Education

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Liberian Women Lead Protest Against Reported Serial Rape of Teenage Girls

Noticias

Africa/ Liberia/ 24

 

.10.2018/ Source: frontpageafricaonline.com.

Protesters, mainly women, attired in black outfit have presented petitions to international organizations calling for justice for under-aged girls that were reportedly raped by a co-founder of More Than Me charity foundation.

The petitioners are also calling on the government to revoke the license of the American charity organization, which opened in Liberia 2011 to protect girls from sexual exploitations by offering them education.

The protest dubbed #UNPROTECTED is a reaction to a recent documentary by ProPublica also titled Unprotected. The investigative report recounts the alleged raping and cover-up of over a dozen teenagers attending the MTM funded school in Monrovia.

Thursday’s protest begin early in the morning when protesters gathered in Sinkor at the Vamoma House carrying placards and chanting anti-rape slogans like: “Uncle turn to a rapist, no more uncle, do not rape, we tired with an uncle, let uncle face justice, where is Ministry of Justice, Women and Children protection section, don’t touch my butt, don’t touch my breast I am a minor.”

The first copies of the petition were presented to Ministries of Justice, Education, and Gender and later to the Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, who was attending an international women forum happening in Monrovia.

They also called on the Ministry of Gender Social Children Protection, House speaker Bhofal Chambers and the Vice President to take charge of the case in ensuring that the girls be tested for HIV/AIDS. They also want funds raised by MTM used to directly compensate the survivors.

The protesters then moved to the headquarters of the United Nations and also petitioned the UNDP and UN Women.

“We will appreciate that appropriate measures are taken by the Government of Liberia to prioritize and ensure the safety and well-being of these girls, which may or may not include their temporary relocation,” said Facia Harris, who read the petition on behalf of the protesters, comprising over 26 women and CSO groups.

“The prevalence of violence against women and girls in our society is enabled by the culture of impunity which continues to prevent women and girls from accessing justice,” added Harris.

“We, therefore, remind the Liberian government to use this as an opportunity to advance its commitment to Liberian women and girls and ensure adequate laws and mechanisms are in place to protect Liberian women and girls from these horrifying and inhumane experiences.”

Several men also joined in the protest to show solidarity for the survivors

The protesters have also slammed moves to amend the New Rape Law and call on the Legislature to expedite the passage the Domestic Violence Bill, stressing that the MTM rape scandal “highlights the critical need for improving the justice system and strengthening the legal framework to protect Liberian women and girls from violations”.

The protest comes on the second day of the SHEHERO international women forum aimed at increasing women participation and advancement in Liberia. Former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Uganda President Joyce Binda and First Lady Clar Weah are all attending along with an array of international guests.

Respond to Petition

The United Nations Development Program Pa Lamin Beyai received the petition while Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor said that President George Weah is a He for She and will address issues affecting women in the country.

At the Ministry of Justice, the Minster of codification Cllr. Nyenatee Tuan received the petition promising that his ministry will review the case file relying on recent press statement issued.

Education Minister Ansu Sonii received the ministry’s petition as he also promised to look into the petition.

Protesters were furious when Deputy Minister for Children Protection, Lydia Sherman told protesters that she has no knowledge of the case.

She was seen calling for sexual and Gender-Based violence Director Deddeh Kwekwe who was nowhere to be found.

“When this case came I was at the Ministry of Health, and later got appointed in 2014, but Ebola came I was in America.” According to her, she started work in 2015.

But MTM case was heard in 2015 when she started work and has been serving the position for three years.

Protesters described the statement by Sherman as shifting blame and failure to follow cases involving children.

“She cannot be serving as minister for children protection and up to now, she has no knowledge of the entire case. This is sheer incompetence,” said Siatta Freeman, who also expressed regret in the statement made by Minister Sherman.

Protesters: Charity should not Abuse Girls

Georgina Dahn said she joined the protest because she’s a mother of three adding that the next generation rests on their shoulders and the decision to protest determines their tomorrow.

Korte Bazzie alias Kobazzie, Liberian musician was seen with placards, he said the protest is to show to the international community that Liberia accepts charity but charity should not use their works to abuse underprivileged girls.

The petition also highlights the following concerns:

• To appoint a Trustee(s) to take More Than Me (MTM) Academy inaugural school on Ashmun Street which is at the center of these allegations. This should include relocation of the school given circumstance around ownership and the stigma associated with the current coverage.

