Vart går det svenska biståndet?

Många gånger blir det mycket diskussioner kring vart våra svenska skattepengar går? Hamnar de verkligen i rätt händer? Här finns ett bra och informativt klipp om hur våra biståndspengar fördelas. Vad tycker du om det? Ta dig en funderare och försök att komma på minst tre bra saker med fördelningen.

Sweden - Political chaos

The "Super-election year is finally over. We now have a shift in power. But what does it really mean? We have a new, yet weak Government who refuses to co-operate with the Left party, the Sweden-democrats as the third largest party in Sweden, and the Conservatives with more mandates. To me this screams political chaos.

Right wing extremists are growing stronger and stronger throughout Europe and Sweden is no exception. Prime minister  Löfven is now to propose a new budget. With no party to co-operate other than the Green party it will be difficult for Löfven to find alliances. Let us see how this goes. 

Hate - Article in Sydsvenskan

On November 25th Sydsvenskan did a series of articles about hate in Sweden and i was among the interviewees. Among all the interviwees, they needed a person of African decent so I said I was glad to participate and share my experiences of racism growing up as an African in Sweden. Alot of things came up like the n-word, racist structures just everyday things that I, and many Africans jave experienced here in Sweden.

I've been thinking alot about identity and how many people of African decent view themselves. And many, as myself, would never introduce myself as a Swedish or a Swedish African even though you are born and raised here in this society. One might ask why. Well there are several reasons for that. First I have never been perceived as a Swede because of my skin. Africans among other minorities are a very visible group and do not fit in to the general view of what a Swede is perceived to be. Now, many organizations are working to change this picture but there is a long way to go before that view will be change. So I have always said that I am an African, Ghanaian or Ethiopian. I've never ever presented myself as a Swede. Except for when I've felt like doing some social experiments. Sometimes people will ask me: "So where are you from? And so i answer: "I'm Swedish I'm born here". The look on their faces are priceless. After 20 seconds of silence The reply: "But no, where are you REALLY from?". This just proves the general perception of what a Swede is. So having heard this kind of questions will not make you relate to "Swedishness". This is not really a problem for me as I am really proud of where I come from and despite the fact of being born here I don't feel Swedish. I can relate to Sweden but I just don't feel Swedish. And that's fine with me. But what about those who are born here and don't feel connected at all to their parents country or culture? That is more problematic. If you go to America in most cases that I've seen, it wouldn't matter where your parents come from, as long as you're born there, you're America. But i do understand the differences in culture which of course affects this issue. 

Anyway, here's Sydsvenskans article that I was in.

http://www.sydsvenskan.se/inpa-livet/kropp--sjal/markta-av-hatet/

Fairness of Fairtrade

The good deed of the day: Buy fairtrade products it ensures producers good working conditions!

According to Fairtrades website, the organization is a form of international trade which is based on a partnership between partner and consumer. The partnership offers producers better deals and improved terms and conditions of trade. According to Fairtrade it gives producers an opportunity improve their lives but also it’s a way to offer consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through every day shopping.  Fairtrade marked products means that the producing process and traders have met Fairtrade standards which are thought to balance the power in trading relationships, unstable markets and the injustices of conventional trade. This is according to Fairtrade International’s website.

There are a lot of things that are good with the Fairtrade thinking and vision. However I find it to be a bit problematic when you say that you represent something but only do it halfhearted. Here’s why.

 Fairtrade sounds good, of course it does. But at the same time it is a way for consumers, particularly us living in the Western world, to pat ourselves on our shoulders and have a coffee with a good conscious. According to Fairtrade producers are given to opportunity to improve their lives through the partnership. Now, Fairtrade pays salaries according to the minimum wage of every country. So if you are in Ghana working on a cocoa farm, then your salary will be 5.24 Ghana cedis a/day according to their minimum wage, which is too little in comparison to the labor.  In Europe, the worst minimum wage is in Eastern Europe which is about 10 Euros/day. This means that a Ghanaian farmer will in one month earn what an Eastern European earns in about two working days. One has to also take into consideration the working conditions. Working in the African scorching sun for 5 Ghana cedis/day, is that fair? It’s not fair since the policies and process of setting the policies for the minimum wage of for example Ghana might not even be a fair one. So how can Fairtrade go in accordance with that?

