END ECONOMIC VIOLENCE

Good morning! It's amazing to have to back on this platform we hope you had a lovely week?

Today we would put the education series which ends phenomenally next week on hold in order to join well meaning persons all over the world to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The topic is very sensitive as, in as much as we want to ensure that no one is left behind in our bid to achieve a sustainable world before or by the year 2030, we must ensure that we do not by our zeal, exclude some set of persons and make devils out of a class of persons, men. The conventional thought as regards violence in women draws a default picture in the mind: men, husbands, male
employers and any or everything that epitomizes a man. It is possible for women to do violence to women and men alike.

This post seeks to draw our attention to an area we have barely paid attention to which I believe is one of the bedrocks for the continued violence against women; Economic Violence.

The important questions to this extent are, what's is violence and what constitutes economic violence?

According to thefreedictionary.com, to do violence to a thing means to inflict harm upon. Putting this definition in context, economic violence involves inflicting harm on the production, distribution and the use of income, wealth and commodities. It is safe to submit that any act that does harm on the production, distribution and the use of income, wealth and commodities of women constitutes economic violence against women which is a bane of international development and global peace thereby creating an enabling environment for retarded progress in terms of sustainable development.

Corporations and individuals consciously or unconsciously inflict economic harm on women through their actions. Examples  include, unpaid maternity leave, policies against marriage and pregnancy in the work place, child marriage which affects her schooling and ultimately her capacity to compete favorably for the scarce economic resources thereby leaving her at the mercy of the man that has married her, restrictions on promotion in the work place that reduce the chances of women, gender
unfriendly working environment such as time, sexual harassment and assault, poor health facilities in the work place and many more that you can imagine.

Bad governance is yet another issue that fosters economic violence, the failure of the government to ensure inclusiveness in its policies, the non involvement of the government in the control of policies in the work place that inflict economic harm on women, and the attendant effects of poor governance that make women prone to other forms of violence are ways in which the government has by omission, fostered economic violence against women.

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon highlighted the fact that, when women cannot work as a result of violence, their employment could be put at risk, jeopardising much-needed income, autonomy and their ability to leave abusive relationships. He added that the violence also results in lost productivity for businesses, and drains resources from social services, the justice system and health-care agencies. The net result “is enormous suffering as well as the exclusion of women from playing their full and rightful roles in society,”

The above statement, does justice to the issue raised in this post. This is a call on everyone to ensure that before 2030,economic violence against women is completely eradicated.

Thank you for taking your time to view and share this post. Should you have any questions, comments or contributions, please do not hesitate to use the comment box.
THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION

Access to Quality Education.

Last week we discussed the imperative of education and its importance in ensuring that we are liberated from mental, physical or emotional shackles. This week we would discuss Access to Education.

103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills, more than 60% of whom are women. The UN introduced the 4th goal on quality education by highlighting the fact that access to education can help lift people out of poverty, bring them to an understanding of the world around us and provide better opportunities for everyone.

It's one thing to understand  the importance of education,  to have institutions of learning in every area and corner across the globe yet it's another to have access to education. What then would have to be in place before we can say that every one around the world has access to quality education both young and old?

It is possible to be enrolled in a school and yet lack access to quality education thereby leaving the individual in no place better than he/she was before coming in contact with the institution of learning, a classic example is the situation in Guyana, where UNICEF in a discussion  in 2012, highlighted the fact that 33% of children who had completed sixth grade did not acquire basic literacy skills.
The fourth sustainable development goal enjoins us to ensure that by 2030, men and women have equal access to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education including university.
Access to quality education would mean first the availability of avenues of learning and the complete removal of any form of barrier or limitations that impede people from gaining access to quality education.

These factors could be lack of electricity, environmental factors such as climate change, inequality, poverty, hunger ,  issues on fundamental human rights and cultural practices amongst others.