• To re-assign all nineteen (19) public schools under the management of MTM Academy in the LEAP program.

•To demand the establishment of an Independent Trust of funds raised by MTM to cover school fees, uniforms, feeding, transportation, stipend, and or medical costs for all the students at MTM Inaugural School through their graduation from high school. A selected Liberian Woman Organisation should administer the fund with oversight from the trustee(s).

• The release of the selection process for the contracting of MTM under the “Partnership for School” Program (and now as LEAP) with the Ministry of Education in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

• To institute healthcare and psychosocial counseling for all the students under More Than Me (MTM) from its After School Program to the establishment of its inaugural school up to present, fully covered by MTM.

•An independent audit report of MTM financial activities in Liberia since 2013.

•An independent investigation to review the activities of More Than Me (MTM) in Liberia, from its After School program in 2011 to present, in order to determine the full scope and magnitude of the organization’s activities in regards to the safety, security, and welfare of these girls under their care.

• To demand that More Than Me (MTM) makes available key documentation as part of an investigation to ascertain what actions were taken by MTM and its Board to curb further exposure of these girls to danger. The documentation should include but not limited to:

• To institute an Oversight Committee to ensure the roll-out and the implementation of the Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Policy (SEA) for NGOs, INGOs and all public and private education institutions.

• The resignation of the Director of the SGBV Crimes Unit of the Ministry of Justice, Cllr. John A.A. Gabriel and Tenneh Johnson, a staff of the said unit. We no longer have the confidence and trust that they will and can continue to enact their duties in a fair, objective and committed manner.

 

Source of the notice: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberian-women-lead-protest-against-reported-serial-rape-of-teenage-girls/

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United States: Stand with our Students Rally: Hundreds march to State Capitol fighting for education

Noticias

North America/ United States/ 23.10.2018/ Source: www.thv11.com.

Hundreds of educators, parents and teachers marched to the Arkansas State Capitol Saturday, Oct. 20 for the Stand with our Students Rally, hosted by the Arkansas Educators Association.

Hundreds of educators, parents and teachers marched to the Arkansas State Capitol Saturday, Oct. 20 for the Stand with our Students Rally, hosted by the Arkansas Educators Association. Their message to voters and politicians is to make education a priority.

“We are fighting for our students and we are fighting for public education,” said Anna Beaulieu, President of the Fayetteville Education Association.

Many educators holding signs and expressing concern that their retirement could be in jeopardy.

“We must be clear. Hands off our retirement,” chanted Cathy Koehler, President of the Arkansas Education Association.

Governor Asa Hutchinson’s office in a statement Saturday morning ahead of the rally said,” Under the Governor’s plan to reorganize state government, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) will remain a constitutionally separate and independent agency.

“I trust the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System board and support its independence and the long term health and viability of our teacher retirement system,” Governor Hutchinson said. “I value the teachers of our state and am committed to supporting a strong and stable retirement for them.”

Koehler expressed support for Arkansas governor democratic candidate, Jared Henderson.

“Our single, defining most important goal must be that in 10 years, Arkansas is the best state in the United State to be a public school teacher,” said Henderson.

Governor Hutchinson’s office, defending his stance on education, included in their statement:

“Since Governor Hutchinson came into office in 2015, he has been committed to supporting teachers. Under the Governor’s leadership, the minimum teacher salary has increased by 5.57 percent, and the Governor recently announced that he will propose legislation during the 2019 session that raises the minimum salary for teachers by $1,000 a year over four years ($4,000 total) to reach $36,000, a 13 percent increase over the current minimum. If the General Assembly passes this proposal, Arkansas would then offer the highest minimum teacher salary of all the surrounding states, giving Arkansas a competitive edge.”

 

Source of the notice: https://www.thv11.com/article/news/education/stand-with-our-students-rally-hundreds-march-to-state-capitol-fighting-for-education/91-606355132

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‘In our bloodline:’ Land-based learning links curriculum with Indigenous culture

Reseñas

By: The Canadian Press.

A school day for six-year-old Hunter Sasakamoose can start with lighting a fire for breakfast and end with doing math by candlelight.

In between, the boy learns life skills such as hunting and fishing as well as first-hand science lessons about how rain soaks into the ground to help grow the plants he’s harvesting.

His education combines lessons from his ancestors on the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan with the curriculum of his peers in Regina, where he goes to school half the year.

He’s taking part in land-based learning and his mother, JoLee Sasakamoose, is his teacher.