Also I think it’s ridiculous to say that it’s a way for consumers to reduce poverty through every day shopping. Now, we all know the debates that “we who live in the rich part of the world would change our way of living we would all live in a fair world”. That’s why I have a problem with the above statement from Fairtrade. It implies that, “hey my fellow Westerners, we can still shop without feeling guilty”. The statement does not help in changing any form of consumerism lifestyle that we have in this part of the world. Instead it says that there are other ways of going about it. Furthermore I think that it tells us that they can’t reduce poverty without the help of Fairtrade and Fairtrade’s consumers. This in turn brings more guilt and therefore more consumers, so instead of buying normal coffee you’ll buy the Fairtrade brand thinking that you did the good deed of the day. And of course as I said before there are good regulations that ensure producers certain rights.  However it is quite annoying that the salaries are according to the minimum wage in each country while Fairtrade product are really expensive comparing to other products of the same kind. There should be a prize for labor instead. I mean nobody in Sweden would accept 5 Ghana cedis for that type of labor so why is it acceptable in another country when negotiations of minimum wages are unfair in the first place?

To me this just sounds like another form of exploitation of other countries. Because the Fairtrade organization is not volunteer work, they get a salary as well. It’s just a more acceptable way of using the injustices in this world to make money.

The workers/producers get rights that they don’t get at other working places so this is fairly good. At least the working place is democratic and has to follow other principles that actually obligate the working place to include workers in certain issues. And better working conditions etc etc. Of course Fairtrade with all their conditions and regulations will look better than the other company who takes advantage of poor workers and treat them bad at the same time. Fairtrade will definitely look better. However, I don’t believe in Fairtrade. It is unfair and it’s just a way for consumers to pat their shoulders and feel good and wipe away the guilt!

First world issues? Do they exist?

In Sweden there's an expression "i-landsproblem". The expression or reference is often used when we  who live in the first world, the privileged  world talk about our petty problems or our petty complaints. For example it could be that you are irritated of the mail man that didn't deliver your beloved trousers that you ordered from H&M the other day and this has just ruined your whole week. That's an "i-landsproblem"! 
There are lots of examples of these types of problems that exists in most of our first world societies today. Compared to problems that exists in other parts of the world, that is just silly. I mean some people are just happy that they made it to see another day! However, there is a change in this trend that I can see..the "i-landsproblem" have become real problems, infact one can talk about warfare..
Of course I'm referring to the U.S. 
Read this article and you'll understand a portion of what I am trying to say. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/us/rate-of-killings-rises-38-percent-in-chicago-in-12.html?pagewanted=all
The problem is just growing. For example, the article states that rates of homicides that includes rape, robbery and burglairies, not to mention shootings killing people have increased by 10%.  It might not be a declared war between contry A and B, but there's a serious problem of gang related violence. The environment described as I said is not declared war between A and B but it's definitely a war environment. Children are growing up in war environments in the U.S. Does this mean that they will grow up to have similar psychological damages as people who have grown up in "real " war times? I think so. Maybe not exactly the same but it's possible that it woul be very similar. Imagine growing up in a place where killings, shootings and violence against people are normal and just an everyday thing. Would you be fully functioning without psychlogical damages? I know I wouldn't. So why isn't anything more concrete being done? I mean this is not a situation where one state needs to check if they have the right to intervene. There is no issue of sovereignty involved here. Or is this not important enough?
Recent articles show an escalation of the problem so why aren't humanitarian organizations engaged in these types of problems? Maybe because the U.S is a country capable of many things so of course this could be stopped and of course they should be able to handle this. They put in military forces when they felt like the Black Panthers where out of control. But maybe empowerment of Blacks is not very desireable. If we rise, we'll be resisted. If we destroy ourselves, we'll be encouraged. Is that the case? I want to think that times have changed and that it no longer is like that or similarly like that. But as I have said in recent posts, just because you change a law does not mean that mindsets do. Which in turn slows down any type of developmental or empowering process.

This picture says so much. I found it in an article about the Black Panthers on this website:

http://www.nola.com/175years/index.ssf/2011/12/1971_black_panthers_acquitted.html

World First Aid Day!

Today is World First Aid day. Not many people now how to save lives through first aid (including me, I'm a bit rusty). Well it's very important to know how, if you're working within a humanitarian organization or anywhere. In fact, it's just good to know how and can be life changing. You never know when a situation will come up where this knowledge is needed. It could be anywhere. On the road for road safety, if you're out somewhere, volunteerig etc. Actually the Red Cross has a whole page dedicated to first aid today (I'll post the link  below).
I've taken it upon me to refresh my knowledge around first aid. Also I found the app First Aid by the American Red Cross. It's very easy to understand and has step by step instructions to follow. And there are different categories to choose from depending on what the emergency is. Download it to you smartphone and learn how to use first aid! It comes in Swedish as well. By having it on your phone you carry it with you easily.
Let's learn first aid today!