The list is inexhaustible. The twist to this which is the focal point of this post is that many of us through our actions foster the lack of access to education, either directly or indirectly most especially in our use of the environment. For example, lack of sanitation and good water is an impediment to access to education as students living in unsanitary environments are prone to illnesses incidental to living in a dirty environment, the ultimate effect of which may affect their attendance in school.
We can not begin to discuss all the factors that impede access to education, what we must do is to think about what we do, how our actions impede access to education and what could be done going forward.


We are advised to think of our actions in terms of our use of the environment and whether such actions can potentially impede access to quality education in any way.



We should look out for means by which we could bring education to door steps. This could be by volunteering in a school that is short of teachers, taking education as a career path if you find out that you have a passion for it(not focusing on the immediate financial gain as there is so much money to be made from the education sector on the long run), frowning at illiteracy through sponsorship, you can find out what the average cost of education is in your local community and send a child or adult who is not educated to school or back to school as the case may be. Help provide scholarship schemes for students who are financially challenged. This could be by talking to relatives, friends, persons or organizations who have the capacity to contribute to the scheme no matter how little. You may also contribute by providing learning materials such as textbooks, writing materials, notebooks, school bags, meals and transportation to school amongst others.
Live for access to quality  education! Ensure that you contribute actively to the removal of every barrier to quality education that is existing in your immediate environment.
Be globally conscious. Research, surf the Internet and make good use of social media to find out barriers to access to quality education and join global campaigns and actions aimed at the eradication of such barriers.


Lastly, share this post and contribute through your comments on this post as a sign of acceptance of the challenge to ensure access to quality education.
Equal access  to education for all persons will ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to come in contact with the liberation that quality education affords the ultimate goal of which is progress in the achievement of the sustainable development goals and a sustainable world!
Thank you for taking time to read this post, should you have any comments, questions or contributions do not hesitate to use the comment box.

THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Educate to Liberate

The next few weeks would see a series on education, the need for it and it's imperative in the world we envision.
Our first is on the power of education to liberate. Imagine you walk into a dark room, with no direction, information or guidance but are required to make your way out through the exit on the other side? How easy do you imagine that would be? Extremely uneasy huh?. Such a situation leaves you captive and at the mercy of whatever uncertainties lie within such a room. This is the fate of a person who is uneducated in the 21st century and the sustainable world we seek to build.

A cogent starting point is to note that the global cry for education is not limited to the children but is inclusive of the child, the youth , the old and the aged. According to Dictionary.com, Education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgement, and generally  of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. This definition captures succinctly, the main purposes of proper education, all of which highlight mental freedom.





There has been a misguided conception about the end of education. Many are made to believe that its ultimate end is to get a good job and make money afterwards. To this extent, many shun the concept of education because money has to be made to meet present needs and as such, the process of education seems too long or seems unprofitable on the long run, given the unemployment rate in their immediate environment. Some even go ahead to acquire education but complete the process uneducated because they are misguided as to the sole aim of education. Education in its real intent and purposes go beyond these, as the most important end of education is liberation. Every form of education should be seen as a way out of mental bondage and nothing short of this. A person that is bound mentally is the bane of sustainable development and as such, the power of education to inform, enlighten and transform must not be underestimated.


Quality education in the 21st century is one that seeks to empower everyone that comes in contact with it with the prerequisites for freedom, not merely freedom from physical bondage but freedom from whatever holds a person captive, mentally, emotionally or physically . It must set its recipient free from any form of ignorance. Ignorance in the 21st century is lack of knowledge on issues that directly or indirectly affect our lives.

Education was absent in the era of slave trade because the slave masters were aware of the power and capacity education wields to liberate a person. The liberation of the mind is the most effective form of liberation a person must come in contact with, this type of liberation is imperative for anyone to thrive in their various endeavours. The emancipation of minds through education would ensure a peaceful world as education provides people with the mental power to take informed decisions in every area of life hence reducing the erosion of peace through inability to take well informed and sustainable decisions. 

EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL FOR THE ACQUISITION OF FREEDOM.

