"Honour" Killings

"Unreported World" on Channel 4 follows news stories that usually do not make the headlines and last Friday I soberly watched a report on "Honour Killings". The programme made me investigate the subject a bit more and I have found a useful site that is campaigning against this throughout the world. This subject has many worrying dimensions since in certain communities where there is pressure to stop these killings, people are now forcing women to commit suicide. Much work is needed on this issue since in many cases it is seen as normal and acceptible by many members of the communities where this occurs. The site below has lots of information but if you scroll down quite a bit you will eventually notice on the left hand side a "Take Action" section. I will also put in the link for the original "Unreported World" Programme.

http://www.stophonourkillings.com/

http://www.channel4.com/video/unreported-world/catchup.html
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Human Right's Watch

Amnesty International is probably the best known organization dealing with violations of Human Rights but the site below also has an international reputation and as you will see covers all kinds of issues from around the globe. The site is very professional with reports, publications, appeals, action you can take and more related to injustices happening in the world. Since the site is straightforward to follow and has lots of information, I will keep this week's post short.

http://www.hrw.org/
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From Darfur to World Peace

Once again Darfur remains in the headlines with a UN peacekeeper killed there today and the recent announcement that the Sudanese Government wants all foreign aid charities to leave within a year following the 13 charities that have already been prevented from working. There are similar situations happening throughout the globe but on different scales. What has lead me to choose this week's link is that it has information on Darfur as well as other countries in the region where there is conflict and genocide. The site has fairly recent updates and a link to take action on the crisis in Darfur.

For those of you who have not followed this blog on a weekly basis, the last 2 posts have dealt with the same issue and if you click on the first post of the January section of my blog, you can get the links to see what the well known organizations such as Amnesty are doing on this and other issues.

As with all these sites, I must stress that I cannot be responsible for any of their content and in many cases I have not been able to fully examine the site. However, for those who have been following this blog, I hope it has become clear that I am not trying to stir up controversy, just highlight injustices and ways we can all hopefully make a small difference in the long term. Feel free to make any comments but be aware that I am moderating comments rather than accepting them randomly.

http://www.wagingpeace.info/
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Darfur: Back in the Spotlight

Ironically, a couple of days after doing my last post for this blog, an international arrest warrant was issued for Sudan's President. The outcome of this is unclear since it is very unlikely that any actual immediate action will be taken to bring the President to trial. The most worrying aspect appears to be the threat by the Sudanese Government to refuse certain humanitarian workers to continue to work in Sudan which could lead to even more innocent deaths. The whole debate about these recent developments is at an initial stage since this dramatic turn in events initiated by the International Criminal Court has received support as well as criticism. I therefore have decided to direct you to the link below which in turn can signpost you to several organizations all over the World concerned with the suffering in Darfur. I have not had time to investigate all the links so in various cases I am unaware of their stance and their activities.

http://www.justice4darfur.org/
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Darfur: Another forgotten conflict

The name of this region of Sudan is probably recognised by a lot of people due to the media coverage. However, what is happening now? As with most media coverage, the initial shock and interest factor seems to vanish and everyone goes back to "normality" and forgets. The reality is that little has changed and people are continuing to suffer. So below is a site that specifically is tackling the issue of the problems in Darfur. It has information about the start of the conflict as well as the latest press releases. It is a site that is aimed primarily at citizens of the United States but there is plenty there that anyone can become involved in. This is probably going to be an ongoing campaign for a long time.

http://www.savedarfur.org/
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