Red Cross website: http://ifrc.org/first-aid-day
http://www.redcross.org/mobile-apps/first-aid-app

Afrophobia in Sweden

The word afrophobia was very foreign to me a couple of years ago. Little did I know that I actually have been in very close contact with just that all my life having grown up in a little village/town in Sweden (with veeeeeeery few Blacks, in fact I was the ONLY one at my school until high-school in another city and that was not even that many).. This thing has been present in so many aspects in my life. Actually this thing has been so present that it has never given me a break or a vacation..
When I first heard the word afrophobia I was a bit confused about what it really meant. If you divide the word up it will be "afro" and "phobia". I knew phobia was fear of something and of course I knew what an afro was. Hmm.. fear of afro's? The hairstyle? No no, I had look this word that I heard in an expression. So I looked it up in a dictionary and here's what I found: Afrophobia - Fear, hate, or dislike of Black Africans and Black African descendant. Wow, fear of black people. People like me!
I also found the word "negrophobia" which has the same meaning as afrophobia. I prefer the latter expression. As I said before It came to my mind that this is the explanation for everything that I have gone through growing up! It must be the explanation at least to a 90 percent (of course there are people who are just all through mean)..
I'm born 1990 and my parents came to Sweden in the middle of the 80's.. The first time I got to experience my portion of afrophobia was when I was 2 years old. An older kid (abou 3-4 years old) called me a nigger! Woow this little kid had already heard it from somewhere. Of course he didn't come up with it by himself cause kids are innocent especially at that age. No no it must have been an older afrophobic person whom he heard it from. Then passing on the afrophobic behavior to his son who then applied it on me. Some people like myself don't even know that this word exists and that some people suffer from this sickness that it truly is. Or maybe it is a actually not a sickness.. let me rephrase that, it is a LEGACY that's what it is. It is a legace that people of today's world unconsciously or consciously carry on from their ancestors. I've seen afrophobia take on all sorts of forms. Racial slurs such as nigger, monkey, wide nose, big lip, swollen lip, wollen hair and there are special expressions for this in Swedish which I cannot really find an English translation for. For example the thing with our hair would often be described as steal wool (svinto) that you use to clean sauce pans. Or the color of the skin.. jokes such as: "have you showered today? you look a little dirty" or even saying obnoxious comments to me (light skinned) such as: "but you are not a real nigger". Ok, what is a 12 year old supposed to say as an answer to this stupid comment coming from an adult? You can't teach an old dog new tricks.. Difficult one. Countless comments have been thrown out there I mean it's so difficult for me to even understand the creativity behind this ignorance. And then the slurs would transform from psychological violence into physical violence....
Growing up I thought that this must just be these people from this small closed community. So as a grew up I got into contact with other Blacks who describe similar experiences. Talking to them was like telling my own story. Children beeing pushed on the streets as they called the racial slurs about their color, at school, at work,  in the grocery store, night clubs.. Everywhere was and is this afrophobia present. Several attepted murders and actual murders of Blacks occurred because of their skin. Vandalizing homes and a list of many many other things. All because of the legacy afrophobia.
Afrophobia to me is a legacy that people carry on from their ancestors. And with a portion of narrow mindedness, racism,acceptance of this behavior from society and the state, little knowledge, a little organisation it can turn out to a series of hate crime events with Black as targets.
Sweden is allegedly seen as a country that takes care of its people and a stable democracy and a just system. But when we don't accept and embrace the fact that afrophobia is present how are we going to protect the targeted people? or is this just to unimportant of an issue because Blacks are not that many here a in the UK? It must be accepted and thought in schools. Swedens slave history must be part of the curricular activity. This in order to create awareness about this issue. That is the first step. We should not be obliged to go to special seminars about this topic since it is ever so presents in every Black persons lives. This is connected to human rights, rights for every ethnic groups to enjoy the same rights as other groups..this treatment goes on all levels from informal to formal levels and at times, it is very difficult handle. Afrophobia is a problem that hinders Black from progressing in this society and we must always perform 1 million times better to get thing we really want compared to others.

I had a discussion with someone about something that we both actually have thought about since we grew up here. Sometimes we wonder what it is like to be on the privileged side.
- Not worrying about what people are going to say if I go out
- Not worrying about walking down a certain street
- How it feels to walk in a clothing store without feeling extra watched
- Not being asked by the sales lady to open your purse because it seems like something isn't right
- How it feels to be met with respect talking to authorities
- Not being treated as a thief at first
- Not having to worry if people at work are going to be ignorant today AGAIN
- Not worrying if people are going to be ignorant at school AGAIN
- Not having to defend everything about you, your country or people
- Not having to become enemies people at work or school because you stand up for yourself
- Not being called sensitive, exagerated, dramatic when you defend yourself

This list does not cover all thoughts but its part of the thoughts. All in all just thoughts on how life would just flow if we were the exact same persons with the same drive and personalities only on the other side of the road..
Afrophobia is STILL a problem and will continue to be if we just accept this. Recently a Black man in Malmö was severly assaulted and his son was beaten, not enough, they even tried to throw him off a bridge. I call that attempted murder or attempted lynching.. So it still occurs today in 2013. Afrophobia is a present sickness, legacy and issue today. It will continue to be a problem but it has got to stop enough is enough!

