Child trafficking threatens Iraqi society

“I was born free like a bird; I wished to fly in the sky,” says Amal. “I lived in a quiet and simple house in a village in northern Iraq. I had dreams about the future like any other young girl in the world and drew my power from the green mountains around me. Until the day my parents forced me to marry a man who was 50.”

It came as a shock for the 16-year-old Amal to lose her youth for a life with a much older man whom she did not love. “I realised too late that my parents considered me as a good that could be sold. My father asked the man for a lot of money and gold in return for marriage and kept everything for himself. Now I feel that my life is over,” she says.

Anaam Mohammed, a psychiatrist at the University of Arbil, explains the practice: “Some families sell their daughters to wealthy old men on the pretext that they want to save them but in reality they do it for the money they can earn from it.”

“Such a marriage deprives the child of its right to childhood and social welfare. If a married girl returns to her family house, she is scarred for life because she will suffer from lasting physical, but above all, psychological traumas. Terrible, bitter memories cannot easily be forgotten, especially if the girl has been abused sexually,” says Mohammed.

“I’m pregnant with my second illegitimate child because my mother forced me several times to have sexual relations with my uncle. My life was over when I was 13,” says Nubras, now 15.

Nubras has made many attempts to commit suicide. “All I wish today is to die,” she says, “because I want to wash the shame that happened to me. I don’t have any hope left.”

“First my uncle had sexual relations with my mother and I’m his second victim. I feel that my mother sold me to him,” she adds.

Nubras’ mother feels helpless too: “Nubras’ uncle raped her because she doesn’t have anyone to protect and provide for her. Her father died and I don’t have any money. It was not my fault.”

Child in Baghdad

Lost childhoods

According to sources at the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights, the number of widows in Iraq has reached 108,946 in 2010. The figure for the number orphans is much higher. Altogether there are 1,371,964 orphans in Iraq, of whom 768,556 (56 percent) have lost their father, 396,498 (29 percent) have lost their mother and 206,910 (15 percent) are orphans of both parents.

These are impressive figures considering the fact that young people under the age of 18 in Iraq represent half of the total Iraqi population of around 32 million people. 

The Ministry of Human Rights specified that the figure related to the number orphans does not include the number of children living in orphanages which reaches 238,253.
 
The 8-year-old Mohammed and his 5-year-old brother suffered several sexual assaults from homosexual youths. Their mother had “rented” them in return for USD 9 a day to a “broker” who used children for as beggars.

“When I found out that my sons had been sexually abused by homosexual youths in exchange for USD 20, I wanted to get my sons back, but I was surprised to learn that the conditions of the renting contract did not allow it,” Mohammed’s mother says.

Mohammed and his brother not only lost their childhood, they also lost their mother’s love and her warm lap when she “rented” them to the broker. She also sold two other sons to the same broker who in turn sold one boy to a woman who didn’t have children and the other to a homosexual man.

Human Trafficking in Iraq, a report by War News Radio, August 2011

Severe physical and psychological damages

A psychiatrist who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject gave some insights into the practice of child trafficking in Iraq. “Children are transported in special cages to the provinces where they are exploited as beggars or rented for sex.”

“Some families whose children were kidnapped were able to recover them later. When the children returned home and went through a medical examination, it appeared that they had been sexually assaulted.”

According to the psychiatrist, “children who have been subject to sexual abuse suffer from severe psychological crises in childhood and adolescence and can develop mental disorders. The most important of these disorders is called pressure shock, which mainly affects people who have been exposed to enormous psychological blows, such as rape and the sight of killings of any kind. These symptoms can last more than six months and treatment is very difficult.”

“The effects of pressure shock on a child can also be permanent. The child will keep waking up frequently at night, and suffer from bedwetting, attention deficit disorder and severe emotional crises during adolescence. The child may end up withdrawing from society,” the psychiatrist added.

According to the NGO Children of the World, the number of homeless children in Baghdad has now reached 4,000. These children can be found in 26 areas across the capital where brokers use them as beggars.

Because of the security problems and the poor standard of living still plaguing Iraq, some children and teenagers, especially the ones who are homeless, are also being exploited by armed groups in terrorist operations.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the number of convicted teenagers in terrorist crimes has gone up rapidly from 239 in 2008 to 324 in 2009 and 383 in 2010.

Children in Baghdad

A personal encounter

In Judria, a city south of Baghdad, many children can be seen begging and selling small items near one of the biggest universities in Iraq. When I tried to talk to them they suddenly disappeared because their “masters” were watching them from behind a wall.

It looked as if their “masters” were afraid that the children would be taken to an orphanage or that the children would reveal where they lived and where they came from. 

When I managed to chat one day with the 5-year-old Sara, she replied: “Ask my brother about where we are living because he is older than me.”

She looked frightened and her behaviour seemed to indicate that she thought someone was watching her.

Sara’s 8-year-old brother Ahmed approached and answered quickly: “We live here in Baghdad. My father died of cancer but I live with my uncle now.”

As he was talking I detected that his accent was from northern Iraq and concluded that he was not originally from Baghdad and that he had moved to the capital recently.

The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights says that it is very difficult to do research about human trafficking because of the nature of Iraqi society and the islamic tradition which prevents this infamous trade.

The Ministry recommends in its annual report “that the Iraqi police should investigate this criminal activity and not wait until it appears in public under the eyes of all citizens.” 

By Maryam Mohammed Jaafar

Maryam Jaafar writes as a freelance journalist for several newspapers and also does volunteer work for Iraqi human rights organisations. She graduated in Political Science at Baghdad University in July 2011 and is the winner of the 2011 Kamel Shiaa Prize for Iraqi press freedom. Her interests lie in media, story writing, poetry, communicating with people and working with NGOs.

