Table of Contents
Letter From the Editor
Paradise Lost: Child Soldiers In Congo
New Weapons in the US Army
Women of Ciudad Juárez: Victims of Unrelenting Violence,
Negligent
Police Work
Get Involved: United Nations Association of Canada - Toronto Branch
Comment: Third Wave Feminism
Remember: send all comments, editorials, questions, and submissions
to gryc@rogers.com!
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Letter From the Editor
August 2003. What an interesting month for those living in North-Eastern North America: one bringing the blackout affecting 50 million people and giving citizens in the biggest of cities the ability to see the stars from areas usually much too bright for anything but the most luminous objects in the night sky. Driving amid the chaos caused by powerless traffic lights, I could see people helping others by directing traffic, giving away bottled water, or calling friends and relatives - just in case. Almost all of the post-blackout articles in the Globe and Mail were ones focusing on the kindness and integrity of citizens in Toronto, though I am sure other cities were treated with much the same.
Reading such stories gave me a hope for the future. When watching the news or reading articles in newspapers, we are bombarded with messages of war, some of which imply that things will never change: that we will always have terrorism, hunger, and a growing AIDS pandemic. Sometimes everything seems to be on a downward spiral towards a proverbial collapse of society. Not so, however, if you see how people interacted with each other on the dark streets of Toronto. Hope and kindness, it seems, is still out there, living among the people we see and interact with every day.
And with this, I leave you to read the newest issue of Five Minutes to Midnight. By now, you are sure to have noticed all of the changes taking place in the organization through the new web site and new writers in the articles below. Enjoy!
Thanks,
Wojciech Gryc
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Paradise Lost: Child Soldiers In Congo by Mark Cavdar
A child's concern with the world around them usually doesn't comprise of all that much. What is a social issue to a child whose primary concerns should consist of playing in the schoolyard and whose responsibility still requires learning how to properly read and write? Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are plucked from the solitude of childhood and thrust violently into accepting and committing some of the cruelest inhumanities known to mankind.
Murder, rape, theft and brutality are dealt out in daily doses by the Democratic Republic of Congo's dozens of child militia units, with enlistees from as young as eight years of age partaking in the cruelty. Sub-Saharan Africa's militia consists of an estimated 100,000 soldiers yet to see their 18th birthday, many of which occupy the Democratic Republic of Congo. With their wide and curious eyes and cherubic faces yet to shed the unquestionable markings of childhood, the soldiers enlisted in the Congo's militia make it easy to forget that they are cold-blooded killers. Children barely 5 feet tall walk through the grizzled bush cradling contraband M-16 assault rifles that nearly extend the lengths of their young bodies. Eight year-old children are armed to the teeth in Kevlar vests sporting the latest in shrapnel explosives. Training facilities where the fortunate handpicked children of the Congo are taught the most effective ways to dismantle an enemy using nothing but their bare hands. These are the horrors of the Congo, the stark reality of which is more frightening than any conjured work of fiction.
Child soldiers of the Congo are robbed of a formal childhood. A school for a child is typically where they are taught the ways of the world, where they grow and are nurtured. Not so for a child being trained as a soldier; theirs is a training facility where adult commanders educate in the ways of death and destruction. In place of a schoolyard, these children partake in a vicious ethnic war that has claimed 3.3 million lives since its beginning in 1998. Submachine guns and plastic explosives replace conventional toys in the violently warped childhood of these soldiers.
The real tragedy of all this is found in the fact that the adult commanders, those leaders of the murderous mobilized militia, have been able through sinister machinations to convince these innocent and naive children that their actions are morally acceptable, and to some extent even commendable. The adults, fully conscious and aware of their actions, manage to dull the nerves of their trainees by diluting their mind's typical lucid state with the aid of inexpensive and easily produced drugs such as crack-cocaine, thus making it easier for them to gray the areas of moral right and wrong. Children are kept intoxicated as long as possible to make it easier to hand out orders, and with a conscious far too preoccupied to object, it makes the idea of moral protest something far too weighty for the mind to explore. Not like a guilty conscious would make much of a difference: the commanders have instilled so much fear into the children that so much as a speck of doubt most undoubtedly will end in a painful punishment. Through their underhanded methods, the commanders of the militias have been able to craft what could be considered a perfect army: quick and efficient killers with no moral strings attached and no other support structure to retreat to.
