The Effects of Racism on Hally in Master Harold and the Boys by Athol F

The Effects of Racism on Hally in Master Har older and the Boys by Athol Fugard In the play Master Harold and the Boys, Hally demonstrates, through repeated acts and expressions, the sentiment of the entire African union at the time the play takes place. In 1950, the policy of apartheid was beginning to be practiced in South Africa. The Population Registration Act was passed, which divided the population into four racial groups (Post 112). The Group Area Act of 1950 controlled ownership of keeping by different races. The 1950 amendment to the Immorality Act prohibited sexual contact between different races. These are the attitudes of the time. Yet, in the beginning of the play, the reader does non gumption the separation of Hally and the two black men that later is blatantly portrayed. In fact, we come to learn that Sam and Hally are so close that Hally would actually choke a lot of his time as a child in Sam?s room, where they and Willie would play and talk often. So, for part of the play, Sam and Hally reminisce of the old days. For example, there was one time when Sam built a kite out of brown paper and tomato-box wood pasted together with flour and weewee and with a tail of Hally?s mother?s old stockings. Hally loved the kite once it was in the air and had a lot of fun with it. Hally most wishes that he could return to those times because that was a time when ?life felt the right size?. (Fugard 379) Unfortunately, Hally?s mood changes drastically throughout the play. When his mother calls from the hospital with news that his father may coming home, Hally quickly becomes very sharp with the two black men. For example, he says to Sam ?Tell me something I don?t know, Sam. What the hell do you think I was saying to my... ...e end of the day feels no better about himself than he did before. Sam?s inaction did not have the effect on Hally he might have hoped for. But Sam loved the boy, and wanted to teach him the right attitude to have. Unfortunately, th e effect society had on Hally?s character was too deep. So Hally is just a product of his circumstances, and nothing more. Works Cited Allison, Kimberly J., ed. The Harcourt Brace Casebook Series in belles-lettres ?Master Harold? ?and the boys. Fort Worth Harcourt, 1997. Durbach, Errol. Master Harold? ?and the boys Athol Fugard and the Psychopathology of Apartheid.? Allison 68-77 Fugard, Athol. ?Master Harold? ?and the boys. Allison 20-63 Post, Robert M. ?Racism in Athol Fugard?s ?Master Harold? ?and the boys?. Allison 111-117 Vandenbroucke, Russell. ?Fathers and Son ?Master Harold? ?and the boys?. Allison, 77-88

War On Drugs :: essays research papers

Have you ever heard the expression War on drugs?. That was world-class used in 1972 when Richard Nixon described a series of govern-mental programs intended to suppress the consumption of certain recreational drugs.Marijuana was one of them. However the first snipe on Marijuana occurred not in 1972 but in1937 when the Marijuana TaxAct was passed. According to Legalizationofmarijuna.com Harry Anslinger (bureau of narcotics commissioner) testified in hearings on The subject that the hemp plant needed to be banned be stool it had a violent effect on the degenerate races. This referred specifically to Mexican immigrants who had entered the country, seeking jobs duringThe Great Depression. The law passed quickly and with little debate. Making obstinance of marihuana a criminal offense has only increased crime rates. As to a greater extent and more people find it enjoyable to smoke. By legalizing marijuana law enforcement will be utilized somewhere of more importance. Because possessio n of marijuana is a common criminal offense, jails are over crowded and flirt rooms are cluttered with marijuana cases instead of real problems. In Amsterdam marijuana was made legal and the result was that Crime rates dropped by 60% and the amount of drug users did not Increase.Now you may be thinking that marijuana is dangerous, you may Be thinking of all the things youve heard or so marijuana, like it Causes hallucinations, impairs your vision and judgment, and gives you paranoia. Those are in fact things that smoking marijuana can cause. But they are all short term. Do you want to grapple how many people a year are killed by marijuana and marijuana related deaths? ZERO. There have been no credible reports of death from marijuna. However, 430,000 deaths a year are caused by Tobacco making it The nations leading cause of death. 116,113 total alcohol related Deaths. And 200,000 deaths from prescription drugs. Now with all the illegal drugs combine there (excluding marijuana) th ere have been14,218 deaths. And remember there have been zero deaths even remotely related to marijuana.Cigarettes are legal although, according to health.com they are more addictive, cause cancer, damage the respiratory system, raise blood pressure, decrease oxygen to the brain and body, and cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor to the cause of emphysema, chronic bronchitis, stroke, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

Do You Have the Power? :: Creative Writing Essays

Do You Have the Power? It from each one started in the interesting city of New York. The smog riddenstreets were filled with people. On a quiet little street corner, there was asmall shop owned by Harvey Goldstein. Mr. Goldstein was a well-to-do merchant. He traded in all sorts of imports, and was generally a moral man. He did notbuy goods from sweatshops nor did he ever cheat a customer. At 131 P.M. onwhitethorn 15, 1996, he stepped out of his shop on the Upper East Side of Manhattan tomeet a man who dealt in Asian silk screens downtown. He had been listening to duty radio AM 530 and, deciding that traffic was too heavy, planned to takethe subway. Goldstein was a smart man, very smart, who had built his store andhis fortune out of blood, toil, tears, and sweat. Goldstein was besides anupstanding member of the Jewish community whom everybody loved, but he never didanything extra, out of the ordinary, for anyone but himself. On the other side of town there was a new arrival to the city. Thismans name was Running Bear. He was an American Indian who had gone to New Yorkto seek his fortune however, he soon fell upon hard-fought times. He had lived a lifeof monetary deprivation on the plains of Colorado, and had proceeded to New Yorkby Amtrak with only a dollar and a dream. Things did not go as planned, thoughhe could not find a job and had taken to panhandling and sleeping in the streets. His dreams, no doubt influenced by the fumes coming up from the sewer, were ofmoney. A good man who only wanted to work and make a decent living, he had goneto the welfare office a some blocks north of Goldsteins shop. He was sent tothe employment office downtown, and decided to take the subway. No doubt, thewelfare officials and social workers sent him away with a sad shrug and a sigh.They knew he was a simple man. The both men saw each other waiting for the same train downtown.Interestingly enough, they were the only two waiting for the subway car, as aterrorist group had threatened to bomb a train and New Yorkers had generallytaken the threat seriously. They looked at each other briefly, sized oneanother up, and got on the train. While on the train, Running Bear beganfiddling with a hatchet tossing it up in the get off over and over again in

Private Schools vs. Public Schools Essay -- Private Schools Public Sch

Parents often wonder how to start off their tikerens education. Depending on ones religion or beliefs a private or public school is a choice most parents face. Of course, distributively school offers its own pros and cons the choice is simple. Public schools offer the best well rounding of a student. art object being enrolled in a public school, students are faced with real outside world problems, are with a different blend of students each year, and are also introduced to the latest technology faster. While, a public school the money is offered to them by the state easier then having donations like a private school. Ones child will most likely be with the same students throughout their educational years. Classes arent as big and varied like classes at public schools. While in a public schoo...

The Architecture of Moshe Safde Essay -- Architecture

Moshe Safdie is an architect who really examines how a building can shape an area. Not only how the space may look notwithstanding its functionality, impact on the environment, and impact on the surrounding community. He seeks to eng eld and enrich the communities making unique and inviting spaces to fit the needs of each project. (Safdie Architects) One of Safdies close well known buildings is Habitat 67 (or Habitat). The concept of Habitat began in Safdies masters thesis. He submitted the idea to the 1967 World Exhibition and, when it was accepted, established his own firm to friend see its completion. (Safdie Architects) A series of carefully planned and stacked concrete blocks, Habitat seeks to create a space where every resident of the apartments would have vex to natural lighting and a private garden area. It was the building that launched Safdie into a very successful career at a fairly young get on with (being 29 when it was built). The use of natural light and intimate spaces inside larger vessels have carried throughout all his work regardless of exterior design. (TED)Due to his Judaic heritage and early success, he established a second office in Jerusalem in order to suspensor restore the city. (Sheets) In 1976, single of the projects he received was an extension of Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to be dedicated to the unitary and a half million children that died during the Holocaust. He felt there were already so many museums dedicated to information about the Holocaust that he wanted to take a different approach to this one. Instead of old clothing and drawings of the survivors, he proposed they tunnel into the hill to a cave below and using images such as photographs and a single candle to convey the heaviness of the loss of the children. T... ...ometimes I dont like the messages I see, pieces such as Serranos Piss Christ conveys a message that a Jackson Pollack just doesnt. Pendulums can only spend so far before they come back. The art world, like everything, reflects this. It seems the reverse has already began in many ways though only the future give say for sure.Works CitedArc Space. 1 August 2005. 1 June 2012 .Architects Newspaper. 1 June 2012 .Safdie Architects. 31 may 2012 .Saieh, Nico. ArchDaily. 26 July 2010. 1 June 2012 .Sheets, Hilarie M. Architectural Extrovert. ARTnews April 2011 60-63.TED. March 2002. 31 whitethorn 2012 . The Architecture of Moshe Safde Essay -- ArchitectureMoshe Safdie is an architect who really examines how a building can shape an area. Not only how the space may look however its functionality, impact on the environment, and impact on the surrounding community. He seeks to engage and enrich the communities making unique and inviting spaces to fit the needs of each project. (Safdie Architects) One of Safdies most well known buildings is Habitat 67 (or Habitat). The concept of Habitat began in Safdies masters thesis. He submitted the idea to the 1967 World Exhibiti on and, when it was accepted, established his own firm to help see its completion. (Safdie Architects) A series of carefully planned and stacked concrete blocks, Habitat seeks to create a space where every resident of the apartments would have plan of attack to natural lighting and a private garden area. It was the building that launched Safdie into a very successful career at a fairly young age (being 29 when it was built). The use of natural light and intimate spaces inside larger vessels have carried throughout all his work regardless of exterior design. (TED)Due to his Judaic heritage and early success, he established a second office in Jerusalem in order to help restore the city. (Sheets) In 1976, one of the projects he received was an extension of Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to be dedicated to the one and a half million children that died during the Holocaust. He felt there were already so many museums dedicated to information about the Holocaust that he wanted to take a dif ferent approach to this one. Instead of old clothing and drawings of the survivors, he proposed they tunnel into the hill to a cave below and using images such as photographs and a single candle to convey the heaviness of the loss of the children. T... ...ometimes I dont like the messages I see, pieces such as Serranos Piss Christ conveys a message that a Jackson Pollack just doesnt. Pendulums can only sweep up so far before they come back. The art world, like everything, reflects this. It seems the reverse has already began in many ways though only the future volition say for sure.Works CitedArc Space. 1 August 2005. 1 June 2012 .Architects Newspaper. 1 June 2012 .Safdie Architects. 31 May 2012 .Saieh, Nico. ArchDaily. 26 July 2010. 1 June 2012 .Sheets, Hilarie M. Architectural Extrovert. ARTnews April 2011 60-63.TED. March 2002. 31 May 2012 .