 

 

 

 

Posted on December 21, 2011 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Filed under blogging.

J@YS 10th anniversary debate: “Will journalism survive?”

On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, Journalists at Your Service (J@YS), “a help centre and information hub for journalists covering Brussels and the EU., on 22 June 2011 held a debate entitled “The way forward for journalism in Europe” at the International Press Centre in Brussels .

Taking part in the debate were Beth Costa, General Secretary of International Federation of Journalists, Christopher Berg, a reporter for the newly launched European Daily paper, Gareth Harding, Brussels programme director of the Missouri School of Journalism, and freelance journalist Rafael Porto-Carrero. J@YS President Maria Laura Franciosi moderated the discussion, which gathered an audience of about 25 guests.

Educating journalists about EU topics

Franciosi opened the debated by raising the importance of educating journalists about EU topics and institutions. “That is the way to increase and encourage accurate reporting of EU affairs,” she said.

“And that’s what J@YS stands for,” she added.

J@YS recently launched a newly designed website and published the latest edition of “Reporting Brussels” (pdf), a pocket book containing information sources and tools to help journalists write EU related stories.

New opportunities

Panel and audience members alike seemed to share an optimistic outlook on the future of journalism.

Beth Costa cautioned that that there would be no easy path to overcome the present difficulties, but was hopeful for the future: “New media are offering new possibilities, and journalists will have their place in the new world.”

Rafael Porto Carrero, a freelance journalist working for various news organisations in Brussels agreed with Costa: “There will be lots of opportunities for young generations who are digitally natives and multi-media savvy.”

J@YS President Maria Laura Franciosi moderated the debate

The future of European journalism

The discussion continued by addressing the future of European journalism with a presentation of a new European media initiative, the European Daily.

Christopher Berg, a reporter for the European Daily, introduced the paper as “the first daily newspaper aiming for European readers.”

On 15 June 2011, the European Daily published 40,000 copies of its first printed edition.

Berg explained that there are at least 15 to 20 million Europeans who travel all around Europe and who need to be informed on a daily basis about European news from a European perspective.

Gareth Harding, Brussels programme director for the Missouri School of Journalism, praised the paper’s “ambitious” mission. “With the expansion of the EU and the widespread usage of English and internet which helps to break down borders, there is definitely a market for European media outlets,” he said.

Harding pointed out however that primary loyalties of European citizens’ might still lie with national and local viewpoints, making it hard for European media to find a mass audience. “I hope the European Daily succeeds,” he said.

About 25 people took part in J@YS 10th anniversary debate. Despite the relatively small number of participants the discussion was lively and insightful

How to connect European citizens to EU issues?

According to Harding, European media have to overcome important challenges. Their primal task would be to “explain to their readers and viewers why events in other European countries matter to them and can affect their life.” He illustrated his point with the examples of the Greek Euro crisis and the recent E. Coli outbreak.

Ole Aabenhus, a Denmark journalist who was sitting in the audience, commented that rather than media efforts covering all 27 EU countries, “the public needs a platform that bridges a few European countries together.”
Naturally, it is easier to point out issues and make suggestion than to engage in real reform.

If it were so simple to create a new journalism model, there would not be any need for this type of debate.

“If you ask me if I have a solution, I would answer no,” said Costa. “There is not one solution and we are facing a big challenge. But we should see this as a big opportunity for the future,” she added.

The question we need to answer now is: Who will grab this opportunity and find the path to save journalism?

Text and photographs by Taein Park, EJC intern

 

Posted on July 12, 2011 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Filed under analysis, blogging, events, work.

Challenges facing the accurate news coverage of minorities and immigrants

The media is powerful. Influential politicians are hungry for media attention because they know that the media can help them create a positive public image. But what about minority groups and immigrants?

To answer this question, The European Policy Centre (EPC) held a Policy Dialogue on 31 May 2011 at the International Press Centre in Brussels on the way media can affect the public understanding of minorities and immigrants.

More than 40 participants including journalists from Pakistan, Japan, South Korea and the United States attended the event.

Moderated by Yves Pascouau, EPC senior Policy analyst, the discussion gathered three panel members: Oliver Money-Kyrle, assistant general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, Alexandra Moe, Washington D.C Director of New America Media, and Italian journalist Raymon Dassi, who engaged in a lively two-hour discussion about the media coverage of minorities and immigrants.

(from left to right) Alexandra Moe, Oliver Money-Kyrle, Yves Pascouau, Raymon Dassi

Media Structure

Oliver Money-Kyrle, Assistant General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, pointed out to a couple of structural limitations in the media itself. The journalists who are currently covering the topic are dominantly white and middle class. As a result, he said, the newsroom inherently fails to represent minorities.

In addition, Money-Kyrle noted, even when a journalist produces a good article on immigrants or minorities, the headline sometimes distorts the original intention of the article due to “selling issues”.

The article and the headline are written by two different journalists, and most of times, Money-Kyrle said, the person in charge of the headline is under pressure to sensationalise the wording in order to catch the reader’s attention.

Moreover, as a consequence of the financial woes affecting news companies, journalists are being forced to work on several stories at the same time. They are forced to work as freelancers or with short-term contracts. Money-Kyrle suggested that these working conditions have an impact on the quality of journalism in the long run.

Choice of wording
The panel members and most of the journalists in the audience agreed to say that the media coverage of minorities and immigrants has improved in the last decades. In their view, journalists are more conscious today compared to 15-20 years ago in their choice of wording when describing minorities.

The panel also discussed at length the recent rising of right wing parties in Europe and the strong and powerful negative narrative of immigrants that has surfaced in politics and even in the media.

