I sit here helpless, like I was helpless 30 years ago.
I sit here helpless crying in front of the screen as I watch a country that I love go up on smoke, just like I sat there helpless watching the news reports of what was happening in the streets maybe 20 feet away, 30 years ago.
What am I most upset about?
I will stay away from the politics of it. Because I will not even pretend that I understand any of it now after 30 years.
I cry the tears that I couldn’t cry 30 years ago, because of the unreality of it all, because of the impossibility of it all. And I dedicate the following to a cousin I have never met and scarcely spoken to, except during these past 8 turbulent days. It is for him and his generation that I cry.
Our first conversation was 25 years ago. I spoke to him on his birthday, his fourth or fifth, I cannot recall. I asked him what he wanted. He replied, “ I want a helicopter so I can fly to Iraq and kill Saddam the Zahhak.” The reality of this little boy was going to bed and waking up with sirens warning of an imminent Iraqi attack. We may have been the children of the revolution but the generation after were the children of war.
I cry because rather than learning simple games at school, they were taught to spy on their parents and report what was suspicious according to their definition of what warranted suspicion. I cry for him because childhood is about innocence and a sense of wonder and not what they were subjected to.
15 years ago, there was a booth set up in front of the Art Gallery by a group of Mujjahids. Immense posters with graphic photos of people after having been tortured. The big bold caption read “Crimes Against Humanity” And for me that was enough to turn my stomach. I put my head down to hurry away, but I found I couldn’t just walk away. I had to speak. As I looked up I saw one of the bearded men look at me. He hurried to me and started with his carefully rehearsed speech. But I couldn’t let him go on, I jumped in. In English I demanded, “Tell me how is it that this is a crime against humanity when it is done to you and not when you were doing it to others?” He was shocked; he tried to explain about the innocence and righteousness of his cause, about his deep passion for his country, all arguments that I very passionately countered. At last he yelled while pointing his finger at my face, “ What do you know about anything when you have been brought up in the comfort of the West?”
And I stood there sobbing like a baby, “ What right do you have to talk to me this way? What do you know about what goes on in my heart? How much longer do you think I can live with this guilt knowing that I am safe here, while my little cousin thinks that having bombs dropped on his head is a part of life? If I could, if I possibly could I would trade places with him in a heart beat” and I continued to sob… We spoke some more, and then he admitted that the money they were collecting was to buy arms to go back to Iran and continue the fight. “But how much more bloodshed?”
I went away only to come back and find him speaking to an unsuspecting Canadian who had fallen for his sob story of his ill treatment by the government. And like a banshee I started to plead, “ Please don’t give him money, he is just buying arms, he is just going to kill people.” The bearded guy called me a lunatic that should not be listened to and the Canadian said it was his right to give his money to whomever he chose.
After the first signs of unrest, my mother told me that once we left the country 30 years ago, we gave up the right to have an opinion one way or the other about anything that happened in the country. What we had done 30 years ago amounted to handing over the keys of our house for safe keeping to people and now we have no right to question them or their methods.
She may have left her country but we were taken from ours. For better or worse they chose our fate our destiny, not us. I need to say this because I want my cousin to understand that being away was not easy. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
I loved my country. I loved my family. I would spend the first year daydreaming throughout the school day. I would close my eyes and move through the house, room-by-room, move through the school inch by inch. I relived the last encounters with family and friends. I overheard the adults during one discussion say that any immigrant caught shoplifting would be deported back to their country of origin. The next day I went to the mall. I stood there in front of the candy counter, with the worst dilemma of my young life. I had a solution to my problem. In order to go back all I had to do was to take something that wasn’t mine, and I would be sent back home. Easy, simple! And it would be out of my parents’ hands. But if I took it, I would be a thief, and that was morally wrong. But if I didn’t, I would be stuck in a country where people were polite and distant, and halfway across the world from my heart.
5 years later we were called to take the oath of citizenship, after a yearlong feud with my parents where I declared, “ I was born an Iranian and I will die one too. I will not be a traitor and I will not be a sell-out, and I will happily tell this to that idiot judge. “ It must have come as a huge relief to my parents when they found out that they would be granted the interview and as minors my sister and I would just be present for the oath. I remember them begging and pleading, threatening and cajoling me to behave properly during the ceremony. I sat there mesmerized by the fire alarm, planning in my mind how I would make an excuse to go to the bathroom and pull the alarm and at least get a reprieve for the day.
