative physical and mental health consequences
of child marriage.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Their work
has been well received by children, parents and teachers across the country and
abroad. </span>"Many Iranians were very happy with our educational programmes.
Every day we received support from children and their parents. We were also
invited by many people to organize our classes in cities and in the
countryside.” Their human rights and peace work in Iran and
internationally led them to be named <a href="http://www.diplomatmagazine.eu/2020/05/03/two-brothers-selected-as-world-peace-ambassadors/"><span style="color: black;">World Peace Ambassadors of the International Forum for the
Literature and Culture of Peace </span></a><a href="http://www.diplomatmagazine.eu/2020/05/03/two-brothers-selected-as-world-peace-ambassadors/">(IFLAC)
</a>in March of this year.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Yet, in Iran,
their educational work attracted the wrath of fundamentalist groups who believe
that they are promoting Western values, which will corrupt the younger
generations. “</span>They
say that our activities, especially our campaign against girl brides<span style="color: black;">, promote the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), and because of that </span>children and future generations will lose
their Islamic spirit,” Gavanji says. “They believes that child marriage is a correct
action and they think that we're promoting anti-Islamic culture in Iran."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">After the attack, the brothers hid in the countryside, then
in September decided to flee the country, leaving behind their families,
research projects and campaigning work. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">They are now
living in hiding in a small room in an undisclosed country, as they fear that
fundamentalists will track them there. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>They hope to be offered asylum in
Canada or in another country and have launched a signature
campaign to help them achieve this. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “We want to make our voice heard by the United Nations. We ask all
journalists, human rights organizations and governments to listen to us and
help us.” </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please, <a href="https://www.change.org/p/united-nations-rescue-shahin-and-jahangir-gavanji-from-beatings-and-acid-attacks?recruiter=1008637619&recruited_by_id=3e54aea0-ea93-11e9-b2f4-c157f6671214&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard">sign
their petition.</a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span> </span><br />
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div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-83255320566360696552020-05-22T06:30:00.001-07:002020-05-22T06:30:33.359-07:00Surge in global domestic violence during lockdown – the shadow pandemic<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hp2fHWnV3se7JBfCoSnKDYqwpXUai1m4YGCz0A-NQ-Z0b_Y2pw5EPeKmECZ9hxg1hNm4ZlC-Np4dZfvypXuBiVVREzAoR7rftLmtrqlkIflWteQwThx37B6HSt_W_8CK_hx4UO5Z-S4/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hp2fHWnV3se7JBfCoSnKDYqwpXUai1m4YGCz0A-NQ-Z0b_Y2pw5EPeKmECZ9hxg1hNm4ZlC-Np4dZfvypXuBiVVREzAoR7rftLmtrqlkIflWteQwThx37B6HSt_W_8CK_hx4UO5Z-S4/s640/maxresdefault.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Argentina, the number of women killed has reached a 10-year high under coronavirus lockdown, with more than 50 femicides in less than two months, according to <a href="http://www.lacasadelencuentro.org/" target="_blank">La Casa del Encuentro</a>, a Buenos Aires-based feminist group. Not only the numbers, but the severity of the violence, is hugely concerning, they said.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Spain, two women have been killed by their partners since the country’ strict lockdown came into force on 14 March. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last month, the UK charity<a href="https://www.refuge.org.uk/" target="_blank"> Refuge</a> reported a 50 per cent increase in calls to its National Domestic Abuse Helpline and a 400 per cent spike in visits to its website since the lockdown began. <br /><br />Across Europe, the lockdown stress and anxiety has led to a sharp spike in the number of women reporting incidents of domestic abuse, according to the <a href="https://unric.org/en/who-warns-of-surge-of-domestic-violence-as-covid-19-cases-decrease-in-europe/" target="_blank">World Health Organization.</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />The data in Argentina and other countries follow a worldwide trend of rising gender-based violence under lockdown that has left women trapped at home with their abusers and unable to seek help while tensions due to COVID-19 escalate.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Social isolation under the current crisis not only increases the risk of domestic abuse, but also hinders access to assistance and protection services. <br />Dr Hans Kluge, director of WHO’s European region, told a recent <a href="https://unric.org/en/who-warns-of-surge-of-domestic-violence-as-covid-19-cases-decrease-in-europe/" target="_blank">press briefing </a>that across the continent the number of women making emergency calls had risen 60 per cent in April, compared to the same month in 2019.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last month the <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2004/S00185/new-unfpa-projections-predict-calamitous-impact-on-womens-health-as-covid-19-pandemic-continues.htm" target="_blank">United Nations Population Fund warned</a> of the "calamitous" impact of a prolonged lockdown, saying it that if it lasted for six months there would be an additional 31 million cases of gender-based violence globally.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Some countries have introduced innovative measures to address the issue – Greenland has limited sales of alcohol, for example, and Spain and France have introduced a system where pharmacists can be alerted to cases of domestic abuse with a code word. Other countries have announced measures including having 24-hour phone helplines, increasing funding, providing refuge for victims in hotel rooms or having police check on households with previous cases of domestic violence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.civicus.org/index.ph" target="_blank">CIVICU</a>S (</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the global alliance of civil society organisations)</span></span>’ <a href="https://www.civicus.org/index.php/what-we-do/strengthen/diversity-inclusion" target="_blank">Diversity & Inclusion Group for Networking & Action (DIGNA)</a>, </span></span>recently held a domestic violence webinar with speakers from Botswana, Uganda, Fiji, India and Brazil in order to get some insights into the situation and solutions in their countries. Here is a quick summary: <br /><br />UGANDA - Lucky Kobugabe, GBV Prevention Network Uganda<br />• Public spaces are becoming even more gendered during the pandemic. The streets are quieter due to lockdown, so women are more likely to be violated by strangers they don't know.<br /><br />BRAZIL – Ana Addobbati, Social Good Brasil<br />• In Rio De Janeiro, police reports can be filed online, and there has been around a 50% increase in cases. Technology is being utilised to adapt to the situation, including the use of apps to report cases.<br />• There has been an increase in sexual abuse cases of children and adolescents.<br /><br />INDIA – Uttanshi Agarwal, One Future Collective<br />• In India, only 38% women of have access to technology - COVID-19 has exposed the need for digital literacy, which is now more urgent than ever.<br />• Police can help reduce domestic violence during curfew hours by increasing patrols in different areas.<br />• They are implementing a follow-up system for officers to call individuals who have reported a case in the last 6-8months, this makes the community feel supported.<br /><br />FIJI – Roshika Deo, One Billion Rising<br />• Curfews are making it harder to access police and restraining orders – abusers are using this to their advantage and targeting women during lockdown hours. Moreover, there has been a rise in verbal and physical abuse during curfew hours.<br />• Why isn’t the government using empty hotels to house survivors of domestic violence? Tourism is a major industry in Fiji and there are now many rooms available.<br />• Fiji has good legislation relating to domestic violence but it is not being enforced. For example, a police officer can apply for a restraining order via the telephone.<br /><br />BOTSWANA – Dumiso Gatsha, Success Capital<br />• In countries with a high cellphone penetration, such as Botswana, civil society organisations can provide airtime and data.<br />• Increased risk for those who are marginalized: there is a higher risk for LGBT+ persons being ‘outed’ by family members – families are using the lockdown period as a means to control.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Experts stressed that the end of lockdowns will bring additional challenges for women who are victims of an abusive relationship. Financial uncertainty linked to income and job losses, psychological stress and the generalised feeling of loss of control are among the causes of increased domestic violence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Additionally, the Covid-19 health crisis also has other effects in the long run, such as not talking to anyone about the violence suffered, unwanted pregnancies and facing difficulties accessing the voluntary termination of pregnancy services.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Services must continue to support vulnerable women and children and people should be on the alert for signs of abuse in the community. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></span>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-45481481286515385792020-05-05T07:01:00.001-07:002020-05-05T07:01:54.421-07:00Media censorship a ‘global phenomenon’ obstructing efforts to tackle pandemic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">On
Sunday, we celebrated <a href="https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldpressfreedomday" target="_blank">World Press Freedom Day,</a> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">yet when it comes to reporting
Covid-19, journalists across the world are far from free. <span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">They have
been risking their lives to provide reliable and trustworthy information during
the pandemic, but all over the world, governments’ crackdown and media censorship </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">are hampering efforts to tackle
