title: Genocide Prevention through Changing the United Nations Security Council Power of Veto

authors: Butters, Michelle

subjects: genocide

abstract: In 1948 the international community in reaction to the horrors of the holocaust sought to eradicate genocide forever by creating the 'Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide'.  This Convention criminalised the preparation and act of genocide by international law, making all individuals accountable irrelevant of status or sovereignty.  But the Convention has not been enough to deter the act of genocide from occurring again, and again, and again.  Worst, the international community has been slow to react to cases of genocide.  The problem with preventing and punishing genocide is hindered by the power and right of veto held by permanent members of the UNSC.  The UNSC has been given the responsibility to maintain international peace and security and is the only entity that can mandate an intervention that overrides the principle of non-intervention. The aim of this thesis is to show that the veto has been a crucial factor in stopping the prevention of genocide, thus it is imperative that the veto change.  This study argues that to effectively prevent and punish genocide the veto needs to be barred from use in cases of genocide.  It looks at different cases since the Armenian genocide during WWI through to the Darfur genocide which is still in process.  The case of Armenia is significant because for the first time, members of the international community were prepared to hold leaders of another state accountable for their treatment of their own citizens.  However the collective will to bring justice to those accountable waned coming to an abrupt end in 1923.  The holocaust followed in WWII; six million Jews died, and numerous other groups were targeted under the Nazi's serial genocide.  The shock of the holocaust led to the Genocide Convention.  But thirty years later during the Cold War, Cambodia became embroiled in a genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge.  The international community silently stood by.  The USSR, China, and the US all had their reasons to stay out of Cambodia, from supporting a regime with a likeminded political ideology to war weariness from Vietnam.  In the 1990s, genocides in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Kosovo) followed.  The former was neglected by the US's unwillingness to be involved in another peacekeeping disaster.  The two genocides in the former Yugoslavia were affected by Russia and China's reluctance to use military force even after the clear failure of serial negotiations.  Finally, in 2003 Darfur became the latest tragedy of genocide.  Again, Russia and China have been timid of calling the conflict genocide thus avoiding any affirmative action to stop it.  These cases all show that where one state is unwilling to be involved in stopping genocide, their right and power to the veto stops or delays the international community from preventing and punishing genocide, regardless of whether the veto is used or merely seen as a threat.  Therefore, for future prevention of genocide, the veto needs to be changed to prevent its use in times of genocide.

text: Genocide Prevention through Changing the United Nations Security Council Power of Veto In 1948 the international community in reaction to the horrors of the holocaust sought to eradicate genocide forever by creating the 'Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide'.  This Convention criminalised the preparation and act of genocide by international law, making all individuals accountable irrelevant of status or sovereignty.  But the Convention has not been enough to deter the act of genocide from occurring again, and again, and again.  Worst, the international community has been slow to react to cases of genocide.  The problem with preventing and punishing genocide is hindered by the power and right of veto held by permanent members of the UNSC.  The UNSC has been given the responsibility to maintain international peace and security and is the only entity that can mandate an intervention that overrides the principle of non-intervention. The aim of this thesis is to show that the veto has been a crucial factor in stopping the prevention of genocide, thus it is imperative that the veto change.  This study argues that to effectively prevent and punish genocide the veto needs to be barred from use in cases of genocide.  It looks at different cases since the Armenian genocide during WWI through to the Darfur genocide which is still in process.  The case of Armenia is significant because for the first time, members of the international community were prepared to hold leaders of another state accountable for their treatment of their own citizens.  However the collective will to bring justice to those accountable waned coming to an abrupt end in 1923.  The holocaust followed in WWII; six million Jews died, and numerous other groups were targeted under the Nazi's serial genocide.  The shock of the holocaust led to the Genocide Convention.  But thirty years later during the Cold War, Cambodia became embroiled in a genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge.  The international community silently stood by.  The USSR, China, and the US all had their reasons to stay out of Cambodia, from supporting a regime with a likeminded political ideology to war weariness from Vietnam.  In the 1990s, genocides in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Kosovo) followed.  The former was neglected by the US's unwillingness to be involved in another peacekeeping disaster.  The two genocides in the former Yugoslavia were affected by Russia and China's reluctance to use military force even after the clear failure of serial negotiations.  Finally, in 2003 Darfur became the latest tragedy of genocide.  Again, Russia and China have been timid of calling the conflict genocide thus avoiding any affirmative action to stop it.  These cases all show that where one state is unwilling to be involved in stopping genocide, their right and power to the veto stops or delays the international community from preventing and punishing genocide, regardless of whether the veto is used or merely seen as a threat.  Therefore, for future prevention of genocide, the veto needs to be changed to prevent its use in times of genocide.