Racial Issues in America

Recently it was the 50th anniversairy for Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. The speech is truly moving and a sign that things were not okay in America. Equal rights were not for all. And so the oppressed and discriminated African Americans at that time marched for civil rights, freedom etc. One can obvious see that times have changed but I'm not so sure if the struggle is over YET... You know, you look at America today and might think "hmm it's allright" " it's not like before"..or hey! Their president is even African American, that's a huge change, isn't it? I mean a black person that is head of state, that is serious.. yet I'm still not very sure about the struggle being over.. Many things have changed but some parts are still a dream. I'm not going to go through the whole "I Have A Dream" speech even if I'd like to, however I'll just copy excerts from it.

"But 100 years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land."

Okay, call me cynical but I don't believe it is totally changed. Fine, segregation laws don't exist but people today are still living the aftermath of those laws and those living conditions. I recentöy saw a documentary "Crips and Bloods Made in America", which is a great and interesting documentary. Seeing this, it all becomes pretty clear how and why things are the way they are today. It is all an aftermath of the horrible inhumane treatment that African Americans endured during that time. People today are still isolated in their neighbourhoods, these are the places that their mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers were placed and so they are also there today. I don't think it is rational for people to say, "oh, but you can get out, those laws do not exist". Those types of statements are 

truly irritating and show a lack of intelligence. 

How are you supposed to get out and make it if you don't have an education, money or some kind of talent. I mean people think about it. And cutbacks are made in schools which means that the quaöity of education might differ depending on where in America you live. The NEA states that education issues must be aggressively addressed. They said that 72 % of Blacks aged 25 and older w registred to have a high-school diploma in the 2000 census compared to 85% of Whites. And 14% of Blacks with Bachelor's degrees compared to Whites 27%. One can discuss and wonder about these numbers. Why is it that one is lower while the other isn't. There are many answers to this but I believe that the social and economic factors play a role in this issue. It actually is highly depending on what circumstances each person has. Furthermore the NEA says, and I quote:

" The performance of Blacks is systematically different from that of other racial and ethnic groups. Decreasing gaps in student achievement means that we must increase the learning gains of Blacks. This will require the creation of public policies and legislation that support public schools committed to identifying and setting high, worthwhile, and attainable goals for students and ensuring that teachers and students are supported in these efforts." 

What does this mean? Basically they are saying that the situation is not good. Circumstances for Blacks are still not okay. You see, "we must increase the learning gains of Blacks" meaning that the learning gains of Blacks aren't that favourable. And the citation also states that there is a need to create public policies and legislation that support public schools which are committed to identifying and setting high worthwhile and attainable goals. And also support for teachers and students. This must mean that students and teachers are not fully supported in their work. Now, the quality of education could be increased on all levels everywhere in America, but it is a serious issue when people are not provided with the same opportunities. Then it is not so surprising that there is a vast difference in percentages when it comes to the educational level. The people are not even provided with the same tools to educate and get educated!
I mean seriously people who say get up and do this please try to see the facts and circumstances before you utter something about other peoples situations. Ok, as I said before things are not EXACTLY like things were before. Signs (white's only) have been put down, interracial marriages are legal, schools are integrated, black president etc etc.. and the list is long.. I read a passage from Huey P. Newton's book "Revolutionary suicide". Call him a communist whatever you want but he is one of the smartest leaders to ever have lived. In a passage he described the living conditions when growing up. And something struck my mind. If this is how Blacks were living at that time what was the hope for the future? IF you take away a law it does not mean that there is REAL change. For example, the grandchildren and great grandchildren of people around him at that time, would grow up in these neighborhoods and areas. That means that the children of the future (people of my generation and my parents generation) would carry the legacy of all the injustices their parents and grandparents have suffered through growing up in still segregated areas. Meaning that it does not matter if you abolish a segregation law or allow you to sit at the same restaurant as someone else because even if the laws does not exist, the racist mindsets of people would live on for generations, hindering development of the community. Right? This is evident in the documentary "Made in America bloods and crips". I highly recommend this documentary as it brings up problems of the Black community and problems that arises when the mindsets of the society are not changed. When I talk about the society I'm referring to everything that it constitutes such as police forces, lawyers, judges, social services, employers, the sales lady in the store, the school system..citizens of society.. yes everything in society that is needed in order for it to function democratically. The documentary really explains why Black are being treated as they are and have been. And you get to the understanding that the historical legacy is a huge part of the explaining and a portion of psychology to understand why and how people act when they are forced to certain living standards. 
Dr. King's dream was that we would live in a color free world  but that is still not the case today. Afrophobia is still very present today. I mean look at what happened to Trayvon Martins (God bless his soul) and worse look at the verdict the murderer Zimmerman is free. 
This documentary goes all the way into the 90's! That's recent. So what I want to say is that people who are obliviously using stupid arguments to blame Black for their living conditions or lifestyle need to take a time trip back to really understand. If you ask me parts of the dream is still a dream. it's still a dream that is waiting to come true...