the virus.</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Censorship of vital information related to the pandemic has become
a ‘global phenomenon’, according to <a href="https://www.amnestyusa.org/the-power-of-world-press-freedom-day/" target="_blank">Amnesty International</a>. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">“There is no hope of containing
this virus if people can’t access accurate information. It is truly alarming to
see how many governments are more interested in protecting their own
reputations than in saving lives,” says Amnesty International’s Director of Law
and Policy, Ashfaq Khalfan.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">A core feature of the right to health is the right to access
timely and accurate information. In the case of COVID-19, this means everybody
has a right to access all available information about the nature and spread of
the virus, as well as the measures they can take to protect themselves. But
governments around the world have arrested and detained journalists and other
media workers for sharing exactly this kind of essential information.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Here are just a few <b>examples of dangerous
censorship and serious attacks on free speech </b>across the globe collected by
Amnesty International:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;"><b>• Russia:</b> On 12 April, the Russian newspaper <i>Novaya Gazeta</i> published an article by journalist <span>Elena Milashina</span>, in which she
criticised the Chechen authorities' response to the pandemic. Chechen leader Ramzan
Kadyrov posted and Instagram video in which he threatened Milashina, appealing
to the Russian government and Federal Security Service (FSB) to "stop
those non-humans who are writing and provoking our people."</span><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/journalist-risk-after-receiving-death-threat"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">Urge the Russian authorities</span></i></a><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;"> to ensure her
safety. </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">• Niger:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Journalist <span>Mamane Kaka Touda </span>was arrested on
5 March after posting on social media about a suspected case of COVID-19
infection in Niamey Reference Hospital. He was charged with "disseminating
data tending to disturb public order". </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">• Egypt</span></b><span style="color: black;">: </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Editor-in-chief of <i>AlkararPress</i> newspaper, <span>Atef Hasballah</span>, was arrested by
security forces on 18 March, and forcibly disappeared for nearly a month,
following a post on his Facebook page in which he challenged the official
statistics on COVID-19 cases. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;"><b>• India:</b> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Journalists reporting on the
COVID-19 situation have been summoned to police stations and forced to explain
their stories, including <span>Peerzada
Ashiq</span>, a senior journalist with <i>The Hindu</i> in Kashmir,
and <span>Siddharth Varadarajan</span>,
editor of <i>The Wire</i> in Uttar Pradesh. Many others have been
arrested. Internet restrictions in the Jammu & Kashmir region continue
despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Journalists <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">have been prosecuted for
reporting on COVID-19 in many other countries including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Serbia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uganda, Rwanda, Somalia, Venezuela, Tunisia and
Palestine.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Meanwhile journalists who report on <b>human rights abuses related to
the pandemic,</b> such as police abuses or poor prison conditions, have also been
harassed, intimidated, attacked and prosecuted.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Many countries, including Azerbaijan, Hungary, Russia, Uzbekistan,
Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tanzania and several Gulf states, have used the
COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to introduce <b>new laws</b> against disseminating
“fake news”. In most cases, it is at the authorities’ discretion to define what
constitutes false news or misinformation, and these laws act as a stark warning
<b>against free discussion of the situation</b>. For example: </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;"><b>• Hungary:</b> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Viktor Orban’s government
has </span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">amended the country’s Criminal Code</span></span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">, introducing new provisions that threaten journalists with prison
sentences for “spreading false information” or communicating facts in a way
that impede ‘successful protection’ against the virus. Journalists
have </span><span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">reported</span></span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> being harassed,
threatened and smeared for scrutinising the government’s response to the
outbreak. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">• Myanmar</span></b><span style="color: black;">: </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">Authorities have warned that
anyone who spreads “fake news” about COVID-19 could be prosecuted, while a
Ministry of Health official said they would file criminal charges against
anyone who speaks out about the lack of Personal Protective Equipment at
hospitals.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;"><b>• Tanzania:</b> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0cm;">On 20 April, Tanzanian
authorities suspended the licence of the <i>Mwananchi</i> online
newspaper after it posted a photo of President John Pombe Magufuli out shopping
surrounded by a crowd of people, eliciting debate about the need for
implementing physical distancing.</span></span></span></div>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-75259750609217942512020-03-19T03:56:00.000-07:002020-03-19T03:56:09.081-07:00 Women, Homelessness and Health<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2BFzWZZm5ZDB5vvo-bC8SeeUlFXEtp7jZ3n_itmzw-ObmLyuFsc7XZYFDZxhepYGNgFIPcSeJVLARE91TOi1i8Ole6nJIuFUnOrz7R28lCPioQZGQCps7UhQXdz06MG0JIvE2tSyvro/s1600/Groundswell_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2BFzWZZm5ZDB5vvo-bC8SeeUlFXEtp7jZ3n_itmzw-ObmLyuFsc7XZYFDZxhepYGNgFIPcSeJVLARE91TOi1i8Ole6nJIuFUnOrz7R28lCPioQZGQCps7UhQXdz06MG0JIvE2tSyvro/s640/Groundswell_2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do we know about the health issues facing homeless women? Of having no meal at all or eating five meals in one day for fear of having none the next day, of getting bed bugs and respiratory illnesses from sleeping on dirty mattresses and in damp places, of feeling too ashamed or exhausted to seek help? <br /><br />Because homelessness is often seen as a male phenomenon, the experience of homeless women has been largely neglected by researchers and policy makers. We know far less about women’s homelessness than men’s – and almost nothing about health issues they face. Yet, homeless women have differing health needs to those of men and these specific needs are often overlooked in policy or service responses.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://groundswell.org.uk/2020/women-homelessness-and-health/" target="_blank">Women, Homelessness and Health,</a> a new study by the homeless charity <a href="https://groundswell.org.uk/who-we-are/about-groundswell/" target="_blank">Groundswell </a>and funded by the <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Greater London Authority</a>, is focusing on these overlooked issues. The study is particularly valuable because it used researchers who have experienced homelessness, in all stage of the research process.<br />Groundswell researchers interviewed 104 women aged from 19 to 75 in London, using questionnaires, face-to-face interviews and focus groups. <br /><br />They found that the trajectory to homelessness is often different for women and men: for women, the main causes are relationship and family breakdown, physical health issues and domestic abuse. Not only is violence a cause of homelessness, but women also experience violence or harassment at homelessness services, day centres, hostels and on the streets, which is often a factor in perpetuating homelessness. Here is what one woman interviewed said: <i>“Being approached by men too often; being made fun of in the street; some guys take the micky out of you; guys touching but the tiredness from homelessness makes me let down my guard and get tired of fighting back. ”</i> It is not surprising then that women are often reluctant to use services designed for and dominated by men, which can often be hostile places for women.<br /><br />The research stresses that there is a clear need for gendered specific services, but they are not provided because homelessness is seen mostly as a men’s problem. “Women are not measured and counted – they are not as visible,” says <a href="http://womenshomelessness.org/people/joanne-bretherton/" target="_blank">Dr Joanne Bretherton,</a> Co-Director, Women's Homelessness in Europe Network, University of York. Rough sleeper statistics, for example, count people visibly sleeping rough. Many homeless women sleep rough, but they make efforts to remain invisible – sleeping in hidden places or on buses - and so remain unknown to rough sleeper teams. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />“Often women will only access services when all other avenues, such as friends and family, have been exhausted,” adds Dr Bretherton. “And they don’t seek help for fear that their children will be taken away. They feel their mothering skills are judged all the time.” Nearly half of the women in the Groundswell study are mothers and 22% of those women had children taken into care – an experience that was incredibly traumatic. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Among the main findings, the study shows that participants have long and complex histories of homelessness, with 42% having been homeless more than once before and 70% having slept rough at some point of their lives. This suggests that women experience a cycle of repeated homelessness.<br /><br />Three-quarter of the women interviewed have physical health issue problem compared to 37% of the general population. They mostly complain about joints, bones and muscles pain, problems with feet and stomach issues. Many said that their health issues arose as a result of being homeless. This is unsurprising given the poor conditions women are sleeping in, the stress of homelessness and the amount of time women spend on their feet. <br /><br />Sixty-four percent have a mental health issue- most commonly depression, anxiety/phobia and PTSD - compared to 21% of general population, suggesting that mental health conditions can develop and/or are exacerbated upon homelessness. In some circumstances, declining mental health can lead to addictions that where not present before homelessness. <br /><br />Many participants spoke about how the stress and trauma of homelessness put pressure on their physical and mental health. <i>“You are under stress constantly. It means you are very vulnerable...in terms of illnesses and everything,</i>” said one woman interviewed. Stress causes headaches, hair loss, stomach pain, eye irritation, rapid heartbeat, panic attacks, chest pain and periods to stop.<br /><br />Many say that the stress of being homeless and the lack of routine mean it is difficult for them to look after themselves or attend appointments. Sixty-five percent say that they struggle to find the motivation and confidence to deal with their health issues. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“I