«We have this ability to just live and have the school be a part of how we are living,» she said.

«The lessons evolved really naturally.»

Sasakamoose, an education professor at the University of Regina and research director with the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, grew up with land-based learning on the M’Chigeeng First Nation in Ontario. Those lessons have influenced her work as a professor and how she is raising her child.

Hunter was enrolled in Prairie Sky School — a Waldorf-style school with a focus on art, community and nature — but when Sasakamoose was on sabbatical from her teaching position, she wanted to bring education onto the land where her son’s relatives have always found their teachings.

It meant a unique style of home-schooling in a cabin with no electricity or running water, about 400 kilometres north of Regina.

Land-based learning has always been a part of First Nations culture. It encourages critical thought through interaction with the land, an understanding of nature and its relation to science — all the while connecting with and celebrating Indigenous culture.

In Winnipeg, three schools created a land-based education initiative for the 2016-17 school year. In Saskatchewan, the Treaty 4 Education Alliance brought in land-based education programs in 2017.

The Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning in Yellowknife has offered university credits for land-based programming since 2010.

Kate Kent, who recently organized a land-based education conference in Winnipeg, said schools and educators are incorporating such learning into curriculums since the report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools. Many of the commission’s 94 recommendations focused on education, culture and language.

«There’s so much intergenerational effects from residential school, so looking at reconciliation and moving forward, this is taking steps to try and fix what was done in the past,» Kent said.

«It’s important for our young people to learn on the land, instead of sitting in the classrooms for eight hours a day, in order to bring the cultural awareness back into our peoples.»

Sasakamoose said it was important for her son to learn outside of an institutional environment because they are descendents of residential school survivors.

«We have it in our bloodline,» she said.

«I don’t want my son to know that (type of education.) I want him to know a natural way of interacting with the environment as long as possible.»

Hunter has now returned to his Regina school, where all the other students were excited to hear about his land-based learning, which he shared on a special Facebook page he created when it began in July.

In one of his last posts from Ahtahkakoop, the young boy points to thoughtfully laid out logs, rocks and leaves. It’s part of STEAM teaching — science, technology, engineering, art and math — where he was required to build a fairy house.

«This is my fairy house,» he said with a beaming smile, pointing to different areas. «This is the sitting area with the rain log so the rain drips down and so it doesn’t hit you in the face.»

— By Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg

Source of the review: https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/canada/in-our-bloodline-land-based-learning-links-curriculum-with-indigenous-culture-252167/

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Freedom of speech concerns over drive to attract Chinese students

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Asia/ China/ 23.10.2018/ Source: www.rte.ie.

Chinese students offer a substantial financial reward for Irish universities. But some academics are concerned about what a greater dependence on revenue from China could mean for freedom of speech on campus, writesYvonne Murray

«I really miss the autumn in Beijing,» said Junhan Zhang, who is studying Irish at University College Dublin, «with the smell of roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts.»

«But Autumn in Dublin is wonderful too».

Junhan is one of the rising number of Chinese students in higher education in Ireland today.

Second only to the US in terms of students sent, China represents an important market for Ireland’s cash-strapped colleges.

It is one that a delegation of 11 universities and technical institutions, headed by the Minister of State for Training and Skills John Halligan is in Beijing to get a bigger slice of.

«The purpose of the visit is to further collaboration and cooperation with the Chinese education system» he said.

«We have 62 collaborative projects at present and we have signed four memorandums of understanding.

«We now have over 3,500 Chinese students coming to Ireland. The Chinese market is now worth €35.7 million annually.

«Our story resonates around the world – we are a small country, with a small population but a really big hitter in education,» he adds.

There were just over 1,300 study visas granted to Chinese students in 2013, rising to 2,216 last year.

Applications so far this year suggest a further 20% rise.

Many of the applicants enter via joint programmes with Chinese higher-level institutions.

John Halligan (C) with Mary Simpson Director of International Office AIT, Jack Meng, Director of Asia, Irish Ambassador Eoin O’Leary and Niall O’Donnellan Enterprise Ireland

UCD’s partnership with the Beijing University of Technology, established in 2012, sees about 40-50 Chinese students joining the science, technology and commerce departments annually, each paying fees and administration costs of between €14,000 – €16,000.

This week, Maynooth University will sign a memorandum of understanding with Fuzhou University, in the southern province of Fujian, bringing Ireland’s total number of joint partnerships with Chinese higher education institutions to five.

