Parents Who Have a Severely Disabled Child Should Be Allowed to Euthanize Them Essay Example for Free

Parents Who Have a Severely Disabled Child Should Be Allowed to Euthanize Them Essay Some people call it mercy killing, others call it murder. This is a tough question for every parent in the word who has severely disabled child that will never be able to recognize them or even understands who he or she is and why. This problem has occurred over decades and there is a lot of proof that those children are not able to live full lives and some of them are in constant pain. What’s more in some countries euthanasia is allowed (1). Only the improvement of medical treatment is the reason why those children are still alive (2) and this treatment is quite expensive so governmental funds are needed (3). A part of society believes that it is cruel to force severely ill people to live when in normal conditions they would die. Euthanasia is a painless death caused by a medical injection and it is allowed in Brazil, in some occasions in Canada and in some states in the USA. This choice has to be made by the person who wants to be euthanized. If the adult in care or child are not able to make that choice by themselves it automatically means that this procedure cannot be done. In these situations the question of giving rights to choose to another person always occurs. It is a conflict between law and ethics. It would be more ethical to end ones suffering, but the law says that every person has a right to choose and a right to live. Every child has a right to live a life without pain and some of those diseases are incredibly painful even if painkillers are used. So it would be more humane to euthanize the child. As always, if there is seriously ill child a lot of funding is needed. If the parent or guardian does not have money to cover the expenses the governmental funding is needed. Marc Spindelman, a law professor at Ohio State University and an expert in bioethics thinks that politicians starts to look God like, because a single state spends around 2,5 billion a year on severely ill children, yet this amount of money is not enough, so they have to decide who lives and who dies. According to data it costs around 103, 000 $ a year on infant with ventilator and around 100, 000 $ a year on a baby who is connected to feeding tubes (Extreme choices, The right to live or die(n. d.)). If that kind of a choice is given to government there is a question of why it is not given to parents, because they are the ones that will know better whether to continue fighting or to let the child rest in peace. The main reason why nowadays there are more disabled children than in the past is because of medical development. Severely disabled children in past in most cases could not reach adolescence, because of the fact that there was no special medical equipment that could help to keep those children alive, like there is now, for example, feeding tubes. That means that they can survive as long as they are in a hospital or as long as parents or the government have funds to pay medical bills. There is a law in Canada that allows parents to disconnect the feeding tubes, but that means that they will starve to death. That is the main reason why Annette Corriveau wants to euthanize her children Janete and Jeffery. They do not respond and they are not able to move, roll over or even move their hands. They are in vegetative condition for more than ten years and there is only a slight possibility that there will be a medication that might improve their condition. As Annette said in an interview, she thinks that euthanasia would be the best thing that can happen to them, because she would not like to live a life like that and she does not know anyone who would(). Also, some parents are wondering why they can decide to have an abortion during any stage of pregnancy, if a disease is detected, yet cannot give birth to make sure that the child is truly sick and then euthanize him or her. The fact is that despite modern medical equipment there is a slight chance that the doctor might be wrong and parents will kill an innocent and healthy child. If we would follow the law of nature, this kind of question would not even be considered and no one would have to make that kind of a choice. Because of today’s medical equipment we keep alive those who should be resting in peace and putting them through different painful operations and treatments just because of the society’s opinion that euthanasia is considered murder and because we think that living even in vegetative state is better than death. SOURCES: 1. Extreme choices, The right to live or die (n. d.) Retrieved from: http://www.enquirer.com/extremechoices/loc_extremeday2.html ; 2. Taking mercy (8 of March, 2012) Retrieved from: http://www.globalnews.ca/taking+mercy/6442597182/story.html

What Does the Fence Represent in Frences Essay Example for Free

What Does the Fence Represent in Frences Essay In reality, people have certain things that they carry around or have in their homes that will give them what they need to be in a comforting state of mind. In the play Fences by August Wilson, this item happens to literally be a partially built fence around a dirt yard with a raggedy looking house in the center of it. Each family member sees the fence a little differently and provides a certain symbolic perspective on what it has to do with their family. Cory, who is Troy and Rose’s son, sees this fence as just another chore that his mom and dad are constantly making him go out of his way to help build and complete this fence. He doesn’t necessarily have much meaning behind how he sees it, but just gets annoyed when his parents ask him to help build it. In connection to this, Troy states to Cory, â€Å"Your first chore is to help me with this fence on Saturday. Everything else comes after that† (Wilson 31). Instead of going to football practice, Troy is making Cory help him build this fence. Troy wants Cory to work hard and have a good future, and by not letting him play football, he’ll have a better sense on knowledge in the real world. On the other hand, Cory’s mom Rose has a different perspective on it. She states, â€Å"Jesus, be a fence around me every day. Jesus, I want you to protect me as I travel on my way† (Wilson 21). Rose sees the fence as a holy protective shield amongst herself, her house, and her family. She will feel safe when she sees the fence being built and protecting her from this. Finally, Troy takes much pride in this fence, which is why he always is working on it or having Cory help him with it. Since the fence takes ultimately ten years to finally be completed, it symbolizes the partially built factor. The fence represents a wall that hold it’s the family and keeps unwanted things out. However since it is only partially built, problems are still probable to come in and invade their family.