And although I didn’t see that ruinous barbaric 10 year war, I lived through those dark days of the Revolution. And it has scarred me for life. I saw people get shot in front of my eyes, and fall to the ground maybe 2 feet away from me. One day, on the way back from school, our car was stopped and one of the revolutionary guards pulled me out of the car at gunpoint with his G-3 just inches from my throat. Why you may ask? They were doing a random check of the schoolbags of children for suspicious material. In those days, the first four pages of each and very Farsi school book contained a picture of the Shah, the Queen, the Crown Prince and the Imperial Family in that order. He wanted to check my family’s sympathies by examining my book. I refused to hand over my bag. My father begged and pleaded, “Hand the gentleman your bag dear.” Once he had my bag he flipped through the book. “What are these pictures doing here?” “They came with my book.” “You must tear them out immediately” he growled still pointing his gun at me. “ I will not.” I screamed, hysterically. “Do as the man says,” my father anxiously pleaded. “ No! I will not! Mom said she would skin me alive if I touched this book. I will not tear anything out.” A struggle ensued between me and this guard until my father stepped in. I don’t know who tore the pages out, but in the excitement too many pages were torn out. “ You DO NOT argue with a man with a machine gun. What is wrong with you?”
I cry as I see the news from Iran because I remember October 30th 1979. I was studying in my room in Vancouver when I heard gunshots. I started screaming and threw myself onto the floor and rolled into the closet, like I had done so many times when they started shooting in Tehran. My parents came running to my room, to find me a hysterical mess in the closet. Those weren’t gunshots I had heard, but firecrackers. To this day I hate Halloween, and I hate any movie with violence.
I cry when I see the news reports. I cry for myself and I cry for my cousin because these were not the normal experiences of childhood. My Canadian friends never experienced gunshots and executions and martial law and not knowing if they would take your father to be executed.
But most of all I cry because my cousin said on June 13th, “They lied to us. They robbed us, they cheated us.” But they have done this for the past 30 years. We have been robbed of our dignity, our identity our heritage. We are displaced even in our own homes. We are gypsies in search of the Promised Land. Dazed and confused for 30 years.
And these tears have been a long time in coming.
I dedicate this to my cousin who believes in a bright future and all those people displaced by war and revolution … ironically on World Refugee Day.
Saturday 20 June 2009
Tuesday 27 May 2008
IRANIAN BAHA'I LEADERS BEING HELD INCOMMUNICADO; GROWING CONCERN FOR THEIR FATE
IRANIAN BAHA'I LEADERS BEING HELD INCOMMUNICADO; GROWING CONCERN FOR THEIR FATE
NEW YORK, 27 May 2008 (BWNS) -- Six Baha'i leaders who were arrested nearly two weeks ago are being held incommunicado, without access to lawyers or relatives, and the Baha'i International Community is increasingly concerned about their fate.
"Although initial reports indicated they were taken to Evin prison, in fact we don't know where they are, and we are extremely concerned," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"What is clear is that none of their fundamental rights are being upheld. They have had no access to family members or counsel. We don't even know if they have been before a judge or whether they have been formally charged.
"All we know is what a government spokesperson said last week, which is that they were arrested for 'security reasons,' a charge that is utterly baseless.
"We appeal to the international community, human rights groups, and people of conscience, as well as the news media, to continue their efforts to press the Iranian government so that the rights of these people as detainees be upheld and that they be allowed access to counsel and general communication with the outside -- as a minimum step," said Ms. Dugal.
The six, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Baha'is in Iran, were arrested on 14 May 2008 in an early morning sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Baha'i leaders were rounded up and killed.
A seventh member of the national coordinating group was arrested in early March in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there.
The whereabouts of none of the seven are known, said Ms. Dugal.
"We understood that the six were taken to Evin prison -- the seventh remaining in Mashhad -- principally because some of the government agents who arrested the six on the 14th had documents indicating they would be taken to that notorious place," she said.
"However, in light of the fact that relatives have made repeated attempts to learn more about the fate of the seven, and in all cases have been met with evasion and conflicting stories from government officials, we must now say that we don't know where they are -- and that our level of concern for their fate is at the highest," Ms. Dugal said.
Arrested on 14 May were: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All live in Tehran.
Arrested in Mashhad on 5 March was Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, who also resides in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of Intelligence, ostensibly on the grounds that she was required to answer questions related to the burial of an individual in the Baha'i cemetery in that city.
Last week, Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham gave a press conference at which he acknowledged the arrest and imprisonment of the six. News reports quoted Mr. Elham as saying on 20 May that the six were arrested for "security issues" and not because of their religious beliefs.
Those assertions -- the only public statement by the government about the seven -- were immediately rebutted by Ms. Dugal.
"The group of Baha'is arrested last week, like the thousands of Baha'is who since 1979 have been killed, imprisoned, or otherwise oppressed, are being persecuted solely because of their religious beliefs," Ms. Dugal said on 21 May.