The occurrence of war

Within the discourse of occurrence of wars there are a different range of opinions. Kenneth Waltz who is a neorealist has illustrated this very well in his three images. The images are supposed to help us understand why wars occur. Human behaviour, states as unitary actors and the international anarchy. Now, I would like to discuss this because Waltz refers to the cold war when explaining the occurence of war. For example, one strong point that he holds is that states are less likely to go to war if the international system is bipolar, meaning that we have two great powers possessing nuclear weapons - a balance of power structure. Referring to the cold war as an example for a stable peace strikes me as surprising. Yes, there were no big scale wars that emerged during the cold war, but there definitely was always a threat of the usage of nuclear weapons. Waltz's argument to this is that if both great powers possess nuclear weapons then they will always fear each other - that is where the balance of power structure comes in. But that cannot be the best solution - always operating in fear of each other. Some points of Waltz is accurate but he does certainly not have a fully reasonable solution for a stable peace or perpetual peace, of course no theory can be fully solving problems. His three images are to some extent true. States do tend to act in terms of self-interest using liberal values in order to maintain their interests. Maybe there is some truth to his theory about states acting within the international anarchic system, since there is no overall judicial system that can prosecute states. But we have non governmental organizations, there is the UN operating. So there are organizations that work together in order to secure for example human rights and regulate states behaviours in order to secure them. I think a mixture of neorealist views and neoliberal views could explain phenomena's such as the occurrence of war.

Syria - When do we have the responsibility to protect?

I'm sure most of you who have been following the daily news have seen the situation in Syria. A situation which really is a civil war. Syria obviously can't protect their people. So, with that noted the responsibility to protect becomes important. The norm is formulated as following: " - The State carries the primary responsibility for the protection of populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. - The international community has a responsibility to assist States in fulfilling this responsibility. - The international community should use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means to protect populations from these crimes. If a State fails to protect its populations or is in fact the perpetrator of crimes, the international community must be prepared to take stronger measures, including the collective use of force through the UN Security Council." All kinds of violations of human rights are allowed to take place here but where's the international community? Why is there hesitation when the Syrian government obviously can not protect their people? Especially the children. Many children have lost their homes, parents and families. They're forced to live in the middle of the civil war where they really don't have any security at all. Practically always one step away from beeing hit by a bullet, bomb or experiencing other types of human rights violations. I know it also has got to do with China using their right to put in veto. But don't they deserve the same rights, both positive and negative rights, as every other child? I think everbody can agree with me when I say they do. So, the norm on the responsibility to protect needs to be strengthened and used more effectively, because really? How long is it going to take? I mean it's one thing to talk about the situation and have meetings and conventions regarding this, but the situation in Syria has been stated several times. It is now known. Yes, the situation is critical and now, it's time to let words become action. Now.

France bans religious symbols - law entering into force today

Today, Monday the French law about banning religious symbols entered into force. This means that about 2,000 women in France who has the burqa or the niqab are not longer allowed to wear it in public.

To wear the niqab and burqa in public can lead to arrest and 150 euro will be charged for those wearing it.

It's not everybody who is forced to wear it. Some people do it for their own personal reasons. But if there is somebody who is forced to wear it they can actually report the person who forced them into wearing it and that person may be put in jail or charged for 30,000 euro.

This is how the law is going to be from today on. To be arrested or charged for a certain religious lifestyle you’re either born into or chosen is reprehensible. People should be able to dress however they want and not be arrested.

That France has implemented this law is horrific, especially since they are members of the European Union and also a permanent member of the UN. The solution should have been something else.

What of if you actually are one of those who traditionally have to wear this? What do you do? Do you dress European in public just to avoid being arrested? And what will happen if somebody outside sees you without the niqab/burqa?

I don’t think the French government thought this through properly. The law is supposed to protect people not put them at risk, because that’s really what is happening. Those who follow the law are at risk of being hurt, or in some cases they might not even solve it like that. They’ll just be sent back to their native country so that they can continue wearing it.
In other cases some women have been killed.

The president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy stated that the plan with putting this law into force was to win back votes that extremist parties had won.
Well, depriving people of their rights is not the way. You can’t deprive others of their rights in order to win votes back. That just doesn’t seem reasonable and it seems that there is something else behind this. I mean, just take a look at the European countries. Almost in every country in Europe there is an extremist party, extremist who are especially against Muslims.