Trafficking in women

Trafficking in women INTRODUCTION Trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation is not a new problem. It existed for centuries and it still exists everywhere in the world. â€Å"Sex trafficking is an epidemic which does not limit itself to one place or one group of people.†Trafficking in women is very serious problem and it cannot be approached ‘from the behind/only on the surface. The seriousness of this topic requires careful research and great attention. Womens trafficking as a global problem appears both in countries in political and economic transition, as well as in countries that are in post-conflict periods. Moreover, it also affects the economically developed and countries and affects all major industrialized nations in the world.Many of the developing or the ‘third world countries are trying to hide this problem ‘under the rug due to lack of legislative or lack of financial sources. The question/problem is that although we are aware of the existence of the victims of t rafficking around us in society, why is such little progress being made? Nevertheless, in the period between 1970s and 1980s the traffickers destinations were the Western European countries.Victims of trafficking usually were brought from Asia and Latin America.However, after the fall of the communist regimes, in the 90s, there been an evident change in the situation. Now women from Eastern Europe represent the main ‘goods of trafficking in Western Europe.This is the case also for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania, two post-communist Balkan countries. As much we can say that trafficking in women for the so called sex industry is very old matter, the exposure of this problem in these two countries is not from the distant past. It started emerging after the post-communist period and escalated in the transition that is currently going on in both of the countries. I am working on the topic of trafficking in women and the democratic transition, with a special overview on two countries: Bosnia and Albania, because I want to find out if these countries are doing enough and everything that is in their power to combat this problem. The questions that are needed to be set/appointed here, are, will the democratic transition and the democratic development of the Western Balkan countries, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania the two countries I will be taking as a case studies, help in making this problem smaller in range? Is new and improved legislation and new law going to help in combating this problem? Moreover, is the further development and the possible EU integration of these countries going to suppress this problem? In this paper, I will try to analyze the problem of trafficking in women, mainly concerning the sex industry (prostitution), as a global problem and then referring to it on local level. Comparing two countries that are post communist countries and are still in what seems to be everlasting process of transition; will show what the home governments are doing concerning this problem. Moreover, it will show what more can be done in the field of combating trafficking on local and even on global level; as a path towards the European Union. Firstly, in the first chapter, I will address this problem from the international perspective. Taking in consideration conventions, reports of many international organizations and also from non governmental organizations; will show what has been done so far in combating trafficking in women in the international society. Secondly, I will try to present this problem as one of the main issues of every country. Following, in the second chapter, I will compare two transitional Western Balkan countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania and how they handle this problem. Also, are these countries following the European Union directives in combating trafficking, as part of the organized crime, as one of the conditions in becoming a member state. There is a lot to say on this topic and there are a lot more examples on this subject, but due to limited time and resources, I will keep my research and my analysis short and within these frames. My research is contained mostly from exploring the conventions on anti-trafficking that are part of the international legal system, conventions on the same subject on European level, the home legislative of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania concerning this problem, relevant articles concerning trafficking in women, research papers from international organizations who worked on projects of trafficking in women (primary and secondary sources). 1. TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN: A NEVER ENDING PROBLEM Womens trafficking has been described as a modern day form of slavery.â€Å"Too often the crime of sex trafficking is ignored because it is termed prostitution.†The distinction between the term trafficking in women and the phenomenon of prostitution is form a great importance, taking into consideration the fact that the common people still have delusions in the existence or non existence of these two aspects. This is confirmed by the survey made for IOM in which the results showed that the biggest percentage of the answers (61.6%) were that prostitution was voluntary and paid and trafficking is forced.Only 24.6% answered that they know the difference between prostitution and trafficking in women. But what is the main difference in fact? The general characteristic is the voluntariness in exercising prostitution. It is an opinion that these persons (women) can give up doing the ‘oldest business in the world if they want to. On the other hand we cannot disregard the economi c pressure they are in and the forced actions from the traffickers. On the contrary, in the situation of trafficking this opportunity is lost together with the passports, ID cards and other documents that these women used to posses, as is also the fear of rejection and despise from the family and the community. Another confusion made is that of equating trafficking as a crime that goes only beyond national borders. Trafficking also happens within a domestic territory of one country, which is basically moving women from one part of the country to another. It is often the case where women coming from rural environment are moving to the big cities in search for a better life and better earnings easily become pray for traffickers who deceive them with promises for ‘bright future. In conclusion, trafficking in women is not just a transnational issue, but a national also. Hence, under victims of trafficking we put not only women that are transferred from domestic countries to foreign ones, but also the citizen of one country that are moved within it. Generally speaking, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation has always been a ‘un solved matter and a very ‘hard task for most of the countries. Trafficking in women and in human beings in general, is on regular basis supported by the corruption in the domestic governments, as much in the countries of origin of the trafficked victims, also in the countries of transit and final destination.This fact is not so astonishing/unbelievable considering the reality that the ‘business of trafficking is the one of the most profitable ones in the world with approximated income of over 7 billion US dollars per year from prostitution only. Furthermore, two main factors: supplementing and demanding; promote the growth of trafficking, in particular the commercial sex work. â€Å"Male demand for the services of sex workers, combined with male perceptions about womans societal role, lead to exploitation of women.†The supplementation side includes such factors as womens weaker economic position, lack of real employment and educational opportunities, increased militarization of specific regions after conflicts and the expansion of transnational crime, push women toward work in the commercial sex industry and to situations where they are at risk of being trafficked. 