“Politics and journalism are two areas that are closely related and in Italy, the perception of immigrants and minorities in the media is increasingly faulty,” said Italian journalist Raymon Dassi, who is also a member of the Italian Intercultural Journalists Association.

Money-Kyrle indicated that right-wing politicians try to manipulate the image of immigrants and portray them as being a great threat to their own countries. “This narrative is very powerful,” he said.

Cautious optimism

The panel members were generally optimistic about the role of the media in covering minority and immigrant communities. Money-Kyrle suggested however that without government intervention and support, the current financial situation of the media does not guarantee a better news coverage of these groups in the future.

“Journalism is a public good, and governments have to intervene to create new market conditions so that migration issues are properly covered,” Money-Kyrle said. He suggested that the role of media is not to protect immigrants and minorities but to seek the truth. ”That is why the accurate coverage of these groups is of paramount importance,” he said.

Alexandra Moe, the Washington D.C director of New America Media, also mentioned the rising of ethnic media, which now reaches about 60 million adults on a daily basis in the United States. ”Immigrants and minorities are able to inject their voices to the society which they are part of,” she said.

Dassi predicted that the political participation of immigrants will change their image in the media: “Thanks to the internet and social participation, the immigrant’s consciousness is becoming substantial,” he said.
Overall, the concluding message of the discussion was that the media coverage of minorities and immigrants has improved but still has a long way to go.

Text and photographs by Taein Park, EJC intern

 

 

Posted on June 21, 2011 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Filed under analysis, blogging, events, work.

Kamel Shiaa Prize winning article: Violence is spreading among the Iraqi children

The EJC and the Kamel Shiaa Foundation are pleased to announce that the first Kamel Shiaa Prize for Iraqi press freedom has been awarded to the Iraqi journalist Maryam Mohammed Jaafar for her article “Violence is spreading among the Iraqi children”.

The jury, composed of six international journalists, chose the winner out of 33 candidates. It was unanimously decided that the strength of Jaafar’s article rests on its promotion of children’ s rights and intercultural dialogue. Jaafar will have the opportunity to spend three months in Brussels to report on subjects throughout Europe in addition to receiving skills training to further improve her craft under the auspices of the EJC.

Violence is spreading among the Iraqi children, by Maryam Mohammed Jaafar

The car stopped suddenly in one of Baghdad’s streets. The driver came down to inspect the engine, asking the passengers to assist him to repair it. And after moments a large number of armed men, led by their leader, came waving their guns towards the passengers.

The leader of the group shouted in the face of the passengers “Are you Sunni or Shiaa?” Replied one of the passengers “Shiaa”, the leader shouted “Kill him” and another asked “Are you Shiaa or Sunni?” He replied ”A Sunni”. The leader said “This is a wrong answer ‘Kill him…”

This is not a scene from a film recording the killings in Iraq, but only a game played by the children in a suburb of Baghdad before their father calls them. “Come, O my children, it is the first day of Eid, let’s go to the city of fun fairs.” The dead regains standing position and holds guns and knives of plastic with the promise of resuming the game in the amusement park.

Mohammed and his brothers, just like any other Iraqi children, spend the money of Eid to buy plastic guns in order to play a game of murder and terrorism. That game has spread recently among children and became their favourite one.

In the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Kadhimiya, the little Abbas, aged 11, is at a checkpoint near his home and always sits next to the guards trying to imitate them.

His mother says she feels uncomfortable about Abbas since he does not leave his plastic gun as if living in a military barracks. And when he plays with his brothers at home he pulls his plastic gun in their faces and start screaming like insurgents.

She adds that “when he gets some money he goes and buys a plastic pistol or rifle.” “I am afraid that one day he will carry a real weapon and pull it against others,” she adds.

Lots of fathers and mothers in Iraq are complaining that their children have become addicted to tough games and expressed their fears that events in Iraq will affect their future behaviour.

Some parents noticed that their children began to use violence with the younger siblings, and prefer isolation, withdrawal from community and fear the dark. In addition the use of bullying that enjoins others to listen to their words.

Children in Baghdad, 2009 (photo credit: jrseles, via Flickr, some rights reserved)

In a study published by the Iraqi Psychologists Association, the violence has affected millions of Iraqi children and became constituting a source of serious concern on future generations.

The study urged the international community to assist to establish psychiatric units for children and mental health programs.

Dr Muzaffar Jawad Ahmed, a researcher and teacher at the Centre for Psychological Studies and Educational Research in Baghdad, said that “the aggressive behaviour of children depends on two factors: one is the influential genetic, and the second is environmental. And this effect varies according to the social status of children. A child since the age of two tries to imitate others in their behaviour and starts with the family members, school, street, and so on.”

Dr Ahmed pointed out that “different degrees of violence in children and the reason is that every child has energy which may be discharged through sports, play, violence, aggressive behaviour and often against the younger.”

He adds “our society is encouraging violence. The father tells his son when he goes to school: if someone hits you, try to hit back, but he does not inform him on the proper methods to resort to the school administration.”

He adds that “the political systems of Iraq embarked on the militarization of society. A child every Thursday used to watch the flag raising ceremony and the launch of bullets for the flag, but he does not know the meaning of the flag, the national sentiment. He knows only what the rifle means.” 

He points out that “the violation of the child’s dignity, insulting physical and psychological contempt make him resort to violence when they cannot react to the insult, therefore, you see children use force with the younger.”

He adds “the violence faced by the majority of children is a result of immediate trauma. When an explosion occurs, or when one of their parents is killed, the child loses his consciousness, collapses, gets nervous or immediate hysteria at the same time.”

