Human Rights means equality

Access For All

"The ideal of equal opportunity holds no water unless it truly 

includes all people, including people with disabilities."

K. Martinez

World Blog Action Day is now only five days away.

Those who follow my blog will know the theme this year is 

is Human Rights 

As a advocate for people living with disability in Australia, I can tell you first hand that the rights of people with disability in Australia are often abuse. The likely hood of abuse increase for those living in residential facilities and group homes. Currently there are over 6,000 people with disability under the age of 40 in nursing homes. These facilitates and the programs are designed for those in their late 70's, 80's and 90's.

Younger people under 40 rarely have the opportunity to access the community and there only interaction is with people twice their age.  The incidence of likely emotional, finical, physical and sexual abuse increases if you are female and further escalate in you are of indigenous or Torrist  Straight decent.  , 

It is a shock to head that there is such a high incidence of people living within Australia who are denied so much access to basic humane rights and recently the Australian Government received a negative report card from the UN Commission on Human Rights.  Many human rights areas are not covered specifically for people living with disabilities under Australian Legislation. 

Please join me to learn more on October 16, 2013.  

Debbie    

Breaking the Chains of Violence

Flashmob San Diego 

One in three women will fall victim to violence during their lifetime, simply because they were born female. On the 14th February 2013 we aim to see 1 Billion Rising to dance and march for and end against freedom.  In the streets of London, in the streets of Beijing, in the streets Delhi, in the streets of Hong Kong, in the streets of Tokyo and the Streets of Brisbane we want to see people marching and dancing to proclaim freedom from violence against women and young girls. 

And we're inviting you to join an uprising near you. If you can't physically take part in an uprising then you can be part of the uprising on Facebook, Twitter, Thunder Clap, or here on blogger.  Even Our Prime Minster of Australia has chosen to support the 1 Billion Rising message.  Because violence against women is a issue the concern us all.

So put those dancing shoes on and crank up the volume of the music and join the global uprising. Visit V-day website to registered you voice of support.  

Let's Dance and Shout!

1 in 3 women will experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. Violence against women in western countries often goes run reported.  In the majority of cases it occurs in the home, behind close doors. These women are often verbally and emotionally abused leaving their self-esteem shattered. As I result they feel trapped in a violence relationship.

How even in the third world women and particular young girls are twice as more likely to experience rape. In war worn Africa, the men are killed and the women left behind alone after being burteal raped and beaten.

On 14th February, we want to see 1 BILLION people dancing in the street to demand and end to violence against women. The is NO EXCUSE violence. Not because of want we ware, or what time of day it is, because someone does like the food we cook, or we did wait up until the pub closed, or a elderly man has dementure and certainly not because anyone guy looked at us the wrong way, or a solider at war has needs.

   

None of these these are justification for violence and yet some where right now people are using these as justification for assault, rape, and even murder!  These crimes are not about the acts of women, rather the are about the power a man 'feels' he has over a woman or 'ownership'.  On FEB 14 was need to shout VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NEEDS TO STOP! And we need to stop giving these me refuse from their crimes.    

Please join me in the dance for freedom in your neighborhood and join me on Thunderclap and share my message on social media (like Blogger, Twitter and Facebook) or why not create a Thunderclap of your own.  

So Let's get talking!

Debbie

,

You Decide

Al Jazeera's Response

KONY 2012 

"She make's some interesting points, 

Of course someone should ask what

the people of Urunga want!"

THANK YOU Al Jaeera for 

Speaking Up!

Where is Kony?

A suggested alternative to KONY 2012 LOGO

I admit the are several inconsistencies with the fine KONY 2012 Campaign. I like millions around the world watched the utube clip and was appealed that I too was caught up in the cry for justice and only now stopping to ask questions .

As I begin to read both sides of the argument and sort the fact from fiction, there is one thing everyone agrees with and that is Joseph Kony has gotten away with numinous crimes against humanity for over 2 decades, with little or no media attention. The best thing about thing about the KONY 2012 movement is the world is engaged in conversation.  But is this movement directing its funds and energies the right way in the right places? I do not pretend to know. 

While other friends and colleagues are removing blog posts. I am choosing to leave mine up.  I would hope my readers are intelligent enough to read both sides of the argument and decide for themselves if that is fence sitting, then for now I am sitting on the fence.  As I said in my previous post there are inaconsinaries in both arguments.      

