Child Soldiers
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment” (The Declaration of Human Rights; Article 5). This states that people have rights, and cannot be mistreated without a reason. All people will be respected and have dignity in life. No one can be subjected to unwanted actions.
In countries like Sierra Leone, this law is not followed. Ten thousand young children are being forced to fight in Sierra Leone’s civil war for the rebel or government army as child soldiers. Children under the age of eighteen are being forced to fight in the front lines, do suicide missions, and act as spies, messengers, or lookouts. In Sierra Leone these children are also being forced to mine for diamonds,
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However, he first became famous in the 1960’s when he started protests against the Apartheid, where the black majority was segregated from the white minority. He called for nationalist strikes where the blacks would not work until they got equal rights. Nelson Mandela’s strategies were different though. He stressed that bloodshed was to be avoided at all costs so instead he bombed infrastructure to get the government’s attention. When he was arrested and put on trial for the death penalty, he used the trail as a platform, saying that he was prepared to die for what he believed in. Lastly, when Mandela was sentenced to life in prison, he spent his time studying the white people in the government so he could prove to them that what he really wanted was equality and not power and so he could negotiate with them …show more content…
However, people don’t realize that this money is fueling the rebel army and is the reason for the civil war and the use of child soldiers. Diamonds are in so little supply that their demand is very high. The rebel armies, which take thousands of children from their families to fight, sell these diamonds for a very high price, fueling the war. If a man-made diamond were to be made and sold at half the price instead of the blood diamonds from Sierra Leone, the armies would not have enough money to continue the war. However, like the real diamonds, these man-made stones, called vitalapis (life stone) would have to have a low supply so the demand would be high. That way, people who buy diamonds would instead by the vitalapis, and stop giving money to the rebel armies, thus returning the children to their families and childhood. The company would then use ten percent of its profit to build schools, provide water, and give food to the children in Sierra
In the early 1990s, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) of Sierra Leone, led by former military agents invaded Sierra Leone from Liberia. The RUF initially said they were leading a political movement. Their main goals were to promote liberation, democracy, and freedom. They said they wanted justice and equality for all civilians living in Sierra Leone. In spite of what the RUF said they were doing, they were forceful and left trails of murder in their path. When civilians lacked support for the “political revolution”, the RUF started a decade long war that ravaged the country as a whole. The RUF developed a sense of structured, militarized violence. It created a climate of opportunities for average civilians to obtain cheap weapons. With the greater access to weapons for civilians and the RUF, the politics became more militarized also. As the war waged on, poverty rose and people began to resort to looting of national resources. Laws diminished and seemed to lack any strength against the brute force of the RUF and their civilian followers (Denov, 2010).
Within Canada we have a generous amount of freedom but this leads to the abuse of our system. This is especially true with regards to polygamy in Bountiful, BC. Because women are susceptible to mental abuse in polygamist relationships it should continue to be illegal in Canada. If this law is in enforced it would help women to be freed of the oppression caused by male domination, eliminate the need for women to suppress feelings that conflict with the ideals of the polygamy life, and aid in avoiding depression resulting from the build-up of concealed feelings.
...t that their sons were child soldiers holding guns and striking down innocent civilians. The horrors and violence that occurred during this ten-year period are unthinkable. Many families are still rebuilding more than ten years later. For a resource that was supposed to bring Sierra Leone out of poverty to leave it in even worse conditions is sad to think about. Though diamonds from conflict areas are banned, some still find their way into the markets. It is up to the buyers of these products to really trace the history of each and every diamond for a stop in this conflict to happen. Consumers can also help by asking for the history of their diamond before buying one. If the world can do this, profit made from diamonds will be going to the right people and the responsibility of violence in conflict areas will no longer be on the diamond industry or the world.
From a moral standpoint, torture is wrong and unacceptable. Many religious people are against this act of violence because they see it as a violation of the dignity of a human being. Humans have the right to not have intentional harm upon themselves from others. The ban on torture furthermore supports this certain right. Not only does torture violate people’s rights, but they also violate the demands of justice. In the past, many of our nation’s people have been tortured and we have had a problem with it; but when it’s not you the one that is being tortured, it seems to be fine. Have you heard of the golden rule, “Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation? (7)” This applies very well to this problem.
Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 similarly says that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment…” (DRW, p. 411) There is no exception to Article 5 in the Declaration
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain or suffering, mental or physical, on an individual to obtain information, to intimidate or for punishment. Torture is expressed in many ways, for example, rape, hard labour, electric shock, severe beatings, etc, and for this reason it is considered as cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. Therefore, it is a violation of human rights and is strictly prohibited by international law. Michael Davis and many other individuals have stated that torture is worse than murder. He claims, “Both torture and premature death are very great evils but, if one is a greater evil than the other, it is certainly torture”. With that being said, there are three major reasons to discuss, in which, torture is not morally acceptable. However, in many cases it is considered very beneficial, but the disadvantages outweighs the benefits. Firstly, bullying is a form of torture but to a lesser extent, in which it results in an individual suffering from low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, etc. In addition, torture is mainly used as a means to obtain information, however, it is an ineffective interrogation tool in which, the data given could be falsified. Lastly, torture is sometimes utilized to shatter the autonomy of individual, that is, the right to their freedom and independence, forcing the victim to succumb to the torturer’s way of thinking.
It’s hard to imagine that a mineral could be fueling wars and funding corrupt governments. This mineral can be smuggled undetected across countries in a coat pocket, then be sold for vast amounts of money. This mineral is used in power tools, parts of x-ray machines, and microchips but mostly jewelry. Once considered the ultimate symbol of love, the diamond has a darker story. "Blood" diamonds or "conflict" diamonds are those mined, polished, or traded in areas of the world where the rule of law does not exist. They often originate in war-torn countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, and Côte d'Ivoire were rebels use these gems to fund genocide or other questionable objectives. Even with a system known as the Kimberly process which tracks diamonds to prevent trade of these illicit gems, infractions continue as the process is seriously flawed. The continuation of the blood diamond trade is inhuman, and unethical, and in order to cease this illicit trade further action to redefine a conflict diamond, as well as reform to the diamond certification prosess is nessasary.
“Compelled to become instruments of war, to kill and be killed, child soldiers are forced to give violent expression to the hatreds of adults” (“Child Soldiers” 1). This quotation by Olara Otunnu explains that children are forced into becoming weapons of war. Children under 18 years old are being recruited into the army because of poverty issues, multiple economic problems, and the qualities of children, however, many organizations are trying to implement ways to stop the human rights violation.
“I would like to give you a message, please do your best to tell the world what is happening to us, the children. So that other children do not have to pass through this violence.”
Activist, lawyer, father, prisoner, survivor, president, the face of equality. Nelson Mandela has an inspiring story of fighting Apartheid forces and surviving a long prison sentence all in the name of freedom and equal rights. Through Nelson Mandela’s constant fight for freedom of the African people from white apartheid forces, he was dominated by the corrupt government. After uprising numerous riots against apartheid forces, Mandela was sent to jail for twenty-seven years revealing the cruelty that humans can possess. With the strong will power and complete support of the African people, Mandela survived his prison sentence and became the first democratically elected president of South Africa exposing the strength in human nature by showing that humans can persevere through tough times. Mandela left a profound impact on the African people by saving them from corrupt Apartheid rule and bringing a democratic government. Thus teaching the world that in an event where a body of people is suppressed, they will inevitably rebel by any means necessary to gain their freedom.
In conclusion, the convention against torture, has brought many people together, and has informed many people of the horrible tortures which go on everywhere from the US to Syria. It has tried to set fine lines which prohibit torture under all circumstances. However, since there is no governing body over countries, it remains difficult to enforce the human right standards sought after by the Convention against torture. The convention has therefore done a good job at identifying the torturers. This has in turn lessened the amount of those persecuted. It will remain a gradual process to eliminate torture from all countries, but nevertheless a necessity, in the quest for universal human rights. Torture will continue until all countries decide for themselves, and not from a third party convention that freedom from torture is a human right everyone deserves.
In conclusion, Nelson Mandela was a prominent leader of South Africa who had made many changes for the Africans as a whole of South Africa. Mandela did what he had to for the humanity of people no matter the outcome of the thorough situations and circumstances he was put in. Mandela never let what was meant to be his downfall change his mind set or his push and his motivation to what his bigger picture and his bigger
Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest ethical and political leaders in recent history. Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to the fight against the racial oppression of the apartheid regime in South Africa. In doing so, he became the first democratically chosen black president of South Africa. Nelson Mandela’s life is a blue print for the development of a leader who fought against discrimination and aimed to build fairness and justice, and by doing so, acquired the ultimate achievement: equality for South Africa.
The division between white and blacks in South Africa bothered Nelson because he believed everyone should have equal rights. Nelson was known for bringing peace to the now ended apartheid and fought for human rights globally. He was involved in many peaceful protests to put an end into the apartheid even though white people were disgusted with his actions. ANCYL participated in many differences sources of protesting such as boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience and other forms of peaceful protesting (“NM and ANC”,
{Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a tremendous political activist in the late 1960’s. He was a lawyer and a member of the ANC who strongly disagreed with the apartheid regime; he used his talents for speaking and his courage to help change the unfair laws which oppressed blacks in South Africa.