These children are rapists, murderers and thieves. Their lifestyle is integrated with crime, and no gray area exists wherein they are given the opportunity to consider whether their actions are right or not. In their defense however, they are far too inexperienced to know the difference between what is virtuous and what is inhumane. Another one of the tricks employed by the militia commanders whilst enlisting new soldiers is ensuring the children are recruited without proper moral framework. The mothers and fathers of these children weren't able to give them suitable social guidelines to follow to ensure they knew the reasons why killing another individual is so wrong, why taking another's property is unacceptable, and why the bodies of others are sacred and should not be desecrated. If one does not possess the knowledge of that crucial difference between good and evil actions, in the mind of that individual everything is acceptable. This is the sad truth in the case of child soldiers in the Congo.
As if the constant looting, murderous rampages and brutality weren't enough to keep international aid organizations on their feet, the uncontained sexual activity of the child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo is quickly spreading an already booming epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 2.76 million adults living in Congo are diagnosed and living with HIV, with a total of 930,000 living AIDS orphans, both whopping figures considering the total population of the Democratic Republic of Congo comes in at about 55 million people. A recent study conducted by UNICEF shows that nearly 27% of rape victims who checked into a southern Congo hospital tested positive for HIV. Previously virgins, these victims were diagnosed as a result of the carefree and uncontrollable fornication of the militia's soldiers, having the disease passed on to them against their own will. Both women and girls are treated with less respect than property; soldiers opt to handle their assault rifles with more care.
In spite of all the physical destruction spread by the terrifying reign of the high and mighty militia of minors, one cannot deny the irrefutable allure of enlisting to the young boys of the DRC. Taken out of a field of generic faces all stricken with poverty, going nowhere in life, fighting a struggle to survive from day to day with plaguing problems such as starvation, these deprived children are handed a mighty machine gun with a trove of explosives, told they can do whatever they want to whomever they want and take anything they want whenever they see it fit. It's a white card to reckless behaviour free of consequence, requiring only the fulfillment of your duties to the militia. Once recruited, the children suddenly don a completely new attitude, coating all of their actions in a glossy sheen of audacious bravado. Guns holstered, these boys are fully aware of their revered stature among the people of the DRC. Marching through the streets like local gods, these children were once affected by the tyrannical civil war. Now, through their relentless actions, they are the singular cause of the oppression and devastation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It's a heartbreaking circumstance that has befallen the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Child soldiers warrant no mercy for their actions. Yet at the same time, the way these children were brought up, the ideals and morals hammered into them from an early age makes one realize that they simply know no other life. Constant intoxication turns them into remorseless slaves, forcing them to do the bidding of their superiors. These children were never taught to respect anything except the orders handed down from above. They were not born this way - they were conditioned and trained and tricked into the heartless actions that they perform on a daily basis.
[sources] [top]
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New Weapons in the US Army by Wojciech Gryc
The development of new and powerful bombs and projectiles threatens to create a new weapons development race and promotes the propagation of biological, chemical, and even weapons of mass destruction.
During the war in Iraq, people were introduced to the most powerful conventional bomb ever created. The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), nicknamed the "Mother Of All Bombs", was designed for pure firepower and intimidation of rival powers, or in this case, Baath party members fighting to protect Saddam Hussein and his Iraq. New forms of nuclear weapons are being investigated by the US military, including types that, rather than using fusion or fission reactions, release gamma rays in a process less powerful than current nuclear weapons, but also more powerful than any non-nuclear bomb designed to date. Even grenades are being revamped to carry biological and chemical agents!
