Posts Tagged ‘Khalil Dagher’
Growing up. How do you grow out again?
Khalil Dagher, regional intern at the World Youth Alliance Middle East, posted this Nov. 8, 2013.
In my some 21 years of existence, I have come to realize one thing, change is inevitable, and no matter how one tries to avoid it, change will always be around the corner.
I am one of many who have grown accustomed to the daily routine of waking up, getting dressed going to university and coming back home, waiting until the weekend comes along to have a bit of fun.
Recently those weekends have turned into a bland form of amusement rather than a break from all the clutter of my daily life.
Dinners and lunches with friends have lost their taste; clubbing and parties have turned into large crowded rooms pumping with music and have lost their color; movie nights at friends houses have become dry and resemble an antique store whose once magnificent pieces of art are now on display and lackluster.
All along the way I forgot to ask the fundamental question…why?
It’s not like anyone is to blame here, it’s not like me, my friends or my family have done anything wrong. It just seems as though every day that passes brings me closer to that one dreaded idea, bringing with it the tasteless, black and white, lackluster feeling that comes with a huge change in one’s life.
Who knew growing older would be like losing an arm?
I’ve been told countless times about how when you graduate university, when you grow up, find a job, everything changes, things look up, it is the first day of the rest of your life.
Then why is it I feel so lost?
Why is it that I’m so afraid of what lies ahead. I feel like that kid at the mall crying his eyes out because he lost his mommy and no matter how many people ask him “what’s wrong little guy? Let me help you find your mommy”, he still feels the need to cry his eyes out.
I guess knowing that I’m growing older, and that things will change starts a shiver down my spine.
A kind of fear is telling me that things will get harder, telling me that sooner or later I have to face reality, telling me that lunches, dinners, clubbing, gatherings, and movie nights might stop becoming a frequent thing in my life or even worse never happen again Who knows what comes next for me?
In all truth, as scary and as exciting as growing up may seem to be, maybe there will have to come a time where I must accept it, embrace it, and find it in myself to be strong and take the plunge into the abyss – frankly because I don’t have a choice.
Growing up is scary but in the end, as the song goes, what will be will be. Who knows what the future has in store for me. (Revive your passions and focus on a political issue that is alienating many societies and increasing suffering?)
Slavery: Not only in the Middle East
Slavery is rampant in most countries, especially in West Africa (Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Gambia…) and the Far East, Yemen, Sudan, are practiced on its own citizens. Other countries abuse the “imported” work force to subjugate them into a state of slavery.
The Middle East, once at the forefront of slavery, is back in the spotlight again as now there are more cases emerging of contemporary slavery that are gradually catching up with the horrific events of the past.
Slaves were “imported” from Madagascar, Sudan, East Africa and the current States bordering the Sahara Desert.
In the 18th century, the European colonial powers and the USA shipped slaves from West Africa for several centuries.
The many hot spots of the MENA region, Sudan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan and the UAE were pointed out as the countries that have the most number of slaves.
Khalil Dagher , regional intern of the World Youth Alliance Middle East, posted this article.
Those trafficked into the Middle East are often put into forced labor; forced to work for long periods of time, sometimes up to 16 hours without pay.
They are often subjected to beatings, forced sexual relations and forced abortions.
Most of these victims end up dead before ever gaining their freedom. The majority of trafficked victims knew their trafficker. They were a family member, a friend, a relative, or a neighbor.
(Qatar for example, now on the verge of hosting the 2022 World Cup, is being accused of mistreatment of the workers from Bangladesh, Nepal and the Himalaya States, employed to build the stadiums, or a form of slavery. Over 400 workers died so far from overwork, malnutrition and unsanitary dwelling).
With over 150,000 slaves, Mauritania ranks first globally as the country with the largest slave population. (It is reported that a third of the population are slaves)
In Jordan, child labor is huge with some 30,000 children working, mainly in shops, cafes, and restaurants.
Even Israel is in on the act following in the footsteps of the likes of Lebanon with a huge human trafficking sector.
Low-level skilled workers from China, Romania, Africa, Turkey, Thailand, and Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India face forced labor conditions.
Many have had their passports confiscated by their “sponsors,” never receive wages due to debt bondages, and face threats and physical intimidation.
Women from Russia and former Soviet states are commonly trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
In Sudan women and children are taken captive, then enslaved, branded, and bred. Women chosen as concubines (a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives) are genitally mutilated.
In Uganda, armed factions kidnap kids to become ruthless killers, after forcing them to kill their mothers.
In Lebanon human trafficking has developed into sex work. With Lebanon being one of the least conservative countries in the Middle East, brothels or ‘’whore houses” have found fertile ground in the spoils of the shadowy industry.
In analyzing the causes of slavery, it can be seen that it is often a by-product of poverty.
Countries that lack education, economic freedoms and the rule of law, and which have poor societal structure can create an environment that fosters the acceptance of slavery.
The majority of the trade is initialized in the developing world such as in Asia and Africa, where, the Middle East is merely another one of the drop-off points en route.
Government corruption around the world allows slavery to settle into a norm. Countries within the Middle East and North Africa are infamous for being corrupt states with police bribes and even government officials themselves playing a big role.
Even though it is illegal, millions have become vulnerable to slave holders and human traffickers looking to profit from the theft of people’s lives. This new slavery has two prime characteristics: slaves today are cheap and they are disposable.
From deceiving maids to work for a wealthy family in Lebanon to trading slaves from one buyer to another as if they were products in South Sudan, slaves are a rare commodity that won’t die down anytime soon until the right methods are aimed at stopping this from growing.
It is easy to analyze the causes of slavery in the Middle East and all over the world and identify it as a problem, but it is even easier to find solutions to eradicate slavery.
It’s important to state that this is only a plan of action that has to be adopted by all parties involved from the UN to members in society.
First plan of action is for governments to do more than they actually say. It’s the duty of the governments in the Middle East and all over the world to build a national plan to end slavery within its borders.
They can do this by bringing together all relevant existing government agencies, and appointing an anti-slavery ambassador charged with coordinating their efforts and actively involving the local anti-slavery organizations in their countries that are closest to the problem.
Second plan of action is for the UN to get more involved by putting pressure on permanent members to provide funds and resources to special representatives to aid in the eradication of slavery, The Security Council should appoint a committee of experts to review the existing conventions on slavery and recommend how to unify and clarify these conventions.
The Security Council should establish a commission to determine how the existing UN inspection mandate could be applied to slavery.
Third plan of action is to promote plans that promise slavery-free cities. For example, Public Awareness Raising which could involve conferences in schools and universities all over the region and the world, promote the use of social media networks, and encourage more research to be done, going down to the street level and educating those who don’t know about slavery on the issue, and finally go to your community level where we all can be a hero and tackle slavery as a mobile force.
These are a few steps that can be used to finally eradicate slavery but will only take place when society as a whole decides to come together as a united force in social mobilization from the bottom up with the aim at influencing those in power that there is a problem that needs to be tackled.
Until then however, slavery will continue to go on right under our noses and in our back yards with no aim at ever stopping.
The Middle East is only a small percentage of what has developed into a social problem that should have ended centuries ago.
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