can’t make appointment, [I need to] wash first and eat first. Survival
comes first. Last thing we have as dignity is to keep clean.” </i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></span><br />“Until we have a larger body of evidence about women's homelessness, there is a risk that policy responses to, and services for homeless people will not adequately meet the needs of women,” says <a href="https://www4.shu.ac.uk/research/cresr/staff/kesia-reeve" target="_blank">Dr Kesia Reeve,</a> Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), Sheffield Hallam University. “It raises issues about, for example, maternal and reproductive health and wellbeing issues that rarely feature in other research but are central to some homeless women's experiences and needs.”<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The report concludes that in order to better support the health of women experiencing homelessness there is a need for:<br />- a deeper understanding of the health of women experiencing homelessness<br />- more flexible, considered and participatory commissioning <br />- flexible, compassionate and consistent support centered around individual need <br />- focused approach on the health of women who are homeless within NHS services<br />- joined up working between services and sectors who support woman experiencing homelessness </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />You can read the full report <a href="https://groundswell.org.uk/2020/women-homelessness-and-health/" target="_blank">here</a> </span></span>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-18920829304542905902020-02-06T10:34:00.002-08:002020-02-06T10:35:50.925-08:00Magdas Hotel - a hotel like no others<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekcJhOgF6bRXPv70Y-oiatPdTQz7KmNfZQHLgP3Of1A3zBmnKiT3aYpRUnj5KWf7YdtAz9kWIoqBUf916h4ERfw91An9psOvHR7gftmFqiY2oBUo_F63CFbMdMUOWWtW3Pjmh0aur4JU/s640/KirchgasserPhotography_Magdas_Hotel_Hotelfotografie_01_2400px_L.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">credit: KirchgasserPhotography</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you go to Vienna, try to stay at the wonderful <a href="https://www.magdas-hotel.at/en/" target="_blank"><i>mag</i>das Hotel</a>. The hotel, which is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year, is staffed largely by refugees. It is the first social business hotel in Austria, but around the country and elsewhere, others are following suit.<br /><br />At first glance, it looks like any other European hotels. Only a lone suitcase by the door and framed portraits of various sizes on the wall allude to its story.<br /><br />The 78-room hotel is staffed by 20 refugees from countries such as Syria, Iran, Somalia and Chechnya, and 15 professionals of the hotel sector. Like in many countries, people with a refugee background have a hard time finding work in Austria. Initial lack of German language skills, the resentment of many employers, as well as the fact that refugees are only allowed to accept work after receiving a positive response to an asylum application (which can often take months or years) make integration difficult. <br /><br />Located between the green Prater and the Danube Canal, the hotel was founded six years ago by the <a href="https://www.caritas.org/where-caritas-work/europe/austria/" target="_blank">Caritas </a>charity as a social business to give refugees professional opportunities. Most stay for around two years, gaining skills before moving on to a ‘regular’ hotel. <br /><br />Collectively, <i>mag</i>das staff represent 16 nationalities and speak 23 languages, so that guests are almost always greeted in their own language. Their many skills, talents, languages and cultural backgrounds allow for the hotel to have a special position in the hospitality market. <br /><br />The budget hotel is a former retirement home, transformed through €56,000 crowdfunded and a €1.5 million loan from Caritas, with help from local designers from the nearby Academy of Arts. The hotel furnishings are donated, up-cycled or recycled, so each room has its unique quirky character. The hotel also hosts sustainable initiatives, such as the harvesting of honey from beehives on the roof. <br /><br />With its seminar and meeting rooms, bar area, terrace and garden, <i>mag</i>das functions like every other hotels and many guests are unaware of its true nature, but its focus is not to maximise profit - rather to help refugee integrate and build bridges between communities. <br /><br /><i>Mag</i>das (“mag das”) is a German wordplay, essentially suggesting that you should “like this.” And people seem to agree as the hotel is rated very good and excellent on booking sites.<br /><br />If you get a chance to stay there, let me know what you think.</span></span><br />
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<br />Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-20962172662764239422020-01-30T10:41:00.000-08:002020-01-30T10:41:20.921-08:00#GlobalGoals - Dear World Leaders, This is an Emergency<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1t3YYGNE4U1LefS5G0Ta-YD2_10qfbU5kDGRTiblB5wA9NRXwkgR2qHzjoT6EeRidOEyyiy_sTAPc1iL340XOte5TCAjtFGJj7CFi0PQH8PVNCtRb9qPDJE6cOdvo14irxerm08rEX8/s1600/EYE+AND+HEADLINE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1600" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1t3YYGNE4U1LefS5G0Ta-YD2_10qfbU5kDGRTiblB5wA9NRXwkgR2qHzjoT6EeRidOEyyiy_sTAPc1iL340XOte5TCAjtFGJj7CFi0PQH8PVNCtRb9qPDJE6cOdvo14irxerm08rEX8/s640/EYE+AND+HEADLINE.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Dear World
Leaders,</span></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span></i></b><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
This is an emergency.</span></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b><i><br />
We are activists for different causes from across the world, writing as one for
the first time to demand your immediate action in this critical year…</i></b><br />
<br />
</span></span></span></div>
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</span></span><h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;">So starts an unprecedented open letter launched today, signed by 20 leading global
activists, calling out world leaders to act faster to end extreme poverty,
defeat inequality and fight climate crisis.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">This open
letter marks the first time that activists fighting for global causes have been
united by one single voice. Ranging from ages 10 to 94, the leading gender,
climate, environmental, equality, justice and human rights campaigners include <span>Malala Yousafzai</span>,<span> Obiageli Ezekwesili (Bring Back Our
Girls, Nigeria), Tarana Burke (Me Too), Patrisse Cullors (Black Lives Matter)
and Dr. Jane Goodall.</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The activists’
open letter has also been signed and supported by a network of 2000 campaigners
and public figures across the arts, business and philanthropy from over
140 countries, including<span> Emma
Watson, Bono, Danny Boyle, Keira Knightley, Christiane Amanpour, Idris Elba,
Femi Kuti and Spike Lee.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The letter
declares a state of “emergency” for people and planet. It comes one week on
from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">UN
Secretary-General António Guterres calling on the international community to
make the 2020s the “decade of action” and 2020 the “year of urgency”.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The letter stresses
the need for immediate action, including at key 2020 moments, if the world is
to meet the Global Goals. These key moments, include COP26, the Gavi
replenishment, Generation Equality Forums in Mexico and France, the UN General
Assembly and a landmark biodiversity conference in China.</span><b><br />
<br />
</b>The <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030.html" target="_blank">Global Goals for Sustainable Development </a>are a historic plan adopted at the UN in 2015 to tackle these world
problems. 193 countries (yes, including yours) have committed to achieve them
by 2030.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Richard Curtis, SDG advocate, screenwriter and co-founder of Project
Everyone, says: </span><span style="color: black;">“We
are in an emergency for people and planet - the solution to which is the Global
Goals - the historic plan to defeat poverty, fix inequality and combat
the climate crisis. In 2020, leaders will be watched by people all around the
world who expect them to deliver dramatically. It’s also a clear commitment
that this diverse and deeply committed group will themselves press
hard throughout this crucial year to kickstart a Decade of Action for
the Goals.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The
activists demand </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">sustained innovation, financing and action over the
crucial decade ahead to 2030.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: black;">Recent reports underline the need for
swift action;<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">at
least half the global population does not have access to essential health services, hunger is on the rise after a prolonged decline<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></a>,
and at the current rate of progress, it will take almost 100 years to close the
global gender gap<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></a>.
Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions are reaching record levels and key
ecosystems are on the verge of collapse with one million species in near-term
danger of extinction.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The open
letter is accompanied by a public campaign asking citizens to show their
support by sharing the letter and to join this effort for people and planet by
using #GlobalGoals. The full list of signatories can be seen at<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.globalgoals.org/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">www.globalgoals.org</span></a>. A campaign film has also
been directed by Richard Curtis.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Please share.</span></span></span></div>
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</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-31440467893887482372019-12-11T06:57:00.000-08:002019-12-11T06:57:50.688-08:00Generation Z fears climate change more than anything else; lives in failed system<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCDN_syJgmDfn9KvHoqi0lt8U1vTn6MnwRlcyfriaF8B0OlwPb151d3SahVS0Aw0NJ4SI2PEUu7hFKjfWetQ78XDtdrIzDxacFt-Vjg-VA2l-wuCiIX4iMJQLCewwNqTMGljDAX48Te8/s1600/ACE_HL_event.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="940" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCDN_syJgmDfn9KvHoqi0lt8U1vTn6MnwRlcyfriaF8B0OlwPb151d3SahVS0Aw0NJ4SI2PEUu7hFKjfWetQ78XDtdrIzDxacFt-Vjg-VA2l-wuCiIX4iMJQLCewwNqTMGljDAX48Te8/s640/ACE_HL_event.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Rosa Castaneda</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="story-bodyintroduction">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At
the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/un-climate-summit-2019.shtml" target="_blank">UN Climate Change Conference</a> in Madrid, Greta Thunberg today called upon world leaders to stop
using "clever accounting and creative PR" to avoid real action on climate
change.<span> </span>Thunberg’s chiding of world
leaders seems to chime with young people’s beliefs, according to a major new study
by Amnesty International. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Amnesty poll, released yesterday on <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day" target="_blank">Human Rights Day</a> asked more
than 10,000 people aged 18-25 -
also known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z" target="_blank">Generation Z</a> - in 22 countries across six continents, to pick up to five major
issues from a list of 23.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of those, four out of 10 young people (41%) selected climate change, making it the most
commonly cited issue globally, ahead of pollution (36%) and terrorism (31%).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“For young people the climate crisis is one
of the defining challenges of their age,” said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General
of Amnesty International. “This is a wake-up call to world leaders that
they must take far more decisive action to tackle the climate emergency or risk
betraying younger generations further.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Global warming was also most commonly cited
as one of the most important environmental issues facing the world (57%), out
of 10 environmental issues such as ocean pollution, air pollution and
deforestation.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCyn0vs_zATfqSzjFsQNk45SDi28fl8Xet-RcCGFMy44oQvwtyO7eP0XtEWJ-HEIQ7o1PMmQ-C38rhxbU3wMipy1nAh5NRLTb6nIkZRd9iliCcbZDNZyXBH_Pyzk-mkRifptpzcp8Yrw/s1600/960x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="960" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCyn0vs_zATfqSzjFsQNk45SDi28fl8Xet-RcCGFMy44oQvwtyO7eP0XtEWJ-HEIQ7o1PMmQ-C38rhxbU3wMipy1nAh5NRLTb6nIkZRd9iliCcbZDNZyXBH_Pyzk-mkRifptpzcp8Yrw/s640/960x0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In their own countries, Generation Z’s
concerns extend beyond the climate crisis, reflecting the everyday struggles
and concerns young people are facing and the feeling that they are <span> </span>“living inside a failed system”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At a national level corruption was most
commonly cited as one of the most important issues (36%), followed by economic
instability (26%), pollution (26%), income inequality (25%), climate change
(22%) and violence against women (21%).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“This generation lives in a world of
widening inequality, economic instability and austerity where vast numbers of
people have been left behind,” said Kumi Naidoo.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“The message from young people is clear. The
climate crisis, pollution, corruption and poor living standards are all windows
on an alarming truth about how the powerful have exploited their power for
selfish and often short-term gain.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The survey’s findings come at a time of
widespread mass protests around the world, from Algeria to Chile, Hong Kong,
Iran, Lebanon, and Sudan. Many of these movements have been largely led by
young people and students, who have angrily called out corruption, inequality,
and abuse of power and faced violent repression for doing so.</span></span></div>
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</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-90788782541659898192019-10-15T09:37:00.000-07:002019-10-15T09:37:17.324-07:00Symbols of Humanity: Syrian artist bridges times, religions<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ78caY9Y2lSmXOSf2g2g_3peKnjw8L7SPcMFdkU3jlaI9us0GztIJaqIJgyDfBSs6Zy9V7nllanH7N1iNvqvyRWzdCh2ABwJcgqrH5TaigUAlYP6C6cnNvQL2Fpx9KY0X2PaKHRNpTw/s1600/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="905" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ78caY9Y2lSmXOSf2g2g_3peKnjw8L7SPcMFdkU3jlaI9us0GztIJaqIJgyDfBSs6Zy9V7nllanH7N1iNvqvyRWzdCh2ABwJcgqrH5TaigUAlYP6C6cnNvQL2Fpx9KY0X2PaKHRNpTw/s400/image1.jpeg" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In our divided and
polarised world, who, but artists, can conjure up the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">possibility of coexistence between
cultures, ethnic groups and religions?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Born in 1966 in
Aleppo, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/georg.baylouni" target="_blank">George Baylouni</a> fled to France during the war. And now his work builds
bridges between the East and the West, and the past and the present.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fascinated by the
ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia, he studied their mysterious artefacts and
texts, written in ancient cuneiform.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> He paints religious symbols
and makes collages, adding gold leaf, his trademark, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">telling a tale of ancient worlds and
of contemporary times. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Uniquely, his
paintings combine religions, with several pieces focusing on both Christianity
and Islam in the same painting.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His work has been
showcased prominently in the Middle East and Europe and he was </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">named </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">one
of the 100 most important personalities in the Arab world in 2014 by Arabian
Business Magazine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">”Symbols of
Humanity”, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Baylouni’s first exhibition
in London, opens at the <a href="https://www.storiesartgallery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Stories Art Gallery</a> in Mayfair on October 17
and runs until November 17. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Baylouni's exhibition marks the first anniversary of Stories
Art Gallery, which </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">features
renowned and upcoming artists from around the world, many from war-torn
countries, and focuses on the stories behind their artwork.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have a chance, do see the exhibition and meet gallery director, the wonderful Manas Ghanem, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">who was born in Damascus, then educated in the West. Before opening her
gallery, she worked as a lawyer in the Middle East and North Africa with
<a href="https://www.unhcr.org/" target="_blank">UNHCR</a> and <a href="https://www.unicef.org.uk/" target="_blank">Unicef</a>. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-57160861638155702382019-08-23T07:00:00.000-07:002019-08-23T07:00:05.913-07:00Extinction Rebellion Art and Design at the V&A<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdX00jmIQpVmcRJCfc-4M0WjwR01m8N5QyHeR8r-HsWo3lffyBrwTa0PNS0X6wcmqIwTlpjIgi35LMPwoS2OTnwhfCqRKh34uwg10BMRHnx5X9DlqPBud1_nN0S4KmUWFyh1zKrU4sww/s1600/New+Extinction+Rebellion+acquisitions+go+on+display+at+the+V%2526A.+Photo+by+Chris+J+RatcliffeGetty+Images+for+The+V%2526A+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdX00jmIQpVmcRJCfc-4M0WjwR01m8N5QyHeR8r-HsWo3lffyBrwTa0PNS0X6wcmqIwTlpjIgi35LMPwoS2OTnwhfCqRKh34uwg10BMRHnx5X9DlqPBud1_nN0S4KmUWFyh1zKrU4sww/s640/New+Extinction+Rebellion+acquisitions+go+on+display+at+the+V%2526A.+Photo+by+Chris+J+RatcliffeGetty+Images+for+The+V%2526A+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extinction Rebellion posters. Photo credit: Chris J Ratcliffe Getty Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Protest movements have
always used art to carry and amplify their messages. <span style="color: black;">The
Climate and Ecological emergency is THE issue of our time, and</span> the
<a href="https://rebellion.earth/" target="_blank">Extinction Rebellion (XR)</a> movement is skillfully using art and design to