The Architecture of Moshe Safde Essay -- Architecture

Moshe Safdie is an architect who really examines how a building can shape an area. Not merely how the set may look but its functionality, impact on the environment, and impact on the surrounding community. He seeks to engage and enrich the communities making unique and inviting musculus quadriceps femoriss to oblige the needs of each project. (Safdie Architects) One of Safdies most well known buildings is Habitat 67 (or Habitat). The concept of Habitat began in Safdies masters thesis. He submitted the idea to the 1967 World array and, when it was accepted, established his own firm to help see its completion. (Safdie Architects) A series of carefully planned and stacked concrete blocks, Habitat seeks to create a space where every resident of the apartments would have access to natural lighting and a private garden area. It was the building that launched Safdie into a very successful career at a fairly young age (being 29 when it was built). The use of natural light and intimate spaces inside larger vessels have carried throughout all his fix regardless of exterior design. (TED)Due to his Jewish heritage and early success, he established a second office in Jerusalem in entrap to help restore the city. (Sheets) In 1976, one of the projects he received was an extension of Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to be dedicated to the one and a half million children that died during the Holocaust. He felt there were already so many museums dedicated to information about the Holocaust that he wanted to take a different advance to this one. Instead of old clothing and drawings of the survivors, he proposed they tunnel into the hill to a cave below and using images such as photographs and a single certificate of deposit to convey the heaviness of the loss of the children. T... ...ometimes I dont like the messages I see, pieces such as Serranos Piss Christ conveys a message that a Jackson pollack just doesnt. Pendulums can exclusively swing so far before they come back . The art world, like everything, reflects this. It seems the reverse has already began in many ship canal though only the future will say for sure.Works CitedArc Space. 1 August 2005. 1 June 2012 .Architects Newspaper. 1 June 2012 .Safdie Architects. 31 May 2012 .Saieh, Nico. ArchDaily. 26 July 2010. 1 June 2012 .Sheets, Hilarie M. Architectural Extrovert. ARTnews April 2011 60-63.TED. March 2002. 31 May 2012 . The Architecture of Moshe Safde Essay -- ArchitectureMoshe Safdie is an architect who really examines how a building can shape an area. Not only how the space may look but its functionality, impact on the environment, and impact on the surrounding community. He seeks to engage and enrich the communities making unique and inviting spaces to volley the needs of each project. (Safdie Architects) One of Safdies most well known buildings is Habitat 67 (or Habitat). The concept of Habitat began in Safdies masters thesis. He submitted the idea to the 1967 World ex position and, when it was accepted, established his own firm to help see its completion. (Safdie Architects) A series of carefully planned and stacked concrete blocks, Habitat seeks to create a space where every resident of the apartments would have access to natural lighting and a private garden area. It was the building that launched Safdie into a very successful career at a fairly young age (being 29 when it was built). The use of natural light and intimate spaces inside larger vessels have carried throughout all his hold out regardless of exterior design. (TED)Due to his Jewish heritage and early success, he established a second office in Jerusalem in determine to help restore the city. (Sheets) In 1976, one of the projects he received was an extension of Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to be dedicated to the one and a half million children that died during the Holocaust. He felt there were already so many museums dedicated to information about the Holocaust that he wanted to take a different come near to this one. Instead of old clothing and drawings of the survivors, he proposed they tunnel into the hill to a cave below and using images such as photographs and a single see to convey the heaviness of the loss of the children. T... ...ometimes I dont like the messages I see, pieces such as Serranos Piss Christ conveys a message that a Jackson pollack just doesnt. Pendulums can only swing so far before they come back. The art world, like everything, reflects this. It seems the reverse has already began in many slipway though only the future will say for sure.Works CitedArc Space. 1 August 2005. 1 June 2012 .Architects Newspaper. 1 June 2012 .Safdie Architects. 31 May 2012 .Saieh, Nico. ArchDaily. 26 July 2010. 1 June 2012 .Sheets, Hilarie M. Architectural Extrovert. ARTnews April 2011 60-63.TED. March 2002. 31 May 2012 .

Old Chinese Old Allegory

A woody cask is made up of many planks, once one of the planks is crashed, the cask can not computer storage water any more, goes an old Chinese Old Allegory but has a collective responsibility with other planks towards the well being of the wooden cask. The plank does not belong to itself. The damaged plank harms the casks capability. Like the plank, I do not on the dot belong to myself. Now, I am the captain of my school basketball game team. I had taken a lot of basketball games before I became the captain. There is a game that I matter I can hardly forget in my whole life.Overhead pass, Zhu Wang, my teammate said, waving her hands aside, I was running with the ball towards the short daughters who persistent to block me, because I thought they do not have the ability to block me due to their short statures. Zhu, come on spectators shouted. Yes I evaded a girl successfully. Brilliant spectators shouted again. Yes I evaded another girls talon secondly. Come on Come on I fe lt my pulse rated quickly. The yelling and the attentions, which were wedded by almost all the spectators, made me craze. Overhead pass, Zhu Wang shouted again.But I thought I could take the goal myself. I wanted to show my skills during the out-two count. Suddenly, I felt that there was just me, basketball and spectators in this world and my feeling was I belonged to myself. I felt I would succeed soon AH all at once, a girl was running towards me. Before I could understand what was happening, I lost the ball. I found that, time, all the yelling and my pulse almost stop at once. I could only see my teammates blue grimaces, which hurt me so much. Distraught, I suddenly notified my teammates who were present.So there they were, with me. I was not fighting alone. I had my comrades, I had my friends. Their grimaces made me feel hurt and guilty. I should not have been selfish. I should have known that, I belonged to the team. I should have passed the ball to Wang. She was in a wonderfu l position to score. It was our last chance to win. If we got the score, we could have beaten our opponents, it was my fault. Now, we did not have enough time to win. Losing this chance, we were destined to lose this game. Finally, we lost our game, one storey We were so desperate that we could hardly believe it.This game left me with so many things to think. I felt like I am a teensy-weensy plank. The so called success, which collided with the teams interests, could not last long. At most, it was just a beautiful personal short show. I do not just belong to myself, sometimes, I should not just consider myself. I have the responsibility to my team, to my school, to my home and even to my society. I cannot let my memories stick to the lost basketball game. If I was given the opportunity again, I would appreciate that, as a plank, I should do everything in my ability to keep my cask full of water.

Animal Testing: a Human Benefit Through Major

Animal Testing This essay is centered towards people who think that thither is no secure reason to do animal tasteing. Medicine examen on animals necessary. The animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), is one that has really caught my attention in new-fangled months. PETA has proven themselves to be the largest animal rights organization in the world, with over 3 million people members who all do their duty in attempts to reserve the rights of animals. I must say, the organization quickly brought me in favor of their beliefs for quite some time.As PETA clarifies that they come together to put a halt on the abuse of animals in cruel and painful experiments, it is very difficult to not support the organization. They focus most of their attention on these concepts, and show its negativity to industries based on what they call human entertainment. The tell apart is that PETA only reveals one side to the story, disregarding any possible benefi ts animal testing may provide to humans. The extensive saki I have on the issue has leaded me to peltther my understanding.With PETAs constant views on the implementation of humane temper, Ive come to notice that scientific search on animals does not affect the balance of nature that is, in comparison to many activities in our society such as hunting for pastime which serves no purpose. I began to question as to why animal testing is taking place right now in our society, and could the benefits of these experiments outweigh the negative arithmetic mean it has? I have been looking into the nature and ethics behind the testings, and I have come to realize there are strong opinions for some(prenominal) those for and against the practice.Contrary to PETAs views, I believe that although animals may at time experience pain, it does not make it wrong to use animals. This does not include the use of animals towards supernumerary luxuries such as cosmetics and fur in the clothing li ne, industries that PETA criticizes intently. Humans dont benefit from animal testing by wearing animal fur however they do benefit through major medical advancements, such as experiments leading to a successful vaccine for rabies.One of the most controversial topics would be that animal testing is morally wrong, and ultimately, disturbingly similar to murder. While one may justify this as a strong reason to position themselves against the rights of animal testing, I would argue that many people fail to understand the legitimacy behind the trials. PETA states that the federal government wastes their money on misleading experiments, and should focus their intentions on studies that are actually relevant to humans. Bernard E Rolling states in his article, Animal testing A Moral Science, that although abolitionists argue that using animals in biomedical research produces no benefits on humansthe scientific community has adopted an equally extreme position. Rolling is implying that anim al testing serves a purpose, and is beingness do for the better good of human society. Animal Testings role in developing vaccines on a cure for HIV and AIDS has been a controversial issue for quite some time. With HIV being one of many diseases which are still without a cure, the search for effective drugs has proven particularly difficult.Some argue that scientists should test on human participants prior to approving its safety however dealing with potential vaccines is dangerous and can produce illness or even death. As a result, researchers use animals to help ensure the efficacy of drugs and vaccines prior to human use (Avert. Org). With multiple grim stories regarding the usage of animals on PETA, my first opinion was to exit for the sympathy of the animals however, Ive come to realize that sometimes the beneficial actions for our society may come with hardships.The ultimate goal for many things is to ensure the quality of support among the people, and to enhance the knowl edge in the medical world. Furthering the discussion of animal distress within the experiments, many emphasize that all experiments are conducted humanely, to high scientific standards. As mentioned under the United States Department of Agriculture, the Animal Welfare Act is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers. while enforce by the USDA and Animal Care Agency. Based on this information, it may be true that many people are subject to animal testing misconceptions involving mistreatment. Strict regulations within the Animal and Welfare Act include the following specifications of lighting and temperature, animals kept outdoors must be provided with safety and shelter from natures elements, food and water must be given regularly, and there must be regular research proposals to minimize discomfort, distress, and pain to the animals.With this being said, I personally believe its uneducal to provide an opinion based on misconceptions rather than facts. In a world where rules and provisions serve as mandatory in day-to-day activities, it provides feedback on my opinion towards this controversial issue. As well, The Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE) provides details on the basis prior to experimentation. dilate within the justification towards research includes that research is done solely to accomplish a clear scientific purpose, and that there is reasonable expectation that the experiment entrust ncrease knowledge of the process underlying human development or behavior, determine replicability of prior research, increase understanding of the species or provide results that determine benefits towards the health or offbeat of human or animal species. Arguably the most beneficial provision is that no research or experiment may be conducted without the protocol being revised and determined appropriate by an animal care committee, thus ensuring the research to be safe and humane. The reality towards the issue is that its unfortunate that there arent more alternatives for animal testing.However on the basis that the human race needs to develop knowledge to further their research to obtain medicines, animal testing seems to serve the utmost importance. If we have a goal to one day cure diseases like AIDS and Cancer, shouldnt research in this department be necessary? I agree with PETA in the sense that animal testing is morally wrong if implemented with the fur and cosmetic industries, but they fail to treat the other side to the issue that it is necessary on the fact that humans need research to move forward as a whole.

