Hi Folks,
As this was unrelated to Bertrand Russell, I separated out this section of John's last
post.
I also wrote:
> I should add that in today's current climate, genocide is also viewed as an
> atrocity. However, it continues to occur as I write this e-mail (e.g. the ethnic
> cleansing of the Shan and Karen in Burma/Myanmar).
To which John responded:
> Kossovo didn't qualify?
I was making an attempt at being optimistic as the NATO peacekeeping forces were
almost in place as I wrote that post. At this point, there is a concerted effort to
stop the torture/killing and to hopefully, begin work on reconciliation and
reconstruction. No such efforts are taking place in many other areas of the world
such as Burma/Myanmar or in parts of Africa.
Also, I was attempting to draw attention to the fact that atrocities are occurring
around the globe without the world spotlight or economic support. And I was trying
not to be too heavy handed about this. But let me just briefly quote some figures
from a recent Los Angeles Times article:
* The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees is spending about 11
cents a day per refugee in Africa. In the Balkans, the figure is $1.23, more than 11
times greater.
* Some refugee camps in Africa have one doctor for every 100,000 refugees. In
Macedonia, camps have as many as one doctor per 700 refugees--a ratio far better than
that of many communities in Los Angeles.
* Refugees at most camps in Albania, across the border from Kosovo, have readily
available clean water. In Eritrea, on the Horn of Africa, families as large as 10 are
given about 3 1/2 gallons of water to last three days, according to Mary Anne
Fitzgerald, a Nairobi, Kenya-based spokeswoman for Refugees International.
* The camps in Africa hold as many as 500,000 people. Up to 6,000 refugees there
die each day from cholera and other public health diseases. In Macedonia, the largest
camp holds 33,000 people. So far, there have been no deaths from public health
emergencies such as an epidemic or starvation.
And none of these begins to address a myriad of other issues (around the globe)
involving human rights and crimes against humanity such as: the continued use of
slavery around the globe; child labor and sex exploitation; the systematic use of
torture; extreme political/religious repression; etc., etc. etc.
Well, that's just my intro thoughts,
L'Shalom (to peace),
linda
linda m. woolf, ph.d.
associate professor - psychology
webster university
main webpage: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/
Holocaust and genocide studies pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/holocaust.html
womens' pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/women.html
gerontology pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/gero.html
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
