June 20, 2008 is World Refugee Day:
The refugee challenge in the 21st century is changing rapidly. People are forced to flee their homes for increasingly complicated and interlinked reasons. Some 40 million people worldwide are already uprooted by violence and persecution, and it is likely that the future will see more people on the run as a growing number of push factors compound one another to create conditions for further forced displacement. http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/events?id=3e7f46e04
The refugee "crisis" is on the rise, and it's not just due to war and famine, it's about people who are marginalized, segregated, and unable to create livelihoods for themselves and their families. World Refugee Day is about reflecting on what we as priviledged people have, and learning how to empathize with those who struggle on a daily basis to feel safe and secure.
World Refugee Day for me is also about appreciating those people who have created homes in Canada, the UK, the USA, etc and have become advocates for human rights and dignity, and who have learned to value peace and contribute positively to their new countries.
T
Holocaust Memorial Berlin
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
State of the world's human rights 2008
Why haven't we learned from all the mistakes of the past!!!???
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Gambia- A Human Rights Disaster Zone
President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia has declared war on homosexuals:
He promised "stricter laws than Iran" on homosexuality and said he would "cut off the head" of any gay person found in The Gambia. This comes at a time when the country is set to be the host nation of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7416536.stm
As a devout muslim, and as someone trying to hold on to power in a developing nation, Mr. Jammeh is using scapegoating means in an attempt to show his strength as a leader...it is through these means however, that he is showing himself to be unfit to be in the presidential position.
Throughout history "leaders" have used fear as a way to further marginalize the already marginalized, have created genocidal campaigns to do away with the "enemies within", and have appealed to the lowest common denominators within their countries to further their causes. History repeats too often and we are not learning from our mistakes. National leaders have a responsibility to treat every individual within their countries with respect and dignity regardless of how they may feel about their religions, lifestyles, etc. Mr. Jammeh is really just a coward who cannot face his own inabilities, and in turn masks them by bullying the weak.
T
He promised "stricter laws than Iran" on homosexuality and said he would "cut off the head" of any gay person found in The Gambia. This comes at a time when the country is set to be the host nation of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7416536.stm
As a devout muslim, and as someone trying to hold on to power in a developing nation, Mr. Jammeh is using scapegoating means in an attempt to show his strength as a leader...it is through these means however, that he is showing himself to be unfit to be in the presidential position.
Throughout history "leaders" have used fear as a way to further marginalize the already marginalized, have created genocidal campaigns to do away with the "enemies within", and have appealed to the lowest common denominators within their countries to further their causes. History repeats too often and we are not learning from our mistakes. National leaders have a responsibility to treat every individual within their countries with respect and dignity regardless of how they may feel about their religions, lifestyles, etc. Mr. Jammeh is really just a coward who cannot face his own inabilities, and in turn masks them by bullying the weak.
T
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