He points out that “the disorder begins to appear after the shock, ranging from two weeks to six months of the trauma in a form of sleep disturbance, depression, nightmares and self inward, will have greater effect than the immediate shock.”

He emphasises that the Centre of Psychological Research and Educational Studies has the tools and rehabilitation techniques known worldwide for the treatment of mental disorders and a laboratory in which people with mental disorders can be rehabilitated through the images of virtual reality. The treatment extends from one month to six months, according to the situation.

It is worth to note that the human in general can deal with all types of diseases without shame except two diseases, sexual dysfunction and mental illness. In addition to that a lot of parents do not accept the idea that their children may be living with disorder or self deviation.

Note: The original article by Maryam Mohammed Jaafar was submitted in Arabic. The translation was provided by the late Kamel Shiaa’s family, who was directly involved in the selection and translation of the articles in competition for the prize.

 

Posted on June 3, 2011 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Filed under announcements, news, blogging, work.

An unforgettable stay in the land of the morning calm

I remember falling in love with Korea in the year 2000, when the then U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited North Korea.

I was glued to the documentary on television, where she could be seen offering a basketball to Kim Jong-il, the leader of one of the most closed countries in the world. I was so surprised to see this man, Kim Jong-il, grinning like a child as he held the ball autographed by the NBA star Michael Jordan. He seemed so nice and yet I knew that he was oppressing 23 millions of North Koreans.

The desire to travel to this secretive country increased by the day, until finally, in August 2006, I was able to travel to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital that is hidden from the eyes of the world, when I was invited to take part in a trip organised by the Korean Friendship Association based in Spain.

I spent 11 days in North Korea before travelling to South Korea. Unfortunately, my stay in South Korea only lasted five days, just enough time to carry out a few interviews with refugees, NGOs and university teachers. It did not give me a chance to feel South Korea, the Republic of Korea.

From that year on, I started writing the first and only weblog in Portugal exclusively dedicated to the Korean peninsula.

In 2009, I came across a unique opportunity to return to South Korea. The European Journalism Centre (EJC) and the Korean Press Foundation (KPF) were organising a fellowship programme that seemed to have been especially tailor-made for me. I sent in my application and a few weeks later, was delighted to find out that I had been accepted!

Back to South Korea

Landing in Korea is like landing in another world. A world of taste, colour, tension, calm, past, future, so many apparent contradictions and yet all coexisting in a harmonious partnership.

The EJC/KFP programme started off with a series of lectures by well known Korean experts which gave our group of six European journalists a helpful overview on Korean culture and politics.

Over the following period of 12 days we were able to make contacts that would have taken us weeks to build otherwise. We visited the South Korean Parliament and had a talk with MPs from various political parties. This is when I discovered that there is a special room at the Parliament designed for the day of reunification between the two Koreas, a day which since the end of Korean War in 1953, so many Koreans have been waiting for.

We also met with the South Korean ambassador in charge of the nuclear issue and visited a few technology companies, which constitute some of South Korea’s strongest assets, as well as, perhaps, the most famous Korean company: Hyundai.

The programme took into account the areas of interest of each participant. One of the most intense moments for me was the trip we took to the DMZ. Located about 30 kms to the north of Seoul, the Demilitarised Zone bears an ironic name, since it is one of the most militarised areas in the world.

The 38th parallel marking the border between North and South Korea is a mere foot away from North Korea. It was an impressive experience to return to the same place I had visited in 2006, but this time on the other side of the border.

Expanding my knowledge and my network

During our stay we were each invited to share a dinner with a Korean family. This gave me a chance to speak with Korean people on a personal level, learn about their traditions and hear their thoughts about their country.

Meal time was always a moment of pure enjoyment. We were treated to an abundance of colours and flavours and kimchi, bulgogi, bibimba and other delicacies were all served at just the right time and with the right level of spiciness.

Our rich programme took us to various parts of Korea, including the important harbour city of Busan and its fascinating fish market where customers can buy what they want and have it cooked right in front of their eyes - a must see!

Our visit to Jeju Island was another highlight of the trip. There we saw enigmatic women, some of them older than 70 years, who still maintain the tradition of diving into the sea of Jeju, looking for oysters, octopus and other fish to earn money and sustain their families. They can dive for hours on end and without any oxygen support.

Finally, in Jeju, we enjoyed a fruitful meeting with a group of Korean journalists. I have kept these contacts until today and they have been precious. I appeal to my fellow Korean colleagues whenever I need to prepare a radio programme involving Korean affairs.

Overall, my portfolio of Korean contacts grew exponentially during this trip. This was very valuable, especially for someone like myself who is keeping a weblog devoted exclusively to Korean affairs.

For European journalists, sometimes so far removed from Asia, the EJC/KFP programme is an excellent opportunity to better understand one of the most dynamic world economies that continues to keep its ancient traditions alive.

The only problem is… you won’t want to return home!

By Rita Colaço
Portuguese reporter
http://coreiadonorte.wordpress.com

——-

The 2011 KPF/EJC fellowship programme will take place between 22 August and 3 September 2011.

Apply online before 29 May 2011!

 

Posted on May 11, 2011 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Filed under blogging, events, development, projects.

Brussels English: the international city versus Belgium

Brussels is an international hub of correspondents, diplomats and political aficionados. It is easy enough to forget where Brussels is; for all intensive purposes, it could be located just about anywhere, given the global scope of the governmental bodies and non-profit groups that populate the city. It has been, and continues to be, the midway land between a whole bunch of other places; someone is always traipsing across Belgium on their way to somewhere else. In doing so, one comes across many languages and people, as well as a funny pervasiveness of “Brussels English” amongst them all.