The Maynooth-Fuzhou joint college of engineering is expected to see 1,200 Chinese science and technology students graduate over the next four years.

Maynooth University is hoping it will lead to future research and innovation partnerships, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics.

The bite of funding cuts

Irish universities have been feeling the pinch of austerity for the past decade. Falling budgets and staff numbers have been blamed for a drop in the world rankings tables this year.

But Ireland could stand to gain from China’s current trade and political tensions with traditional study destinations such as the US and Australia.

«There are signs that Chinese students are becoming increasingly nervous about studying in the US, largely as a result of tightened immigration restrictions,» said Ellie Bothwell, the global rankings editor at Times Higher Education.

«Recent data also show that the number of Chinese people applying for Australian higher education visas has stalled.

«It has been suggested that visa problems and geopolitical tensions have played a factor in dampening interest.

«All this means that countries such as the UK and Ireland could see more university applications and enrolments from Chinese students in the near future,» she said.

The delegation this week is also keen to convey the message to China’s students that Ireland remains firmly within the EU, while its closest neighbour prepares to leave.

Academic freedom

But while an uptick in numbers could mean a substantial increase in fees – non-EU students pay three to four times as much in tuition as their European counterparts – some professors sound a note of caution.

«One concern about greater reliance on the Chinese market for fees is that it could prompt universities and their governing structures to be more accommodating should the Chinese authorities interfere in some way to curtail academic freedom,» said Alexander Dukalskis, assistant professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at UCD.

«We see some academic publishers that make money in the Chinese market, for example, adhere to the government’s censorship demands,» he said.

«It would be a problem if Irish universities perceived that they had to curtail academic freedom or engage in self-censorship to protect access to the Chinese student market.

«We ought to be very careful to never demonise Chinese students,» he added, «because we may not like some policies of the Chinese Communist Party.»

Restrictions on campus activities have tightened significantly in China in recent years, in line with a wider crackdown on civil society. In 2013, a document, reportedly aimed at «dangerous Western values» – which became known as the «Seven Speak Nots» – was posted online by a professor of law at a Shanghai university.

It revealed a government ban on teaching topics such as freedom of the press, human rights, judicial independence and past mistakes of the communist party. The professor, Zhang Xuezhong, was promptly dismissed from his teaching post.

Critics have accused China of attempting to also stifle debate abroad, via their Confucius Institutes – government-funded and controlled language and culture centres based on university campuses. As a result, several universities in Europe and North America have severed ties with the centres.

«The Chinese Communist Party views Confucius Institutes as a means to improve China’s image abroad,» said Prof Dukalskis.

«They are a very intentional and integral part of Beijing’s effort to cultivate a more amenable international environment for the CCP’s policies.

«Given that the Party, which ultimately controls Confucius Institutes, does not respect free academic inquiry domestically there ought to be major concerns about protecting academic freedom on campuses that host the institutes.

«For example, issues like repression in Xinjiang or Tibet, the policies and personal wealth of Xi Jinping, or the jailing of government critics are basically off-limits for academic inquiry in China and so universities abroad should be alert to the possibility that the Chinese Communist Party would seek to externalise censorship on these and similar issues,» he said.

«I am not aware of any such efforts in Ireland yet,» he added, «but there are troubling examples elsewhere that should stimulate awareness here»‘

The building of UCD’s Confucius Institute’s new premises has been stalled over a construction funding dispute.

On Friday in Beijing, Minister Halligan met with representatives of Hanban, the Confucius Institute’s governing body.

«We discussed it. We didn’t go into it in great detail,» he said, «we are engaged in further cooperation and collaboration over the next couple of weeks and months with them.»

When asked about what safeguards Irish universities have in place to protect academic freedom, he said: «We trust our universities and institutes of technology.

«I have ultimate faith, they do the right thing for their universities and for their country on that issue.»

Student life a long way from home

Fang Zhang has a PhD from Beijing Foreign Studies University and is studying Irish at UCD, on a Chinese government-sponsored scholarship.

«I understand it’s easy to have collisions in mutual understanding when it relates to politics,» he wrote in an email exchange, «but I feel myself as a patriot and I do not believe it is fair to criticise everything we are doing in China.»

«It is more complicated than Westerners believe,» he added. «It is easy to criticise the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government, but without it, China would never grow as a strong country.»

A long way from China, Fang sometimes gets homesick, «mostly because of the food,» he said.