Accountability

Force, one is expected to be professional and ethical enough to make decisions that positively carry on on his or her department to the extent that he/she can be responsible for actions or consequences that arise as a result of their decisions or choices.In the dependable essence of the word, accountability comes in where an individual is under the obligation to Justify their choice of actions o an interested party, in this case the US Air Force. As a medical professional within the air force, one is free to choose but never free from the consequences of his or her choice. It is important to be accountable especially in the armed forces because it means one is under obligation to execute a given task whether they are willing to do it or not.Being accountable calls for the basic understanding of ones tasks and responsibilities, like in this case of a medical professional who is expected to know hat to do and when to do it with as minimum supervision as possible such that if anythi ng goes wrong as a result of their chosen actions, they can be held accountable. The importance of accountability in the US Air Force cannot be taken lightly as it may mean the difference between losing and saving a life. A military medical officer is expected to not only do his Job well, but also ensure those around him execute their tasks properly too.One does not contrive to experience combat to understand that Just being in the military Is Inherently dangerous given the types of equipment and weapons that are used to train and deploy with. As an example any live weapons range you go to part of the safety brief Is everyone here is a range safety meaning anyone can call a cease fire If they observe dangerous behavior or a situation regardless of rank and It can be a Colonel or a brand new private or even a medical officer, does not matter. As such In that event everyone becomes accountable.

Comparing Levels of Development Between Japan and Brazil

Comparing Levels of Development among Japan and brazil-nut tree Within this assessment, I will cover and comp atomic number 18 several factors between the growing of Japan and the development of Brazil. Japan is a MEDC, which is a More Economically positive Country and Brazil is an LEDC, a Less Economically Developed Country. The indicators I am ab egress to compare and expand on include a range of factors, from the likes of Population to Area. First of all, Population. There are around 127. 5 million people living in Japan at the moment, compared to Brazil which has a population of just fewer than 194 million people.Population has a bighearted effect on the development of both countries and in fact the majority of the countries in the world because, if a population increases hence there are more than people to get involved in industry and manufacture. Therefore, more products can be invented or advanced meaning more will be sell to other countries turning in more money for th e countries economy. My second indicator is to do with the Environment, more specifically CO? emissions. In Japan the figure is 9. 8 metric tonnes of Carbon Dioxide per capita or person and in Brazil the current figure stands at around just 1. metric tonnes of CO? per capita. This effects the development of the countries because often the effects of bad environmental factors and cause many people to get ill or even die. If people die, this affects the amount of people in industry. The next indicator is Literacy. In Japan, the adult literacy rate (aged 15 and above) is 99% of the population and the same rate for either male or women. Whereas in Brazil the rate of adult literacy is 88. 6% of the total population. 88. 4% of males and 88. 8% of females.Literacy is important no matter where you come from and the more people literate in a country the more likely the country is to survive and develop because if people are illiterate, they wont get very far in industry. For instance, subsc ribe contracts or cheques are assets required to survive in industry so literacy is regarded as essential in todays world. The fourth indicator is Transportation, in particular, airports and ports. Japan has 10 key ports in Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Moji, Nagoya, Tomakomai, and Mizushima, Yohohama.Also, Japan has a total of 144 airports. 38% of them with paved runways measuring 0-1500m, 57% of their paved runways measure 1501-3000m and 5% of the runways are 3000m or greater. In Brazil there are 7 key ports Guaiba, Ilha Grande, Paranagua, Rio Grande, Santos, Sao Sebastiao and Tubarao. With regards to the airports, there are over 23 times the amount of airports in Brazil than there are in Japan. There are 3346 airports. 1642 of these airports paved runways are less than 914m, 1617 are 914m to 1523m and 87 are 1524m to 2437m.They are 49%, 48% and 3% respectively. The amounts of airports and ports effects the development of a country to a very large extent as industry is wher e the majority of a countries income comes from industry and without anywhere to import products there would be near to no industry apart from the industry based in Japan. My fifth indicator is some other transport based one. Motor powered vehicles per 1000 people. The figure for Japan is 595 per 1000 people and in Brazil its 198 people per 1000 that ingest motor vehicles 198 people.Its relatively clear that a motor vehicle is quite an essential aspect of life and without any means of transport then life would be very difficult to make industry and development work. My penultimate indicator is birth rate. The birth rate in Brazil is 16 people per 1000 and in Japan, the figure stands at just 9 births per 1000 people. A birth rate is key to development because it all link in with development and the higher the birth rate, the higher the population, the higher the amount of people helping working in the development of their country whether it be in industry or just the development o r life.Finally, my last indicator is infant mortality. In Brazil, the mortality rate 22. 58 deaths per 1000 live births with 26. 16 deaths out of 1000 male live births and 18. 83 deaths out of 1000 female live births. In Japan, the rate is much lower. Their figure is 2. 79 deaths out of 1000 live births and thats 2. 99 out 1000 male live births and 2. 58 deaths out of 1000 live female births. The large diversion in these figures shows that Japan is by far more developed than Brazil as the quality of living conditions in Japan are far emend than in Brazil as there is less disease to cause deaths. By Conor Thompson

Give a Boy a Gun

The Characters Gary Searle one of the shooters main character * Brendan Lawlor the other shooter Ryan Clancy a friend of both Garys and Brendans Allison Findley Garys on-and-off girlfriend and Brendans friend at Middletown mellow take Terminx Brendans screen-name * Blkchokr Allisons screen-name Rebooto Ryans screen-name Cynthia Searle Garys mother Emily Kirsch a former friend of Brendans Brett Betzig a friend of Brendans from Springfield Julie Shore a friend of Brendans from Springfield Beth Bender Middletown High School counselorPaul Burns a football role player at Middletown High School Sam Flach a football player at Middletown High School Deidre Bunson a popular girl at Middletown High School Ruth Hollington Garys fourth-grade teacher at Middletown Elementary School Stuart McEvoy Garys sixth-grade teacher at Middletown Middle School Katherine Sullivan Brendans sixth-grade teacher at Springfield Middle School Kit Conner a neighbor of the Lawlors in Springfield Dick Flanagan Brendans ninth-grade English teacher at Middletown High School F.Douglas Ellin a biology teacher at Middletown High School Allen Curry principal of Middletown High School Jack Phillips a neighbor of Brendans Chelsea baker a transfer student to Middletown High School Denise Shipley Garys older stepsister Chelsea Baker new student on the Middletown high schoolCitation Its like, ar you in the popular crowd or not? Beth Bender teacher on the Middletown high school. Brendan was called in her office one twenty-four hour period.He says just about yes, maamed and no, maamed. Yes maam, everything is fine. No maam, I dont have a problem with anyone. But you could see the pain and anger in his eyes. Citation What Brendan and Gary did was terribly, horribly, inexcusably wrong. I have no interest in defending them. But deep in my heart there is a elflike piece of me that at least understands what might have driven them to such a horrendous, evil undertaking. But what t hose boys id was equally inexcusable and evil. Brett Betzig Brendans friend in Springfield. Citation One thing about Brendan He hated injustice (Page 22)Deidre Bunson student on the Middletown high schoolPaul Burns Football player. Citation One day in class we were talking about morality, and Brendan said there was no God. He didnt say that he didnt believe in God. He just said there was no God. (Because of the injustice in the world, he thinks that a God cant exist) (Page 56)Brandan LowlorHe is a sporty, skinny computerized axial tomography with glasses. His parents are very friendly and they can? t understand their sons behavior. Brandan is highly intelligent, a litte bit excited (aufgeregt? Man kann in einer bestimmten billet aufgeregt sein, aber fur eine Charaktereigenschaft brauchst du hier einen anderen Begriff. Was genau meinst du? ) and distrustful. He loves sports and videogames like Doom. He doesnt want to move to Middletown, thats the reason why he has problems at sc hool.