Unilingualism

Linguistic differences have continually been a source of conflict in Belgium. It is, in fact, the reason its prime minister quit his post last week for the second time since 2007. Belgium has seen four governments in the past three years, partially a result of its language divide.

The country is split into two major linguistic areas, with a little German chunk often overlooked off to the east. To the north, in Flanders, you have Flemish, a dialect of Dutch,. To the south, in Wallonia, you find French.

Brussels, although located in Flanders, was declared bilingual in 1993 as a compromise to the French-speaking majority residing here. At first glance this lends to such trivial problems as printing public signs in two languages and the dilemma of what to call a person from Brussels (“Brusselaar” or “Bruxellois”?).

To what extent does the current contention stem from this linguistic divide? Belgium is divided into both language communities and regions that govern their respective provinces. The electoral districts to vote for the Belgian Parliament Chamber are constituencies that overlap the provincial boundaries. The Brussels area is an exception. It is in the electoral and judicial district known as “BHV”, or Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde.

The BHV constituency is a lump formed from bilingual (in reality a French-speaking majority) Brussels and the surrounding Flemish Halle-Vilvoorde in the Brabant province. What this means is that a Francophone candidate from Halle-Vilvoorde can run for election there, but a Flemish individual living in a different language region cannot enjoy the same privilege and run for election.

The effects are larger than just representation in the Chamber. At the Senate and European levels, it means that a Francophone party can receive votes from a Flemish-speaking area, but a Flemish party cannot do the same in a French-speaking area. The electoral district was declared unconstitutional and discriminatory in 2003, but has nonetheless remained unresolved.

There have been talks since 2000 to split the province so that Brussels would be a separate constituency. However, only the Flemish want to pursue this course of action. French-speakers and parties in Halle-Vilvoorde are adamantly against such a move as this would deprive Francophone parties votes in the Brabant province.

A foreign affair

From my naive outsider’s perspective, the problem has another face to it, because the region has so many international dwellers. When I first ventured into the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium, I was advised not to try to putter along in French, but to simply speak English, as doing otherwise would cause offense. I received the same advice when going the opposite direction. The distilled fact then is that absolutely every person I have encountered during my four months living in Belgium has been capable of speaking English.

I attribute this in part to the presence of the European Union. The affairs of the EU had previously been almost entirely conducted in French, but all this changed with the 2004 addition of 10 countries, where second language skills were more likely to be English than French.

A 2007 Economist article on the subject concluded:

“the expansion of the European Union has let English not just edging ahead of the two other working languages, but in a position of utter dominance. The union now boasts 27 members and 23 official languages, but the result has been the opposite of a new tower of Babel. Only grand meetings boast interpreters. At lower levels, as it turns out, when you put officials from Berlin, Bratislava, Bucharest and Budapest in the same room, English is by far the easiest option.”

For a journalist, the ability to find a common language currency among many different people is essential.  The EJC office is a case in point.  The first day of my internship, I watched avidly as Greek, Italian and Macedonian colleagues chatted together in English. The three all speak French - not to mention a few other languages - with the ease and grace of native speakers, but the office typically conducts conversations in English. They joke that they speak “Brussels English”, or the English of non-native speakers who work together in the city.

As my Portuguese colleague explained, one could comfortably live in Brussels for years and never speak a word of any of the official languages because most people work in English and then speak whatever their national language is in private settings.

Dealing with fractions

A new Belgian prime minister cannot take office until the BHV issue is resolved, the Belgian justice system declared this month. As Brussels considers its options, it should perhaps investigate an even lower common language denominator.

A public poll could determine what portion of the population speaks English in the BHV. If the majority does, then this could serve as grounds for an altogether different compromise. True, it is a lose-lose situation, but the lose-win choices have yet to make much headway. I admit, this is a cultural poke in the eye to both groups. But if the country cannot proceed, it needs some new plan on the heretofore stalemate table. If this plan fails, at least Belgians can feel a new sense of unity amongst their brethren in a collective dislike of the English language (and/or me).

The Belgian government has been evaluating this issue since its creation nearly two hundred years ago. But as the German-speaking region has demonstrated, it is feasible to function while speaking a separate official language. To make Brussels and the surrounding area an English hub, creating a “BHV English” in effect, might not be so unreasonable. It might also mean little to no linguistic transition for the city.

Whether Belgium decides to become an official language qua-fecta or eventually arrives at a decision to split, the country will have to use its historically strong skills of compromise to finally find a solution to its linguistic predicament.

—-
Flickr images from users MorBCN, Simon Blackley, mcfarlandmo, batigolix

Posted on May 3, 2010 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Filed under blogging.

Coverage of the burka debate “hijacking” the real issue

The burka debate playing out in web and newspaper pages is “hijacking” a more important and broader concern.

The real issue, according to the panel at a recent debate in Brussels, Europe’s Muslim Women: under cover and under pressure, is the integration of Muslim women into European society.

“We’re talking about active citizenship,” said Shada Islam, the event’s moderator and a senior programme executive at the European Policy Centre.

But challenges European Muslim women face to achieving active citizenship are broad and significant. They are also largely ignored, overwhelmed by the complex and emotional debate surrounding the veil. Even in the panel discussion, the veil threatened to obscure the greater debate, referenced again and again by both the panellists themselves and in the audience’s questions.

But as the first inquirer asked, is the burka really an issue? The number of women in Europe who actually wear one suggests otherwise. Fewer than 2,000 women in France wear a burka or niqab. In the Netherlands, the number is closer to 100.