As weapons proliferation and terrorism are becoming larger problems in the Middle East and Asia, and are ever-looming threats over some of the largest cities in the world, governments must realize that the development of new weapons should not receive the highest priority. How can a rogue state be expected to stop developing weapons of mass destruction when told to do so by a nation who has thousands of them and is working to develop other bombs capable of destroying buildings, homes, and toppling nations?
The development of MOAB was widely reported on during the beginnings of the war in Iraq. However, this is an exception to the rule of secrecy in most militaries. Most advanced weapons rarely see themselves making headlines, if ever being discovered by the public. To find sensitive military information, it usually takes research, paperwork, and possibly the use of lawyers taking advantage of laws supporting the freedom of information before projects can be reported upon. There are two recent weapons that have not fallen under the spotlight, yet shedding some light on them is of crucial importance.
Fusion and fission are nuclear processes that produce massive amounts of energy and are the fundamental concepts used to build weapons of mass destruction. Extremely outdated designs were used during the end of World War II, and even they succeeded in killing around 100,000 people each. There are, however, other ways to harness the power of an atom, some of which are eagerly being explored by the US military.
When atoms are combined or split to create more stable ones, incredibly large amounts of energy are released. However, some radioactive isotopes are able to exist in high-energy states that slowly decay with the release of gamma rays. One such atom is Hafnium-178m2 and its decay may be expedited by bombarding the atom with low-energy X-rays. The process is currently in early developmental stages, though recent experimental results show that if harnessed properly, the power released in one gram of Hafnium-178m2 is equivalent to fifty kilograms of TNT.
Though this is not as powerful as a nuclear bomb, the substance can theoretically be used in low quantities - put a few grams into a bullet and find a way to shoot it properly, and you will have more than just a technological advantage; even enemy soldiers with the United States' current arsenal would not stand a chance!
Such a technology has no apparent applications outside of a military environment. At first, it is possible to think that such high-energy atoms could be used to create environmentally friendly power, but Hafnium-178m2 is manufactured commercially, and due to the Law of Conservation of Energy, which basically states that the energy in the aforementioned atom must be taken from somewhere else, producing the material requires almost as much energy as it releases, unless a natural source may be found.
But even if developed, this technology is several years away. Other weapons have already been created, such as the one described in US patent 6,523,478.
Patent 6,523,478 describes a "payload delivering projectile which is capable of being launched from the end of a rifle muzzle in a safe and effective manner." It goes on to say the invention is "further adapted for carrying a range of payloads and dispensing the payload at a distance away from the launch point in a safe and accurate manner."
Another point of interest is the type of payload that may be delivered by this invention. The patent describes it as "any substance, material or device which is desired to be expeditiously delivered to a target area using the projectile of the present invention as the carrying and dispersing device. The payload may include, but is not limited to, a substance capable of being dispersed in the form of an aerosol, electronic devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, flash-bang munitions, sting balls, ground sensors, mines, bomblets, concussion grenades, tire puncturing elements, signal emitting devices, and the like."
Instructions on how to build such a projectile are outlined in the patent, and therein lies majority of the problem: this weapon can be used to carry biological or chemical agents, such as anthrax, and other substances which terrorists may get their hands on. The anthrax-tainted letters that made headlines after 9/11 show that it is possible for disgruntled individuals to get their hands on such substances, and the problems in Iraq definitely make it much easier for those bent on killing others to do so.
As it becomes increasingly difficult to preserve peace in Afghanistan, bring about a new government in Iraq, or fight rebels in Columbia, this patent instructs them how they can turn their rifles into a means of delivering biological or chemical agents.
Weapons proliferation is a big problem, and the development of new weapons, both great and small, only makes this a more persistent issue. Increasingly powerful weapons make it more likely that rogue nations will try to develop weapons to protect themselves, as North Korea seems to be doing. More weapons will also increase the likelihood of their falling into the wrong hands. Additionally, if new weapons are actually developed, their construction processes should be guarded with secrecy rather than becoming published patents for all to see. Otherwise, be prepared for more problems with terrorists and insurgents.