International Market Entry Methods

ExportingExporting is the direct sale of goods and / or services in a nonher body politic. It is possibly the known method of entering a soldieryile market, as well as the lowest risk. It may also be cost-effective as you entrust not need to invest in deed facilities in your chosen country all goods are still produced in your home country then send to strange countries for sale. However, rising transportation costs are likely to increase the cost of trade in the near future.The majority of costs involved with exporting come from marketing expenses. Usually, you will need the involvement of four parties your business, an importer, a transport tenderr and the government of the country of which you wish to export to.LicensingLicensing allows another connection in your target country to use your property. The property in question is normally intangible for example, trademarks, production techniques or patents. The licensee will pay a allowance in order to be allowed the rig ht to use the property.Licensing requires very little investment and can provide a high return on investment. The licensee will also take care of any manufacturing and marketing costs in the foreign market.FranchisingFranchising is somewhat corresponding to licensing in that intellectual property rights are exchange to a franchisee. However, the rules for how the franchisee carries out business are usually very strict for example, any processes must be followed, or specific components must be utilize in manufacturing.Joint ventureA joint venture consists of two companies establishing a jointly-owned business. One of the owners will be a local business (local to the foreign market). The two companies would then provide the new business with a management team and share control of the joint venture.There are several benefits to this type of venture. It allows you the benefit of local knowledge of a foreign market and allows you to share costs. However, there are some issues there can be problems with deciding who invests what and how to split profits.Foreign direct investmentForeign direct investment (FDI) is when you immediately invest in facilities in a foreign market. It requires a lot of capital to cover costs such as premises, technology and staff. FDI can be done either by establishing a new venture or acquiring an existing company.Wholly owned subsidiaryA wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) is somewhat similar to foreign direct investment in that money goes into a foreign company but instead of money being invested into another company, with a WOS the foreign business is bought outright. It is then up to the owners whether it continues to run as before or they take more control of the WOS.PiggybackingPiggybacking involves two non-competing companies working together to cross-sell the others products or services in their home country. Although it is a low-risk method involving little capital, some companies may not be comfortable with this method as it invo lves a high degree of trust as well as allowing the partner company to take a large degree of control over how your product is marketed abroad.Turnkey projectsA turnkey project refers to a project when clients pay contractors to design and construct new facilities and train personnel. A turnkey project is way for a foreign company to export its process and technology to other countries by building a plant in that country. Industrial companies that specialize in complex production technologies normally use turnkey projects as an entry strategy. One of the major advantages of turnkey projects is the possibility for a company to establish a plant and introduce profits in a foreign country especially in which foreign direct investment opportunities are limited and lack of expertise in a specific area exists.Potential disadvantages of a turnkey project for a company include risk of revealing companies secrets to rivals, and takeover of their plant by the host country. Entering a market with a turnkey project CAN prove that a company has no long-term interest in the country which can become a disadvantage if the country proves to be the main market for the output of the exported process.

Employment Law and Employee Relations Assignment

Introduction Employment relations between employers and employees argon managed by several different sources. There are a change of statutory provisions which govern the acceptability of certain behaviours by either party. Key legislative provisions that impart be referred to throughout this case scan include the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) and the Equality Act (2010) EqA, amongst others. Each of the three situations here will be looked at individuals although it is noted that each of the three hatful in question are employees and there is no need to consider the tests of whether or not the individuals are self-employed or employed for the purposes of statutory tax shelter (although this was not as clear with Sally, see below for analysis). Each employee has also been issued with a contr identification number which is presumed to be compliant with the minimum statutory requirements. Each scenario will be looked at in turn.Jim The discussions associated with Jim and his rece nt civil partnership indicate that there is a prima facie argument be presented by Jim that he is being discriminated against by virtue of his sexual orientation. Jim has argued that he has been given a less favourable shift pattern and that this is due to his sexual orientation and his statement that he is likely to be seeking to take time off to raise a child in the near future. He has also indicated that he has been theme to ab exercise from a colleague by virtue of his sexual orientation. Jim is now off work ill and has suggested that he may wish to resign.The danger from the Council prognosticate of view is that Jim resigns and states that he was constructively unfairly dismissed by virtue of his treatment due to sexual orientation. Although he has only been employed for a fulfilment of 18 months and this would typically mean that he had not have the appropriate qualifying period for unfair kindling. However in accordance with section 19 of EqA there is no qualifying perio d and this therefore presents a danger to the Council. In order to potentially argue this, Jim would have to show that he had suffered from discrimination, bedevilment or using in the work place as a direct result of his sexual orientation. In accordance with the EqA 2010 direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, anguish and victimisation are all outlawed.Jim is seemingly arguing that he is being directly discriminated against as he is being given worse shifts than his counterparts who are heterosexual. In order to prove this there would need to be a comparator so that he could show that he has been set comparatively worse than his counterpart, the comparator having circumstances that are not materially different to Jim (Shamoon, 2003). Therefore in this case it would be necessary to look at the treatment of someone who is in all shipway similar to Jim with the exception of sexual orientation. The facts as indicated here are not sufficiently clear to show whether or not o n balance Jim has been treated any(prenominal) differently than other colleagues with the revised shift patterns. There is also an additional concern faced by Malcolm in that in the case of Martin (2006). In this case it was held that the investigation of the wrong process was in itself discriminatory as the manager had failed to give the complainant the necessary time and attention, instead dismissing his grievance as petty. Malcolms response to Jims verbal statement is therefore a concern and although a formal grievance has not been raised the matter involve to be treated with greater concern in order to investigate the complaint fully.In relation to the investigation of victimisation and harassment, the full process inevitably to be followed in order to comply with the requirement of the EqA to protect Jim. Section 26 of the EqA deals with the conduct that has the effect of being discriminatory by virtue of victimisation and harassment. Again the full facts have not been asce rtained as yet and although Jim feels the emails are coming from a colleague this would need to be investigated fully.The crucial formula of this scenario however is to deal with the grievance in an appropriate panache. Malcolms previous brushing aside of Jim could in itself create allegations of discrimination and this needs to be determine as a matter of urgency.A failure to do so could result in Jim bringing a claim for constructive, unfair dismissal with the perhaps of the tribunal awarding compensation for injury to feelings. This is aimed at being compensatory and not punitive but nonetheless presents a real danger to the Council (Corus, 2005). bluntThis scenario deals with an employee that is cognise for several misdemeanours over the two years of his employment, most notably going out during the week and weekend and attending work in a manner that is seen to be unacceptable. His latest error as a result of this activity has resulted in a potential substantial loss to th e Council. There is no index that his action with the transcription error happened when he was doing anything outside of his authority within work. It is also noted that he is paid a minimum wage or ?5.13 at 19 years of age which does not indicate that he is an apprentice. That said being 19 and recognised to have substantial weaknesses in his effect which do not seem to have been picked up previously places the Council in a weaker position. Despite this, it is evident that his error has caused a substantial loss and as such it is reasonable for the Council to look towards a disciplinary.The principles of fairness when conducting a disciplinary are contained in the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Produces (2012) as puff up as the non-statutory guide that is also created by ACAS. More formally, S98 of ERA states that in order for an individual to be dismissed the employer is required to have acted slightly and following a suitable disciplinary process would be a key component of this. In the event that the process is not followed and Frank then claims unfair dismissal the failure to follow the process could result in an uplift of any award by 25% (Section 207 of Trade Union and promote traffic (Consolidation) Act 1992).Firstly it is necessary for the employer to consider whether formal action is necessary. It is not clear whether previous misdemeanours or poor performance has been dealt with formally or informally and this should be looked at as a matter of priority. However for the purposes of this advice it is suggested that these have not been dealt with formally in any way. Where a discussion is to be recorded formally on the record of an employee, as is likely to be the case her section 11 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 will work relevant and the statutory right to be accompanied needs to be taken into account. It was confirmed in the case of Sarkar (2010) that where the disciplinary could result in dismissal it is not acc eptable to use an informal process.The potential loss here is substantial and therefore it is possible that the Council could be looking at gross misconduct. Frank has the qualifying period of 2 years service and could therefore potentially claim unfair dismissal making it vital that the processes are followed correctly. The employer needs to act promptly as if it fails to indicate the severity of the situation to the employee there is a danger that it would be seen to have affirmed the contract and accepted the employees repudiatory breach (Cook, 2009).A full investigation is necessary which will then potentially lead to the disciplinary procedure. The position of the employer should however be reserved for the duration of the investigation. During the investigatory conflict and the disciplinary meeting (if there is one subsequent) the employee has the right to be accompanied. The train of investigation necessary is dependent on the severity of the accusation (A, 2003). Where an employee is at a serious risk of long term impact for example being dismissed and receiving a professional detriment a much more thorough investigation is required.Based on this and the underlying need to act reasonably Frank should be suspended in order for the investigation to take place. He should be informed of his rights and obligations during the period and also how long he is likely to be suspended for. As the conduct is sufficiently severe that it could result in dismissal this is a crucial step and the investigations should be very thorough. There are concerns that the Council has been aware of performance issues and has not yet dealt with the matter. Furthermore it would seem preposterous that a junior individual was able to make such a costly error and this will have to be born in look when determining the severity of the disciplinary process to be followed.SallySallys contractual status is questioned initially as she is currently working divers(a) hours with a weeke nd on call every month. Sally has been located at the Council office for 3 years with a set desk and specific hours. This level of control is considered to be sufficient to comply with the definition of employee as per section 230 of the ERA 1996. This is a matter of fact and law and it is suggested that as she was required to in person preform the contract and the Council had a high level of control she would be deemed to be an employee (Carmichael, 2000). Based on this it would be the case that Sally is entitled to the statutory minimum holiday which is 20 days (excluding 8 bank holiday days).Sally has requested a change to her current working hours which is dealt with a pliant working request and secondly she is likely to be interviewed alongside others for the full time vacancies which have now arisen, should she wish to apply and would not want to be discriminated against by virtue of her caring role for her terminally ill mother. Since June 2014, employees with at least 6 mon ths continuous service have been able to apply for bendable working for any reason. The employer is then under a duty to deal with the request in a reasonable manner and be fair in the way that they treat the application (Duncan, 2012). Crucially, in accordance with section 13 of the EqA it is possible for an employer to be directly discriminating against an individual who is treated less favourably due to the disability of an associated person (Coleman 2008).This situation is potentially difficult for the Council to manage and there is at least some argument that Sally is not in fact an employee. On balance however this is not a valid argument given the prescriptiveness of the hours of work and the physical base in the council as well as the personal nature of the services provided. The Council would therefore be required to provide paid holiday and to provide Sally with her contract of employment. Furthermore any requests for flexible working would need to be dealt with fairly a nd when looking to fill full time roles, Sharon would have to ensure that she did not discriminate against Sally as this could result in disability discrimination despite the fact that the disability is not suffered by her directly. Conclusions In summary, Jim should be offered a full and diligence grievance procedure to prevent him resigning and later claiming constructive unfair dismissal by virtue of sexual orientation discrimination. Frank should be dealt with formally through the use of the disciplinary procedure with a full investigation and if necessary a disciplinary that conforms with statutory requirements. Sally is, on balance, an employee and needs to be managed with due plow to the disability discrimination rules and the need to be fair and reasonable when considering any flexible working requests.ReferencesACAS (2012) Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures Available at http//www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/k/b/Acas_Code_of_Practice_1_on_disciplinary_and_grievance_procedures- accessible-version-Jul-2012.pdfA v B 2003 IRLR 405Carmichael v National Power plc 2000 IRLR 43,Coleman v Attridge Law and some other 2008 ICR 1128Cook v MSHK Limited and another 2009 EWCA Civ 624,Corus Hotels plc v Woodward and another UKEAT/0536/05,Duncan, N (2012) Employment Law in Practice, City Law School (London, England, Oxford University Press) p.216Employment Relations Act 1999Employment Rights Act 1996Equality Act (2010)Martin v Parkam Foods Ltd ET/1800241/06Sarkar v West London Mental Health NHS Trust 2010 IRLR 508Shamoon v Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary 2003 ICR 337 (HL)Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992