Other reasons for implementing this law are because of identification. Yes it may be hard to identify a person whose eyes are the only visible part. But I don’t think that problem has to be solved like this. I can imagine that it is a huge problem especially when they need to be identified when doing a test at school, taking a drivers license etc. but I believe it could be solved in other ways. Like letting female teachers identify them or something. It may be farfetched to have to take the person into a room for identification every day just to make sure that it’s the person.

I don’t really know how identification should be solved. But I know one thing; all Muslims do not wear a niqab, burqa or a veil. Putting this law into force is not just banning religious symbols. It is pointing out people as outsiders, making people feel discriminated. It does not only concern those who for some reason wear the religious outfit it concerns everybody, people who are not of European origin and also people of European origin.

What are those 2,000 women obliged to do now that this actually is law? Sit at home and hide from the cops? There must be another way of solving this issue.

This law was not a great move…..

New update coming soon....

Hi,

As you've noticed I've not updated my blog for a little bit more than a month now. I've been a little busy with school and everything.

I'm not really sure what to write about next time. For instance political problems in North of Africa or the tsunami in Japan. Or issues within the humanitarian law.

Anyways, I'll get back very very soon:)

Later :)

International Women's Day 2011

It’s been a hundred years since the first International Women’s Day was celebrated. This day is for celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. It’s a day to honor women of the past who have fought for women of the future. They opened doors for women today.

In 1979, the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) was adapted by the UN General assembly. It consists of 30 articles that define what constitutes discrimination against women. The convention also sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.
I would like to honor women all over the world, especially women in parts of the world who still are exposed to discrimination in many forms. Women who are forced to do certain things or act in certain ways, women who are victims of rape in war or peace and women who are deprived of the human rights.

I read an article about women’s situation The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The country has suffered years of colonization and conflict. It’s been very known that rape has become a weapon at war or conflict. There was recently a report about a village in DRC that was attacked by rebels. The victims were raped and in this case women were not the only victims even men were victims of these attacks that took place in August 2010. Those of the victims who survive are not all able to get medical aid. Because of many years of conflict there is a lack of medical aid, equipment and educated nurses. That is not the only problem.
Problems that rape victims are facing are problems such as discrimination or being abandoned by their families or husbands.

This incident in August is not the only one. In 2009 the UN reported that at least 15. 000 women and girls were raped. Systematic rapes are used as a tool to terrorize and punish the population. It is also used as an exercise of authority.

Systematic rapes are gross violations against human rights but if impunity is not abolished the systematic rapes will continue and so will the violations of the human rights. Only few of those who commit these serious crimes are indicted.

The legal system must be reformed if justice is to be made for the victims and those who are survivors need to get satisfying medical aid.

The struggle for women’s rights has gone, and is going towards the right direction but in many parts of the world there is still a long way to go and much to struggle for. Not only should women in DRC struggle for their rights but women all over the world should fight for each other.

So this day, I dedicate to women all over the world who are beeing deprived of their human rights...

Olof Palme, 1937-1986

At the beginning of this week, February 28th was 25 years since our former Prime minister (the Prime minister of Sweden) was murdered. He was the leader of the Social democratic party of Sweden.
He touched the hearts of millions of people with his speeches and was one of the greatest leaders Sweden has ever had.

Prime Minister Palme was really a committed politician. Palme brought up issues on the agenda that had already been discussed such as gender equality or the vision on racism or even xenophobia in a different way which made him unique as a politician. He changed Swedish politics with his way of speaking and acting and even opened ways for women’s rights issues.

A passage from a speech that Palme held that I find very interesting and true is this:

“A person’s skin color, race, language and birth of place have got nothing to do with human qualities. To rate people with such yardstick is in direct contrast to the principles of human equality. But it is shamefully easy to act that way for the one who feels inferior at their working place, social life, in competition of the girl or the boy.
That is why prejudices always are around the corner, even in an enlightened community. It can flare in a jibe, an unwary replica, simple meanness. Maybe the one acting does not mean any harm. But for the one who gets hit it can reopen wounds that will never heal. Most of us have a need of asserting ourselves towards each other. That is when prejudice against the deviant – the foreigner, the stranger – becomes an option.”

Another passage from the same speech that I love is this:

“Sweden has for a long time been a very uniform country. We have not had minority issues. But reality is changing. We are becoming more and more depending on contact and impulses over state boundaries. We cannot build walls against the outside world, walls that means isolation and back time. The development brings people closer and closer towards each other, in a contact that means stimulation but also difficulties. Internationalism cannot only be a feeling in distance. It is becoming part of our everyday. That means that foreigners in Sweden is becoming a part of a new time. They want to become a part of our community and we on the other hand have to seek communities over the state borders. The world is coming to us and we need to get out in the world as well. The future we have ahead will bring many strains and difficulties when we Swedes have to adapt ourselves to a new reality. But if we have to survive we have to learn how to live together.