1.1. What is trafficking in women? More than a half of century ago since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was introduced, which proclaimed that â€Å"no one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms,†we are witnesses of the unscrupulous violations of this human rights. Being very sensitive and serious problem, trafficking requires a definition that will incorporate all the key elements of this criminal act as such. Basically the definition for the term trafficking can be found in international legal instruments dedicated to the subject.   For example, Article 3, paragraph (a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (known as the Palermo Protocol) defines trafficking in the following way: Trafficking in persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. This original definition was a model from which in many countries in the domestic criminal code the definition for trafficking has been derived. On the other hand, it was intentionally decided that the Protocol not define ‘exploitation of prostitution of others and other forms of sexual exploitations more precisely, because there was no consensus among government delegates to the negotiations on the common meaning of the phrase.Furthermore, the delegates agreed that involuntary forced participation in prostitution would constitute trafficking, but most of the government delegates rejected the idea that voluntary, non-coercive participation by adults in prostitution is tantamount to trafficking.This means that the states define only forced prostitution in their domestic legislature. Moreover, the Protocol makes a clear distinction between sex work and trafficking and between trafficking and smuggling, which is addressed in different protocol. Smuggling concerns facilitating illegal stay or entry, while the aim of trafficking is the exploitation of human beings under forced labour or slavery-like conditions. Yet, trafficking does not always involve the illegal crossing of borders.It can also appear within a country; in other words without crossing any national borders.Moreover, â€Å"in many cases trafficked persons enter a country legally, for example as tourists, spouses, students, domestic workers or au pairs.†Sometimes they only become illegal when they remove themselves from the power of their exploiters, e.g. in the case of au pairs or women who are forced into prostitution by their husband.Hence, trafficking is a crime against the person, while smuggling is primarily a crime against the state, infringing upon its borders. Another definition we can take in mind is the U.S. government definition of trafficking in persons which encompasses â€Å"All acts involved in the transport, harboring, or sale of persons within national or across international borders through coercion, force, kidnapping, deception or fraud, for purposes of placing persons in situation of forced labor or services, such as forced prostitution, domestic servitude, debt bondage or other slavery like practices†. In other words, the definition of trafficking consists of three core elements: the action of trafficking, the means and the purpose.If all the elements of human trafficking are present, the fact that an adult initially consented is irrelevantIt is also considered trafficking if the victim had no real or acceptable alternative but to submit to the abuse. 1.2. Trafficking in women as a international problem The international community is actively working on the issue of fighting this form of organized crime. The United Nations, the Council of Europe, OSCE and the EU, as well as some other international organizations, became involved in dealing with this matter on a global plan.On international plan many Conventions were produce for the purpose of combating the crime of trafficking in women. In the system of United Nations the start was made firstly with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948.   Among the other conventions on UN level is the 1949 United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, which â€Å"deems prostitution and the ‘accompanying evil of the traffic of persons for the purpose of prostitution incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person.†The main objective of the Convention is to provide effective measures against all forms of trafficking in women and the exploitation of prostitution.Another convention that is important is the 1979 Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which in Article 6 prescribes the obligation for all the state parties to â€Å"take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of women.† Connecting human rights with the problem of trafficking resulted in the need of the UN for a multi disciplinary approach in the fight against trafficking in women. For that, in June 2000 the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was issued; later that year Protocols for Preventing the Trade with Women and Children and Against Illegal Trade and Transportation of Immigrants were issued.They were adopted in 2001 and with that started the new era of the work of the national institutions (Law enforcement institutions). In the same way, other international organizations also incorporated the issue of trafficking in their own constitutions/organizational structures. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) adopted the Convention concerning forced labor (Convention no.29) in 1930 and the Abolition of Forced Labor Convention in 1957. On European level, the most recent legal instrument introduced for combating trafficking in women is the Council of Europes Convention on Actions against Trafficking in Human Beings,adopted 2005. Following this further, the European Union also made instruments about the issue of trafficking: Council Framework Decision of 19 July 2002 on combating trafficking in human beings,instruments such as Investing in People, European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI),etc. In conclusion, a mutual statement from all the EU member states is that under trafficking should be put all the cases where the o nes that commit this crime are recruiting their victims for forced labor or prostitution, no matter the means, even by just enticement or abusing their weak situation or position. Other international organizations that are involved in the matter of trafficking are OSCE (The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), UNDP (the United Nations Development Program), ICITAP (International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance), OPDAT (The U.S. Department of Justices Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training), USAID (TheUnited States Agency for International Development), ICMPD (The International Centre for Migration Policy Development). On the other hand, there are the non-governmental organizations, which are important in building civil society by fostering governance, whereby actions are framed not simply by governments, but with the participation of other organizations, with which information is shared.Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the globe are engaged in combating trafficking by taking part in variety activities including prevention, prosecution, protection, rescues/raids, reintegration, and repatriation.â€Å"NGOs often work with few resources yet can be effective in complimenting the activities of governments, or even taking the place of government efforts.†NGOs appear to be ‘watchdogs against trafficking in women. Worldwide NGOs in this area are Amnesty International, The International La Strada Association (La Strada International), Anti Slavery International, The Churches ´ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), Global Alliance against Traffic in Women (GAATW), Save th e Children Europe Group, Terre des Hommes International Federation, ECPAT International, etc. â€Å"It is helpful for NGOs that engage in preventive and rehabilitative work with women, children and communities to be able to identify common characteristics of trafficking.† Despite the international level of fighting against the crime of trafficking, every country has prescribed this act as a criminal one in the domestic criminal codes. Almost all democratic countries are signatories of the conventions mentioned above and had implemented them in their home legislative.   This is the case also with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania,which incorporated trafficking in women in their criminal codes as a punishable crime by all means, which I will show later in the paper. 2. TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN IN THE TRANSITION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND ALBANIA The geographical map of Southeastern Europe, step by step, has been changing in the past decade. The fall of the iron curtain created a flow of migration from east to west,and vice versa, if we consider the international missions and special delegations residing in the Balkan region. Contributory factors that have helped cause the problem of trafficking in women have been â€Å"globalization of economic sector, followed by globalization of crime, as well as the outbreak of conflicts in the region.†The fragmentation of Yugoslavia intensified the impact of processes of transition, globalization and regionalization.Turbulent ethnic conflict, external interventions (often involving force), and the persistent use of violence by criminal elements, provided waves of challenges to civil society in the region.The Yugoslav wars intensified the scale of transnational organized crime, here including trafficking in women mainly for prostitution, and the levels at which criminal networks p reyed on the population.The area has been military, politically and economically divided: new states have been created and new borders established.The countries of SEE have been seriously affected by the problems of organized crime and corruption, which have been the main obstruction to further development and regional stability. Because of the limited economic resources available, governments in the region have not been able to establish an effective control over economic fraud and other forms of organized crime, including trafficking in women.Therefore, â€Å"organized criminal groups in the region have successfully exploited insufficiently controlled borders, corruption, a legislative vacuum and the lack of regional cooperation in the fight against organized crime.† To emphasize, within the structure of organized crime the countries are classified weather they are countries of origin, destination or transition. The origination countries of trafficking of women can be classified by the regions of the world. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania are part of the East Europe region and are mostly considered originating countries, although the trafficking to and within the country is stacking up. On the other hand, as destination countries for trafficked women are the Western European countries, the Nordic countries, the Middle East, even United States of America, where the women from BIH and Albania are trafficked to. 2.1. The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina For Bosnia and Herzegovina the collapse of the communism was not the only overturn of the society. Right after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, BIH experienced a civil war on its territory. Therefore, it is excusably to say that BIH went through double transition period. Furthermore, the breakdown of the social, economic and political structure resulting from the civil war in BIH caused the expansion of various forms of organized crime, including trafficking in human beings.On the other hand, â€Å"in the pre war period this kind of crime was not present in BIH to the degree to which it is now, according to official statistics and available sources.†The two dramatic changes in the countrys past brought up rise in trafficking in women. The country was and still is â€Å"a fertile ground for the criminal abuse of women†mainly for sexual exploitation. â€Å"Economic hardship, global market penetration and transitional economic conditions along with conflict and post-war trauma have transformed many traditional relationships into service exchanges.†] Moreover, the almost four year long war caused collapse of the economy and social collapse which emerged in great unemployment. Therefore, people in BIH, mostly women, felt jeopardized for their survival so they started looking for any kind of job just to support their families. Sexual exploitation for prostitution, and human trafficking in general was a taboo in BIH until recently. In early 1998, human trafficking to BIH did not officially exist, â€Å"it inhabited an invisible netherworld unacknowledged, unreported and unnamed.†According to experts of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), trafficking first began to appear in 1995.Human Rights Watch investigators first learned of trafficking of women to B osnia and Herzegovina in 1998, while on a research mission to investigate post-conflict discrimination against Bosnian women.As public attention began to increase and more cases emerged, trafficking finally became visibly in the early 1999.In fact, by early 2000, â€Å"human trafficking for forced prostitution had become blatant and notorious, but this visibility did not result in coherent anti trafficking policies.† Another factor that bolstered trafficking in women was the post war peacekeeping missions and the international influence in BIH. The placing of peacekeeping forces in BIH encouraged the sex industry there, especially in the early years after the war.This is a very sensitive issue concerning the fact that the peacekeepers and other stuff of the international missions enjoyed immunity,plus there were insufficient evidence of such conducts by the missionaries. Along with this, the lack of state responsibility concerning the involvement of members of the peacekeeping force in trafficking, doubtlessly contributed to the problem.UNMIBH has â€Å"denied any participation of its personnel in trafficking but acknowledges that several members of its staff have been let go for sexual misconduct.†The promotion of prostitution by the forces of UN, who were directly involved in the sex industry and the sexual exploitation of Bosnian women, was contradicting with their main mission of prot ecting them and providing them with a peaceful life. There is no doubt that there was a existing correlation between the phenomenon of trafficking in women and the settlement of a peacekeeping force in BIH, but it would be wrong to observe the settlement of peacekeeping force as a primary cause of the phenomenon.Trafficking in women, as a problem and concern, existed and exists in other parts of the Balkan, as well as all over the world, where peacekeepers were and are not based. To conclude, BIH has been politically unstable during the post war period. Laws have been made to control traffickers, but regional conflicts still exist and the lack of cooperation between entities, and entities and the state in general, in suppressing organized crime has been high.The high profits available, the low risk of detention and minor penalties exacted have made trafficking in human beings for the purpose of prostitution very attractive on the ‘black marketin BIH.oday, the lack of political will has been replaced with the â€Å"building of collaboration between BIH law enforcement agencies and the creation of new BIH state institutions for enforcing the law.†Furthermore, BIH is now participating in regional and international initiatives against organized crime, especially within Stability Pace (a benchmark for bringing peace and normalcy to the region) in Southeastern Europe, as a way towards reaching EU and insuring its place as future member state.. The loc al government is trying to harmonize the domestic legislative with the international and to improve the cooperation between the entities and the state. However, the suppression of trafficking in women is not just a legislative problem, but also a practical one.In addition, another future in combating trafficking is awareness of the problem, such as public education, that the state has to make sure to provide it. 2.2. The case of Albania Human trafficking is relatively ‘new social phenomenon, which emerged in Albania after the early 1990s right after the failure of the dictatorship regime of Enver Hoxa. The â€Å"process of democratization started in Albania only in 1990, after the fall of the Berlin wall, when independent political parties were created and the freedom to travel for citizens was granted.