Child Soldiers

boor soldiers a) The nature of the human rights issue A tyke soldier is a person down the stairs the mount up of 18 who fictional charactericipates, grandct or indirectly, in gird fights as part of an gird force or group, in any armed and incarnateing roles. The pulmonary tuberculosis of babyren in armed combat is take oned to be a form of slavery or human trafficking. Although sisterren colligate armed groups voluntarily it of 10times involves coercion, force or deception, or the s sop upr whitethorn see no early(a) option for survival merely to join. The UN and human rights take up estimated that the number of infantren serving in armed conflicts at between 200 000- 300 000.The UN report 57 armed groups mankindwide using baby bird soldiers. b) Where the human rights issue occurs. Worldwide conflicts that make water involved small fry soldiers accommodate * Srilanka * Uganda * Colombia * Myanmar * Iraq * Israel * Palestinian territories * Sudan In Ugand a more than 30 000 kidskinren sacrifice been kidnapped to serve as soldiers and slaves my lords resistance army (LRA) the boys atomic number 18 force to saccharide and burn small towns and to torture and toss off neighbours girls atomic number 18 raped or execute sex slaves. c) The direct-headed and non legal responses to claw soldiers twain include trans subject field and domestic responses.Legal responses International responses include the Geneva conventions, laws of contend. Which is a series of 4 treaties adopted between 1864 and 1949 to regu tardy the conduct of armed conflict and try on to limit its affects. these 4 treaties include the first Geneva convention (1864) which protects wounded and sick soldiers on domain during struggle, the second Geneva convention (1906) which protects wounded, sick and ship wrecked military personnel at ocean during fight, the third Geneva convention (1929) which applies to pris unmatchedrs of ar and the fourth Geneva conv ention (1949) which affords protection to civilians, including occupied territory. Also, sp ar protocols to the Geneva conventions includes the problem of child soldiers universe recognised and the minimum age for enlisting or drug ab theatrical role in armed conflict was set at 15 years for political sympathies and non-government parties.In addition to these conventions include the convention on the rights of the child (1989), the Rome statute of the international criminal court (2002), the worst forms of child labour convention (1999) and the UN Security Council (2004-2005). An example of these legal responses in action is the Thomas lubanga dyilo case where he was acc employ of conscripting child soldiers to fight in armed conflict in the DRC during 2002 and 2002.Domestic responses although limited by submit sovereignty include the child soldiers righteousness act which allowed the US to prosecute individuals domestically who fuddle wittingly recruited or served as ch ild soldiers in or come forthside the country. Other responses include the amendment of the criminal cipher act 1995 (cth) where two sections were added to the criminal code to criminalise the ingestion, conscription or enlistment of children as a part of an international or national armed conflict. Non legal responses International responses include the United Nations which monitors the apply of child soldiers worldwide the international labour organisation and unicef which play a role in want and studies into the status of the problem, providing recommendations to the UN and to member states and promoting the obligations of the treaties on children in armed conflict and the coalition to stop the use of child soldiers which compromises almost different member organisations with a common purpose of pr til nowting the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, securing the demobilization of child soldiers and their reintegration into society.Domestic responses include dom estic NGOs, stems or individuals and the media. Domestic NGOs focus on issues relating to child soldiers, particularly in countries where recruitment of child soldiers is a signifi cigarettet problem. For example red hand day. Groups and individuals assist in the reclamation of actor child soldiers, by helping to relocate their families, get back into school, provide vocational prep and re enter life. The media informs the public about the existence and problems of child soldiers for example the movie blood baseball diamond focussed on the recruitment and use of child soldiers in diamond related conflict areas. nipper Soldierscritical Analysis of the use of tiddler Soldiers in Liberia 5. 1 world Generally stated ,this stem seeks to establish the role of child soldiers in the escalation of armed conflict in Africa. The preceding(prenominal) chapters have discussed the regional armed conflicts where child soldiers were utilize or are being used like the case of DRC Congo. Th is chapter bequeath critically analyse the use of child soldiers in Liberia. There were more or less 120,000 child soldiers who were participating in armed conflicts in Africa. Out of these, nigh 24,000 were in the Liberian conflict.Liberia is non a poor country. It has intrinsic resources that could buzz off its estimated population of 3. 2 million people. The question is how the available resources was being utilised and how did it contri scarcelye in fuelling the conflict. The accessibility of precious minerals and hard wood timber in Liberia contri neverthelessed greatly in escalating and insist the 14 years Liberian conflict. The age of the child soldier does not fasten their immunity from being deployed the playing field because slice most are in their teens, some are as early days as septenarysome years old.Being so tender in age, they whitethorn start out as cooks, messengers, porters or guards, but a great deal end up on the frontlines of combat. In Liberia, many boys some as young as nine or ten man checkpoints. The authority that goes with the responsibility circulates them the exhaust rein to beset, loot, terrorize and sometimes, kill civilians. Manning checkpoints gives a child power and influence, even if he is twelve years old. There have been instances where cardinal or twenty boys man a checkpoint and the commander is nevertheless ten years old.In long-drawn-out conflicts, children besides be make a valued resource. Children who have grown up surrounded by craze see this as a permanent focusing of life. Some having been orphaned, they are left on their own and are often frightened, bored and frustrated, leaving them with little options but to fight. When schools are closed and families fragmented, there are few influences that butt compete with a warriors life. The human rights violations that occur when children are used in hostilities are not limited to child soldiers cleanup position and being killed or injured.Gir ls besides are used as soldiers, and parentage victims of rape and different inseparable abuse. The human rights impacts are terrible and far-reaching and have an impact not only on those children directly overcompensateed but to a fault on the families and communities, and continue long aft(prenominal) the hostilities have ended . Besides being the continent that has the highest propensity for girls entering forces or groups via abduction or gang pressing, Africa is also the region with the highest number of children in armed inverse forces, numbering to approximately 120,000.In addition to being actor in combat, girl soldiers are often required to perform intimate services. In some cases, girls are in fact primarily recruited or abducted as wives or concubines, a common practice in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Among the common roles found in countries from every region of the world was the use of girl soldiers as porters, cooks or do to perform a variety of domestic labor, as considerably as spies and looters in villages taken over by armed forces or armed opposition groups. 5. 2Why children make out child soldiersThe factors which give rise to the participation of children in conflict are complex. No bingle model can either explain all the factors, or outline a uniform role that will prevent child recruitment, and enable procedures for the demobilisation and social reintegration of children who have participated in conflict. Most child soldiers are from poor or disadvantaged sections of the society in conflict. Children, who live in the conflict zones by themselves are often recruited. Also, those children with discontinue families or no families at all are more in all likelihood to become child soldiers.In Liberia, child soldiers we often recruited from refugee camps in neighbouring countries like ginzo, Ivory coast and Sierra Leone while opposites were recruited from Internally Displaced Camps(IDP), within Liberia. In the months following UNMILs deployment on 1 October 2003, assessment missions carried out by UNMIL and humane agencies, including into areas of the country until latterly inaccessible, revealed large numbers of injured people, mostly children, which was consistent with the far-flung use of child soldiers.The proliferation of small fortify in West Africa contributed greatly not only to continuing conflict and repeated failure of consecutive intermission bargains in the region, but has also encouraged and facilitated the recruitment and use of child soldiers, as swell as opposite serious human rights abuses against the civilian population. The widespread availability of modern lightweight utensils enables even the youngest child soldier to use weapons efficiently.Technological development of blazonry today has produces arm weighing less than seven pounds and cost cheaply and unless so advance that even an unlettered child of ten could strip, reassemble, adulterate and fire it. This mere kno wledge however, did not make them skilled soldiers. On the contrary, they suffer much high casualty rates than their adult counterparts, in part because of their lack of matureness and experience that leads them to take gratuitous risks. Their frail bodies are more susceptible to complications if injured, and they are more likely to fall ill in the rough conditions of military camps.Child soldiers are viewed as more expendable and thereof receive less teach and moldiness attempt the most dangerous tasks much(prenominal) as checking for mines or spying in opposite camps. Often children are recruited through abduction in massive sweeps of homes, schools, Refugee camp, Internally displaced camps and streets. In some spots, child survivors of village raids and massacres are forcibly inducted. Abduction is only the first step in a military operation that uses fear, brutality and psychological manipulation to achieve high levels of obedience in converting children into killers.In many conflicts, child recruits are subjected to beatings, humiliation and acts of sadism. During the escalation of the conflict, oddly in capital of Liberia in June and July 2003, there was a attach growing in forcible recruitment of children by all sides. A frequently used tactic in indoctrinating children to force-out is exposing them progressively to violence, frankincense benumb them so that they might someday commit acts of sadism on confrere humans. Child recruits in Liberia, were laboured to cut the throats of domestic animals and drink its blood.Children are often terrorized into obedience, consistently made to fear for their lives and well-being. They quickly be intimate that absolute obedience is the only means to regard survival. Sometimes they are compelled to participate in the killing of other children or family members, because it is to a lower placestood by these groups that there is no port back home for children after they have committed much(prenomina l) crimes. Evidence indicates that the recruitment and use of children has become the means of choice of many armed groups for waging war.Certainly, not all inductions of children are forced. Those old enough to apprehend the underlying cause of the conflict want to join adults in a revered cause. Others participate to kick upstairs themselves and please adults while but there may be victims or have family members who were victims, join to seek revenge. There are some(prenominal) cases in Liberia were children decided to join rebel groups to avenge the murder of their kin. Media images may also play a part. In Liberia, opposition forces could broadcast Rambo-style movies as part of its combat training.In such contexts, young boys learn machismo and come to associate military activity with respect and power-compelling attractions for children who otherwise feel powerless. DDRR The performance of the Liberian peace agreement and consolidation of peace, security and the discover of law were contingent on no-hit completion of the DDRR program. All other initiatives aimed at post-conflict reconstruction and restoration of basic human rights, including those of child soldier, are predicated on effective DDRR.The immensity of completely disarming fighters and destroying weapons is very critical because the ex-combatants can use the weapons to harass civilians, loot properties or ack-ack gun their opponents . Continued decelerates in disarmament and demobilization, and cooking of the financial incentive to former combatants, can aggravate a precarious security situation. In March 2004 MODEL combatants in Tapeta, Nimba County, endanger harassment of international humanitarian agencies in the area in protest at the delays.Similarly, former government forces fired their weapons at iniquity near Maimu internally displaced peoples camp in Totota, Bong County, and threatened to loot the camp if disarmament and demobilization were further postponed. In early Apri l 2004 LURD combatants, also angered by the delay in disarmament and demobilization, were reported to have harassed civilians and stolen money and property at unofficial checkpoints on the road between Totota and Gbarnga.The previous disarmament and demobilization process which took place in Liberia in the late 1990s was seriously wanting(p) in returning former child soldiers to their families and communities. While up to 20,000 child soldiers were estimated to be involved in the conflict which ended in 1997, little more than 4,000 were reported to have been fully disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated into their communities. As a result, with the resumption of hostilities, rapid re-mobilization of children was possible because many were to some degree placid under the control of local anaesthetic commander.The Cape Town Principles, as observed by the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF), restore a child soldier as any person under 18 years who is part of any kind of veritable(a) or irre gular armed force in any capacity, including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers and anyone sequential such groups, other than family members. The definition includes girls recruited for familiar purposes and for forced marriage. It does not, thence, only disturb to a child who is carrying or has carried arms .Application of this broad definition is strategic possession of a weapon is not a prerequisite for a child soldier to get ahead from the DDRR process. In Liberia, possession of a weapon or ammo was the criteria for inclusion in the DDRR process. Since not all the child soldiers were armed or involved in the true fighting, many former child soldiers were not involved in the DDRR process and thus did not benefit from the cash allowances paid to those with weapons to assist them reintegrate into their society.Those who were left out in the DDRR programme simply traverse over to the neighbouring, particularly in Ivory coast , joined other rebel group and took u p arms. The conflict in West Africa was a vicious circle which saying child soldiers moving from one rebel group to another, for them, it was their lifestyle. The net effect of this was that conflicts in this part of westernmost Africa have continued shifting from one country to the other. governments international organizations involved in the DDRR process should ensure speedy registration procedures at camps and settlements, as well as at demobilization centres. They should also place the immediate psychological, social and tangible rehabilitation of former child soldiers generally and to prevent re-recruitment. The elaboration of children in conflict has a destroy effect on their physical and mental integrity. There are higher(prenominal) casualty rates among children because of their inexperience, bravery and lack of training.In addition to the inevitable risks of death or serious tarnish in combat, children suffer disproportionately from the general rigours of military life, especially in the bush, and are particularly unprotected to disease and malnutrition. The full bound of the impact of the severe psychological consequences of active participation in hostilities, with children witnessing and at times also committing atrocities, may only become apparent over a long period. It takes a matter of moments to abduct and forcibly recruit children it takes years, owever, for former child soldiers to be fully rehabilitated and reintegrated into their families and communities and able to bear on their lives. Child soldiers in Liberia were cynically used as they were perceived as cheap and expendable, and easier to condition into unshrinking killing and unquestioning obedience. Those resisting refusing to trace with their commanders orders risked being beaten or killed. Both the rebel groups and government forces abducted children, both girls and boys and some as young as seven years, and forced them to fight, carry ammunition, prepare food or carr y out other tasks.Girls were raped and forced to provide informal services. While older girls were actively engaged in fighting, younger ones provided domestic services as cooks or cleaners or carried arms and ammunition. Many child soldiers were precondition drugs and alcohol to induce aggression and inhibit fear. With little or no military training, they were sent directly to the front line where many were killed or wounded. The conflict in Liberia lasted for 14 years due to availability of child soldiers and funds from the illicit business deal of Gold and Diamonds run and sustain the conflict.The conflict in Liberia has forced vast numbers of civilians to flee their homes. During 2003 it was estimated that more than 500,000 were internally displaced and another 300,000 active as refugees in neighbouring countries. Child soldiers were recruited from neighbouring countries of Ivory coast, Guinea and Sierra Leone. LURD forces abducted and recruited children from internally disp laced peoples camps in Liberia, especially those in Montserrado County as they advanced towards Monrovia during 2003. They were also reported to have abducted children from refugee camps in Guinea.MODEL recruited children from refugee camps in Cote dIvoire and further prominent their ranks with children as they advanced towards Buchanan, railyard Bassa County, over which they took control on 26 July 2003. .Rape and other grave versed violence against children. The rape and intimate violation of children and women is increasingly a characteristic of conflict. such violence is often perpetrated against boys and girls in a rule of law vacuum that is a consequence of conflict and is exacerbated by the ensue culture of impunity.In some instances familiar violence has been used as a premeditated tactic of war designed to humiliate or exterminate a population or to force displacement. Reports of high incidence rates of rape and sexual violence against children were received in Liberi a. In many cases, the data on incidents, magnitude and scope of sexual violence is unreliable or non-existent due to deep cultural taboos surround such crimes, fear of reprisal of victims and their families and a range of other factors.Precise information, critical for combating impunity and for programmatic response, is difficult to obtain or verify. informal violence appears to be especially prevalent in and around refugee camps and settlements for internally displaced populations. For children especially, the physical and mental consequences are devastating. Such violations may also take the form of sexual slavery, forced prostitution and marriage or sexual mutilation.The long-term wellness consequences for the victims include sexually transmitted infection such as human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS, fistula, early pregnancy and debilitating psychological trauma. Although cases of sexual violence against boys are sometimes reported, insufficient economic aid is paid to this par ticular dimension, and such violations remain largely undocumented. Some research indicates that boys are especially assailable to sexual violence during military operations in civilian areas or during military conscription or abduction into paramilitary forces.They are also especially vulnerable in refugee and internally displaced settings and in detention. Sexual violence in times of conflict, in particular against boys and girls, constitutes the breaking of deep social taboos in every culture and as such causes maximal devastation to the social fabric of communities. Therefore, the interventions required in the aftermath of widespread and system of rulesatic sexual violence necessitates more across-the-board start outes that begin with the victims but extend to the communities in which they essential once again define their place and comfort.The stigmatization of victims of sexual violence, which often leads to their being ostracized or marginalized, requires door-to-door community-level interventions for affected girls and boys. Emphasis must be placed on fighting impunity for rape and other sexual violence through exact and systematic investigation and prosecution of such crimes at the national level and an increased focus on this problem by international justice mechanisms. At the national level, comprehensive initiatives to address the issue of sexual violence are required, and national ownership of such programmes is critical.Donors, the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations should accord priority to providing expert and financial support to national authorities for the preparation and capital punishment of national strategies to address sexual violence. A regional approach to ending the use of child soldiers The conflict in Liberia was not simply an internal armed conflict it had acquired a regional dimension involving, in particular, Cote dIvoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Arms and fighters pass over back and forth acros s the borders between the four countries.Peace in Liberia was and simmer down is essential for maintaining peace in West Africa conversely, any increase in hostilities across Liberias borders could undermine efforts to maintain peace in Liberia. In order to restore peace and security to West Africa, there was to be a coordinated approach across the region, with harmonization of UN efforts, including those of UN peace-keeping operations UNMIL, the UN electric charge in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and the UN Mission in Cote dIvoire (MINUCI).Structured dialogue on cross boarder recruitment and use of children has already paved the way for dialogue on broader child protection issues and enabled child protection actors in the field to pursue other priorities such as provision of education and healthcare to ex-child soldiers. formula on the Rights of the Child fulfilling commitments Liberia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993. During the subsequent decade, however , Liberian children have been denied their most fundamental rights.On 17 whitethorn 2004 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child begins its thirty-sixth session during which it will consider Liberias initial report on the measures taken to implement its obligations under the Convention. The Committees consideration of Liberias report offers an important opportunity to highlight the plight of Liberias children and to consider ways of strengthening implementation of the rights enshrined in the Convention.Review of the report will lead to the adoption of the Committees concluding observations which commonly identify positive aspects, factors hinder implementation, principal areas of concern and recommendations. The concluding observations provide an opportunity to urge the NTGL to undertake concrete measures to improve the situation of children in Liberia and, at the same time, to encourage the international community to support the NGTLs efforts to meet its commitments.The repor t of the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict of 10 November 2003 specifically recommends that the Committee use the map of country reports and reviews to promote observe and accountability. (18) The NTGLs responsibility to end the use of child soldiers Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) was legally obliged not to recruit and use children under the age of 18 years as combatants.An important element of post-conflict reconstruction in Liberia was the formation of a new, professional, well-trained army. The peace agreement stated explicitly that all irregular forces would be disbanded and that the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) would be reformed with a new command structure. attention was requested from the international community, including the UN, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the International Contact Group on Liberia.It specifically requests the US t o take a lead in restructuring the armed forces. A multitude Advisory Commission was established in early 2004, with the new, restructured armed forces deployed by the end of December 2005. This offered an important opportunity for concrete measures by the NTGL to ensure that no child under the age of 18 was recruited by the armed forces. Liberia is a signatory to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child but it is yet to ratify it.Liberia should ratify without delay the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict which raises the age for participation in hostilities to 18 years, and enact legislation making 18 years the minimum age for military recruitment. CONCLUSION As is