NEW YORK, 27 May 2008 (BWNS) -- Six Baha'i leaders who were arrested nearly two weeks ago are being held incommunicado, without access to lawyers or relatives, and the Baha'i International Community is increasingly concerned about their fate.
"Although initial reports indicated they were taken to Evin prison, in fact we don't know where they are, and we are extremely concerned," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"What is clear is that none of their fundamental rights are being upheld. They have had no access to family members or counsel. We don't even know if they have been before a judge or whether they have been formally charged.
"All we know is what a government spokesperson said last week, which is that they were arrested for 'security reasons,' a charge that is utterly baseless.
"We appeal to the international community, human rights groups, and people of conscience, as well as the news media, to continue their efforts to press the Iranian government so that the rights of these people as detainees be upheld and that they be allowed access to counsel and general communication with the outside -- as a minimum step," said Ms. Dugal.
The six, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Baha'is in Iran, were arrested on 14 May 2008 in an early morning sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Baha'i leaders were rounded up and killed.
A seventh member of the national coordinating group was arrested in early March in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there.
The whereabouts of none of the seven are known, said Ms. Dugal.
"We understood that the six were taken to Evin prison -- the seventh remaining in Mashhad -- principally because some of the government agents who arrested the six on the 14th had documents indicating they would be taken to that notorious place," she said.
"However, in light of the fact that relatives have made repeated attempts to learn more about the fate of the seven, and in all cases have been met with evasion and conflicting stories from government officials, we must now say that we don't know where they are -- and that our level of concern for their fate is at the highest," Ms. Dugal said.
Arrested on 14 May were: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All live in Tehran.
Arrested in Mashhad on 5 March was Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, who also resides in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of Intelligence, ostensibly on the grounds that she was required to answer questions related to the burial of an individual in the Baha'i cemetery in that city.
Last week, Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham gave a press conference at which he acknowledged the arrest and imprisonment of the six. News reports quoted Mr. Elham as saying on 20 May that the six were arrested for "security issues" and not because of their religious beliefs.
Those assertions -- the only public statement by the government about the seven -- were immediately rebutted by Ms. Dugal.
"The group of Baha'is arrested last week, like the thousands of Baha'is who since 1979 have been killed, imprisoned, or otherwise oppressed, are being persecuted solely because of their religious beliefs," Ms. Dugal said on 21 May.
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Urgent Appeal for Action For Religious Prisoners
Six leaders of a group managing the Baha’i community’s religious and administrative affairs in Iran were arrested at their homes by officers from the Ministry of Intelligence on 14 May and are now detained in Evin Prison in Tehran. A seventh person, acting secretary for
the group, Mahvash Sabet, has been in detention since 5 March. They may all be prisoners of conscience, detained solely because of their religious beliefs or their peaceful activities on behalf of the Baha’i community.
The six Baha’i leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm, were arrested following raids on their homes by officers from the Ministry of Intelligence in the early hours of 14 May. Their homes were
extensively searched for about five hours.
Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Jamaloddin Khanjani have previously been arrested for their activities on behalf of the Baha’i community. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi and Behrouz Tavakkoli were arrested in Mashhad in Khorasan Province, north-eastern Iran,
on 26 July 2005 after they arrived at the city’s bus station from Tehran in order to meet some other Baha’is and discuss community affairs. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, who was released on bail on 19 September 2005, is a member of a coordinating group that supervises
course work for Baha’is in Iran who wish to study their religion. She had previously been arrested on 25 May 2005 and released on bail on 28 June. Behrouz Tavakkoli was released on bail on 15 November 2005. Mahvash Sabet, who lives in Tehran, was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of Intelligence as part of its investigation into the burial
of an individual in the city’s Baha’i cemetery. She was arrested on 5 March and later transferred to Evin Prison, where she remains.
Three other Baha’is are also currently detained in unclear circumstances in Shiraz and may also be prisoners of conscience (See UA 25/08; MDE 13/017/2008, 25 January 2008).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Baha’i faith was founded about 150 years ago in Iran and has since spread around the world. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, the Baha’i community has been systematically harassed and persecuted. There are over 300,000 Baha’is
currently in Iran, but their religion is not recognized under the Iranian Constitution, which only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Baha’is in Iran are subject to discriminatory laws and regulations which violate their right to practise their religion
freely, as set out in Article 18(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party, and which deny them equal rights to education, work and to a decent standard of living by restricting their access to employment and benefits such as
pensions. They are not permitted to meet, to hold religious ceremonies or to practice their religion communally. Since President Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005, dozens of Baha’is have been arrested because of their faith.