†The economic and political instability increased in 1997 with the explosion of civil disorders and soon after the war in Kosovo in 1999 that brought many refugees to Albania. From then on, this phenomenon spread rapidly in the countries in transition or development including Albania.With the sudden intensive influence from the Eastern and Western European countries, it is understandable for a country that was once in total isolation, moreover, was a poor one, to become a target for many organized criminal groups and face new and different wave of criminality. The isolation encouraged the Albanian people to go across the borders of their homeland. Dreams for better lives, jobs and education for their children were overwhelming for many Albanians, while others sought reunification with family members that has already migrated to Western countries.Nevertheless, â€Å"Albanias role in trafficking appears easy to attribute to the difficult political and economic transition from an authoritarian to a pluralistic system.†Other factors than changes to the system of governance, which facilitated the rise of trafficking in Albania were the bad economic conditions. For some Albanians who had lost property, human trafficking and particularly exploitation of women, became a way of re-accumulating the wealth they lost, while for others, trafficking was considered as a solution to end their poverty and suffering.Women faced the greatest impact of unemployment as well as additional burden of maintaining their families as their spouses sought employment through emigration.Hence, women became increasingly vulnerable and these factors emerged trafficking, especially for women who turned to prostitution with the intent of doing it only temporarily.The once traditional values of the Albanian society were lost. Women easily become prey of traffickers with the help of their close family, which most of the time promised to find them husbandsas a way out of the heavy situation they were in. In addition, as middle men sometimes figured the spouses of these women, who saw ‘easy money by selling their wives, â€Å"without being aware of the consequences of the trafficking.† Furthermore, the heightened trafficking of Albanian women, within and out of the country, has been facilitated by the erosion of social controls in society and the ‘chronic weakness of the state.The government was incapable of projecting its authority to fight crime, protect crime victims, control its borders and curtail corruption among its security forces.As shown above, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation surfaced as new problem in the early 1990s. In that time few people believed in the treat of rising and that trafficking will escalate in a measure that is today. During the transition from communism and dictatorship, Albania was not only a transit country for the trafficking of human beings, but also a source country.Trafficking of Albanian women was and continues to be widespread.â€Å"The absence of legal provisions and official statistics on trafficking inhibited recognition of the problem.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"In 1995, legislators added penalties for prostitution and operation of facilities for prostitution to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Albania, but did not include a definition on trafficking.†It was necessary for improvements to be implemented in the legal system and the reform was the first important step in combating trafficking. Amendments in 2001, however, began to bring Albanian law in the line with the Palermo Protocol, and further steps in 2004 boosted up that process.Albanian penal legislation concerning trafficking has been improving continuously in accordance with international legislation and the international efforts of the Albanian state.The ratification of several conventions concerning this issue, â€Å"demonstrates that the legal framework of the fight against the trafficking of human beings, especially of women and children, is almost complete.†The ratification of these conventions facilitated more effective regional and international cooperation in the efforts against organized crime and constitutes a concrete step in the process of making Albanian legislation compatible with international standards.However, despite the tendency for international cooperation, â€Å"international assistance for the Albanian Government has not been well coordinated.Following this further, ensuring of complementarities, avoiding duplication and facilitating the effective use of resources, will possibly improve this coordination.Moreover, introducing legislation and practice in accordance with European Union standards â€Å"remains imperative and is an important step towards the eventual free movemen t of people across borders†and the acceptance of Albania to the Union. 2.3. Analysis and possible future improvements As already mentioned, the developing transition countries, as BIH and Albania, are not exception of the influence of trafficking in women. Moreover, they are a prolific ground for this ‘business. HERE I WANTED TO MENTION THE FURUTRE REFORMS IN LEGISLATIVE MEASURES FOR EX. BIH SHOULD HARMONIZE THE STATE AND ENTITIES LAWS.ALSO THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EU AND WHAT MORE IS THERE TO BE DONE IN THIS AREA. I WANTED TO ASK YOU SHOULD I KEEP THIS POINT (SUB-CHAPTER) OR IS IT SMARTER TO INCORPORATE THOSE THINGS IN THE PREVIOUS ONES CONCLUSION Following the democratic development, exiting from the ongoing transition, and the implementation of the international instruments for combating trafficking in women, and in human beings in general, can be very helpful for countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania in suppressing this major problem. The measures taken by the home governments and legislators of these two countries can improve the control over trafficking, reducing it, by implementing the international legislative and maybe making more strict penalties for the violators/ criminals.

Japan nears economy plan :: essays papers

Japan nears economy plan TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese policymakers drew closer Tuesday to an agreement on measures to remove two long-standing obstacles to an economic recovery -- banks' mountainous bad loans and stock market weakness. The ruling coalition government is expected to finalize by Wednesday a package centering on steps to help banks dispose of their non-performing loans and a special fund to absorb sales of shares held by banks. While the deadline was self-imposed and officials have been reluctant to guarantee it would be met, at stake is the credibility of political and financial leaders who have been unable to pull the nation out of economic doldrums for a decade. The country's benchmark Nikkei share price average, which shot up more than 3 percent at one point Tuesday on optimism about the economic package, risks a retreat towards last month's 16-year lows if no credible deal is reached. One key point of contention has been whether taxpayers' money should be used by a proposed fund to buy sha res from banks. The Financial Services Agency (FSA), Japan's financial regulator, had been reluctant to channel public funds into the body, saying government intervention in the market should be as limited as possible. But a member of the coalition panel studying the issue said the gap was narrowing. "The FSA seemed to have leaned closer toward us, although there are still some differences," he told reporters. The coalition has changed the name of the proposed body to "a fund to acquire banks' shareholdings" from a more crude "stock-buying fund," specifying that the aim was to help banks unload massive shareholdings, losses in which are squeezing their capital adequacy ratios and throttling lending. The banks have built up huge portfolios of shares in group companies and their clients as a means to cement business ties, but the drop in Japanese share prices over the last decade has brought calls to limit banks' shareholdings. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun financial daily reported earli er this week that  ¥15 trillion, or $119 billion, of funds from the state-backed banking safety net, the Deposit Insurance Corp., could be channeled to the proposed stock-buying body. The government is scheduled to hold a meeting of its emergency task force on economic measures Wednesday morning if agreement can be reached with the ruling coalition parties on Tuesday, an LDP official said. Copyright  © 2001, CNN America, INC.