Political leaders like Nicolas Sarkozy in France, and many others elsewhere, insist on making the veil a political priority. In many areas of Europe, the debate extends even to headscarves – quite a different (and less controversial) matter than the face-covering burka or niqab, insisted Member of the European Parliament Sajjad Karim. Politicians aren’t the only culprits though. According to Karim, Britain’s first Muslim MEP, the media is at fault as well, with an “agenda,” he claimed, that is “misrepresenting Islam and Muslims in Europe.”

The political and media emphasis on the controversial issue of dress has taken Muslim women “hostage,” argued Malika Hamidi, the director general of the European Muslim Network, and overshadowed the fundamental problems Muslim women confront.

Karim framed these challenges in a larger context: What does it mean to be a European? More specifically, what does it mean to be a European Muslim woman? Karim believes there can be and is a distinct European Islam. Islam, he said, is a “universal” religion, one that “does not belong to the people in the Middle East.” Rather, it takes on regional and cultural distinctions.

Neither European identity nor European Islam is easily defined or understood. And for Muslim women, the definitions are particularly problematic. There are tremendous internal and external pressures. Internally, Muslim women must often deal with the traditional expectations of their families and religion, dictating much of their roles both in and outside of the home.

Outside, they encounter the expectations of a largely secular society and face discrimination on three fronts: racial, sexual and religious, which compound obstacles all women confront related to employment and pay, and childcare. Overcoming this discrimination and negotiating the two sets of oft-conflicting expectations pose significant challenges for Europe’s Muslim women.

These are the challenges Shada Islam implored her panel and audience – and all of Europe – to focus on. She wrote earlier this year, “prosperity, stability, security and social peace across the continent depends on the successful integration of Europe’s Muslim citizens.”

“We need to move beyond it [the burka issue],” she said, so Europe’s Muslim women – and Europe as a whole – can move beyond it too.

The burka and headcovering debate is unlikely to go away any time soon.  Though much of the current media attention is focused on France’s proposed burka ban, the controversy extends across much of Europe.

The following is a look at eight Europen countries struggling with the issue. 

France

On 26 January 2010, a parliamentary commission recommended a partial ban on veils that cover the face.  It would apply to most public buildings and public transportation, but not on streets.  It is estimated that less than 2,000 women in France wear the burka.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s stance on the matter is clear. He said on 23 June, 2009, “The problem of the burka is not a religious problem.  This is an issue of a woman’s freedom and dignity.  This is not a religious symbol. It is a sign of subservience; it is a sign of lowering.  I want to say solemnly, the burka is not welcome in France.”

A 2004 law banned all “conspicuous” religious symbols (large crucifixes, Sikh turbans, Jewish kippah, Muslim headscarves) in French public schools.

In 2008, a Moroccan woman was denied French citizenship because she was deemed too “radical” for wearing the niqab. 

In the summer of 2009, a Muslim woman was expelled from a French public swimming pool for wearing a “burquini,” a “head-to-toe swimsuit.” Authorities defended the move as an issue of hygiene. 

Earlier this year, French authorities refused citizenship to a man who “allegedly forced his wife to wear’’ a veil.

Belgium

A January, 2004, proposal to ban the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in Belgian schools was rejected. But a number of schools and towns in Belgium have instituted their own restrictions.  And in September, 2009, controversy led to a ban on religious symbols in public schools for all of Flanders. The ban includes headscarves.

A 2007 Antwerp city council policy says city employees who work with residents should not wear religious or political symbols. 

The city of Maaseik instituted a complete public ban on the burka in 2004, with a fine for non-compliance. 

Germany

There is some new debate regarding a national burka ban in Germany, although a ban is controversial and not imminent. Eight of Germany’s 16 states states do not allow public school teachers to wear religious clothing or symbols. A similar ban in Berlin applies to civil servants.

There has also been controversy over the construction of new mosques in Germany, particularly in Cologne. The new Cologne mosque, currently under construction, will be Germany’s largest.  It received approval from the city council in August ,2008.  Germany currently has more than 160 mosques, and nearly 200 more under construction.

Italy

Members of Parliament from the Northern League party proposed a burka ban in October, 2009, although Parliament has not considered it.  The controversial proposal would strengthen a 1975 law that forbids clothing or helmets that obscure identification. The original measure was intended to combat domestic terrorism.

Netherlands

The government has opted not to impose a general ban on burkas. The decision was made regarding a proposed ban ffirst introduced to the Parliament in 2006 by Geert Wilders, a right-wing leader of the anti-immigration party.

Although the general ban was rejected, a ban on full-face veils applies in schools and universities.

Switzerland

The Swiss cabinet announced in February that it opposes a burka ban. The written statement answered an inquiry from parliament.

The debate in Switzerland is focused more on buildings. A ban on the construction of minarets gained approval in a public referendum in November, 2009. Though the referendum proposal was submitted by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), the federal government opposed it. An appeal on the referendum has already been made to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.  Switzerland has about 400,000 Muslims and 4 minarets. 

Turkey

Viewed as symbols of political Islam, head coverings have been banned in public buildings since the 1980s. In 1997, the ban was applied more strictly to universities.  But opposition to the university ban has grown.  In February, 2008, the Parliament approved an amendment to allow headscarves in universities, only to have it declared unconstitutional by the county’s highest court the following June.

United Kingdom

In a column on 5 October, 2006, the leader of the House of Commons, Jack Straw, asked Muslim women to “remove their niqabs in order to help community relations.” His article sparked controversy and further explanation.

Also in 2006, a teaching assistant was fired for wearing her veil while working with students.  She said she was willing to remove it around students, but not if male colleagues were near. An employment tribunal dismissed her claim of religious discrimination.

A 12-year-old girl who was told she could not wear a veil covering her face in school lost a legal challenge in 2007. A 2007 directive from Britain’s Schools Minister permitted schools to ban head coverings on the basis of security, safety or learning environment.