Members of the Baha’i community in Iran profess their allegiance to the state and deny that they are involved in any subversive acts
against the government, which they state would be against their religion. For further information, please see the report: Iran – New government fails to address dire human rights situation
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/010/2006/en/dom-MDE130102006en.html
Recommended Action:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
- asking why the seven individuals (please name them) have been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence;
- stating that Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience if they are detained because of their Baha’i faith
or their peaceful activities managing the religious or administrative affairs of the Baha’i community in Iran;
- calling for their release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly;
- calling on the authorities not to torture or ill-treat them;
- urging the authorities to ensure that they are given immediate and regular access to their relatives and lawyers of their choice.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader, Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Intelligence
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie
Ministry of Intelligence, Second Negarestan Street, Pasdaran Avenue, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: http://iranjudiciary.org (In subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 6 649 5880
Email: via website: http://www.president.ir/en/
Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran
His Excellency Mohammad Javad Larijani
C/o Office of the Deputy for International Affairs
Ministry of Justice,
Ministry of Justice Building, Panzdah-Khordad (Ark) Square,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 5 537 8827 (please keep trying)
and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 26 June
2008.
the group, Mahvash Sabet, has been in detention since 5 March. They may all be prisoners of conscience, detained solely because of their religious beliefs or their peaceful activities on behalf of the Baha’i community.
The six Baha’i leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm, were arrested following raids on their homes by officers from the Ministry of Intelligence in the early hours of 14 May. Their homes were
extensively searched for about five hours.
Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Jamaloddin Khanjani have previously been arrested for their activities on behalf of the Baha’i community. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi and Behrouz Tavakkoli were arrested in Mashhad in Khorasan Province, north-eastern Iran,
on 26 July 2005 after they arrived at the city’s bus station from Tehran in order to meet some other Baha’is and discuss community affairs. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, who was released on bail on 19 September 2005, is a member of a coordinating group that supervises
course work for Baha’is in Iran who wish to study their religion. She had previously been arrested on 25 May 2005 and released on bail on 28 June. Behrouz Tavakkoli was released on bail on 15 November 2005. Mahvash Sabet, who lives in Tehran, was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of Intelligence as part of its investigation into the burial
of an individual in the city’s Baha’i cemetery. She was arrested on 5 March and later transferred to Evin Prison, where she remains.
Three other Baha’is are also currently detained in unclear circumstances in Shiraz and may also be prisoners of conscience (See UA 25/08; MDE 13/017/2008, 25 January 2008).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Baha’i faith was founded about 150 years ago in Iran and has since spread around the world. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, the Baha’i community has been systematically harassed and persecuted. There are over 300,000 Baha’is
currently in Iran, but their religion is not recognized under the Iranian Constitution, which only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Baha’is in Iran are subject to discriminatory laws and regulations which violate their right to practise their religion
freely, as set out in Article 18(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party, and which deny them equal rights to education, work and to a decent standard of living by restricting their access to employment and benefits such as
pensions. They are not permitted to meet, to hold religious ceremonies or to practice their religion communally. Since President Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005, dozens of Baha’is have been arrested because of their faith.
Members of the Baha’i community in Iran profess their allegiance to the state and deny that they are involved in any subversive acts
against the government, which they state would be against their religion. For further information, please see the report: Iran – New government fails to address dire human rights situation
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/010/2006/en/dom-MDE130102006en.html
Recommended Action:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
- asking why the seven individuals (please name them) have been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence;
- stating that Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience if they are detained because of their Baha’i faith
or their peaceful activities managing the religious or administrative affairs of the Baha’i community in Iran;
- calling for their release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly;
- calling on the authorities not to torture or ill-treat them;
- urging the authorities to ensure that they are given immediate and regular access to their relatives and lawyers of their choice.
APPEALS TO:
Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader, Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Intelligence
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie
Ministry of Intelligence, Second Negarestan Street, Pasdaran Avenue, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: http://iranjudiciary.org (In subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 6 649 5880
Email: via website: http://www.president.ir/en/
Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran
His Excellency Mohammad Javad Larijani
C/o Office of the Deputy for International Affairs
Ministry of Justice,
Ministry of Justice Building, Panzdah-Khordad (Ark) Square,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 5 537 8827 (please keep trying)
and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 26 June
2008.
Thursday 3 April 2008
Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day... On the Eve of History in the Making
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream"
Without justice, there can be no peace. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Stride Towards Freedom
Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail' Why We Can't Wait 1963.