To sum up the passages: he wanted changes just like any other politician. But as I said, he brought up issues that were discussed but not properly discussed. I think it was great that he could talk about those issues because those are issues that, if they are not brought up on the political agenda, opens up doors for xenophobic parties to take hold in parliaments. We can already see this in many European countries. That is why I love these passages because here, he brings up issues that politicians nowadays don’t put so much energy on. Maybe because there are other issues to concentrate their energy on, but if migration policy or issues of that kind is forgotten the consequences might turn out as we have seen today - Xenophobic parties establishing themselves.


In memory of Prime Minister Palme an institute by name “International Palme Center” was started in 1992 and works for democracy, human rights and peace .

Martin Luther King day

"We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools" - Martin Luther King jr.


Today the 17th of January is a special holiday in America. It’s a holiday in memory of one of the greatest persons i know of - It's Martin Luther King-day.

Martin Luther King jr. was a pastor, an African American civil rights leader and one of the greatest speakers throughout history. The most famous speech that he held is probably the one in 1963 when he organized a march to the capital, Washington – “I have a dream”. Dr. King used nonviolent methods to claim rights that African Americans were deprived of. In his speech his goal was to make American values colorblind meaning, rights should be for all to hold not just a certain group. Racial segregation and discrimination, of which he received the Nobel peace prize in 1964, were also other goals Dr. King had.

Unfortunately this great man was assassinated in 1968.

This day makes me think of not only segregation in America but all kinds of violations of civil or human rights in Africa, Latin America, Europe Asia... practically every corner of the world have a dark history of rights violation.

People like Dr. King who take a stand when rights are being violated are remarkable. They are courageous and smart and it’s just this kind of people the world needs more of.


It's sad that he didn't live to see his dream come through but let us remember his great work and how his actions have lead to rights being respected no matter what color or race people are.

Just give it a thought...

I was thinking of all the posts that I’ve posted on this blog so far and I got to realize something
Our world is full of misery, political or armed conflict, poverty and corruption is an everyday experience for some people.
I know it’s nothing new because we constantly hear about this on the news. If it’s not poverty, it’s conflict and if it’s not that there’s always something else that’s negative. If you take your time and think of everything it really is sad.
The population of our earth is not living by the same life standards. If we all would have to live by the same equal standards that would mean that a great amount of the population would have to lower their high life standards. Are people ready to do that? Are people ready to give up their fancy lifestyle in order to give other people on earth a chance for a better life?
That is what is required in order to give other people a chance. I think that will be a very difficult project, to pursue millions of people to lower their standards, especially because they’re so used to that type of life.

It’s difficult to make such a drastic change in your lifestyle but I believe it’s worth it. I mean, think about it. A person in a poor country may not live on more than a dollar a day, while people in rich countries use a dollar for chewing gum or sweets. Can you imagine? One dollar is used to support an entire family.

A dollar has such different meaning in different parts of the world.

That’s unfair.

Haiti - one year later

Yesterday was exactly one year since the earthquake killed and destroyed many lives in Haiti.

The earthquake stole more than 23.000 lives and more than one million of Haitians are still living in camps and the disaster is still affecting the people of Haiti.
With such disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti diseases, criminality, and homelessness becomes a common problem. The corrupt system in Haiti doesn’t make the situation better either. UN forces and other nongovernmental organizations are now in Haiti to keep a somehow stabile situation. The question is what the future bears for Haiti.

Problems that Haiti is facing are many and it will take time to restore the country. Education, water, hygiene, nutrition, health, protection from criminality and poverty are serious issues today, one year after the catastrophe, issues that affect their rights, the human rights. The need for help is huge.

Knowing this we also know that rights such as civil rights, social and cultural rights, children’s rights and women’s rights are being violated and these rights are just a few of those that are being violated. Restoration of the disaster is going to be a long process, also because the country itself before the disaster was and still is corrupt and the life is of poor standard.

A fact is that out of the population a great number of them are children, children who died at school or at home. Our children are our future. What I believe is one of the most important issues is how the children can be given a chance of a decent future, a future where they fulfill their dreams and hopes.

I saw a news segment on TV about Haiti which showed me that there must be some hope for the children in Haiti. Schools have been built which is great.

The change that Haiti really needs if you ask me is to get rid of the corruption. In fact the corrupt system in Haiti is also a link to the crumbling of the buildings. Corrupt construction workers use material of poorer quality when constructing buildings, for a certain amount of money. This makes the constructions non-resisting to natural disasters like earthquakes.

Haiti is also one of the 192 countries who have ratified the convention on the rights of the child, which means that Haiti has an obligation of protecting children’s rights which they haven’t done.

To criticize Haiti is also difficult since they have suffered a history of conflict and poverty which makes it even harder to support and protect the rights of the population, but that still is not a legitimate life for anybody.