Punk music in the 70s and 90s Essay -- essays research papers

Punk music has gone through an evolution ever since the punk explosion in the late seventies. Although todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s punk music retains most of the ideology and sound that defines the punk genre, there are some distinct differences between Nineties and Seventies punk. Most of the punk bands to emerge and gain popularity in the nineties mostly hailed from California (Green Day, the Offspring, etc.). Punk vanguards from the seventies hailed from the East Coast and from Great Britain (the Ramones, the Clash, etc.). The Sex Pistolsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ "Liar" and Blink182à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s "Whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s My Age Again?" demonstrates how conditions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  social, political, and physical à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  are reflected in the nature of the music produced by these punk bands. The Sex Pistols emerged in the late seventies as one of the first politically charged punk bands, advocating anarchy in most of their tunes. The band embraced and produced songs that reflected the punk ideology: rebellion and nihilism. The Sex Pistols also reacted to the stark social conditions that infected Great Britain in the late seventies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" rising unemployment, a hard-line, conservative government, and a depressed post-industrial economy. With a hopeless future at the horizon, the restless youth in Britain had plenty of things to get angry about. The Sex Pistols embodied the eraà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s anger and restless ambition. Blink182 first gained popularity as a local band from San Diego. The Southern California environment was completely different from the harsh, cold urban environment of London. The environment from where Blink182 cultivated their style was sunny and suburban San Diego. The mid-nineties were economically good in the United States. The youths of Southern California did not face the same despair as the youths of Britain in the seventies. Moreover, Blink182 gained popularity by producing songs that reflected the "skater" and teen culture of Southern California. Their music is fun, carefree, rebellious, and filled with adolescent, bathroom humor. The harsh, dense noise that is the hallmark of every Sex Pistols song can be heard in "Liar." The distorted guitar is the centerpiece of most punk music. The guitarist, Steve Jones, plays with an incessant, down strumming of power chords, cre... ...rank phone calls / What the hell is caller ID? / My friends say I should act my age / Whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s my age again?" Sung in the mellow style of Hoppus, the aloofness and sarcasm are evident in the lyrics. The song rejects immaturity and advises that "No one should take themselves so seriously." The themes evoked in the song reflect the carefree and mellow attitude of Southern California while at the same time reflect the rebellious attitude of traditional punk. Moreover, the themes, along with the goofy sense of humor of the band, relate to the teen/pop culture that emphasizes music that is fun to listen to. The punk revival in the Nineties retains the energy and freshness of Seventies punk. But as previously evidenced, the creative forces and inspiration that produced this music influenced and affected the message and sound of the songs. "Liar" is a song derived from the angry punk scene of Great Britain and "Whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s My Age Again?" reflects the warm, mellow attitude of Southern California. The distinctions end there. Those looking for the raw sound and power of punk music can find it in both Nineties and Seventies punk.

Euthanasia Should Be A Legal Option Essay -- Euthanasia Essays

Euthanasia is a controversial subject, not only because there are many different moral dilemmas associated with it, but also in what constitutes its definition. At the extreme ends of disagreement, advocates say euthanasia, also known as physician aid in dying, is a good or merciful death. Opponents of euthanasia say it's a fancy word for murder. There are reasons that would make a person lean toward the side of euthanasia, and there are also reasons that would turn someone away from euthanasia. The arguments against euthanasia include the church's view on the topic of suicide. The arguments in favor of euthanasia include the patients wish to have dignity. However, regardless of the patients wishes, suicide is against the law. If a person has a living will, it would allow the doctors to lawfully end any life preserving treatment. Without a living will this cannot be done. The decision to allow a patient to end his or her life is clearly not an easy one. The courts feel that unless there is a living will to state what the patient would want to be done, the authorities must try to save the patient. The law does not require that everything must be done to keep a patient alive. Some people feel that keeping a patient alive against his or her wishes is not only cruel and inhumane, but it is also contrary to law and practic e. However, for centuries now, physicians in training have been taking the ?Hippocratic Oath?. This oath is taken from the Greek physician Hypocrites who lived thousands of years ago. The ?Hippocratic Oath? imposes on two duties: to prolong life, and relieve suffering. The problems come about because these two duties are often in conflict. The question most of the time is to decide when prol... ...y four hours a day, and I knew my illness was incurable, I would probably want to put an end to that suffering. I would not want my family and loved ones around see me suffer. Also, I would want to die with as much dignity as possible. But then again, I am not in that situation, so I am not positive that is what I would want to do, you just have to be in the situation to make the best possible decision. Bibliography: 1. Friedman,Emily. Ethics Issues For Health Care Professionals. Baskerville: American Hospital Publishing, 1986. 2. Maguire,Daniel. Death By Choice. Garden City: Doubleday & Company,1984. 3. Reich,Warren. Quality Of Life. New York: Paulist Press, 1990. 4. Brody,Baruch. Life And Death Decision Making. New York: Oxford University Press,1988. 5. Chapman,Carleton. Physicians,Law,& Ethics. New York: New York University Press,1984.