For Audios of Dr. King's Talkshttp://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/
Brief Biography
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
The King Center
http://www.thekingcenter.org/
A Resource for Children
My Dream of Martin Luther King- By Faith Ringgold
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0517885778/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-0094345-1470508#reader-link
Martin's Big Words- By Doreen Rappaport
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0786807148/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-0094345-1470508#reader-link
Monday 10 December 2007
OUR STORIES
A multitude of voices joined together today to launch ‘Our Stories’ – an initiative that will collect, preserve and share stories from young people around the world.
The effort is supported by UNICEF in partnership with Google and the One Laptop per Child project.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan and UNICEF Advocate for Children Affected by War Ishmael Beah have lent their support to the initiative. The ‘Our Stories’ website launched today with stories from Brazil, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania and Pakistan.
Stories from Argentina, Ethiopia and Nigeria, and translations of the site into eight languages, are coming soon.
‘The ability to tell my story’
“The act of sharing allows us to form that necessary human connection that is often missing,” said Mr. Beah, former child soldier and best-selling author of the memoir, ‘A Long Way Gone’.
“When I was 11, a civil war began in my country,” he continued. “I was forced to become a child soldier at the age of 13, and I fought in the war for over two years. One of the most significant changes in my life has been the ability to tell my story for the benefit of others.”
With ‘Our Stories’, this ability to share and connect can extend beyond traditional channels of storytelling. In the first group of collected stories, common themes of protection, education and health begin to emerge.
A community of storytellers
Many of the stories focus on schooling, as young people either describe the present or look towards their future. Saningo Kimane, a young Masai who had lived most of his life as a pastoralist in Tanzania, was one of the first to record his story, saying “the day that I was really happy was when I started school, because most of the people in my society didn’t have a chance to go to school.”
The UNICEF Division of Communication’s Youth Team has been actively pursuing many avenues to connect young people who have no access to the Internet with others who do, using mobile phones, radio and other innovations under the ‘Uniwiki’ banner.
In the next phase of the ‘Our Stories’ project, the site will add the ability for anyone to record a story – thereby growing the community of stories and storytellers, with the goal of collecting millions of stories by 2010. UNICEF will also add functionality for recording stories on mobile phones and land lines, which will play a powerful role in connecting young voices worldwide.
Friday 30 November 2007
Where The World Stands On 6 Goals
At the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar (Senegal), governments, organizations, agencies, groups and associations pledged themselves to achieve six goals on education for all by 2015. What are the principal developments since then in each one of these?
1. Expanding and improving early childhood care and education
Early childhood care and education programmes improve children’s health, nutrition, well-being and cognitive development. They offset disadvantage and inequality and lead to better achievement in primary school. The comprehensive care and education of children below age 3 remains a neglected area. Although child mortality rates have dropped, a majority of countries are not taking the necessary policy measures to provide care and education to children below age 3.
The provision of pre-primary education for children aged 3 and above has improved but remains scarce across sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States. Early childhood care and education programmes generally do not reach the poorest and most disadvantaged children, who stand to gain the most from them in terms of health, nutrition and cognitive development.
2. Ensuring access to free and compulsory primary education
Access to and participation in primary education have sharply increased since Dakar, and the number of out-of-school children dropped from 96 million to 72 million between 1999 and 2005.
Twenty-three countries that lacked legal provisions for compulsory education in 2000 have since established them. Compulsory education laws now exist in 95% of 203 countries and territories.
The global net enrolment ratio rose from 83% to 87% between 1999 and 2005, faster than from 1991 to 1999. Participation levels increased most rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa (23%), and South and West Asia (11%). The number of out-of-school children dropped by 24 million to 72 million between 1999 and 2005. Thirty-five fragile states account for 37% of all out-of-school children.
Despite overall enrolment increases, subnational disparities in school participation persist between regions, provinces or states and between urban and rural areas. Children from poor, indigenous and disabled populations are also at a systematic disadvantage, as are those living in slums. On current trends, 58 out of 86 countries that have not yet reached universal primary enrolment will not achieve it by 2015.
3. Ensuring the learning needs of young people and adults
This goal has been particularly neglected, in part because of the difficulty of defining, documenting and monitoring it. Many young people and adults acquire skills through informal means, or through a great variety of non-formal literacy, equivalency, life-skills and livelihood programmes.
Household surveys show that non-formal education is the main route to learning for many disadvantaged youth and adults in some of the world’s poorest countries. Yet non-formal education programmes remain neglected in terms of public funding, although some governments have recently developed national frameworks for sustained provision.
4. Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in adult literacy
Adult literacy remains a serious global issue. Worldwide, 774 million adults still lack basic literacy skills. Some 64% of them are women, a share virtually unchanged since the early 1990s. Three regions (East Asia, South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa) concentrate the vast majority of the one in five adults around the world still denied the right to literacy. Except in China, there has been little progress during the past decade in reducing the large number of illiterate adults.