It is important to share and acquire knowledge on issues that affect or may affect people around the globe. Do not hesitate to share knowledge if you come to the knowledge of any form of ignorance in a field you are well educated in. Every individual must seek to acquire information on issues not limited to their scope, field or environment. Formal education which is the starting point must be acquired by every individual, however, an individuals educational journey must not be limited to the classroom education. Seek knowledge in every area that affects your life, you need not be a professional, however, knowing a bit of everything will not hurt. be intentional about acquiring education as good things come to only those who pursue it. We also have a duty to ensure that everyone that comes in contact with us is educated in one way or the other through us, be a perpetual volunteer teacher.

Education for sustainable development is not limited to formal but also includes informal education to develop a holistic person.Education should not be limited to grades and award of degrees but to the extent of knowledge an individual wields on a holistic level.
The educated persons are the only set of people that have the opportunity to thrive in the face of globalisation and global development generally, to this extent, education must be given top priority on every level; formal or informal. The consequences of the absence of education in the life of a person are grave. Poor education is a threat to global sustenance, against this backdrop, education must be given top priority if the global goals are to be achieved.


Should you have any questions, comments or contributions, please do not hesitate to use the comment   box, we appreciate feedback. Thank you for taking your time to viewed share this post.


THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

ARMS OUT:VOICE IN

ARMS OUT; VOICE IN

According to a report by the UN, more than 740,000 people die from armed violence and 490,000 of those occur outside traditional war zones. I bet you are as shocked as I am. The continued proliferation of arms in our world today is a threat to life, it fosters insecurity and increases poverty and hunger rates. The need for peace within and outside traditional war zones is borne out of the fact that the effects of armed conflicts and insecurity are not limited to present times but linger on for years after, leaving families torn and plunging nations into panic and confusion. The proliferation of arms plagues and threatens the future as children are now involved in arms use.

Many may feel unconcerned or like there is nothing they can do even if they cared. In fact, I remember the first time I heard about arms or heard " nuclear weapons " I thought of it as something I could never be bothered about. It sounded so big, I thought only those involved in the trade and use of it could do something about it until I realized that it's expanding its frontiers outside its contemplated use; then I felt the need to get myself involved. Seeing a child in control of arms killed me for a minute.

There are many of us out there who are just like me that care less about the flow of arms worldwide or lack knowledge about it at all. It's important that we all add our voices to the ongoing global campaign on disarmament (the withdrawal or reduction of military forces or weapons).
Innocent lives are lost in armed conflict, livelihoods are crushed and crime rates are on the increase. It a must that the proliferation of arms and acquisition of nuclear weapon must be reduced or stopped completely. It's unsafe for the world if status quo is maintained as these weapons have found their way to the streets, our lives and future if care is not taken.

Many countries that acquire nuclear weapons and arms today do so in preparation for an unknown fear which is extremely dangerous as even the rumor of a threat can cause weapons on "high alert " to go off causing utter destruction within minutes. A world power's arsenal has the capacity to destroy 195 of the world's capital cities ! Just one world power let's not even begin to think of the other world powers and what crazy weapons they have in their arsenal.
There are 23,000 nuclear weapons in the world as we speak, having the capacity to destroy the entire population of the world times over.


You may begin to ask yourself "ok, now that I know this what can I do?" The answer is simple. You can speak against this terror in order to put an end to it as many world leaders keep their citizens in ignorance on matters pertaining to arms and nuclear weapons. To this extent, we have started a petition asking the UN to reinforce the global campaign on disarmament, the first step to saving the world in the face of deadly arms is to speak through your petition. Sign the petition here at
https://www.change.org/p/ban-ki-moon-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations-add-your-voice-to-the-global-disarmament-campaign recruiter=620775254&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
https://www.change.org/p/ban-ki-moon-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations-add-your-voice-to-the-global-disarmament-campaign?recruiter=620775254&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
Should you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to use the comment box!
We appreciate you for taking time to read and share! Spread the word; Arms out; Voice In!