AIDemocracy.org | social justice

Dispatches from Peru: Revolutionaries, Terrorists, and the Creation of Collective Memory

April 8, 2011 by Alma Raymer

Hello AIDemocracy network! First and foremost, I hope that you and your loved ones are all doing well in the wake of the crises happening in Japan and other affected areas right now… I have been doing my best to keep up on the situation from here but at times that’s difficult with the lack of information not related to Peru that I can get from here (there were some communities here that were affected by the tsunami on the coast but nothing like what is happening in Japan, Hawai’i, etc). I’d like to focus this blog post on a seminar that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Hunger, Security Tagged With: democracy, Peace, Peacebuilding, Peru, social justice, terrorism, war

Facing ‘difficulties’ after brutalizing a population? Obama and David Cameron could learn a lesson from their North African and Arab counterparts

March 18, 2011 by Gillian Rollason

After decades of brutalizing the population, political leaders shouldn’t be surprised to find their authority challenged by violent uprisings. But this plight is not only of political elites in North Africa and the Middle East - European and American leaders face serious dilemmas at the United Nations, after years of ignoring the human consequences of their foreign policy abroad. It is hardly surprising that Gaddafi is able to use mercenaries to suppress a popular uprising, despite outrage from the international community at the (continued) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Africa, Barack Obama, Britain, capitalism, conflict, diplomacy, economic growth, economy, EU, globalization, Government, government shutdown, human rights, Human Rights and Social Justice, Libya, Middle East, Middle East Democracy, military, national security, NATO, North Africa, oil, poverty, social justice, United Nations, US foreign policy

Aid for AIDS* – Exporting health and expectations (* political revolution optional)

February 28, 2011 by Gillian Rollason

Protect human rights, empower women, create jobs, strengthen the economy, spread democracy, save children, pipe water, grow crops…the benefits of development are a shining torch that many in the international community use to guide their foreign and domestic policy (or so at least, they would have us believe). A few contentious issues arise when we ask ourselves in which direction we are supposed to be ‘developing’ and tensions run high when foreign powers are accused of buying political influence with aid or investment. America might be used to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Hunger, Security, Sex and Justice Tagged With: activism, aid, capitalism, China, Climate Change, Cold War, economic growth, Egypt, foreign aid, globalization, HIV/AIDS, Human Rights and Social Justice, humanitarian aid, Libya, Middle East Democracy, national security, poverty, social justice, sustainable development, transnational corporations

‘Hey Sexy Lady!’ Shouting Back Against the Pervs

January 26, 2011 by Gillian Rollason

“Hey sexy lady! Check THIS out...” [Michael Jackson-esque groin thrust in my direction] ‘Ohh please’ I think 'please wait while I hurry over and give you my phone number, you prehistoric, knuckle-dragging moron’ You may assume that the slimy guy leering at you in the street or beeping his car horn is simply a victim of tragic social ineptitude, but this situation is more sinister. Street harassment ranges from whistles, shouting, and dodgy trouser pocket movements to full blown groping and physical attacks. Where does … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security, Sex and Justice Tagged With: BBC, dialogue, discrimination, Egypt, empowerment, Gender, Haiti, human rights, Human Rights and Social Justice, Reproductive Health, sexual and reproductive health, social justice, technology, violence against women, women, youth

Trinidad Dispatch #4: What is a People's Summit?

April 17, 2009 by Sarah Frazer

10 a.m. I arrived at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, to collect my registration pass and program and join several hundred others for the 4th People's Summit of the Americas. The official title, "Cultural & Ideological Renewal for Social Justice & People's Development in a Time of Global Crisis." The 4th People's Summit coincides with the Fifth Summit of the Americas, with the premise that the outcome of the later engagement critically depends on the agenda set and actions taken by the region's social movements. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: agriculture, Bolivia, Colombia, democracy, Ecuador, global development, human rights, OAS, social justice, Trinidad, Venezuela, youth leaders

International and Transitional Justice News

October 30, 2006 by AIDemocracy

Recent developments in, and views on, the many courts changing our world. Chile/Transitional Justice: Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has been placed under house arrest by a Chilean judge on charges including: murder, kidnapping, and torture of political prisoners. Pinochet has been charged with crimes that were committed against prisoners in the Villa Grimaldi Prison. Between 1974 and 177, Villa Grimaldi was the site of unspeakable cruelty against thousands of prisoners. Among those held and tortured at Villa Grimaldi was Chile’s current … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: Chile, human rights, Russia, social justice, Turkey, Uganda