[sources] [top]
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Women of Ciudad Juárez: Victims of Unrelenting Violence,
Negligent
Police Work
by Kaley Kennedy
In today's age, our world is full of bloodstained roads, war-torn families, and battlefields of all shapes and sizes. However, one still finds it hard to believe that one of the most treacherous walks a woman can make is from her workplace or school back to her home. The roads of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico are filled with the stories of the hundreds of women who have failed to survive this walk, of the countless children left motherless, of grieving families, and most notably, the lack of justice present in this region.
An economic boom in the past 10 years has made Ciudad Juárez, a city across the border of El Paso, Texas in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, an attractive place for immigrants and Mexicans looking to move to the U.S. for an improved quality of life. This has also meant that it is now home to some of the youngest, poorest, and most vulnerable women in the country. Many young women move to Ciudad Juárez to work in maquilas, commercial assembly plants for foreign companies who make use of the cheap Mexican labour, or to attend school. They are often forced to walk long routes on unlit paths to get home. These circumstances make them easy targets for violent attacks.
While estimates vary as to how many women have gone missing in Ciudad Juárez since 1993, many Mexican NGOs claim that more than 400 women are missing and in the past 10 years approximately 370 women have been murdered. The average age of these women is nineteen and some are as young as eleven years old. Although this is an obvious problem, the Chihuahuan authorities are doing little to combat it. They have recognized a pattern indicative of a serial murderer, yet they refuse to open formal investigations and fail to keep families informed on the progress of the case. These families take the responsibility of organizing search parties and collecting evidence themselves. This amateur investigating that has led the authorities to falsify testimony, contaminate evidence, and force convictions to satisfy persistent families.
Many theories have been presented as to the motive behind these murders, though there is little evidence to support any of them. There has been little exploration into any of the possible motives, with the authorities blaming the women themselves until just recently. In February 1999, Arturo González Rascón, a former State Prosecutor, went as far as to say, "Women with a nightlife who go out very late and come into contact with drinkers are at risk. It's hard to go out on the street when it's raining and not get wet." This discrimination against victims, as well as reports that the police and other state officials are also victimizing women in the area, has caused many families to lose hope in their government and authorities.
Those who haven't lost hope have begun to fight back. Families have banded together to form "Our Children Must Return Home" and along with other NGOs, have put enough pressure on the government to investigate the violence. The process is still lengthy, however, and full of corruption. A recent declaration of the Mexican government to investigate these disappearances based on a rumour that they were being killed for their organs is a step in the right direction. This intervention by the federal government may help to ensure the women of Ciudad Juárez get justice.
Until then, their families will mourn their loss, or wait for their daughters to return. Hopefully no more women will fall victim to the violence in this region, nor to the discrimination and low self-worth promoted in their society. Only when society sees women as equals, will violence towards them decline.
[sources] [top]
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Get Involved: United Nations Association of Canada - Toronto Branch
by Wojciech Gryc
One of the most prominent and important international organizations in today's day and age is the United Nations. The UN spearheads many peacekeeping and humanitarian operations and contrary to what some have said shortly after the war in Iraq began, it still has a strong and important presence in the international scene. Luckily, for those interested in international issues and wanting to get more involved, the UN has many programs aimed toward interested volunteers, many of which are run through associations in member nations.
An ardent supporter of the United Nations, Canada has a national UN association located in Ottawa, though many citizens have taken it upon themselves to organize local chapters in other areas. Indeed, Toronto is no exception. The United Nations Association of Canada, Toronto branch (UNACTO) is an 800-member organization whose goal is to promote, raise awareness, and raise funds for the UN and its many programs, and is constantly looking for new volunteers.
Specifically, youth living in and around Toronto interested in volunteering have an entire committee for their use. Entitled the "Youth and Education Committee" and chaired by Miriam Desjardins, an active and genial supporter of UNACTO, it is always looking for new members and growing at a rapid pace. Below is a short interview with Ms. Desjardins, who graciously took the time to answer a few questions about UNACTO and the Youth & Education Committee.
