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Palestinians Tear Down Apartheid Wall
Ramallah, November 9 This afternoon, exactly 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, popular committees struggling against the Apartheid Wall and the settlements destroyed part of the Wall near Qalandiya. Hundreds of people, with some 30 international supporters, used a truck to pull down part of the Wall in the area east of the Qalandiya refugee camp and beyond the UN Vocational College. They also destroyed iron gates and other pieces of concrete in the same area.
After breaching the Wall, protestors approached the road on the other side where they burned car tires to slow the approach of Occupation forces, who quickly arrived in the area and began firing gas and rubber bullets. Protestors were wearing shirts upon which was written “Jerusalem we are coming”, the name of the planned action.
Today is 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and marks the first day of a week of resistance to the Apartheid Wall in Palestine and around the globe. Several demonstrations and campaigns are planned, including the November 12 launch of Stop the Wall’s campaign calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all anti-Wall activists currently imprisoned. -
Safe refuge for abused women in the UAE
FINALLY..! its so refreshing to hear good news!
ABU DHABI // Women and children who suffer violence and other forms of abuse at home will have somewhere to seek refuge, in the shape of a safe shelter in Abu Dhabi, the first of its kind in the emirate.
Instructions for setting up the centre in co-ordination with the Family Development Foundation were issued by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, in his capacity as chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, the state news agency, WAM, reported yesterday.The shelter will offer health care and psychological support to victims of domestic violence and provide legal counselling to help them prosecute their abusers. It will attempt to discover the extent of the problem in the emirate by compiling statistics, and identify ways in which the system may be failing victims and discouraging them from reporting abuse to the authorities.
There are plans to set up a safe channel of communication to allow abused women and children to lodge complaints about risks they face within the family.The centre will also conduct awareness campaigns to educate women and children about their rights and how to defend them as well as giving the victims a platform for exchanging experiences and building their ability to confront abuse.
The shelter is part of the ADJD’s plan to tackle social issues that could be a source of violence and crime, WAM reported. Abu Dhabi also offers Ewaa Shelters for Women and Children, which opened in January and can accommodate up to 30 women and girls. The centre is aimed at mainly victims of trafficking, but is also expected to provide for women and children seeking refuge from domestic violence. Ewaa’s creation was announced last year and supported by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, who is the FDF’s chairwoman.Posted on July 12, 2009 -
Mall lets labourers back in – if they behave properly
WOOO!!
AL AIN // Labourers were allowed back into the Bawadi Mall on Friday, after The National revealed last week that they had been
banned.
The workers had been prevented from entering the mall on Fridays and in the evening.
The mall said it had received complaints from customers, but stopped short of confirming there was any sort of official ban on the
labourers entering.
However, a member of the mall’s security staff, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said management had issued a directive
before the weekend. It told security that labourers were to be allowed in at all times, provided their dress and behaviour were
appropriate.
It cautioned staff to be vigilant about finding and dealing with “inappropriate” behaviour.“It’s encouraging that they have pulled back,” said Samer Muscati, an HRW researcher.
“The whole issue of shopping malls is symptomatic of a much larger problem in the way labourers are treated and viewed.”
He suggested that had the ban remained in place, it would have been noted by a UN
special rapporteur who is due to visit the UAE later this year. Githu Muigai, a Kenyan
human rights lawyer, is due to travel here to report on any racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia or related intolerance.Posted on July 12, 2009 -
Mall bans labourers on evenings and weekends
ugh, this makes my blood BOIL. if i could make this text bigger i would. UGH.
AL AIN // Labourers are no longer welcome as patrons at Al Bawadi Mall on weekday evenings and at weekends.
They have been banned after complaints from the public about women being harassed and other “unsightly” antisocial behaviour, according to the mall’s management.
The ban has angered labourers, saying it is penalising everyone for the actions of a few.
“This is not a total ban,” said Khalid Shraim, the mall’s marketing manager. “Labourers are allowed to use the mall’s rear entrance closest to Carrefour during the day and early evening, but they cannot come to the mall on weekends.“We are trying to maintain the quality of the mall and create a wholesome family shopping experience.
“Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness on the part of the labourers as to what is appropriate behaviour and what isn’t. It comes from a lack of education.
“For example, one labourer came into the mall when it first opened, took off his sandals, put them under his head to use as a pillow and laid down to sleep on the benches at the mall’s entrance.“Another labourer drove a pickup truck past the automatic sliding doors and right into the mall before being stopped by security.
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“The biggest problem we have is them staring at women.”
While the mall management said the ban had come in consultation with Al Ain Police, the force said they simply “requested that all people who attend the mall dress appropriately”.
An Al Ain Police spokesman added: “No groups or individuals have been identified – this is a request to all visitors to the mall.”The mall opened in December last year and expects to attract 400 shops and up to eight million visitors a year.
In a visit to the mall by The National on Sunday evening, most of the labourers inside could be seen simply walking around, although a few were spotted taking photographs with their mobile telephones of women and children.
“A ban like this makes us feel like we are subhuman,” said Iftikhar Hussein, a 24-year-old Pakistani construction worker.“It is not fair to punish us all for the actions of a few.
“We work very hard during the day and want to relax in the evening by walking around and seeing nice things.”
Akash Salim, a 23-year-old Bangladeshi tea boy, said: “I went to the mall on Thursday night to go to Al Ansari Exchange to send money home to my family who needed it urgently in Bangladesh but security would not let me in.
“I tried again on Friday and still wasn’t let in. I had to take a taxi to go to the town centre to send the money home.”Mohammed al Suwaidi, 39, an Emirati businessman, who was at the mall on Friday with his wife and daughter, supported the ban.
“Unfortunately these people don’t know how to act,” he said.
“They don’t understand that some things are not acceptable. It is better this way.”
Salman al Otaibi, 32, a Saudi banker visiting Al Ain, would like to see the ban enforced on any man who is not with his family.
“In Saudi Arabia, single men are not allowed inside the mall on weekends and the evenings at all regardless of what class they are or what country they come from,” he said.“I understand the labourers feeling singled out and sympathise with them.
“I think the mall should ban entry to anyone who comes here without his family so as not to be branded as being racist.
“This also will stop the harassment of women not only by labourers but by young Arab men also.”
The mall is considering building a mini-mall behind the main mall that will cater to the needs of labourers as the mall is located in an industrial part of the city where many labourer accommodations are located.“We are human beings dealing with human beings and realise that labourers also have shopping needs,” Mr Shraim said.
“We are considering building a mini-mall for them with stores that sell less expensive items that they can afford on the minimal salaries they earn.”Posted on July 8, 2009 -
“Do You See What I See?” - Refugee children photograph their own lives (via UNHCR)
© Mazimpaka, 16 years old, Osire refugee camp, Namibia.
This picture is part of a UNHCR photography project, carried out with the assistance of a professional photographer Brendan Bannon. The project is entitled “Do you see what I see?”, and gives refugee children the opportunity to learn how to use a camera and have the opportunity to give the world a vivid, emotional look into their lives.
“See refugee life through the voices and visions of children, who are experts on their own lives.” B. Bannon
Watch the workshop’s video on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-KV4bpdnfY&feature=channel_page -
Don't Defer Justice in Darfur
Send a quick e-mail via Amnesty International encouraging Secretary Clinton and UN Ambassador Rice to not back down when it comes to holding those responsible for crimes against humanity accountable.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Some organizations and United Nations member states are calling for the UN Security Council to suspend the execution of the arrest warrant. The U.S. government has gone on record opposing any compromise on justice. Write to Secretary of State Clinton and UN Ambassador Rice today to urge the U.S. to continue to oppose any calls to bargain justice away.
Posted via infinite hope on June 21, 2009 -
For the first time in history, the world will be able to witness refugee camp life – real time, LIVE. If you have ever been moved or interested in the world of refugees, this is your chance to reach out to them in a global show of support!
Please reblog this for World Refugee Day!
Posted via infinite hope on June 20, 2009