galvanise public concern for the planet with maximum impact. <span style="color: black;">Their flags, banners and flyers in punchy colours with
carefully worded slogans and woodblock prints are now immediately recognisable
across the globe. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Extinction
Rebellion, as many might already know, is a global activist group calling
for urgent action on climate change through acts of non-violent civil
disobedience and disruption. Since its first public action on 31 October 2018,
urging the UK government to declare a climate and ecological emergency and commit
to reduce emissions to net zero by 2025, XR has grown into an international
movement with over 363 groups active in 59 countries around the world.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">XR’s graphics
balance joy and menace with a bold, tongue-in-cheek approach, and are
characterised by four core design elements. These include the use of the
Extinction Symbol, the XR logotype, a colour-palette of 12 playful tones
including ‘Lemon’ yellow and ‘Angry’ pink influenced by pop artist Eduardo
Paolozzi, and the fonts ‘FUCXED’ and ‘Crimson’. Often juxtaposing imagery of
the natural world with more sinister images of skulls and bones, XR’s urgent
visuals articulate hope, while outlining the grave consequences the group feels
failure to act will bring. </span></span></span></div>
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</span>Recognizing the importance of the
movement and the value of its unique designs, the <span style="color: black;">London
<a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/" target="_blank">V&A </a>has acquired a series of objects exploring the design identity of
Extinction Rebellion. </span></span></span></div>
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The pieces produced by the <a href="https://rebellion.earth/act-now/resources/art-group/" target="_blank">Extinction Rebellion Arts Group</a>, a coalition of
graphic designers, artists and activists responsible for XR’s Design Programme,
range from the open-source Extinction Symbol created by street artist ESP in
2011 and adopted by XR in 2018, to the Declaration that accompanied their first
act of Rebellion, and flags carried during mass demonstrations. They are on
display in the V&A’s Rapid Response Collecting Gallery (gallery 74a).<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The objects
have been acquired through the V&A’s <a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/rapid-response-collecting-an-introduction" target="_blank">Rapid Response Collecting</a>, an
innovative programme that enables the acquisition and immediate display of
design objects that address questions of social, political, technological and
economic change.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">“Design has
been key to Extinction Rebellion’s demands for urgent action on climate change.
The strong graphic impact of the Extinction Symbol alongside a clear set of design
principles have ensured that their acts of rebellion are immediately
recognisable,” says<b> </b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Corinna Gardner, Senior Curator of Design and
Digital at the V&A.</span> </strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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“Extinction Rebellion have galvanised public concern for the planet, and their
design approach stands in relation to earlier protest movements such as the
Suffragettes who encouraged the wearing of purple, green and white to visually
communicate their cause.”<br />
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</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-18405012294547702842019-06-28T06:10:00.003-07:002019-06-28T06:10:33.127-07:00Kosovar women fight patriarchy - 20 years after the war<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPJf1NHNJzO6oLfSipLDgRC1jz4_GQXeqMKqCbgZYoKOS1jnxSqecZTJ4go3m8HpRuMc-PZbATEQQPnOrcbmzBF0nv-1suDU95svOvkzkUrKKTSBViOcHHf8mYqN8D5NDzQ6gxcVqXPo/s1600/clothes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="624" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPJf1NHNJzO6oLfSipLDgRC1jz4_GQXeqMKqCbgZYoKOS1jnxSqecZTJ4go3m8HpRuMc-PZbATEQQPnOrcbmzBF0nv-1suDU95svOvkzkUrKKTSBViOcHHf8mYqN8D5NDzQ6gxcVqXPo/s640/clothes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 8.0pt;">The art installation Thinking Of You, by the
Kosovan-born, London-based artist Alketa Mrripa-Xhafa, in Pristina, Kosova –
2015. Photograph: Hazir Reka/Reuters</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This month, 20 years ago, the <a href="https://borgenproject.org/the-kosovo-war/" target="_blank">1988-89 Kosovo war</a> ended. It was a particularly brutal conflict that </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">led
to allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity, and the controversial
involvement and bombings from NATO. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During that war, 90 per
cent of the population was displaced and some <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2000/03/20/serb-gang-rapes-kosovo-exposed" target="_blank">20,000 women and girls were systematically raped</a> - </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a crime that
was used as a weapon of "ethnic cleansing."</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In this</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> predominantly traditional ethnic Albanian country,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">the rape’s stigma is so
strong that many women have never talked about what happened to them during the
war and never sought help. Some of their husbands have left them, unable to
endure the shame. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Two decades later and despite years of
international supervision that was supposed to bring gender equality, r<a href="https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/accessing_justice_for_victims_of_gender_based_violence_in_kosovo_eng.pdf" target="_blank">ates of sexual assault and domestic violence remain worryingly high</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a 2015
survey, 68% of women reported that they had suffered from <a href="https://balkaninsight.com/2015/04/08/kosovo-women-most-receptive-to-violence-in-the-region-says-survery-1/" target="_blank">domestic violence </a>at
one point in their lives.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMONZCbogl2j0iGO6ZKtc-RRJzwW3G_1E4irbvY-D3a53vrFtq3Bcj4YmwjsBkYyfIY1VJCnGu9zbV8OAkfre7Hdq0Gvzw9yA8BX7w4qbW_jQ0ifIuqK16Je8g8SsNFngbCX4x5f4G_xU/s1600/_60700053_kosovo_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMONZCbogl2j0iGO6ZKtc-RRJzwW3G_1E4irbvY-D3a53vrFtq3Bcj4YmwjsBkYyfIY1VJCnGu9zbV8OAkfre7Hdq0Gvzw9yA8BX7w4qbW_jQ0ifIuqK16Je8g8SsNFngbCX4x5f4G_xU/s1600/_60700053_kosovo_map.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Europe’s newest country (which declared
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Kosovo_declaration_of_independence" target="_blank">independence from Serbia in 2008</a>), women struggle every day for social and
economic equality in a rigid patriarchal society where men have the final say
in all family matters and women are left with very limited access to education,
health, property, protection and job opportunities. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">More
than three quarters of women don’t have jobs - </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kosovar women
have the lowest employment rates and education levels in all Europe. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Many have been widowed during the war and placed in the role of primary provider
for their families, but without access to skills and resources, they are unable
to make ends meet.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But many are fighting back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> have formed associations that give women the
tools and resources they need to rebuild their lives and their communities, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">while others have run for office. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Others yet have launched small business, like </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Zarie Malsiu, from Kacanik municipality, a mother of five who married
young and dropped out of school, like many young women at that time. After the
war, she enrolled in a training for social and economic empowerment run by
local NGO <a href="http://www.k-w4w.org/en/" target="_blank">Kosova – Women for Women</a>. She has formed her own agriculture
association, collecting and selling medicinal and aromatic herbs and forest
fruits. Her organization now counts 100 women. <a href="http://www.k-w4w.org/en/" target="_blank">Kosova – Women for Women</a>, a
local independent organization affiliated to <a href="https://www.womenforwomen.org/" target="_blank">Women for Women International,</a> has
trained over 33,000 women in over 30 communities across the country, in life
and vocational skills and rights awareness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Women have also </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">fought for justice and campaigned for women’s rights. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Among them is the amazing </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rrjetiqelizagjakove/posts/dr-feride-rushiti-is-founder-and-executive-director-of-the-kosovo-center-for-the/1607309802649775/" target="_blank">Dr Feride Rushiti,</a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">a physician who is the executive director of
the <a href="https://krct.org/aboutus/executive-director/" target="_blank">Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims</a> in Pristina. Through
almost two decades of research and advocacy, she has secured access to
healthcare and justice for civilian victims of war. In 2017, her campaigning work led