year: 2007

title: Rape treatment: An overview of current knowledge

authors: Thakker, Jo

subjects: rape treatment

abstract: Sexual offending is frequently seen by the lay person as being a result of an innate abnormality that is relatively fixed and unchangeable. Accordingly, sexual offenders are seen as more likely to recidivate than other types of offenders. In fact, this is not the case, and most sexual offenders do not re-offend. Also, contemporary research has shown that treatment programs driven by cognitive behaviour therapy significantly reduce rates of sexual offender recidivism. Nevertheless, while there has been a great deal of research on the treatment of child sexual offenders, the treatment of rapists has received comparatively less attention. Thus, the main aim of this article is to summarise current knowledge of sexual offender treatment, paying specific attention to the needs of rapists. In particular, we pay attention to the content of sexual offender treatment programs, and the relevance of this content to rape. We also discuss therapeutic issues of relevance for rapist treatment that are typically ignored or underestimated in the research literature. Finally, based upon our analysis of the literature, we present a schematic overview of rape treatment and identify important areas for further research.

text: Rape treatment: An overview of current knowledge Sexual offending is frequently seen by the lay person as being a result of an innate abnormality that is relatively fixed and unchangeable. Accordingly, sexual offenders are seen as more likely to recidivate than other types of offenders. In fact, this is not the case, and most sexual offenders do not re-offend. Also, contemporary research has shown that treatment programs driven by cognitive behaviour therapy significantly reduce rates of sexual offender recidivism. Nevertheless, while there has been a great deal of research on the treatment of child sexual offenders, the treatment of rapists has received comparatively less attention. Thus, the main aim of this article is to summarise current knowledge of sexual offender treatment, paying specific attention to the needs of rapists. In particular, we pay attention to the content of sexual offender treatment programs, and the relevance of this content to rape. We also discuss therapeutic issues of relevance for rapist treatment that are typically ignored or underestimated in the research literature. Finally, based upon our analysis of the literature, we present a schematic overview of rape treatment and identify important areas for further research.

year: 2010

title: Teaching te reo Māori as a second language in primary schools: two case studies.

authors: Hill, Richard Kenneth

subjects: second languages

abstract: The provision of second language education in New Zealand primary schools has been, until recently, a rare addition to programmes. Its wider implementation in New Zealand primary schools has always been limited by low numbers of fluent bilingual teachers, and a perception that in a predominantly English speaking country such as New Zealand there is no need to teach additional languages in primary schools. The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) provides the first opportunity to formally include second language education in primary schools, and to establish the learning of second languages as a worthwhile pursuit in New Zealand. However, the success of such a policy change will depend on the ability of the Ministry of Education and course providers to upskill teachers in their ability to speak additional languages and teach them. This article reports on the outcomes of a Ministry-funded project designed to strengthen the second language teaching approaches of upper primary school teachers who teach te reo Maori. It provides case studies of two of the teachers who completed this course, and finds that while there are clear benefits to be derived from such teacher professional development courses, these courses need to focus on long-term objectives and be channelled to those teachers and students who stand to benefit the most from professional development courses.

text: Teaching te reo Māori as a second language in primary schools: two case studies. The provision of second language education in New Zealand primary schools has been, until recently, a rare addition to programmes. Its wider implementation in New Zealand primary schools has always been limited by low numbers of fluent bilingual teachers, and a perception that in a predominantly English speaking country such as New Zealand there is no need to teach additional languages in primary schools. The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) provides the first opportunity to formally include second language education in primary schools, and to establish the learning of second languages as a worthwhile pursuit in New Zealand. However, the success of such a policy change will depend on the ability of the Ministry of Education and course providers to upskill teachers in their ability to speak additional languages and teach them. This article reports on the outcomes of a Ministry-funded project designed to strengthen the second language teaching approaches of upper primary school teachers who teach te reo Maori. It provides case studies of two of the teachers who completed this course, and finds that while there are clear benefits to be derived from such teacher professional development courses, these courses need to focus on long-term objectives and be channelled to those teachers and students who stand to benefit the most from professional development courses.

year: 2010