Examine the Hindu views on arranged marriages Essay

To what extent can Hindu arranged marriages survive in a multi – cultural society In this essay I will examine the Hindu views on arranged marriages and how they are surviving in s multi – cultural society. I shall use secondary research to back up what I mention within this essay. An arranged marriage is a marriage in which neither the bride nor the groom has a say over the selection of their future spouses. However, in an arranged marriage, both parties give full consent to the marriage. Arranged marriages have been proven to be successful. Arranged marriages have been a traditional aspect of family life in Hinduism. According to Hinduism, a marriage between two people is seen to be a holy relationship, that is just not limited to this one life, but extends across seven or more lives during which, the couple will help each other grow as people and progress spiritually. Two souls come together and marry because their karmas are intertwined and they have to resolve many things together upon earth in order to ensure their mutual salvation. In Hinduism, man and woman represent the two halves of the divine body. There is no question of superiority or inferiority between them. When parents are in search for a partner for their child, they firstly look at the religion, language and caste. These are very important factors that most parents do not overlook for arranged marriages. In India, parents feel that a girl can be a potential wife at the age of eighteen and parents get worried if she remains unmarried past twenty four or twenty five. It is acceptable for a boy to remain unmarried till his late 20s, but after that questions are asked about his appropriateness as a husband. This does not necessarily apply to a growing urban middle class population. Once the families have agreed on their children’s marriage they consult a family priest or an astrologer to fix the wedding date according to their astrological charts and thereafter invitations are sent to family and friends. The Hindu marriage ceremony entails several functions before the â€Å"big day†. However the wedding day itself has many religious rituals which need to be followed and is a custom for all Hindus. Firstly there is the â€Å"Panigrahana†; this ritual is carried out by the bride’s father, where he would offer the hand of the bride to the groom. The next ritual is the exchanging of the vows with fire as the witness. A â€Å"Havankund† or fire is lit and the priest recites the relevant hymns from the scriptures. Each time the bride and groom go around the fire they exchange vows. The next ritual is the â€Å"Saptapadi†; at the end of the ceremony the couple take seven steps together; each step represents strivings for their married life. The first step is taken for God and the growing of their spiritual progress together, the others are for health, wealth, strength, children and happiness. The seventh step represents life long friendship between husband and wife. The other key feature of a Hindu marriage, which everyone is familiar with, is the marking of the bride’s forehead with red powder called â€Å"kumkum†. This merely shows the females status. Love marriages are on the increase in Britain, but there is still a lot of doubt about them amongst the elder generation. Love marriages within the same caste and financial background are favoured, compared to inter-caste and inter-religious marriages. Couples who dare cross the social conventions have to cope with a lot of social pressure within their families and outside. These problems are more acute in the rural areas compared to the urban areas and metropolitan cities. Much depends upon the family background. If parents are educated and enlightened on both sides, things would be easier for the children, who get involved in unconventional relationships. I would say one of the evils of Hindu arranged marriages in India especially is the ever- present dowry system. The amount of dowry can be a very substantial amount, even in dollar terms, depending upon the financial status of the parties involved. Sometimes greedy mother-in-laws and husbands subject the poor brides to innumerable hardships for not meeting their expectations in respect of the dowry. Cases of bride burning are not unknown. Indian penal code prescribes severe punishment for such acts. But the cases take years and decades before the courts deliver justice. Many Indian families who have settled outside of India still uphold the tradition of arranged marriage. Being part of two cultures can be hard. Young people born in Britain but from an Indian family can find this particularly difficult if their modern western lifestyles clash with their parent’s hopes and wishes.2 Many young Indian people living in Britain know that one day they will agree to an arranged marriage. To deny their parents this would be a sign of deep disrespect. Many families are able to discuss the issue and reach compromises that are suitable for everyone. For example insist that you are happy to meet with prospective partners but that you must like your match. Family, friends and relatives will be informed once they have decided to go ahead and soon meetings will be organised. They will be matched according to their education and experience, a suitable caste, or social class associated with the Hindu religion. Many non Hindu’s have a huge misconception about arranged marriages. It is important to make a clear distinction between arranged marriages that are consensual and marriages that are arranged without the consent of the individuals involved. These are sometimes called forced marriages and are against the law in this country. However in rural parts of India this idea about forced marriages still takes place even today. Although Western societies tend to ridicule arranged marriages as backward and uncivilized and old fashioned, there are positive aspects. For example, Westerners focus more on the physical aspect of relationships, and are thus obsessed with love, sex, and beauty. As a result, people get married based on these factors and then get let down by one another very easily. The divorce rate in Western countries such as the U.S. has increased rapidly. â€Å"50% of American marriages end in divorce†1. In contrast, Eastern cultures that practice arranged marriages place far more emphasis on the practical, such as integrity, diligence, ambition, modesty, and kindness. People get married based on practical reasons, and work on building affection later. Strong characteristics like the ones described above are very favourable to building love and affection in Eastern marriages. As a result, these marriages are much longer-lasting than many Western marriages. It is because the primary emphasis is not on love, sex, and physical beauty that arranged marriages are usually so successful, because the spouses get to know one another on a practical level first, looking beyond trivial issues such as beauty. I know it can go both ways, there are many arranged marriages that are just total hell, and there are marriages that started out based only on infatuation and grew stronger as time passed. But I think as long as one looks for the right characteristics in a potential spouse, then, arranged marriage can definitely work. People within