to a landmark government decision to fund pensions for Kosovo’s victims of
wartime sexual violence. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Verdana Bold"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And now, after </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">many years of silence, hundreds of
survivors have started to come forward. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Verdana Bold";">Kosovar women’s braided stories </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">show
the enormous challenges women still face in the country, but also how they have
managed to become self sufficient and obtain recognition and reparation - and the impact it has on themselves, their
families, communities and the next generations.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wanted to report this story with </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/arben.llapashticaa/" target="_blank">Arben Llapashtica</a>, a brilliant photographer based in Pristina,
as well as a cameraman and documentary filmmaker, but sadly we couldn’t get a commission. If you know a publication that might be interested, please let us know.</span><br />
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-->Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-15418116366838566782019-06-18T06:18:00.000-07:002019-06-18T06:19:11.461-07:00Britons amongst most supportive of refugees’ right to seek asylum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUqMbaiLglX4GWn1_xAUbp5PhH3boEZyy6sSpUsIFQvb-_C0Tc1fUDpqRe71bTJ32DTxg2uO3O62bhm03QoM36nUyLd817prU9fPQ3xG6V3ynpvSBhH69wh5ObFoYYjaLiuZq3f6kkxY/s1600/Refugee+first+slide.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUqMbaiLglX4GWn1_xAUbp5PhH3boEZyy6sSpUsIFQvb-_C0Tc1fUDpqRe71bTJ32DTxg2uO3O62bhm03QoM36nUyLd817prU9fPQ3xG6V3ynpvSBhH69wh5ObFoYYjaLiuZq3f6kkxY/s640/Refugee+first+slide.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Contrary to what many might believe, British people are among the most
supportive of the fundamental right of refugees to seek refuge – including in
their own country - to escape war or persecution. Seven </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">in ten (72%) agree that people should
have this right (compared with 61% globally), according to a new Ipsos global study. These findings are rather
heart-warming in the actual political landscape where immigration has been such
a loaded issue. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The study,
conducted to mark <a href="https://www.un.org/en/events/refugeeday/" target="_blank">World Refugee Day</a>, finds that a majority across 26 countries
believes that people should have the right to seek refuge – including in their
own country - from war or persecution. Those in Latin American countries
are more likely to agree (Argentine 74%, Chile 73% and Peru 70%) than those in
Europe (Hungary and France 43%, Belgium 50% and Germany.) </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">However, the
survey, conducted online among adults aged under 74, finds that broader
opinions towards refugees still include some negative attitudes, and there are
some signs that they could even be hardening compared with two years ago,
although this is less the case in Britain. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Kully Kaur-Ballagan, Research Director at Ipsos MORI says: “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">These
findings show that Brits are very compassionate about people’s fundamental
right to seek refuge from war and persecution and they are among the least
likely globally to want to close the borders to refugees. However, in
practice there is widespread concern about people taking advantage of the
system and the public remains relatively divided over the extent to which
refugees will successfully integrate into their new society.” </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">It is clear
that countries’ policies and the number of refugees arriving in each country
have a direct impact on people’s perceptions, but I am wondering
whether the media are also playing an important role in molding people's attitudes? </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">H<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">alf of Brits are skeptical that many refugees
are genuine</span>. Those most likely to doubt the authenticity of refugees
coming into their country are in India (70%), Turkey (69%) and South Africa
(66%), while those among the least likely to question whether refugees are
genuine are in Canada (45%) Spain (45%), Brazil (40%).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Brits are
relatively divided over whether refugees will integrate successfully into their
new society;</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">45% agree they will integrate compared with 38% who
disagree. Countries that are most optimistic about refugees successfully
integrating into their new society are India (68%), Argentina (58%) and Saudi
Arabia (55%). Those most likely to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">disagree</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that refugees will successfully
integrate are in South Korea (67%), Sweden (64%) and Turkey (63%).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Brits are
also more positive about welcoming in refugees than the global average</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">with just over half of Britons (54%)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">disagreeing</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that the country’s borders should be
closed to refugees (46% globally) compared with a third (33%) who think that
borders should be closed at this time (40%). These figures have seen
little change since 2017.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.55pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Countries where views have hardened
most about closing their borders since 2017 include <a href="http://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/UNHCR%20Factsheet%20Mexico%20-%20April%202019.pdf" target="_blank">Mexico</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ftnref1"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title=""><span style="mso-bookmark: _ftnref1;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _ftnref1;"></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and
<a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/peru/unhcr-peru-factsheet-january-2019" target="_blank">Peru</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ftnref2"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title=""><span style="mso-bookmark: _ftnref2;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: "verdana";"></span></span></span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"></span>, which
have both seen an increase in people seeking asylum from neighbouring countries
according to UNHCR. In Serbia agreement has also increased 13 points from
38% to 51%. In contrast, the desire to see their borders closed has fallen in
Hungary (down 17 points from 61% to 44%) and Poland (down 6 points from 45% to
39%) – perhaps reflecting the hard-line stance the Polish and Hungarian
governments have taken on restricting entry to refugees.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Emma Harrison,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">CEO, IMiX – migration communications hub
says:</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“We know Britain welcomes refugees because every day we hear stories of
kindness and of welcome. Concerns about integration are real but they could easily be resolved
by government investment in English lessons for new arrivals and enabling
people to work while their asylum claim is being processed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“More than anything, refugees want to build a new life for themselves
and their families - having made their perilous journey here and having lost so
much already. We also know that people don’t make the decision to leave their
home lightly -far from it. These decisions are made when the bombs are dropping
on your city, when soldiers are storming your hospitals and schools, when you
are being persecuted because of your sexuality or your beliefs. When
you are not safe in your own home it makes sense to move – and here in Britain
we respond more often than not with friendship and compassion.”</span><br />
<br /></div>
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-->Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-41127653880351584262019-03-11T11:54:00.000-07:002019-03-11T11:54:55.728-07:00Iran - human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh sentenced to 33 years in prison.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitundx8N9oK2izcpTREsvWtyHUZGnRD7LdOKTZ3pdzP1mrdyvKq26GO3YWHEGkuuIEuj1-kYyQBj3W88k5CZP_K5GUOL_oyvfv4GzofRhiz2N9rJyalKkIvp1a9V5rr55XV9Jq8mocdA8/s1600/nasrin_sotoudeh-1-e1313756942391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitundx8N9oK2izcpTREsvWtyHUZGnRD7LdOKTZ3pdzP1mrdyvKq26GO3YWHEGkuuIEuj1-kYyQBj3W88k5CZP_K5GUOL_oyvfv4GzofRhiz2N9rJyalKkIvp1a9V5rr55XV9Jq8mocdA8/s400/nasrin_sotoudeh-1-e1313756942391.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Prominent
Iranian human rights lawyer and women’s rights defender <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasrin_Sotoudeh" target="_blank">Nasrin Sotoudeh</a> has
been sentenced to a shocking 33 years in prison and 148 lashes.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The
sentence, reported on her husband Reza Khandan’s Facebook page, brings her
total sentence after two grossly unfair trials, to 38 years in prison. In
September 2016, she was sentenced in her absence to five years in prison in a
separate case.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The
latest sentence is the harshest sentence Amnesty has documented against a human
rights defender in Iran in recent years, suggesting that the authorities are