What is the UNAC?
The United Nations Association in Canada (UNAC) is a national charitable organization that was established in 1946. Its mandate is to engage the Canadian public in the work of the United Nations and the critical international issues which affect us all. UNAC accomplishes its goals mainly through the work of volunteer-driven regional branches throughout Canada, as well as a staff team at the National Office in Ottawa, Ontario.
What is the UNAC Youth & Education Committee?
The Youth & Education Committee is one of seven Committees of the UNAC - Toronto Branch. It is run by volunteers who are committed to educating civil society, with a focus on youth, about the United Nations and global issues from a Canadian perspective.
The Committee highlights the value of educating all people in Canada about the world in which we live. Through its programs and community involvement, the Youth & Education Committee strives to draw links between local and global concerns, as well as provide youth with interactive learning opportunities that challenge them to develop their own ideas and opinions about global issues.
What is your role in the committee?
Presently, I am the Chair of UNACTO's Youth & Education Committee, this being my second term. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of acting as Ontario's Regional Coordinator for a school programme designed by the National Office: "What Kind of World...?"
What are some of the activities being done by members of the committee?
This term, the committee is focused on 4 key projects:
- The continued promotion of "What Kind of World…?" throughout Ontario. "What Kind of World...?" involves a series of three workshops created for primary students from grades five through eight.
These workshops highlight three themes: Canada and the United Nations System: An Overview; Canada, the UN and Global Issues; and Canada, the UN and Human Rights.
- Creating an educational programme geared towards Secondary and Post-Secondary Students, with a focus on the Millennium Development Goals.
- Supporting interest in Model UN Clubs, as well as the upcoming national Model UN Conference (Canimun 2004).
- The ongoing growth of UNACTO, with a focus on membership, volunteerism, and fundraising.
How can one get involved in the committee?
One can get involved in any of UNACTO's seven committees by contacting the Toronto Branch office at 416-929-0990, emailing a Committee Chair through UNACTO's website (http://www.to.unac.org), or dropping into the Toronto Branch office at 2 College Street West, Room 112.
Specifically, to express interest in the Youth & Education Committee, please contact me, Miriam Desjardins, at 416-254-9730, or miriamdesjardins@hotmail.com.
A great place to volunteer, to say the least! This is a wonderful opportunity to start volunteering for those interested in showing their support for the UN - if you do not live in Toronto, check the web or your nation's UN office for local clubs. If none exist in your vicinity, you can even start your own!
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Comment: Third Wave Feminism by Allison Martell
If, right now, I were to walk up to you and say only the words "third wave feminism", what would you think?
First, you would probably wonder why a stranger was making cryptic remarks at you; in a moment, you would remember that that's because you are reading Five Minutes to Midnight, where teenagers often say things that teenagers don't often say. Chances are, your next reaction would be a blank stare or a whole set of misconceptions.
Let's look after that blank stare first. Third wave feminism is the third and youngest feminist movement; it is the feminism of our generation. We could call it Feminism NOW, but there's something more revolutionary about waves.
Before we address the misconceptions, I'd like to perform an experiment. Don't worry; it won't hurt much. Take a deep breath. Without looking at my name, try to determine my gender. Think carefully, and then read the next paragraph.
If your final answer was "I can't tell unless you tell me yourself", then I'm proud of you. If your last thought was "that's a stupid question; she must be a woman if she's writing about feminism", then you are right and wrong. You are right because I am, most definitely a woman, and I do think that makes me a feminist almost by default. You are wrong because men also can and should be feminists.
And so, perhaps unfairly, I have already begun to do what I said I would do after the experiment: address misconceptions.
Misconception #1 -- "I'm not a feminist!"
Do you believe in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes? If you do, then by the dictionary definition (that was taken almost word for word from dictionary.com) you are a feminist. In your life, you may choose to reject the label, but you should be aware of exactly what your words are saying.