During the year, people have been vaccinated against the most dangerous diseases, schools have been built and restoration is on the way, but much is still to do to restore Haiti.
The situation is still rocky in Haiti but there still is a gleam of light in the country.

Making changes !

I just watched the first part of a documentary on TV (Swedish) called “Drömmar om ett leende” (Dreams of a smile). The documentary is about a project called Operation smile which started in 1982 by an American plastic surgeon and his wife who is a nurse and a social worker. Their goal is that no child in the world should have to live isolated or feel violated because of a facial deformation that could easily be treated.
Many of these children are outcasts in their community because of their condition, which truly is horrible. All people no matter what condition they are in have the right not to be discriminated.

I think the project “Operation smile” is so wonderful because it’s life changing for those who get the opportunity to do the operation. Many who suffer from this condition are often bullied or believed to have some kind of curse over them and just imagine what bad self-confidence those children have because of that. Discrimination is also a daily experience for many because of this condition which in the future doesn't allow them to live a normal life or to get a normal job.

The documentary follows a group of volunteers(doctors and nurses) from all over the world who have the goal of doing a hundred operations in one week which is awesome!!The project now takes place in different parts of Ethiopia.

I advise everybody to watch this on TV it’s interesting and you can even donate a little something as support for the great work. Note that it could even help for more operations than planned. I know I will anyway :)

For more information about the project and what they do you can visit their international website: http://www.operationsmile.org/

Make a change in somebody else’s life! :)

Stay tuned for next post !

Terrorist threats - Still an issue?

I read an article about terrorism which brings me back to my first post "First post :)", about the negative effects of globaliszation.

September 11 and the bombings on London underground 2005 shook the whole world. I couldn’t hear anything else on the news anyway. That terrorism had become globalized was then a fact and lots of people feared travelling because of that. The years after, we heard a little about bombings on the news but not as serious as those past horrific attacks.
Anyways, what I want to say is that it seems that we’ve forgotten about that, and people are now calmly travelling around the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that people shouldn’t travel, but I would be cautious because I believe informal violence such as terrorism seem to have become more organized in these days.
For example last month about 5 kinds of terrorist activities around the European and African continent were reported and about 30 people were arrested for criminal activities. It seems like criminal activities are taking more and more advantages of the tools that come with globalization which is quite scary.

That brings me to another thing. This should be taken seriously. Seriously as in higher security and so on, but then again nothing serious has happened, yet. That’s for us to see, but for now I think threats about terrorist attacks still is an issue, just as it was back in 2001. Especially because there is some kind of anger growing towards the Western countries. It’s some sort of anger that has grown with, for example the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan or any attempt of controlling the Middle Eastern countries.
The reason for that may be that the Middle Eastern countries might feel some sort of threat of imperialism going on with the invasions. That anger later on results in globalized crime such as informal violence with the West as their target.

This is not the latest news, but it is scary news. As I said I believe terrorism still is an issue.

Stay tuned for next post : )

Issues when presidents don’t want to resign

I'm back after all the christmas celebrations and I hope everyone has had a peaceful christmas filled with joy:)

Anyways, this weeks post will be about something that caught my attention today when I watched the news.
So I decided to get some more information about it.
It’s about the current president Laurent Gdagbo of Ivory Coast who still is on the president post even though it was clear that he lost the election of November. He lost the election to his political opponent Alasanne Ouatarra who has support from the UN, former rebels, some political leaders in Africa and other Western countries.
It is of great importance that the election results are respected, because if they aren’t, the country might face a new period of conflict. That’s also what a great number of the Ivoirians fear and refugees are now fleeing to Liberia in fear of a new civil war.
A number of people also stated that when they went to vote on the day of election, there where groups of supporters from both Gdagbo’s and Ouatarra’s party that tried to make them vote for them and that was another reason why people fled in fear. The hostile situation in general is also another reason why the Ivoirians so desperately flee.
Liberia itself is not a very stabile country. They themselves suffered a 9 year civil war that ended in 2003 and are still fighting to create a somehow stabile environment in the country.
The UNHCR notes that about 4500 people have fled and that the numbers seem to increase.
An increasing number of refugees in Liberia can create a big challenge or even create a conflict. The current refugees in Liberia aren’t even in refugee camps, but are living with Liberian families. The Liberians themselves have the experience of conflict and know how it is to live like a refugee. Therefore out of compassion, they’ve opened their homes to the Ivoirians.
Rising problems are the lack of clean water and medical help. Many refugees are suffering from different diseases and need immediate help.

If the hostile situation in Ivory Coast develops it might be threatening to countries around them as well. Today’s situation makes the future of the West African countries uncertain. Everything lies in how the situation in Ivory Coast develops.

Stay tuned for next post:)