It is a sentiment echoed by Junhan.

«I have problems adjusting to the cuisine,» she said, «it is too oily and sweet.»

Despite the culinary challenges, both students feel welcome in Ireland. «You scarcely see cold faces like in some other countries,» explains Fang.

They will spend two years at UCD before returning home to teach Irish in Beijing.

«For the second year here, I would love to live with an Irish family, » said Junhan. «It is better if they have pets, have interests towards China and Chinese culture.»

«And accept Chinese cooking,» she adds.

Source of the notice: https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2018/1021/1005637-china-students-ireland/

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Paris draws inspiration from Yerevan to give teenagers digital education

Reseñas

By: Clément Nicolas.

With the support of European funding, Paris has started a school for digital creation called ‘Tumo’. This concept, which comes from Armenia, allows young people aged between 12 and 18 to learn about digital creation in an autonomous manner. EURACTIV France reports.

On the illuminated wall at the Forum des Images at Les Halles in Paris, moving human forms create a surreal atmosphere. Inside the building, for two hours a week, young Parisians are able to come and practice programming and digital drawing after school.

While the facility is designed to accommodate up to 4,000 apprentices in total, it has already brought together 800 young people.

In a large ‘classroom’, which resembles a boudoir with its comfortable sofas and its dimmed lamps, the pupils are absorbed by their tablets. They are attending a self-study course where everyone works at their own pace on different subjects including video, cinema, music, drawing and animation, among others.

A school where there are no marks

On 16-year-old Maxime Osty’s screen, logos are scrolling by. He is trying to learn how to reproduce them using the tutorial provided. “I came here because I wanted to discover how programming works, to confirm whether I like it or not,” he explained.

Next to him, 12-year-old Tidiane Ménega is passionate about music. “Here I can learn about electronic music, I’m working on beatboxing and I have even started a Youtube channel! And when you don’t know how to do something, you can ask the others or the coordinators”.

David Martinez is one of these, although he prefers to describe himself as a “coach”. “We’re here in support, we encourage them to keep going. In the course of the programme they can specialise in eight different areas. So far, we have noticed that what people like the most are the video game and cinema specialities,” he said.

His relationship with the children is much more straightforward because all marks are banned. There are no plans to award any qualifications, priority is instead given to the development of the children, who are asked to regularly attend and also to review their projects to improve them.

€1 million for innovation

“Tumo was chosen as the world’s most innovative school three years ago. The school’s about stumbling and valuing failure. It’s wonderful to see the joy on the kids’ faces who come here,” said Claude Farge, General Director of the Forum des Images, at the opening on 16 October.

He was accompanied by Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, and Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. The funds used to finance the facility came from the European Union.

The city of Paris was awarded a €1 million cheque in November 2017 for winning the European capital of innovation competition. This prize recognises a city’s commitment to the local development of innovations to the benefit of business and citizens.

With “Station F”, the world’s biggest start-up campus, and 5% of its budget reserved for citizens’ projects, the French capital had a number of arguments that it could present.

“I told Anne Hidalgo: so, what are you going to do with this money? She replied that she had seen something special in Yerevan, and it was amazing because I knew it too!” remembered Moedas.

The Parisian councillor visited the Armenian project in 2016. In Tumo, she sees “a school which will mark the lives of those who go there. Few initiatives are really reserved for teenagers, this was the opportunity to change that.”

Out of the 4,000 places available, 35% are reserved for children who live in priority areas, which is a sign of the social dimension that this initiative wants to take. It will also offer periodical placements with professional in the digital sector during the school holidays.

Source of the review: https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital-skills/news/paris-draws-inspiration-from-yerevan-to-give-teenagers-digital-education/

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To LGBTQ, or not to LGBTQ, that is Taiwan’s question

Chris Taylor

By: Chris Taylor.

The region’s bright beacon of democracy ponders whether the right to a voice in public affairs can be too much of a good thing amid a row over same-sex marriage

With the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the passage of a law on marriage equality seemed a done deal, and the streets of Taipei briefly thronged with euphoric gay-pride marches.

The liberal world order, or what is left of it, applauded the island for the democratic evolution of its civil rights.

Today, many Taiwanese wonder aloud whether what they are dealing with is democracy run amok. True, those who dream or campaign for the vise-like control of Beijing via unification have been relegated to the loony fringe. But it is not unusual to hear Taiwanese mutter that democracy at rudderless full steam ahead can be too much of a good thing.