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Posted on March 30, 2010 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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Journalists play key role in confronting world’s water crisis

A water crisis is quietly wreaking havoc on many developing countries, and threatens to engulf the entire world.  Yet the problem is often overlooked in the West, where water is taken for granted.  The burden has fallen on journalists to alert a naive European and American public about the global problem and inform them of their governments’ related efforts.

A February seminar hosted by EuropeAid, the development arm of the European Commission, and the EJC, brought journalists from across Europe to Brussels to learn about water shortage and development issues.

While the world water crisis can be difficult for many Europeans to comprehend, for a billion people in the developing world, water – and especially clean water – is scarce.  Often the water that is available comes from cattle tanks or stagnant pools – breeding grounds for insects, parasites and disease.  Contaminated water kills an estimated 2.2 million people every year, more fatalities than from any war.

In many areas, women and children must walk great distances to get their water.  The United Nations Development Programme estimated in 2006 that households in Uganda spend 660 hours a year collecting water.  These lost hours take away from other important activities like education, work and rest.  This lost time plus the detrimental effects of contaminated water perpetuate poverty and low life expectancy.

On the global level, just 3 percent of the Earth’s water is fresh.  And of that fresh water, 68.7 percent is contained in icecaps and glaciers.  Of human water consumption, 69 percent goes to agriculture, 23 percent to industry and only 8 percent to domestic uses.

“We are already water-stressed,” said Sylvain Lhôte, Director of EU Affairs Water for the World Programme. Yet the demands are still rising.  According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the global demand for freshwater is doubling every 20 years.  Lhôte insists the question is not “if,” “but where the tap is running dry.”

Although Europeans are not faced with the immediate challenges encountered in developing countries, they are nonetheless affected.  If nothing else, their taxes go to programmes of the European Commission dedicated to development and water security in other countries.

The European Commission focuses most of its water and sanitation aid on the ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific).  Based on a commitment to the Millennium Development Goals to “halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation,” the Commission established the ACP-EU Water Facility in 2004.  The 10th and latest European Development Fund has allocated 200m euro for the Facility.  In addition, other geographical aid programmes provide financial assistance for water projects and the European Investment Bank gives loans for water sector development programmes.

“You can’t be happy as a human being if there is suffering somewhere else,” the new European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, told journalists at the EJC seminars in an appeal to European idealism.

While such noble sentiment may be reason enough for Europe to help, there are also practical implications facing the continent.  In an increasingly globalised world, stress in one part often spills into others. Water stress can lead to poverty, migration, civil unrest and political instability.  Europe is sure to be impacted.  As Thanasis Troboukis, editor of the Greek science magazine In Vitro, said, “Water is an issue that meets no borders.”

Europe will be affected by problems abroad and at home. Water stress is a looming challenge here as well.  Demand is rising in Europe too. And the affects of climate change, though uncertain, may prove troublesome for a continent accustomed to plenty of water – and unaccustomed to efficiency or conservation.  Lhôte argues water supply and climate change are closely related.

Despite the attention climate change receives in the media and the efforts of the European Commission to combat water problems, the reality is, many people in the developed world – where the resources reside to confront the water crisis – are simply unaware of the problem.

Journalists will need to bridge the gap.

“The role of journalists here [the water issue],” said Gregor Zamude of the Slovenian Press Agency, is “no different than in any other area that affects the public.”

Journalists need to “scrutinise, interpret (make comprehendable) as objectively as possible the policies pursued by individual players, and subject them to approval or rejection.”

With so many different players involved, water policies can be difficult to implement, especially if the public is unaware of the problems.

“However,” Troboukis insists, “journalists have the needed power to discharge pressure towards nations for measures to be taken.”

First journalists themselves need to understand the issue.  Troboukis explained that development issues are complicated – like a puzzle.  And without all the pieces, the truth is incomplete.  The EJC seminar gathered all the pieces together: scientists, policy makers, NGOs, commissioners, etc.  The seminar, he said, helped “international journalists to gain knowledge, expand their contacts and get closer to the truth.”

Informed journalists are key in confronting the water crisis, tasked to inform the public of the problem and how the European Union is responding.  They hold the power to turn up the volume on a global crisis that has yet to attract global attention or solutions.

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Posted on March 11, 2010 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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Director of Human Rights Watch discusses conflict between peace and justice at EPC briefing

On the first day of February in Brussels, the director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) addressed the conflict between peace and justice during a policy briefing at the International Press Centre.

Some would argue that seeking justice in the middle of a crisis – such as the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir – interferes with the peace process. The logic of that argument assumes the prospect of prosecution will make leaders like al-Bashir less willing to negotiate peace while offers of amnesty will encourage them to end the violence.

But HRW director Kenneth Roth argued the opposite, insisting that the pursuit of justice is not a hindrance to peace efforts, and, in fact, often helps. Roth’s cited four points from a recent HRW report that analyses numerous conflicts to refute the idea that justice impedes peace.

Roth first rejected the assumption that attempted prosecution of war criminals will derail the peace process, the belief that violent leaders will abandon peace talks if prosecution is likely.

The evidence, according to Roth, suggests otherwise. Leaders regularly engage in negotiations despite the looming threat of prosecution. In Sudan, peace talks continue even after al-Bashir’s indictment. And in Kosovo, the war concluded after Slobodan Milosevic’s indictment by the ICC.

Not only is prosecution not a hindrance, it actually helps foster peace, Roth said.  He explained that an indictment for war crimes often marginalises the accused.  Richard Holbrooke, broker of the Dayton Accords, claimed the absence of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic – unwelcome at the negotiations because of their indictments for war crimes – made the Bosnian peace deal possible.  Roth also cited the indictment of former Liberian President Charles Taylor just as peace negotiations began. The indictment served as a “delegitimizing event” for him, “contributed to his flight two weeks later” and actually helped facilitate peace.