Misconception #2 -- Feminists hate men!
If someone calls what they do feminism and in fact practices sexism, then they are living a very basic contradiction (remember that definition). As I've also mentioned already, some feminists <i>are</i> men. The first person to teach me the definition of the f-word was, in fact, my father.
I believe this misconception has a basis in the anger that comes out in some feminist thought. It cannot be left unsaid that much of the oppression of women has come from men; it is only natural that some anger exists. But the core values of feminism are not man-hating (why can't I find a male equivalent to misogynist?).
Misconception #3 -- Feminism is obsolete. There's nothing left to do.
If the first two waves of feminism were ones of demands and clear answers, this feminism is one of questions. If the first wave of feminism demanded that women should have the right to vote and run for political office, this feminism asks why there are so few women in leadership roles. If the first wave of feminism said that women should be allowed to work, this wave asks how women can balance having children and being successful. There are so many more questions. Why are women the victims of so much sexual violence? Why are women so overwhelmingly affected by eating disorders? Why don't women speak up in large meetings and big crowds? Why are women underrepresented in science and engineering? Why is women's sexual pleasure so taboo? Why are so many single parents women? Why are young single mothers given so little respect? Why are so many still eager to control women's bodies and reproduction?
Why does everyone keep telling me that these questions no longer matter? They are still unanswered.
The other reason that feminism must be kept alive is that the first two waves are still happening around the world. Women still fighting for the right to go to school and work deserve our support. Otherwise, they are forced to start from scratch.
Relax; it's almost over. We've looked after the blank stares and the misconceptions, so this stranger is almost finished with you. The last thing I'd like to do is ask you to open your eyes, in that terribly corny metaphorical sense. As you walk away from me, try to answer some of the questions from #3. It's okay if you don't come up with easy solutions; no one has. All I ask is that you pay attention as the third wave washes over you.
[further reading] [top]
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Sources for Paradise Lost: Child Soldiers In Congo
"Child Cannibal Killers of the Congo." Mirror.co.uk.
15 August 2003. 31 August 2003. <http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13294482_method=
full_siteid=50143_headline=-CHILD-KILLERS-OF-THE-CONGO-name_page.html>
"Child Soldiers 'A Challenge'." News24.com. 8 August
2003. 31 August 2003. <http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1399217,00.html>
Raghava, Sudarsan. "U.N. peacekeepers to face child soldiers, killers of Congo."
KnightRidder Washington Bureau. 4 June 2003. 31 August 2003. <http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/6013097.htm>
Sources for New Weapons in the US Army
"Gamma-Ray Weapons Could Trigger Next Arms Race." New
Scientist. 13 August 2003. 1 September 2003. <http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994049>
Starr, Barbara. "U.S. Tests Massive Bomb." cnn.com.
11 March 2003. 1 September 2003. <http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/11/sprj.irq.moab/index.html>
"US Army Patent on Bioeapons Grenade." Cryptome.org.
18 June 2003. 1 September 2003. <http://cryptome.org/usa-bioweapon.htm>
Sources for Women of Ciudad Juárez: Victims of Unrelenting Violence,
Negligent Police Work
Pantin, Laurence. "250 Murders Prompt Mexico Anti-Violence Campaign."
Women's E-News. 21 December 2003. 8 August 2003. <http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/763/context/archive>
Amnesty International. "Mexico Intolerable Killings." 11 August 2003. 28
August 2003. <http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR410272003>
Washington Valdez, Diana. "Families, some officials suspect police are involved."
El Paso Times. 23 June 2002. 28 August 2003. <http://www.elpasotimes.com/borderdeath/page2-5.html>
Bacon, David. "Juarez Mothers Cry Out for an End to the Murders of their Children."
12 May 2003. 28 August 2003. <http://www.december18.net/paper73Maquiladores.htm>
Further Reading for Third Wave Feminism
Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation edited by Barbara Findlen
Bitch Magazine: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture <http://www.bitchmagazine.com>