In 2017, the Council of Grand Justices ruled that same-sex marriage should be legalized by the legislature within two years. But there the ruling languished as opposition by Christian groups and other religious associations rallied to rouse anti-gay sentiment island-wide.

Actually, the ruling by Taiwan’s Grand Justices stipulated that if the legislature did not act within two years, marriage equality would automatically pass into law. This has allowed Tsai to continue to tout Taiwan as the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalize gay marriage despite her milquetoast public support for the law.

At this point, in the first of a series of yet more bewildering twists and turns, enter an amended Referendum Act and an Election Committee that appears incapable of saying no to any referendum proposition that comes its way.

Magic bullet

For many activists in Taiwan – largely those from the broadly pro-independence, so-called pan-Green camp – lowering the signature threshold required by the Referendum Act has long been seen as a magic bullet required for achieving positive democratic change.

In December 2017, their long-cherished dream became a reality and the act was amended. It lowered the required number of signatures to prompt a national plebiscite to 1.5% of the electorate, or around 280,000.

Tsai hailed the amendment as a historic moment in the evolution of democracy in Taiwan. They are words she may already have come to rue.

Anti-gay activists set about gathering signatures, prompting supporters of marriage equality to do the same. The newly lowered threshold to trigger plebiscites meant that both were successful.

The result is that on November 24, when Taiwanese are scheduled to troop to the polls to cast their votes for 22 local authorities, they will also be faced with the challenge of declaring their support or opposition for marriage equality in five separate referenda.

Four of them are phrased in language so similar as to render them almost identical, meaning that voters will be casting their ballots on the same question twice.

The conservative anti-gay Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance has innovatively added a referendum on whether homosexuality should be mentioned in sex-education classes. Namely: “Do you agree that the Ministry of Education and individual schools should not teach homosexual-related education, as detailed under the Enforcement Rules for the Gender Equity Education Act, in elementary and middle-level schools?”

Sam Yeh

With the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the passage of a law on marriage equality seemed a done deal, and the streets of Taipei briefly thronged with euphoric gay-pride marches.

The liberal world order, or what is left of it, applauded the island for the democratic evolution of its civil rights.

Today, many Taiwanese wonder aloud whether what they are dealing with is democracy run amok. True, those who dream or campaign for the vise-like control of Beijing via unification have been relegated to the loony fringe. But it is not unusual to hear Taiwanese mutter that democracy at rudderless full steam ahead can be too much of a good thing.

The reasons are complex. The results are simply a mess.

In 2017, the Council of Grand Justices ruled that same-sex marriage should be legalized by the legislature within two years. But there the ruling languished as opposition by Christian groups and other religious associations rallied to rouse anti-gay sentiment island-wide.

Actually, the ruling by Taiwan’s Grand Justices stipulated that if the legislature did not act within two years, marriage equality would automatically pass into law. This has allowed Tsai to continue to tout Taiwan as the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalize gay marriage despite her milquetoast public support for the law.

At this point, in the first of a series of yet more bewildering twists and turns, enter an amended Referendum Act and an Election Committee that appears incapable of saying no to any referendum proposition that comes its way.

Magic bullet

For many activists in Taiwan – largely those from the broadly pro-independence, so-called pan-Green camp – lowering the signature threshold required by the Referendum Act has long been seen as a magic bullet required for achieving positive democratic change.

In December 2017, their long-cherished dream became a reality and the act was amended. It lowered the required number of signatures to prompt a national plebiscite to 1.5% of the electorate, or around 280,000.

Tsai hailed the amendment as a historic moment in the evolution of democracy in Taiwan. They are words she may already have come to rue.

Anti-gay activists set about gathering signatures, prompting supporters of marriage equality to do the same. The newly lowered threshold to trigger plebiscites meant that both were successful.

The result is that on November 24, when Taiwanese are scheduled to troop to the polls to cast their votes for 22 local authorities, they will also be faced with the challenge of declaring their support or opposition for marriage equality in five separate referenda.

Four of them are phrased in language so similar as to render them almost identical, meaning that voters will be casting their ballots on the same question twice.

The conservative anti-gay Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance has innovatively added a referendum on whether homosexuality should be mentioned in sex-education classes. Namely: “Do you agree that the Ministry of Education and individual schools should not teach homosexual-related education, as detailed under the Enforcement Rules for the Gender Equity Education Act, in elementary and middle-level schools?”