The adult literacy rate in developing countries increased from 68% to 77% between the periods 1985–1994 and 1995–2004. Of the 101 countries still far from achieving ‘universal literacy’, 72 will not succeed in halving their adult illiteracy rates by 2015.
5. Eliminating gender disparities
Only 59 countries with data had achieved gender parity in primary and secondary education by 2005; 75% of countries with data are at parity or close to it at primary level, while 47% are close to reaching the goal in secondary education. Boys’ underparticipation and underachievement are of growing concern in secondary education.
Only 18 out of 113 countries that missed the gender parity goal at primary and secondary level in 2005 stand a chance of achieving it by 2015. Gender equality remains elusive: sexual violence, insecure school environments and inadequate sanitation disproportionately affect girls’ self-esteem, participation and retention. Textbooks, curricula and teacher attitudes continue to reinforce stereotypes on gender roles in society.
6. Improving the quality of education
Survival rates to the last grade of primary school improved between 1999 and 2004 in most countries with data but remained low in sub-Saharan Africa (median rate of 63%) and in South and West Asia (79%). Relatively low and unequal learning achievement in language and mathematics characterize many countries worldwide.
Crowded and dilapidated classrooms, too few textbooks and insufficient instructional time are widespread in many developing countries and fragile states. Pupil/teacher ratios have increased in sub-Saharan Africa and in South and West Asia since 1999. Eighteen million new primary school teachers are needed worldwide to reach universal primary education by 2015.
Many governments are hiring contract teachers to save costs and rapidly increase the teaching force, but where such teachers lack adequate training and service conditions, this practice could have a negative impact on quality in the future.
Extracts from the "EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008"
1. Expanding and improving early childhood care and education
Early childhood care and education programmes improve children’s health, nutrition, well-being and cognitive development. They offset disadvantage and inequality and lead to better achievement in primary school. The comprehensive care and education of children below age 3 remains a neglected area. Although child mortality rates have dropped, a majority of countries are not taking the necessary policy measures to provide care and education to children below age 3.
The provision of pre-primary education for children aged 3 and above has improved but remains scarce across sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States. Early childhood care and education programmes generally do not reach the poorest and most disadvantaged children, who stand to gain the most from them in terms of health, nutrition and cognitive development.
2. Ensuring access to free and compulsory primary education
Access to and participation in primary education have sharply increased since Dakar, and the number of out-of-school children dropped from 96 million to 72 million between 1999 and 2005.
Twenty-three countries that lacked legal provisions for compulsory education in 2000 have since established them. Compulsory education laws now exist in 95% of 203 countries and territories.
The global net enrolment ratio rose from 83% to 87% between 1999 and 2005, faster than from 1991 to 1999. Participation levels increased most rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa (23%), and South and West Asia (11%). The number of out-of-school children dropped by 24 million to 72 million between 1999 and 2005. Thirty-five fragile states account for 37% of all out-of-school children.
Despite overall enrolment increases, subnational disparities in school participation persist between regions, provinces or states and between urban and rural areas. Children from poor, indigenous and disabled populations are also at a systematic disadvantage, as are those living in slums. On current trends, 58 out of 86 countries that have not yet reached universal primary enrolment will not achieve it by 2015.
3. Ensuring the learning needs of young people and adults
This goal has been particularly neglected, in part because of the difficulty of defining, documenting and monitoring it. Many young people and adults acquire skills through informal means, or through a great variety of non-formal literacy, equivalency, life-skills and livelihood programmes.
Household surveys show that non-formal education is the main route to learning for many disadvantaged youth and adults in some of the world’s poorest countries. Yet non-formal education programmes remain neglected in terms of public funding, although some governments have recently developed national frameworks for sustained provision.
4. Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in adult literacy
Adult literacy remains a serious global issue. Worldwide, 774 million adults still lack basic literacy skills. Some 64% of them are women, a share virtually unchanged since the early 1990s. Three regions (East Asia, South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa) concentrate the vast majority of the one in five adults around the world still denied the right to literacy. Except in China, there has been little progress during the past decade in reducing the large number of illiterate adults.
The adult literacy rate in developing countries increased from 68% to 77% between the periods 1985–1994 and 1995–2004. Of the 101 countries still far from achieving ‘universal literacy’, 72 will not succeed in halving their adult illiteracy rates by 2015.
5. Eliminating gender disparities
Only 59 countries with data had achieved gender parity in primary and secondary education by 2005; 75% of countries with data are at parity or close to it at primary level, while 47% are close to reaching the goal in secondary education. Boys’ underparticipation and underachievement are of growing concern in secondary education.