stepping up their repression.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Philip Luther, Amnesty
International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director,
said: “It is absolutely shocking that Nasrin Sotoudeh is facing nearly four
decades in jail and 148 lashes for her peaceful human rights work, including
her defence of women protesting against Iran’s degrading forced<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>hijab</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(veiling) laws.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Sotoudeh
was recently informed by the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>office
for the implementation of sentences<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in
Tehran’s Evin prison where she is jailed, that she had been convicted on seven<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/9952/2019/en/">charges</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and sentenced to 33 years in prison
and 148 lashes. The charges, which are in response to her peaceful human rights
work, include “inciting corruption and prostitution”, “openly committing a
sinful act by ... appearing in public without a hijab” and “disrupting public
order”.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Meanwhile,
in a confusing development, earlier today the Islamic Republic News Agency
reported that Mohammad Moghiseh<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>told
journalists that Sotoudeh has been sentenced to seven years in prison: five
years for “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security” and
two years for “insulting the Supreme Leader”.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">This
report did not provide further details or clarify whether the judge was
referring to a separate case.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><span> </span>“Nasrin Sotoudeh must be released immediately
and unconditionally and this obscene sentence quashed without delay,” Luther
said. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><span> </span>“Governments with influence over Iran should
use their power to push for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s release.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>The international community, notably
the European Union, which has an ongoing dialogue with Iran, must take a strong
public stand against this disgraceful conviction and urgently intervene to
ensure that she is released immediately and unconditionally.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Nasrin
Sotoudeh’s sentence made me think of an interview I recently did for <a href="https://lacuna.org.uk/" target="_blank">Lacuna Magazine</a> with another Nasrin, also a human rights and women’s rights defender. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Writer, artist
and human rights campaigner Nasrin Parvaz was arrested at the age of 23 by the
regime’s secret police after having been betrayed by a comrade. She was
tortured and sentenced to death, but her death sentence was commuted to 10
years in prison.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">She spent
eight years in the same Iranian prison where Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is now
being held, and has used the experience as inspiration for a novel and a book
of memoirs. <a href="https://lacuna.org.uk/justice/irans-prisons-are-still-full-of-men-and-women-fighting-for-civil-rights/">Speaking
in London</a>, Parvaz told me there are echos of Nazanin’s story in prisons across
Iran, where rights defenders have been subjected to rape, routine humiliation,
torture and execution. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The Islamic regime is a master of concealing and
deception. When the UN human rights inspectors came to visit Evin prison in
1990, they built a new wall across our corridor to conceal us. We never met the
inspectors. While president [Hassan] Rouhani [elected in 2013] publicly
promised reforms, behind closed doors, there are still too many prisoners dying
in detention.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Prisons are still full of men and women fighting
for civil rights. Questioning how and why the regime operates is still
dangerous.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How terribly true…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can read her story of activism and time in
Iran’s prisons <a href="https://lacuna.org.uk/justice/irans-prisons-are-still-full-of-men-and-women-fighting-for-civil-rights/" target="_blank">in Lacuna Magazine here.</a><a href="http://here./"></a></span></span></div>
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</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-40091124862041131302019-02-14T07:50:00.001-08:002019-02-15T01:13:11.764-08:00Stories From Within – Syrian artists tell stories of survival, resilience<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwk_KM7OrdMeCYnDnkqJdn1Y_2UkIWQnm2Jwj81RK1UJLoAVUpIZiJKTN55Wl9FcEX2tpPgfa5TfSFEMvqzLBvPCKD9uLJF4YHIR_Xaz2ZcoKGB-O_sEfacu2avR02BO7uG7lqO1aiqC8/s1600/Human+Bull+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="695" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwk_KM7OrdMeCYnDnkqJdn1Y_2UkIWQnm2Jwj81RK1UJLoAVUpIZiJKTN55Wl9FcEX2tpPgfa5TfSFEMvqzLBvPCKD9uLJF4YHIR_Xaz2ZcoKGB-O_sEfacu2avR02BO7uG7lqO1aiqC8/s640/Human+Bull+1.jpg" width="449" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Human Bull I by Bassem Dahdouh/courtesy of Stories Art Gallery</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When four internationally renowned Syrian artists were asked to contribute pieces showing what they wanted the West to see about their country, they selected artworks representing the untold stories of ordinary people who have endured and persevered through extraordinary circumstances. <br /><br />Their work form “Stories from Within”, a fascinating exhibition on display at <a href="http://www.storiesartgallery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Stories Art Gallery </a>in London’s Mayfair until February 25. The gallery opened last October with the aim of promoting current Syrian artists whose work challenges their country’s one-dimensional image presented in the media. All the “Stories From Within” pieces were created in Syria over the past seven (almost eight) years and it is the first time since the war that they are exhibited in Europe.<br /><br /> “We look for works that widen our vision and shift the image of Syria from refugees and needy victims to be pitied to one of humanity and respect – one with whom the viewers can have a connection,” says Manas Ghanem, the gallery’s director. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> “Yes, there is war, destruction and darkness, but you cannot reduce Syria’s 7000 years of existence to seven years of war. Syria is still alive,” adds Ghanem, who was born in Damascus, but educated in the West. Before opening her gallery, she worked as a lawyer in the Middle East and North Africa with <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/" target="_blank">UNHCR</a> and <a href="https://www.unicef.org.uk/" target="_blank">Unicef</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.atassifoundation.com/artists/bassem-dahdouh" target="_blank">Bassem Dahdouh</a>’s mixed media on canvas “humanoid bull” series depicts hybrid beings who are neither fully human nor beast. The humanoid bull “portrays us, oppressed when reaching out for a breath of fresh air in an attempt to lead normal lives," he explains. "It is my hope that we as humanity would succeed and plant some kindness and compassion in this land before it is too late."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.nizarsabour.com/biography.asp" target="_blank">Nizar Sabour</a>’s work reflects the emotional impact of the war on the sacred Aramaic town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maaloula" target="_blank">Maloula</a>, where people still speak the dialect of the Christ and which was ravaged by jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in 2013. Never before had this ancient mountain town been harmed. His five mixed media canvases represent various views of Maloula and the surrounding Qalamoun mountains, some surrounded by protecting lace, guardian angels and saints or official-looking stamps.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The works of the other artists in the exhibition - <a href="http://www.edwardshahda.com/about/" target="_blank">Edward Shahda</a> and <a href="http://www.ayyamgallery.com/artists/asma-fayoumi/" target="_blank">Asmaa Fayoumi</a> - depict the anxiety of those left behind while waiting for the unknown, and finally also hope, love and compassion, which is what allows people to survive.<br /><br />People don’t easily associate art and Syria, says Ghanem, but the Syrian art scene has been vivid since the 50s and the 60s, and many of the artists exhibited in the gallery are renowned in the world of contemporary art, including Sabour, Shahda, Dahdouh and Fayoumi, who have works in private collections and galleries from USA to Russia, as well as in Arabic countries like UAE, Kuwait and Lebanon.<br /><br />“Yet for the past eight years, it’s as if that has just gone, and all that you hear about Syria is different. So we are trying to bring it back,” Ghanem says.<br /><br />The gallery’s next projects include an Arabic calligraphy exhibition by the famous Syrian artist <a href="http://www.arton56th.com/artist/10" target="_blank">Mounier Al-Sharaani.</a> They also hope to be able to bring artworks from Iraq, Yemen and other countries. </span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stories From Within at the<a href="http://www.storiesartgallery.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Stories Art Gallery </a>until February 25. </span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>51/53 South Audley Street Mayfair London W1J 7DD</i></span></span><br />
<br />
Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-52243485047014531672019-02-01T03:41:00.000-08:002019-02-01T03:41:58.471-08:00Thousands of Migrants Have Died in ‘Watery Graveyard’ despite Libya Deal<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OSx39ZPFvZ6gHatB94DHs1DD3BTrqBgSJEPWkxXWBQoBrlvibl4qD4Olnm97KqB05VzC1A0XedZ2jbH6bGFFwMIUilK6YuG5CYpc_gJUSMogSUpvJeLSviq8cB03LQPw_rgt2P9UnGE/s1600/100400scr+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1100" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OSx39ZPFvZ6gHatB94DHs1DD3BTrqBgSJEPWkxXWBQoBrlvibl4qD4Olnm97KqB05VzC1A0XedZ2jbH6bGFFwMIUilK6YuG5CYpc_gJUSMogSUpvJeLSviq8cB03LQPw_rgt2P9UnGE/s640/100400scr+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Personal clothing and items left behind by migrants who travelled by boat from Libya to Sicily. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #4f4f4f;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Credit: </span></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></span><span style="color: #4f4f4f; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Alessandro Rota/Oxfam</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><table style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: auto; width: 170px; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Two
years on from Italy’s EU-backed migration deal with Libya, more than 5,300 people
have drowned in the Mediterranean and thousands more still are suffering in
Libyan detention camps – and EU governments are complicit in this tragedy.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><span> </span>“EU countries are making the Mediterranean a
watery graveyard as a matter of deliberate policy,” said <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Oxfam’s EU migration policy advisor, Raphael
Shilhav. “</span></strong>They must allow search and rescue ships to dock in
their ports, disembark rescued people, and return to sea to save people’s
lives, in line with international law. All attempts to prevent their work will
inevitably lead to more deaths and run counter to Europe’s humanitarian
values.”</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">In
an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><a href="https://oxfam.box.com/v/open-letterSAR">open
letter to EU governments</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">, more than 50 organisations including
Oxfam said EU governments have become complicit in the tragedy unfolding before
their eyes in the Mediterranean. People are now in even more danger at sea and
are being returned by the Libyan coastguard to face sexual abuse, slavery and
other human rights abuses in Libya.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The
Libya deal, signed on 2 February 2017, provides money and technical support
from Italy and the EU to the Libyan coastguard, in return for the coastguard
preventing people from leaving Libya for Europe.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The
open letter says that some EU member states have deliberately forced the
organisations conducting search and rescue operations to stop their life-saving
work. It also accuses governments of making<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46274328">unfounded allegations</a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">against ships operating
in the Mediterranean and preventing them from leaving their ports. This time
last year there were five organisations conducting search and rescue operations
– now there is only one.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Since
the Libya deal was struck, more than 5,300 people have drowned in the Mediterranean
including over 4,000 people on the central route closest to Libya, making it
the deadliest sea in the world.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">In
2018, the Libyan coastguard intercepted more than 15,000 people and returned
them to Libya. Currently, 6,400 people are known to be held in official
detention sites in Libya, with many more in other centres, some of which are
run by armed groups. According to the UN, even “official” centres can be run by
people smugglers and traffickers, despite the EU’s commitment to combat human
trafficking. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Numerous
accounts collected by Oxfam and its partners in recent years show that people
in Libya are often crammed into detention centres in abandoned buildings or
pitch black tunnels, without enough food. Many are mistreated before being sold
to armed groups or as slaves.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;">Yonas (not his real name), a 28-year-old man
from Eritrea</span></strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">, said he was detained by various gangs in
Libya: “Altogether, I lived a year and a half in two prisons, where we were all
living in terrible conditions, with many people getting sick and not receiving
care. Many died and were buried like animals. The women were raped in front of
us. We were beaten every day by prison guards selected from the group of
migrants … They beat us and made us call our family to ask them to send us money.”</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;">Ibrahim (also an alias), a 26-year-old man from
Guinea</span></strong><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">,</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"> said he was
kidnapped by a gang in Tripoli. He described how the gang members would deceive
UN personnel who came to the detention centre where he was held: “On the days
when UN staff came they treated us well, cleaned everything, cooked good food,
brought us clothes, brought us to a doctor for check-ups. As soon as the UN
staff had left, things changed immediately. They took everything they had given
us: food, clothes, soap.”</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Oxfam
and the other signatories to the open letter are calling on EU governments to
stop sending people rescued at sea back to Libya. The organisations say that EU
member states need to be prepared to suspend cooperation with the Libyan
coastguard if issues like arbitrary detention are not dealt with. EU
governments should also support search and rescue operations and ensure that
people rescued at sea can arrive safely and without delay to Europe.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
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</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4371924448457584683.post-52570591973718553642018-12-20T06:51:00.002-08:002018-12-20T06:51:42.083-08:00A Taste of Home - When meals in refugee camps mean more than food<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">A hot
meal in a refugee camp is always welcome, but in </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://obrenovac/" target="_blank">Obrenovac</a> and other refugee camps in Serbia, a meal is also a portal
to the home and loved ones left behind by the refugees and migrants who live in
limbo in camps.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">“Kookoo
Sibzamini [potato patties] is what I had in my backpack when I left home. My
sister made them for me for the road. I told myself I need to save them for
later when it gets tough. But I ate them all. I don’t think they even got
cold,” says Mohsen from Iran.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Moshen’s
favourite dish is one of seven popular healthy, homely recipes cooked in
refugee camps in Serbia, which were provided by the refugees themselves. <a href="https://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do" target="_blank"><span> </span>Oxfam,</a> which is serving meals </span><span style="color: black;">at the Obrenovac camp 30km south-west
of the capital Belgrade, along with <a href="https://www.care.org.uk/" target="_blank">Care</a> and <a href="https://www.caritas.eu/" target="_blank">CaritasEuropa,</a> had </span><span style="color: black;">run a survey asking
refugees and migrants what they wanted to eat. <span> </span>The refugees came up with a lot of
suggestions, but many also offered recipes from their own countries. <span></span>Now, instead of the usual breaded
fish and vegetable curry, Obrenovac and several other camps are <span></span>serving traditional dishes from Afghanistan,
Syria, India, Iran and Pakistan. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Oxfam asked
an illustrator to make colourful and easy to read recipe cards for seven of the
recipes. The cards also include recollections from some of the refugees: where
the recipe came from, who first cooked it for them, the last time they ate it, etc. <span> </span>For example, Gjulan from India (Kashmir) says
that the smell of Gajar Matar ki Sabzi, a spicy stew now cooked at the camps,
instantly transports him home. “When me and my brothers would come back from
school my mother would be by the stove cooking the stew, dancing along with the
music from TV. In my mind, it is still like this back home: music ad the smells
of cooking.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">“Refugees’ life is
hard,” says Ali who came from Pakistan, “but when I sit with people and eat at the
dinner table, I am very happy.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Most refugees in the
camps have been in Serbia for over a year and have attempted to cross the
border into neighbouring countries such as Bosnia, Croatia, Bulgaria and
Hungary - and <a href="https://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/a-dangerous-game-the-pushback-of-migrants-including-refugees-at-europes-borders-620248" target="_blank">been turned back</a>. They are trying to reach other countries in
Europe, either to claim asylum, reunite with family members or to find work. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black;">In 2017, there were nearly 4,000 migrants in
Serbia, of which 89% are housed in camps.</span></span></span></div>
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</style>Veronique Mistiaenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08446215190153083044noreply@blogger.com1