the western civilisation are mistaken by the term arranged marriages. Arranged doesn’t necessarily mean â€Å"fixed†. Arranged marriages it encompasses a lot of different varieties: the harshest arranged marriages are almost forced upon the bride or groom while the most liberal ones start with just an introduction of the couple through their parents and the rest is up to the couple. If they feel they are compatible then they would go ahead with the marriage. If they decided not to get married they would remain friends. I feel that within Britain today, Hindu parents have become liberal with their children dating and â€Å"seeing† each other. Parents are now influencing their children to look for someone within University get to know them for at least a couple of years and then decide on whether they are right for you. I think if the parents know about the son or daughter’s partner and they are Hindu, have a good family background and most importantly are educated then the parents would definitely agree to the marriage. In fact, the advantages and drawbacks of arranged marriages cannot be so easily appraised. The incidence of divorce among Indian-born British/Americans is dramatically lower than among British/Americans generally, but that partly reflects the continuing disgrace of divorce. Even as the divorce rate among Indian British/Americans appears to be increasing, the topic is rarely discussed. Divorce reflects poorly on an Indian family, and some proportion of arranged marriages endures not because they are successful or rewarding, but because leaving them would bring such shame. In addition, the concept of a woman living independently is foreign to most people in South Asian culture. Also, a majority of women don’t work in rural areas of South Asian countries and hence find it difficult to have enough money to support them without getting married or after getting divorced. And many endure because the definition of success differs from Western ideas. Traditional Indians don’t expect a partner to be that improbable combination of soul mate/confidante/red-hot lover/best friend. â€Å"The husband-wife bond is one of reliability and dependability and complementary family roles – raising children, caring for elders,† explains Karen Leonard, author of The South Asian Americans and a University of California-Irvine anthropologist. â€Å"They may communicate very little in intimate ways, and it’s still a good marriage.†3. The custom of arranged marriages in India has survived migration and modernization remaining central to the fabric of society. However 95% of all marriages in India are arranged, even among those in the educated middle class. Many Indians challenge that arranged marriages are more successful than marriages in the West, particularly given the latter’s staggering divorce rates. Romantic love does not necessarily lead to a good marriage, and often fails once the passion dissolves, they argue. With most unions between individuals from the same background, the arranged marriage reflects and reinforces the social, economic, geographic and historical diversity of India itself. More like a continent than a country, India is made up of 14 states, with as many languages, thousands of dialects, three major religions, hundreds of sub-religions, an outlawed but still practiced caste system amongst Hindus. The Hindu religion, strongly intertwined in the concept of â€Å"duty,† order that parents are responsible for providing their children’s education and marriage. Once married, their sons take over the running of the household and provide for their parents for the rest of their lives. The arranged marriage has adjusted to modernization. Prospective grooms were once not even allowed to see the photograph of their prospective brides so as to protect an unmarried woman’s purity, her most valuable asset. By the 1930/40’s, such as in my grandmother’s marriage, the couple exchanged photographs, in order to decide if they liked each other. Today couples, depending on how liberal their parents are, have a coffee or meal on their own either at home, or in a restaurant, before deciding to commit. Middle-class women are allowed to reject suitors favoured by their parents. Engagements can now last six months. Western concepts of love triumphing over tradition can be seen in popular Indian films. However, many Indian women in the diaspora are in change. Freedom comes with a price. Some women, after having ended several long term relationships, find themselves in their late 30s alone, with one foot in either world and judged by both. It goes without saying that no marriage, not even an arranged one, is accustomed from basic incompatibility or abuse. But the arranged marriage does have its advantages. Living with the extended family, daughters traditionally live with their in-laws including brothers-in-law and their wives and children which means a free staff of child minders. Apart from the economic savings of a family home, shocks such as a death or the loss of a job can be absorbed. The system cares for elderly parents and grandparents who are generally isolated in Western societies. Also, because the arranged marriage tends to be a union of two families of strong moral and cultural values provides checks and balances against areas that may splinter it, such as unfaithfulness. Most people tend to equate Hindu marriage with arranged marriage. The parents in order to meet this domestic obligation prepare themselves mentally and, more importantly, financially when their child reaches marriageable age. They search for a suitable partner keeping in mind the community â€Å"rules† regarding cast, creed, birth chart, and financial and social status of the family. Traditionally it is the girl’s parents that bear the cost of the wedding and to jumpstart their daughter’s married life they shower her with gifts and ornaments to take to her in-laws. Unfortunately, this has aggravated people’s greed end in the many evils of dowry system. In the end, the discussion of arranged and love marriages comes down to which is better? Obviously, the one that leads to more successful marriages. Supporters of arranged marriages claim that it is more successful, but their definition of success focuses on divorce rates. But are divorce rates really a measure of a successful marriage? Do all the couples that don’t get divorced stay happy with each other? The occurrence of divorce in society depends on a lot of factors including the stigma of divorce. It should be a matter of great concern that we have begun to ignore the ancient and lofty ideals of Hindu marriage and are anxious to follow in the footsteps of cultures that do not value these ideals. No wonder, the number of divorce suits filed by Hindu couples is on the rise. Instead of strengthening the traditional ideals, which for thousands of years have helped us prevent marriage and family break-ups, we are misdirecting our energies towards promoting the ideal of sense-enjoyment and self-interest. In my opinion it is still not too late to be proactive to protect the sanctity of Hindu marriage. 1: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm 2: http://www.youthinformation.com/infopage.asp?snID=805 3: http://lair.xent.com/pipermail/fork/2003-March/018427.html Words – 2,582 (not including Bibliography)