To facilitate peace, some argue for widespread amnesty.  But Roth used his final two points to attack that notion.  The assumption that amnesty furthers the peace process is false, he said.
“There are many cases where a lack of justice has made it more difficult to achieve peace.’’ 

He spoke of the violence in Afghanistan as unsurprising given that warlords and the Taliban routinely get away with horrific crimes and even receive jobs in the government.  Similarly, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, offers of amnesty operate more like incentives for violence.  When rebel leaders receive amnesty and then a position in the military, the message is sent that violence is not only tolerated, but can lead to a good job.  The violence in Sierra Leone offers still another example.  The Revolutionary United Front repeatedly followed concessions of amnesty with more violence.

Finally, Roth said, ‘‘amnesty (impunity) can fuel a cycle of atrocity and revenge. …’’ 

He highlighted the violence in Gaza as an example, where as long as no one is held accountable, the violence will continue.  In Kenya, as well, Roth explained that the instigators of post-election violence in 2007 have thus far faced no consequences.  There is concern that if these perpetrators are not brought to justice soon, even worse violence is likely after the 2012 elections.

Roth’s message was clear: peace and justice are not in conflict, but rather complimentary.
“Justice is an important value in and of itself,” he said, principle to the foundation of lasting peace. 

The policy briefing was hosted by the European Policy Centre (EPC) and chaired by Rosa Balfour, Senior Policy Analyst at the EPC.  Roth’s brief was based on the HRW report, Selling Justice Short: Why Accountability Matters for Peace.

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Posted on February 12, 2010 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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The future of journalism. Or: why journalism is not “media”

We have to accept that industries fail. It happens everywhere, and all the time. Detroit is kaput: we saw it coming, and we all know now. And it made good copy.

Manufacturing went to China and India. There were blue collar casualties. We saw it coming, and it made good copy.

Did we cry? Did we bother? Did we care?

Then the banks failed. We didn’t see it coming. But it made good copy still.

Did we cry? Did we care? Oh yes we did! In no time, billions of taxpayers’ dollars were thrown at the problem.

To try and make it go away. Unlike everything else, the banking sector was considered “too important to fail.” If what you did was “systemic” enough, abundant funding was made available. Overnight if necessary.

Now our own industry is failing, and we feel it is failing us.

Pulp press products are going kaput, and selling our audiences’ attention to advertisers is a failing proposition. We saw it coming, we all know now, and it does make good copy.

Did we cry? Did we bother? Did we care?

Oh yes we did. Studies, task forces, committees, conferences, serious navel gazing, books and grave op-ed articles galore: we saw it coming, and we did care.

But why care? Why care indeed?

We confounded journalism with “media.” “Media” is going the way of Detroit; journalism isn’t.

Incumbent media structures turned out to be too big, too slow, and too much one-way. Too much focused on “bottom lines,” ownership, walled gardens, and proprietary infrastructures.

Old media was too much focused on shareholder value, and on incessantly selling eyeballs to third parties.

Did we really think this was sustainable?

“Media“ knew how to speak. And speak it did. But it didn’t learn to listen.

Now, on the internet, the people formerly known as the audience are learning to speak for themselves. And they listen to each other. They tag, they twitter and share what they feel is important. They create their own channels, tools and platforms. It is a civic debate, it is not media selling attention to products.

Media’s worth has been predicated on extrinsic values:

“Quarterly profits,” or, more recently: “quarterly losses,” are categories we use to measure media. Journalism must be measured differently. We confound media with journalism.

The umbilical cord once connecting media and journalism is becoming toxic. Media is trying to abort journalism, and journalists should seize the opportunity and leave the hostile womb.

Let media look at its shareholder value, and let it perish in the process. Maybe, meanwhile, it will spawn new Paris Hiltons.

(Then again, Paris Hilton might just single-handedly save the whole eyeball industry once she marries Brad Pitt.)

Media may be a dinosaur. But journalism will be alive and kicking as long as it addresses issues of real relevance. Ideally, it enables, moderates, and curates our civic dialogue.

Journalists will survive if they are conducive to the public good.

That they can, and should, make a difference to society is why they joined the profession in the first place. (It’s also why journalism schools keep on attracting a large number of students.)

So journalism got all tangled up with media?

It is not a historic necessity anymore. Publishing tools, and platforms to publish on, no longer need ownership, or copyrights. There is an ever-increasing wealth of content out there. But all that new content is in dire need of “moderation,“ of perspective, and criticism. It needs professional and dedicated journalistic work, a meta-commentary, if you like, for it to cohere and make sense. Journalists will have to enable their audiences to find and articulate their own voices, they will have to share their “media literacy,” and even their writing and producing skills, with their readership.

So what if journalism were “systemic” to modern societies, what if it is “too important to fail”?

Let’s forget the “media” business model. Let’s find new ways to make journalistic work sustainable. A one-time levy on all internet enabled devices would do the trick. So would a special rate the Google keyword algorithm allots to all “systemic” content on the web. So would new ways of distributing the public broadcast service fees. Or what if, due to its systemic value, journalism is able to receive, let’s say, one hundredth of a percent of all that bail out money going to the banks. You go and figure out how much that is, what with the current estimate of the cost of the crisis amounting to 25 trillion dollars.

The future is the decisions we take today.

So let’s talk, listen, network and share. We have some convincing to do. And a long way to go. Nobody said this was easy.

- Wilfried Ruetten / European Journalism Centre

Posted on December 20, 2009 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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