One thing I think we all agree on is the film clip put together by the Invisible Children Organization was a over simplization of a complex issue.  As I pervious explain,  while explaining the who Joseph Kony is to his 4 year old son, the concept of this simply being a case of good vs evil is wrong.  What happens if we can never find Kony?  How will this ever be explained?

The face that's got everyone talking

Although thousands of innocent children have suffered because on Kony this is not child's play. Personally unlike Bin Lidan few years in hiding Kony has evaded capture for decades and I don't think anyone can say for 100% sure which country Kony is present in and if  he's there today he will still be there in a month time.  

I believe the film was correct in its reporting the Joseph Kony is skilled at jungle warfare. I bet here not silly enough to hid out in a compound laughing at us and the small band of the US army because we can't find him.  This is a highly intelligent trained solider with 30 years experience, I don't think you can begin to compare him with a radical lead like Bin Larden, nor the highly structured dictatorship of Hitler and Husiam. 

No one knows Kony's where abouts!

Where is Kony? That is anyone's guess. To promise his capture is wrong. Was I too quick to jump on the band wagon of the KONY 2012 movement? Yes? Do I regret purchasing my supporters kit? NO!  If I have  support an organization that is not doing the right thing but it donners  then that is their ethical problem. (They have since put a full finical statement on the website as the reply to the critrism )  The great problem I see in the world is inaction to do something is far better to do nothing at all.  If we worry if we've got the balance right our fear would cripple any attempt to bring about change.  

World Wide Out Cry

STOP KONY 2012

The campaign to find Joseph Knoy is one of fasters growing campaigns we having ever scene. Since its launch a few days ago, millions of social network users have pledge their support for the KONY 2012 campaign, including myself.  However, were we suck into this cause with too little information?

If nothing else the events of the last 24 hours reveals the true potential of social media sites to influences and mobilized millions of people around the world very quickly.  I think marketers are only just realizing what a powerful tool the web of social network sites are. There are not many websites left that don’t access social media tools.

Despite my natural scepticism urspion and some conflicting posts on my facebook wall I jumped on the band wagon after watching the carefully produced utub clip.  I was capture by the produces focus on two young boys.  But was he like Knoy exploiting these children to achieve his groups own political agenda.

From an analytical  view that answer is undeniable yes. The man used a child about the age of there or four to answer questions we as adults struggle to answer each day through about the video. If children in the video drew the conclusion that this evil man must be stopped then like everyone else my heart strings were pulled no wonder this thing multiplied so quickly.

A wise person once told me there is ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in everything.  We should remember that no where more true than in the media.  Every news story has some element of  truth in it.  The real issue or debate is how much truth is being report by who and why?

So rest assured regardless of what you have read and herd of Joseph Kony and the organization behind this clever utube and social media campaign, each story and report on reports the facts they want you to know.  They give you only the facts the need to support their side of the story.  I cringe when I think how I failed my own principles of research after watching the clip last night.

I do think after my more in-depth research today my conclusion and reaction would have been the same.  In reading the responsible to criticism of invisible children website points of their campaign has three phases and argues each phase has been allocate roughly the same budget. They have gone to great pains to present their budget and finances for 2011 after being criticised for only spending 30% of money raised on the actuarial search for Kony.

If we criticise this organization for over simplify the message, then we need to be aware those on the other side of argument are guilty as well. It is logical if the charity has a three stage plan they have only allocated 30% present of the budget.  In there reporting we are somewhat mislead to where  the other 70% that was raised was spent.  

Just to add this group has taken 8 years to get there message out.  Putting Kony's name on people lips through public awareness is only  one activity. They have also worked with the people of Uganda rebuilt schools; set up rehabilitation centres, provide scholarships and set up radio transition system to warn people that the army approaching the village.  It wasn’t spelt out so we concluded it was admin costs.  Critics want us to stop supporting this cause, so the didn’t give us the whole picture.

Just as the documentary took careful steps to show Joseph Kony was the top of the International Crimes Court list, I like many drew the conclusion that is was because of the nature and the scale of his crimes, not that it had to do with being on the wanted list for the longest. What ever side of the fence you sit you can’t deny this man as escape justice for the last 25 years

.

Whether there film was correct or not this group has achieved its first objective to make known Kony’s name and his terrorization of most of Northern Africa for decades. As to whether the next phases are correct, I do not know.  I am not a humanitarian and I have never visited Africa.

I do know I want Kony stopped and my involvement in the campaign is the best way to make than known.  I just hope in the future I do my homework better before jumping on the band wagon.