Only 18 out of 113 countries that missed the gender parity goal at primary and secondary level in 2005 stand a chance of achieving it by 2015. Gender equality remains elusive: sexual violence, insecure school environments and inadequate sanitation disproportionately affect girls’ self-esteem, participation and retention. Textbooks, curricula and teacher attitudes continue to reinforce stereotypes on gender roles in society.
6. Improving the quality of education
Survival rates to the last grade of primary school improved between 1999 and 2004 in most countries with data but remained low in sub-Saharan Africa (median rate of 63%) and in South and West Asia (79%). Relatively low and unequal learning achievement in language and mathematics characterize many countries worldwide.
Crowded and dilapidated classrooms, too few textbooks and insufficient instructional time are widespread in many developing countries and fragile states. Pupil/teacher ratios have increased in sub-Saharan Africa and in South and West Asia since 1999. Eighteen million new primary school teachers are needed worldwide to reach universal primary education by 2015.
Many governments are hiring contract teachers to save costs and rapidly increase the teaching force, but where such teachers lack adequate training and service conditions, this practice could have a negative impact on quality in the future.
Extracts from the "EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008"
Thursday 4 October 2007
World Teachers’ Day
World Teachers’ Day was inaugurated in 1994 to commemorate the signing of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers on 5 October 1966. More than 100 countries currently celebrate World Teachers’ Day on 5 October.On World Teachers’ Day,
and on any other day for that matter,
the basic message that a teacher needs to receive is quite simple.
“We appreciate you”.
That message cannot be repeated often enough.
and on any other day for that matter,
the basic message that a teacher needs to receive is quite simple.
“We appreciate you”.
That message cannot be repeated often enough.
Wednesday 5 September 2007
UNGEI: United Nations Girls' Education Initiative
"Enabling girls to attend school is literally a matter of life and death. Education, especially for girls and women, is the best way to break the cycle of ill health, hunger and poverty..."- Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global Campaign for Education
http://www.ungei.org/index.php
The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) was launched in April 2000 at the World Education Forum in Dakar by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Its goal is to narrow the gender gap in primary and secondary education and to ensure that by 2015, all children complete primary schooling, with girls and boys having equal access to all levels of education.
UNGEI, the EFA flagship for girls' education, is a partnership that embraces the United Nations system, governments, donor countries, non-governmental organizations, civil society, the private sector, and communities and families. UNGEI provides stakeholders with a platform for action and galvanizes their efforts to get girls in school.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Sustainable development and the eradication of poverty will only be achieved with quality education for all - girls and boys alike. Since girls face much greater obstacles, special efforts are needed to get them in school and ensure that they complete their education.
If girls remain uneducated, they are likely to become women who are illiterate, impoverished and less likely to raise healthy and educated families. Society cannot afford to allow another generation to forego its potential. That's why the Millennium Development Goals, as well as the goals of Education for All (EFA), call for gender parity and equality in education.
- Guatemala: Bilingual schooling for indigenous children
- Southern Sudan: Suku's story: Girls' education is the key
- Solomon Islands: Youth employment: “We are not the problem, we are the solution”
- Bolivia: Child-friendly schools give hope to a young girl in El Alto
- Rwanda: School campaign supports girls’ education and achievement
- Brazil: Football helps girls in Brazil put exploitation behind them
Wednesday 18 July 2007
UNESCO International Literacy Prizes
The five 2007 UNESCO International Literacy Prizes have been awarded to literacy projects in China, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and the United States. The winners were proclaimed by UNESCO's Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, on the recommendation of an international jury. A project in Spain was also awarded an Honourable Mention.
UNESCO International Reading Association Literacy Prize : The Community Education Administration Centre, Longsheng Ethnic Minority Autonomous Country (People’s Republic of China)
UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes: TOSTAN (Senegal)
This non-governmental organization (NGO) works mainly in rural areas providing literacy and life skills for women around such issues as female and reproductive health, human rights and dignity, empowerment and community development.
UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes: The Children’s Book Project (Tanzania)
The Children’s Book Project (Tanzania) works to develop a strong reading culture and a literate environment. It promotes local languages and strengthens the local book production industry through the training of teachers, writers, publishers and illustrators.
UNESCO Confucius Prizes: The NGO Family Re-orientation Education and Empowerment (FREE) (Nigeria)
This organization works to establish an effective network for community development by creating community programmes targeting especially women and girls.
UNESCO Confucius Prizes : Reach Out and Read (United States of America)
This NGO works through neighbourhood clinics, hospitals and public health departments to reach low-income children at risk of school failure. It offers literacy guidance to young families and promotes a reading culture.