known, basic survival inescapably take precedence over psychological during times of war but there is an increasing concern today that the experiences of war will have damaging effects on not only the psychological but also the social skills, attitudes towards the society they live in, their elationship with others as well as their perspective on life itself will be greatly impaired. It is sad that children have to watch their role models that include parents, teachers or elders, torture and kill each other while some trade their children for food and security. This act of breaching the evaluate moral standards of behaviour by authoritative figures are translated by children as betrayal, which in turn are manifested in themselves, as they grow up. These manifestations can take many forms.While studies have shown that school absenteeism and juvenile crimes or attitudes favoring gambling, pre-marital sex and smoking could indicate such altered moral breeding in children, acts of physical aggression, delusive of military acts and unwillingness to co-operate with peers are also indicators of developmental damage. Even when the war is over, its effects on children waylay on long after the stressfu l event. They may experience numbing of responsiveness to or lessen involvement with the external world.This may be indicated by a marked diminished interest in activities and surroundings, feelings of detachment or estrangement from others, loss of energy or withdrawal. Such negative developments in the child would influence the childs occupational choice and his relationship with others subsequently in life. 38 need appears to be the motivating factor in most of the countries where child soldiers prevail. It is therefore important for relevant sections of the international community to also look at the flaws in the international scrimping.The economy disparity between the develop and the underdeveloped world must be addressed because it is under these dire economic conditions in the developing world that innocent children are recruited as soldiers. Improvement of standards of living is spanking to overcome the menace of recruiting children as combatants Maybe there is still hope for those unfortunate children who are victims of adults irresponsibility. A mechanism for international accountability was drafted on 17 July 1998 and open for signatures a year later. However, as in other treaties of the United Nations, it can only comeChild Soldierscritical Analysis of the use of Child Soldiers in Liberia 5. 1 Introduction Generally stated ,this paper seeks to establish the role of child soldiers in the escalation of armed conflict in Africa. The previous chapters have discussed the regional armed conflicts where child soldiers were used or are being used like the case of DRC Congo. This chapter will critically analyse the use of child soldiers in Liberia. There were approximately 120,000 child soldiers who were participating in armed conflicts in Africa. Out of these, approximately 24,000 were in the Liberian conflict.Liberia is not a poor country. It has natural resources that could sustain its estimated population of 3. 2 million people. The question is how the available resources was being utilised and how did it contribute in fuelling the conflict. The availability of precious minerals and hard wood timber in Liberia contributed greatly in escalating and maintain the 14 years Liberian conflict. The age of the child soldier does not guarantee their immunity from being deployed the battlefield because while most are in their teens, some are as young as seven years old.Being so tender in age, they may start out as cooks, messengers, porters or guards, but often end up on the frontlines of combat. In Liberia, many boys some as young as nine or ten man checkpoints. The authority that goes with the responsibility gives them the free rein to harass, loot, terrorize and sometimes, kill civilians. Manning checkpoints gives a child power and influence, even if he is twelve years old. There have been instances where fifteen or twenty boys man a checkpoint and the commander is only ten years old.In long-drawn-out conflicts, children also bec ome a valued resource. Children who have grown up surrounded by violence see this as a permanent way of life. Some having been orphaned, they are left on their own and are often frightened, bored and frustrated, leaving them with little options but to fight. When schools are closed and families fragmented, there are few influences that can compete with a warriors life. The human rights violations that occur when children are used in hostilities are not limited to child soldiers killing and being killed or injured.Girls also are used as soldiers, and fall victims of rape and other sexual abuse. The human rights impacts are terrible and far-reaching and have an impact not only on those children directly concerned but also on the families and communities, and continue long after the hostilities have ended . Besides being the continent that has the highest propensity for girls entering forces or groups via abduction or gang pressing, Africa is also the region with the highest number of children in armed opposition forces, numbering to approximately 120,000.In addition to being participant in combat, girl soldiers are often required to perform sexual services. In some cases, girls are in fact primarily recruited or abducted as wives or concubines, a common practice in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Among the common roles found in countries from every region of the world was the use of girl soldiers as porters, cooks or made to perform a variety of domestic labor, as well as spies and looters in villages taken over by armed forces or armed opposition groups. 5. 2Why children become child soldiersThe factors which give rise to the participation of children in conflict are complex. No single model can either explain all the factors, or outline a uniform procedure that will prevent child recruitment, and enable procedures for the demobilisation and social reintegration of children who have participated in conflict. Most child soldiers are from poor or disadvantaged sections of the society in conflict. Children, who live in the conflict zones by themselves are often recruited. Also, those children with disrupted families or no families at all are more likely to become child soldiers.In Liberia, child soldiers we often recruited from refugee camps in neighbouring countries like Guinea, Ivory coast and Sierra Leone while others were recruited from Internally Displaced Camps(IDP), within Liberia. In the months following UNMILs deployment on 1 October 2003, assessment missions carried out by UNMIL and humanitarian agencies, including into areas of the country until recently inaccessible, revealed large numbers of injured people, mostly children, which was consistent with the widespread use of child soldiers.The proliferation of small arms in West Africa contributed greatly not only to continuing conflict and repeated failure of successive peace agreements in the region, but has also encouraged and facilitated the recruitment and use of child soldiers, as w ell as other serious human rights abuses against the civilian population. The widespread availability of modern lightweight weapons enables even the youngest child soldier to use weapons efficiently.Technological development of arms today has produces arms weighing less than seven pounds and cost cheaply and yet so advance that even an illiterate child of ten could strip, reassemble, load and fire it. This mere knowledge however, did not make them skilled soldiers. On the contrary, they suffer much higher casualty rates than their adult counterparts, in part because of their lack of maturity and experience that leads them to take unnecessary risks. Their frail bodies are more susceptible to complications if injured, and they are more likely to fall ill in the rough conditions of military camps.Child soldiers are viewed as more expendable and therefore receive less training and must undertake the most dangerous tasks such as checking for mines or spying in enemy camps. Often children are recruited through abduction in massive sweeps of homes, schools, Refugee camp, Internally displaced camps and streets. In some situations, child survivors of village raids and massacres are forcibly inducted. Abduction is only the first step in a process that uses fear, brutality and psychological manipulation to achieve high levels of obedience in converting children into killers.In many conflicts, child recruits are subjected to beatings, humiliation and acts of sadism. During the escalation of the conflict, especially in Monrovia in June and July 2003, there was a marked increase in forcible recruitment of children by all sides. A frequently used tactic in indoctrinating children to violence is exposing them progressively to violence, thus numbing them so that they might someday commit acts of sadism on fellow humans. Child recruits in Liberia, were forced to cut the throats of domestic animals and drink its blood.Children are often terrorized into obedience, consistently ma de to fear for their lives and well-being. They quickly recognize that absolute obedience is the only means to ensure survival. Sometimes they are compelled to participate in the killing of other children or family members, because it is understood by these groups that there is no way back home for children after they have committed such crimes. Evidence indicates that the recruitment and use of children has become the means of choice of many armed groups for waging war.Certainly, not all inductions of children are forced. Those old enough to understand the underlying cause of the conflict want to join adults in a revered cause. Others participate to prove themselves and please adults while yet there may be victims or have family members who were victims, join to seek revenge. There are several cases in Liberia were children decided to join rebel groups to avenge the murder of their kin. Media images may also play a part. In Liberia, opposition forces could broadcast Rambo-style mov ies as part of its combat training.In such contexts, young boys learn machismo and come to associate military activity with respect and power-compelling attractions for children who otherwise feel powerless. DDRR The implementation of the Liberian peace agreement and consolidation of peace, security and the rule of law were contingent on successful completion of the DDRR program. All other initiatives aimed at post-conflict reconstruction and restoration of basic human rights, including those of child soldier, are predicated on effective DDRR.The importance of completely disarming fighters and destroying weapons is very critical because the ex-combatants can use the weapons to harass civilians, loot properties or attack their opponents . Continued delays in disarmament and demobilization, and provision of the financial incentive to former combatants, can aggravate a precarious security situation. In March 2004 MODEL combatants in Tapeta, Nimba County, threatened harassment of intern ational humanitarian agencies in the area in protest at the delays.Similarly, former government forces fired their weapons at night near Maimu internally displaced peoples camp in Totota, Bong County, and threatened to loot the camp if disarmament and demobilization were further postponed. In early April 2004 LURD combatants, also angered by the delay in disarmament and demobilization, were reported to have harassed civilians and stolen money and property at unofficial checkpoints on the road between Totota and Gbarnga.The previous disarmament and demobilization process which took place in Liberia in the late 1990s was seriously deficient in returning former child soldiers to their families and communities. While up to 20,000 child soldiers were estimated to be involved in the conflict which ended in 1997, little more than 4,000 were reported to have been fully disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated into their communities. As a result, with the resumption of hostilities, rapid re-mo bilization of children was possible because many were to some degree still under the control of local commander.The Cape Town Principles, as observed by the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF), define a child soldier as any person under 18 years who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force in any capacity, including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups, other than family members. The definition includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and for forced marriage. It does not, therefore, only refer to a child who is carrying or has carried arms .Application of this broad definition is important possession of a weapon is not a prerequisite for a child soldier to benefit from the DDRR process. In Liberia, possession of a weapon or ammunition was the criteria for inclusion in the DDRR process. Since not all the child soldiers were armed or involved in the actual fighting, many former child soldiers were not involved in the DDRR process and thus did not benefit from the cash