American Complicity and Consumerism in Child Trafficking

“Child trafficking, child abuse, human slavery are not things that are easy to talk about; they are an indictment of all of us not just the traffickers,” was the statement from US Representative Chris Himes (D-Conn) at a panel discussion earlier this month in New Canaan, Connecticutt. “We think it happens elsewhere,” Himes said. “…Child trafficking isn’t something that happens just in Burma, Bahrain or Africa. It happens in New Canaan, Greenwich, Bridgeport, in my district, one of the most affluent districts in the United States of America.”

On the Rhetoric Surrounding the Refugee Crisis in the US

A Syrian family resettled in the United States.

In this post, I would like to explore the idea of Western centrism a little in regards to the terror attacks in Paris and America’s response to those attacks.

False Optimism of Educational Development in post-Ebola and post-Conflict West Africa

Students in Sierra Leone return to school after 8 months of school closures due to the Ebola virus outbreak.

Development rhetoric in classrooms and on global policy levels that omit discussing the role and responsibility of the state in strengthening social services such as education should be regarded with skepticism. It is essential to question stakeholder interests when development is framed as a linear relationship between international agencies and local beneficiaries with zero or limited consideration of the complex, and often exploitative relationship between state actors. By removing the state from the development equation, we undermine the importance of good governance as well as absolve political leaders from their obligations to their people.

Sudanese Refugees Protest for Equal Treatment in Jordan

Sudanese refugees protest in front of the UNHCR building in the Khalda neighborhood of Amman, Jordan.

For twenty days, Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers have participated in a sit-in in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) building in Amman, Jordan.

Tension and Trauma in Multicultural Classrooms

John Cole cartoon of Ahmed “Clock Kid” Mohamed, a 14-year-old boy was arrested at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas for bring an alleged hoax bomb to school. The “hoax bomb” was in fact a clock he created for his science fair.

Rapid change in America’s cultural and religious demographics is reflected in the increasing diversity of schools and classrooms across the country. However, the current climate of anti-Syrian refugee policies, Islamophobia, and continued racism confronting students on buses, in hallways, and in classrooms is creating many unwelcoming and unsafe spaces at school.  Tension and trauma in education call for a shift in teaching and learning to better integrate the diverse histories and experiences of multicultural students.

Israeli Security Forces Close Schools, Open Prisons

A Palestinian woman walks past an Israeli checkpoint in East Jerusalem.

As violence escalated in Jerusalem throughout October, Israeli security forces declared “new military zones” in the Palestinian neighborhoods of Ras al-Amood and and Jabal al-Mukaber in East Jerusalem. The creation of these military zones authorizes forces to build new checkpoints, place snipers on rooftops, set and enforce curfews, and close businesses, mosques, and schools. The Middle East Monitor reports that in Ras al-Amood, 5,000 children were prevented from attending school.

“Orange” the violence against the missing Chibok schoolgirls

Orange filtered image of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls in northern Nigeria. (created by Christiana Kallon)

Wednesday, November 25 marked the United Nations’ International Day of the Elimination Violence Against Women. Numerous events took place around the world calling for an end to violence against women and girls. Hundreds of iconic monuments were lit in celebration of the “Orange the World” theme. Orange was chosen as the color to symbolize a bright and optimistic future free from violence against women and girls. The campaign was to help unify the large-scale social mobilization for these efforts. If only the world would “orange” the violence against the Chibok schoolgirls.

Education Where There is No State

Children’s handprints from a stateless community in southeastern Kenya adorn the wall of an abandoned school. A fifth-grade student in St. Louis, Missouri looking at the photo said, “It’s like those kids are trapped behind something invisible. You know they are there because of their handprints but you can’t see their faces. Its like they are trying to tell the world … we are here!” (By Greg Constantine)

A Royal Education

 

Last week, on Tuesday, November 17th, eight academics in Chiang Mai, Thailand were charged with “inciting unrest” by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), Thailand’s ruling junta.  With Article 44 of the interim constitution, martial law has effectively been legitimized, giving the NCPO despotic powers under the guise of “national security.”  So what did these academics do to incite unrest and threaten Thailand’s security?

Religion, Refugees, and Thanksgiving