The Honourable Mention was awarded to the NGO Fundación Adunare, CODEF Adult Education Centre (Spain)
The NGO works to build a society that encourages critical thinking, integrates active and dynamic individuals and forges relationships through dialogue.
Monday 2 July 2007
More Than Meets the Eye....Ending Violence Against Women
Fighting gender-based violence is a major concern for UNIFEM, because violence against women is a universal problem and one of the most widespread violations of human rights. One in three women will suffer some form of violence in her lifetime, becoming part of an epidemic that devastates lives, fractures communities and stalls development. Despite some progress on this issue over the past decade, its horrendous scale remains mostly unacknowledged. New dimensions include the global trafficking of women and girls.
They impoverish individuals, families, communities and governments and reduce the economic development of each nation.
- Statistics paint a horrifying picture of the social and health consequences of violence against women.
- Violence against women is a major cause of death and disability for women 16 to 44 years of age.
- It is as serious a cause of death and incapacity among women of reproductive age as cancer, and a greater cause of ill-health than traffic accidents and malaria combined .
- Several studies have revealed increasing links between violence against women and HIV/AIDS. Women who have experienced violence are at a higher risk of HIV infection: a survey among 1,366 South African women showed that women who were beaten by their partners were 48 per cent more likely to be infected with HIV than those who were not.
They impoverish individuals, families, communities and governments and reduce the economic development of each nation.
"Acts of Random Kindness"
This little trooper gave up his mother for 4 weeks, gave up his naps, his playtime, and most importantly his cheeks( very sweet and yummy) for his aunt ... all the time worried about her being scared when it's nighttime and dark in Canada... and then he swept the whole condo, (his idea) to be of more help... He is my essence of generosity... and my LOVE!who would have thought this all those years ago?
Friday 29 June 2007
Prejudice is Learned- The Death of Fafour in Gaza
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A Mickey Mouse lookalike who preached Islamic domination on a Hamas-affiliated children's television program was beaten to death in the show's final episode Friday.
In the final skit, "Farfour" was killed by an actor posing as an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land. At one point, the mouse called the Israeli a "terrorist."
"Farfour was martyred while defending his land," said Sara, the teen presenter. He was killed "by the killers of children," she added.
The weekly show, featuring a giant black-and-white rodent with a high-pitched voice, had attracted worldwide attention because the character urged Palestinian children to fight Israel. It was broadcast on Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV.
Station officials said Friday that Farfour was taken off the air to make room for new programs. Station manager Mohammed Bilal said he did not know what would be shown instead.
Israeli officials have denounced the program, "Tomorrow's Pioneers," as incendiary and outrageous. The program was also opposed by the state-run Palestinian Broadcasting Corp., which is controlled by Fatah, Hamas' rival.
.... A Giant Step Back for Children... The Role of Race in the Educational Setting
“It is not often in the law that so few have so quickly changed so much.”
– Supreme Ct. Justice Stephen Breyer opposing the Court’s 5-4 ruling that schools cannot use racial quotas to maintain an integrated student population.
In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court today ruled against Seattle and Kentucky school-choice programs that considered race in the assignment of children to public schools. Associate Professor Mica Pollock, whose research — including the award-winning book Colormute: Race Talk Dilemmas in an American School — focuses on the role of race in educational settings, discusses the decision.
Q. How will the Supreme Court ruling affect schools that want to maintain racial diversity?
A. As Justice Stevens suggested, districts are now going to be waiting in fear to be sued for even voluntary attempts to create or maintain racial diversity in school enrollment. It’s a sad day in America when people fear they will be sued for attempts to create diverse and equitable schools. This ruling could prompt more complex efforts at diversifying school populations. The danger is that districts will hear this ruling as a mandate to mute any analysis or discussion of race when planning student enrollment or school programs. But districts don’t have to be colormute – they don’t have to stop their conversations about race and opportunity, and about student body diversity. I hope districts refuse colormuteness, and keep talking about how to attract diverse populations to their schools and educational programs. School-level educators also need to keep talking about racially equal opportunity inside their schools and classrooms. No one in the field of education should take this opinion as a mandate to stop talking about race and opportunity, or the need for diversity. We can’t afford that as a nation.
For continuation of the interview
PARENTS INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS v. SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1 ET AL.
Tuesday 26 June 2007
Saturday 23 June 2007
UNESCO: World Heritage List ... A Gift to Our Children
The World Heritage List includes 830 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 644 cultural, 162 natural and 24 mixed properties in 184 States Parties.
The Intercative Map
World Heritage in Danger
The List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to inform the international community of conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action.
Success Stories
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