allowances paid to those with weapons to assist them reintegrate into their society.Those who were left out in the DDRR programme simply crossed over to the neighbouring, especially in Ivory coast , joined other rebel group and took up arms. The conflict in West Africa was a vicious circle which saw child soldiers moving from one rebel group to another, for them, it was their lifestyle. The net effect of this was that conflicts in this part of west Africa have continued shifting from one country to the other.Governments international organizations involved in the DDRR process should ensure speedy registration procedures at camps and settlements, as well as at demobilization centres. They should also prioritize the immediate psychological, social and physical rehabilitation of former child soldiers generally and to prevent re-recruitment. The involvement of children in conflict has a devastating effect on their physical and mental integrity. The re are higher casualty rates among children because of their inexperience, fearlessness and lack of training.In addition to the inevitable risks of death or serious injury in combat, children suffer disproportionately from the general rigours of military life, especially in the bush, and are particularly vulnerable to disease and malnutrition. The full extent of the impact of the severe psychological consequences of active participation in hostilities, with children witnessing and at times also committing atrocities, may only become apparent over a long period. It takes a matter of moments to abduct and forcibly recruit children it takes years, owever, for former child soldiers to be fully rehabilitated and reintegrated into their families and communities and able to resume their lives. Child soldiers in Liberia were cynically used as they were perceived as cheap and expendable, and easier to condition into fearless killing and unquestioning obedience. Those resisting refusing to co mply with their commanders orders risked being beaten or killed. Both the rebel groups and government forces abducted children, both girls and boys and some as young as seven years, and forced them to fight, carry ammunition, prepare food or carry out other tasks.Girls were raped and forced to provide sexual services. While older girls were actively engaged in fighting, younger ones provided domestic services as cooks or cleaners or carried arms and ammunition. Many child soldiers were given drugs and alcohol to induce aggression and inhibit fear. With little or no military training, they were sent directly to the front line where many were killed or wounded. The conflict in Liberia lasted for 14 years due to availability of child soldiers and funds from the illicit trade of Gold and Diamonds run and sustain the conflict.The conflict in Liberia has forced vast numbers of civilians to flee their homes. During 2003 it was estimated that more than 500,000 were internally displaced and another 300,000 living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Child soldiers were recruited from neighbouring countries of Ivory coast, Guinea and Sierra Leone. LURD forces abducted and recruited children from internally displaced peoples camps in Liberia, especially those in Montserrado County as they advanced towards Monrovia during 2003. They were also reported to have abducted children from refugee camps in Guinea.MODEL recruited children from refugee camps in Cote dIvoire and further swelled their ranks with children as they advanced towards Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, over which they took control on 26 July 2003. .Rape and other grave sexual violence against children. The rape and sexual violation of children and women is increasingly a characteristic of conflict. Such violence is often perpetrated against boys and girls in a rule of law vacuum that is a consequence of conflict and is exacerbated by the ensuing culture of impunity.In some instances sexual violence has been u sed as a premeditated tactic of war designed to humiliate or exterminate a population or to force displacement. Reports of high incidence rates of rape and sexual violence against children were received in Liberia. In many cases, the data on incidents, magnitude and scope of sexual violence is unreliable or non-existent due to deep cultural taboos surrounding such crimes, fear of reprisal of victims and their families and a range of other factors.Precise information, critical for combating impunity and for programmatic response, is difficult to obtain or verify. Sexual violence appears to be especially prevalent in and around refugee camps and settlements for internally displaced populations. For children especially, the physical and mental consequences are devastating. Such violations may also take the form of sexual slavery, forced prostitution and marriage or sexual mutilation.The long-term health consequences for the victims include sexually transmitted infection such as HIV/AID S, fistula, early pregnancy and debilitating psychological trauma. Although cases of sexual violence against boys are sometimes reported, insufficient attention is paid to this particular dimension, and such violations remain largely undocumented. Some research indicates that boys are especially vulnerable to sexual violence during military operations in civilian areas or during military conscription or abduction into paramilitary forces.They are also especially vulnerable in refugee and internally displaced settings and in detention. Sexual violence in times of conflict, in particular against boys and girls, constitutes the breaking of deep social taboos in every culture and as such causes maximum devastation to the social fabric of communities. Therefore, the interventions required in the aftermath of widespread and systematic sexual violence necessitates more comprehensive approaches that begin with the victims but extend to the communities in which they must once again find thei r place and comfort.The stigmatization of victims of sexual violence, which often leads to their being ostracized or marginalized, requires comprehensive community-level interventions for affected girls and boys. Emphasis must be placed on fighting impunity for rape and other sexual violence through rigorous and systematic investigation and prosecution of such crimes at the national level and an increased focus on this problem by international justice mechanisms. At the national level, comprehensive initiatives to address the issue of sexual violence are required, and national ownership of such programmes is critical.Donors, the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations should accord priority to providing technical and financial support to national authorities for the preparation and implementation of national strategies to address sexual violence. A regional approach to ending the use of child soldiers The conflict in Liberia was not simply an internal armed conflict it had acquired a regional dimension involving, in particular, Cote dIvoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Arms and fighters crossed back and forth across the borders between the four countries.Peace in Liberia was and still is essential for maintaining peace in West Africa conversely, any increase in hostilities across Liberias borders could undermine efforts to maintain peace in Liberia. In order to restore peace and security to West Africa, there was to be a coordinated approach across the region, with harmonization of UN efforts, including those of UN peace-keeping operations UNMIL, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and the UN Mission in Cote dIvoire (MINUCI).Structured dialogue on cross boarder recruitment and use of children has already paved the way for dialogue on broader child protection issues and enabled child protection actors in the field to pursue other priorities such as provision of education and healthcare to ex-child soldiers. Convention on the Rights of the Chi ld fulfilling commitments Liberia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993. During the subsequent decade, however, Liberian children have been denied their most fundamental rights.On 17 May 2004 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child begins its thirty-sixth session during which it will consider Liberias initial report on the measures taken to implement its obligations under the Convention. The Committees consideration of Liberias report offers an important opportunity to highlight the plight of Liberias children and to consider ways of strengthening implementation of the rights enshrined in the Convention.Review of the report will lead to the adoption of the Committees concluding observations which usually identify positive aspects, factors impeding implementation, principal areas of concern and recommendations. The concluding observations provide an opportunity to urge the NTGL to undertake concrete measures to improve the situation of children in Liberia and, at the same time, to encourage the international community to support the NGTLs efforts to meet its commitments.The report of the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict of 10 November 2003 specifically recommends that the Committee use the occasion of country reports and reviews to promote monitoring and accountability. (18) The NTGLs responsibility to end the use of child soldiers Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) was legally obliged not to recruit and use children under the age of 18 years as combatants.An important element of post-conflict reconstruction in Liberia was the formation of a new, professional, well-trained army. The peace agreement stated explicitly that all irregular forces would be disbanded and that the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) would be reformed with a new command structure. Assistance was requested from the international community, including the UN, the African Union, th e Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the International Contact Group on Liberia.It specifically requests the US to take a lead in restructuring the armed forces. A Military Advisory Commission was established in early 2004, with the new, restructured armed forces deployed by the end of December 2005. This offered an important opportunity for concrete measures by the NTGL to ensure that no child under the age of 18 was recruited by the armed forces. Liberia is a signatory to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child but it is yet to ratify it.Liberia should ratify without delay the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict which raises the age for participation in hostilities to 18 years, and enact legislation making 18 years the minimum age for military recruitment. CONCLUSION As is known, basic survival needs take precedence over psychological during times of war but t here is an increasing concern today that the experiences of war will have damaging effects on not only the psychological but also the social skills, attitudes towards the society they live in, their elationship with others as well as their perspective on life itself will be greatly impaired. It is sad that children have to watch their role models that include parents, teachers or elders, torture and kill each other while some trade their children for food and security. This act of breaching the expected moral standards of behaviour by authoritative figures are translated by children as betrayal, which in turn are manifested in themselves, as they grow up. These manifestations can take many forms.While studies have shown that school absenteeism and juvenile crimes or attitudes favoring gambling, pre-marital sex and smoking could indicate such altered moral learning in children, acts of physical aggression, imitation of military acts and unwillingness to co-operate with peers are also indicators of developmental damage. Even when the war is over, its effects on children linger on long after the stressful event. They may experience numbing of responsiveness to or reduced involvement with the external world.This may be indicated by a marked diminished interest in activities and surroundings, feelings of detachment or estrangement from others, loss of energy or withdrawal. Such negative developments in the child would influence the childs occupational choice and his relationship with others later in life. 38 Poverty appears to be the motivating factor in most of the countries where child soldiers prevail. It is therefore important for relevant sections of the international community to also look at the flaws in the international economy.The economy disparity between the developed and the developing world must be addressed because it is under these dire economic conditions in the developing world that innocent children are recruited as soldiers. Improvement of stand ards of living is vital to overcome the menace of recruiting children as combatants Maybe there is still hope for those unfortunate children who are victims of adults irresponsibility. A mechanism for international accountability was drafted on 17 July 1998 and open for signatures a year later. However, as in other treaties of the United Nations, it can only come