If this were not enough to provoke pre-voting election fatigue, the Taiwanese public has the option to vote for or against changing the name Chinese-Taipei to Taiwan for international sporting events.

Big day

The remaining three referenda – bringing the total to nine – scheduled for the big day hinge on opposition to the construction of a coal mine in the north of the island, opposition to imports of food from parts of Japan affected by the Fukushima disaster, and opposition to changes in air-pollution regulations.

But to return to the question of whether Taiwan will indeed embrace marriage equality, it is complicated.

One local online publication notes that the competing referenda for and against gay marriage could “hypothetically lead to contradictory results.” But pro-gay-rights activists in Taiwan worry less about

“contradictory results” than they do defeat.

As one Taiwan commentator put it:

“Indications are that the pro-marriage equality camp is outgunned by anti-marriage equality groups … as the anti-gay marriage equality referendum was able to gain signatures more quickly than its pro-gay marriage counterpart.”

Amid so much uncertainty and so many questions – literally – the only certain outcome is an added layer of divisiveness to Taiwan society, which has long been split on issues of ethnicity and the island’s sovereignty.

The other almost certain outcome is public frustration and perhaps even disgust with the elected officials that have let such a chain of events come to pass.

According to Victoria Hsu, the executive director of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, President Tsai stands to suffer the most, having risen to power with the support of younger, progressive elements in Taiwan society.

“I think she obviously lacks [the] strong political will to keep her promise of marriage equality,” Hsu said.

Source of the article: http://www.atimes.com/article/to-lgbtq-or-not-to-lgbtq-that-is-taiwans-question/

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United Kindow: Art therapists lead new set of school activities

Reseñas

By Connor King Devitt

M’Kyiah Turnbull took a brush doused in bright pink paint to a wall lining part of Cane Garden Bay’s beach.

Though her favourite colour is blue, she chose pink because she wanted the wall to have a rainbow effect. The colourful paintings, the 9-year-old explained, would make life better for Cane Garden Bay.

“I love art,” she said. “Art is my favourite subject.”

M’Kyiah was among a handful of children who attended a two-part community art event in CGB on Sept. 23 which involved painting both the beach wall — which lines one side of the area’s cemetery — and a separate wall by the CGB Baptist Church.

A cohort of international artists, visiting the territory to facilitate art therapy sessions for the territory’s students, had organised the event to supplant their main efforts in the schools.

Therapy

Down the wall from M’Kyiah that afternoon, Ed Kuczaj helped some other children refill their paint cups.

“I see we’ve got sharks there,” he said, laughing as he pointed to the paintings on one section of the wall.

Mr. Kuczaj is a former art therapy course leader at CIT Crawford College in Cork, Ireland who helped organise the sessions. He also brought some of the college’s postgraduate art students, as well as various other professionals from the United Kingdom, to the territory to lead therapy workshops in the schools in December and February, all in an effort to help children in the Virgin Islands cope with the difficult psychological aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

This time around, his group visited various primary schools throughout September as the students began their new academic year. The positive development they saw between the first two visits and this one was substantial, he noted.

“What you’ll see is more individual needs rather than the group expressing some kind of concern about what happened,” Mr. Kuczaj explained. “There’s just individual issues coming up for kids.”

Those individual difficulties are still often traceable to the turbulence Irma caused in many of their lives, he added.
“A lot of the kids are dealing with broken friendships, because kids went off the island either before the hurricane or after the hurricane and they’re reestablishing their relationships now that school’s back, and I think that’s thrown up a whole set of issues for some of the kids,” the organiser said. “Time will work that out.”

Programme details

In September, the art therapy team visited Cedar International School, Joyce Samuel Primary School, Ebenezer Thomas Primary School, Jost Van Dyke Primary School, Century House Montessori School, Leonora Delville Primary School, Anegada Primary School, and Bregado Flax Educational Centre.

The psychosocial support sessions held during all three visits were set up by Mr. Kuczaj’s son Ronan, the director of financial services firm SHRM’s VI office. Ronan Kuczaj’s company — with the help of various Virgin Islands residents and organisations — funded the activities.

The programme also operated in conjunction with Dr. Michael Turnbull’s Wellness Center Behavioral Health Clinic, which works with the Ministry of Education and Culture to provide psychological support to schoolchildren in the VI.

Source of the review: http://bvibeacon.com/uk-art-therapists-lead-new-set-of-school-activities/

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